Fall Bear 2024

[Species8472]

That time of year again. Didn't fill my tag this spring so going at it this fall. Set up one bait today that has good sign. Bait is at the back of a large beaver pond that i access by canoe. Bait is a 55 gallon shaker barrel - think of it as a monster salt shaker chained to a tree that spills bait as the bears roll it around. Have not hunted this spot in about 5 years but reports from my neighbors suggest there is a 400+ lb boar in the area. Barrel contains the following:


220 lbs whole corn
50 lbs black oil sunflower seeds
10 lbs molasses
10 lbs gummy worms
10 lbs party mix


Rotten stumps in the vicinity are also scented with anise, caramel and vanilla extract as a scent lure. Can tell i am getting older as i used to haul the corn in 90 lb bags on my back but have switched to 55 lb bags.


View of the beaver pond:





Bait barrel with beaver pond in the background:





View down the shooting lane from the base of the tree that will have my climber in it:

[FishHog]

Nice. You work harder than I do.
I set up a bait yesterday as well. But I filled a 5 gal shaker pail with popcorn.
I’m getting older too but I could carry more popcorn

[Gilroy]

This set up scares me to death I can see that shot boar making a bee line for that nasty swamp just before dark, way to much recovery effort for me. I suppose if you have the toys and other equipment to recover a bear and motivation, go for it. The money your investing just in bait is astounding to me.

[Species8472]

This set up scares me to death I can see that shot boar making a bee line for that nasty swamp just before dark, way to much recovery effort for me. I suppose if you have the toys and other equipment to recover a bear and motivation, go for it. The money your investing just in bait is astounding to me.

Have taken 5 bears from this spot in the last 10 years. Furthest any have gone is 12 yards. Shot from climber is only 22 yards. Just be patient and take a good shot and it is not a problem. Few years back i watched a bear for 46 minutes before he gave me the shot i wanted. Don't rush, don't take iffy shots and at 22 yards with a 35 Whelen that shoots moa not a concern. Recovery is easier than you think. Load into canoe and paddle out. There is a rock ledge at shore that sits about 6 inches higher than the canoe gunwale. Tie the canoe tight to ledge and roll bear in, no lifting required.

As for cost of the bait i am not sure what you consider a lot of $$$$ everyone is different. That said my cost is as follows for that mix:

220 lbs corn - $36
50 lbs black oil sunflower seed - $60
molasses - 10lbs @$0.50 per = $5
extracts - $12

These items other than the extracts are all purchased direct from the mill - saves $$$$

The gummys and party mix were free as I have 2 kids getting married this year and have collected leftovers from the seemingly endless parties and get togethers that precede the nuptials. So grand total i have $113 invested in the bait - less than a tank of fuel for my truck and way less than the $2-$3K the outfitters charge for a hunt.

In many years i don't add the sunflower seed. It depends on the local berry crop and acorn production. Both those are very good this year and the super high fat and protein from the seed/nut added to the bait is needed to keep the bears interested.

[wknwrur]

Good luck on your fall bear hunt. Looking forward to pictures of the boar in the canoe or your inflatable. Keep us posted please !

[anglodrkns]

That looks alot like the area I typically go for bear. It usually provides some good opportunity being near a beaver pond. The bait set up sounds good, I have never tried going to the mills. Think I will have to next year as that is alot cheaper than going to the hunting stores

[FishHog]

I spend that much one popcorn kernels and still have to find used oil and pop it.
Really not a lot for what you get out of it

[bellerivercrossbowhunter]

Killer spot you got there!

Our spring bear camp has 7 to 8 bait locations. By far the best spot is in a low area with many swamps and tons of bugs... lol

[Gilroy]

Have taken 5 bears from this spot in the last 10 years. Furthest any have gone is 12 yards. Shot from climber is only 22 yards. Just be patient and take a good shot and it is not a problem. Few years back i watched a bear for 46 minutes before he gave me the shot i wanted. Don't rush, don't take iffy shots and at 22 yards with a 35 Whelen that shoots moa not a concern. Recovery is easier than you think. Load into canoe and paddle out. There is a rock ledge at shore that sits about 6 inches higher than the canoe gunwale. Tie the canoe tight to ledge and roll bear in, no lifting required.

