Checked the new bait (vlog #5) when the rain ended today and it had already been hit by two bears, one's a definite shooter. I'll have the video tomorrow.

I'm following too, Bernie!

Need to hire some of those junkies to help you bait. $1 an hour sounds about right...lol

Bernie, what constitutes a shooter by your standards? I have known some hound groups that have had to make some lines in the sand regarding what is a shooter for a bear. Some years there are huge year class groups and one can wind up with a ton of 125-160 lbs. bears in the trees and the hunter wants a larger bear. Most times these issues get resolved prior to the hunt but not always. I know one person got a tag and he gave it to his grandson who was a young teenager. They treed 11 bears and wound up with a 160 lbs. bear as all were that size or smaller and the dog owners needed to move on.

Bryce

A shooter for me is a mature male, but I have killed 29 bears so I can be selective. I'll analyze what I have coming in and try to take the biggest one. If a couple weeks goes by I may settle for a meat bear.

I have three friends who have tags and I'm baiting for them. Two of them have never shot a bear before so they are fine with anything bigger than a yearling. The other guy has killed a few bears so he may try to hold out for a nice one, but he has a history of claiming he is going to hold out for a giant and then he shoots the first thing he sees.

Thank you Bernie for your response. I was in north central WI in the national forest last Friday and at 11:30 AM a medium sized bear crossed the county highway right in front of our car. This corresponds strongly with your comments on one of the videos where you were seeing several bears in broad day light. When you first see them they all look big but when I stopped to see the tracks on the shoulder I would guess mid to upper 100 lbs. based on the track size. Lot of daylight under the belly also.

Bryce

Watching ....only if your shooting a Smoothbore Flintah....

Im sure some of you might have already, but if you enjoy bear hunting come check out All Things Black Bear Hunting on facebook. We are a great group of bear hunters from all over the WORLD.

I'll check it out Brad, also please share my vlog with that group.

All my bears have been killed with a bow.

Very nice.....one like this ?

Very nice videos...enjoy following

Very nice.....one like this ?
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No but I'll take that one! Great looking bow.

Thanks for sharing your videos I find them very interesting and helpful. I was wondering how far you have your bait placed away from the "Big Swamp" and how close is too close to set up a bait to their water source in your opinion?

Proximity to water is the number one important factor in a good bait site location and all my baits are within 200 yards of water. The big swamp bait is about 40 yards from the swamp's edge.

Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated!

Just watched all the vlogs Bernie. I liked them.

I’m puzzled though on why there’s parking lots out there on the public land you’re hunting and why you’re setting up a bear bait within walking distance of it.
To me that’s asking for people to follow you around and unwanted attention.
Good luck!

Here's a shooter, Bernie. https://youtu.be/evXZ9n4OBnI

That's where the bears live around here. I work hard to keep my baiting low profile, and no one has been at any of my baits this year. I use a 4-wheeler at some of the baits to get me farther back off the road, but I never use the ATV to drive right up to the bait when baiting or hunting. Too hard to hide your activities, that's why I walk about 100 yards to each bait. This is a strategy that I have developed over nearly 20 years of doing this and it works the best for me.

Having never hunted this way, it seems the prep and cameras are as much or more enjoyment as the hunt.
So much for the super duper magnums, this man uses a bow, impressed.

You said, because that's where they are.
Like raccoons over here, near people.