As for cost of the bait i am not sure what you consider a lot of $$$$ everyone is different. That said my cost is as follows for that mix:

220 lbs corn - $36
50 lbs black oil sunflower seed - $60
molasses - 10lbs @$0.50 per = $5
extracts - $12

These items other than the extracts are all purchased direct from the mill - saves $$$$

The gummys and party mix were free as I have 2 kids getting married this year and have collected leftovers from the seemingly endless parties and get togethers that precede the nuptials. So grand total i have $113 invested in the bait - less than a tank of fuel for my truck and way less than the $2-$3K the outfitters charge for a hunt.

In many years i don't add the sunflower seed. It depends on the local berry crop and acorn production. Both those are very good this year and the super high fat and protein from the seed/nut added to the bait is needed to keep the bears interested.

Great reply and much appreciated. I recently looked for the best target spot on a bear and many sites recommended 'The middle of the middle" this was thankfully after I shot my bear.

So I just shot behind the armpit by about 8 inches or so and that bear did not move an inch, where do you hit them because my next bear is going to be a bigger one.

[Species8472]

Great reply and much appreciated. I recently looked for the best target spot on a bear and many sites recommended 'The middle of the middle" this was thankfully after I shot my bear.

So I just shot behind the armpit by about 8 inches or so and that bear did not move an inch, where do you hit them because my next bear is going to be a bigger one.

So the middle of the middle theory will work on a bear for a double lung shot but if you screw it up and hit a little further back then the middle you are in trouble. Or if the bear is quartering a bit and you don't notice you could have trouble too. The vitals on a bear tend be a little lower and a little further back then a deer's. Another thing to note is the lungs on a 200 lb bear are noticeably smaller than the lungs on a 200 lb deer. This is because a bear is a predator and a deer is prey. Prey animals are built to run fast and far and their respiratory system reflects this. Bears only ever sprint short distances.

This is as good a pic as any showing the vitals on a bear:



Source:

Understanding Bear Vitals (Not Like a Deer) - Tactics/Knowledge - Bear Hunting Magazine (bear-hunting.com)

The article that accompanies that pic is good reading too. Looking at that pic on a broad side bear i would typically aim halfway between where the heart is shown and where they have put the cross hairs (your 8 inches back is probably right about at this location). If a bear is standing broadside or sitting broad side on its rump with its back straight the vitals will be sitting even lower/further back due to gravity and the middle of the middle will work better.

Because i am sitting only 22 yards this year and typically within 35 yards and my rifle is dead on and packs a whallop there are other options. I have in the past shot bears in the sitting position with their backs to me. In those cases i aim for the spine about 3 inches below the base of the skull. Not usually recommended but in my case with my rifle it always results in a bang flop at that range.

Another option i have used when elevated 14 or 20 feet and at less then 25 yards is on a hard quartering towards bear i will aim for the near front shoulder with the exit trajectory estimated at the opposite side rear lower hip. Need a well constructed bullet and a high bullet weight and KE for this. The Whelen sends a 250 grain partition at 2550 fps (handloads). This breaks the shoulder and bullet crosses the bear kitty corner from side to side and from top to bottom doing massive organ damage and then breaks the hip on the way out. You need a rifle capable of this and need to have good geometry visualization for this so again maybe not a recommended shot but with the correct tools, setting and skills it is totally doable. Every bear i have shot this way has dropped immediately. Additionally for a very large bear i would not use this - i don't know but even with a powerful rifle i would be worried about penetration.

Again not to sound like a broken record but patience patience patience - wait for the shot you want. Know your rifle. Largest bear i have ever seen in my life was 2 years ago and was on my bait while i watched for over an hour. He could eat off the top of the 55 gallon drum without having to lift his head. He kept either the drum or a tree shielding most of his vitals the entire time he was at the bait. I never got a shot possibility i was happy with so he walked. There were chances for shots that might have worked but that is not good enough.

In the last 12 years i have personally taken 13 bears with the furthest recovery being 12 yards and no lost or wounded animals. During that time i have also been involved with recovery of 8 more taken by other family members. Longest recovery for that was 800 metres on a 250 lb boar shot by my son. Took me 6 hours to track that one. He was put on probation after that where hunting my baits are concerned (off now and learned his lesson) and had he been older and more experienced he would have been banned for some length of time. Boar was standing and he did not account for the drop in vitals caused by gravity. My BIL who is notorious for being impatient and jumping the gun wounded a large 300+ boar on one of my baits (i have 8 established bait sites that i cycle through). He gave up tracking after 200 yards. My nephew (his son) and I managed to track it another 800 yards and then lost it. He has been banned for life from my baits. No excuse when shooting a rifle from 20 or 30 yards and no excuse for the poor recovery attempt.