Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7677937
09/24/22 02:21 AM
09/24/22 02:21 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,191 Eau Claire Wi
Trap Setter
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,191
Eau Claire Wi
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How about opening a hunting season during the 9 day gun season like they had long ago. Could do it like the old days with party tags but have the listed participants printed on the tag and make it a separate draw for the tags from the regular seasons tags. The DNR do the draw after bear season and just allow the unfilled quotas as a guide to the numbers given. All bears need to be registered before the start of deer season and it would just be another tool in the DNRs management plan. No bait no hounds.
Just a thought
Life sure is tough when you don't learn from the mistakes of others.
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7677977
09/24/22 07:17 AM
09/24/22 07:17 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,897 Wisconsin
Eagleye
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,897
Wisconsin
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I haven't heard of many successful bear hunters this year but maybe I'm not talking to the right people. So often I hear people say they had 'em coming in UNTIL season started Or the Bears were coming in until they knew the hunter was in the tree, I think the acorns dropping becomes an easy excuse rather than a major factor, maybe all bait stations should be placed under oak groves. Natural forage is always a contributing factor but so is: stand selection, wind direction, bait selection and scent.
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7677989
09/24/22 07:37 AM
09/24/22 07:37 AM
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2,768 Wisconsin
Bear Tracker
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2,768
Wisconsin
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I always set my baits up with emerging food sources in mind, corn, oaks, berries. Stands are set in clumps of trees and moved year to year. Planning ahead year or two in advance is good. Wind I have never concerned myself with much. Stands are set with SW prevailing winds but I don't believe it matters much. I believe bears know your there, they circle, enter the area leave and return. Sometimes takes a couple visits. Bernie B suggested this year to have a higher nut ratio for bait as season approaches. I used some trail mix with nuts and added cashews for more mix. Also when bears are full they still check scent out. Mix scents, sweets to strong, .
Last edited by Bear Tracker; 09/24/22 08:48 AM.
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7678040
09/24/22 08:44 AM
09/24/22 08:44 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,494 Garden,Michigan
Buck (Zandra)
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,494
Garden,Michigan
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Interesting thread,especially since our DNR's own studies show bears increasing across the state,but there's rumblings from the Dept.about cutting back on licenses sold.
Buck(formely known as Zandra)
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: Buck (Zandra)]
#7678096
09/24/22 10:11 AM
09/24/22 10:11 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319
Northern MN
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Interesting thread,especially since our DNR's own studies show bears increasing across the state,but there's rumblings from the Dept.about cutting back on licenses sold. Welcome to the political agenda of the Minnesota DNR. Hopefully there are more common sense individuals involved in your policy decisions than we have. Osky
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: Bear Tracker]
#7678121
09/24/22 10:53 AM
09/24/22 10:53 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319
Northern MN
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I always set my baits up with emerging food sources in mind, corn, oaks, berries. Stands are set in clumps of trees and moved year to year. Planning ahead year or two in advance is good. Wind I have never concerned myself with much. Stands are set with SW prevailing winds but I don't believe it matters much. I believe bears know your there, they circle, enter the area leave and return. Sometimes takes a couple visits. Bernie B suggested this year to have a higher nut ratio for bait as season approaches. I used some trail mix with nuts and added cashews for more mix. Also when bears are full they still check scent out. Mix scents, sweets to strong, . I had a wise large bear on bait last year. Talk about circling. I found a light trail perpendicular about 200 yards off the stand one side of the trail. Bear came up then turned back when hunted. After 3 no show nights. 4th day I took the hunter in at baiting time just before noon, past that trail intersection riding the atv nearly to the bait then hustled him up the stand to wait quietly the afternoon. The big bear crossed the walk in/atv trail that evening and came in to be harvested at 6:35. As clean as that walk in trail was the bear was picking up the hunter walking in at 3:30-4:00 and it was an old flat logging trail there, no side brush involved just hard sand ground. I’d had the guy even using rubber bands to hold his pant legs from dragging. When people say the bears quit hitting the bait when hunted, bears are simply busting the hunter. The wind, the scent on the walk in as above….noise. I back track trails at baits after season to learn and at least where I am at bears on a good bait that holds enough food to keep them happy will be holed up during the day a lot closer than people think. Hearing any sort of vehicle they are not used to towards evening puts them off same as hunter smells and other things. Hearing is crazy good for them. Interesting to me as well is the big boars in the roughly 350-550 lb range are the most cagey. The bigger boars than 550 which I’ve seen and some taken at times come plowing in with seemingly no worry. They could however be doing all the precautionary foreplay just out of sight? The jumbos are not shy about piling right in at the bait. These are some of my observations from the heavy bush of Northern MN. Different areas bears certainly act differently. I never use sweets. Osky
Last edited by Osky; 09/24/22 05:25 PM.
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7678133
09/24/22 11:10 AM
09/24/22 11:10 AM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,407 WI
BvrRetriever
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,407
WI
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Good comments above.
Here's my take: I think Wi should legalize foot snares for bear. I'm referring to like the Belisle version. We can use 'em for yotes & cats. Bear would take the larger size. It could be limited so that a trapper can only have 1 bear trap out (so no one would have to release a bear). Trappers would apply in the same drawing hunters apply for. I have heard of no issues with the current foot snares being used in Wi. I don't see what would hurt to allow them for bear trapping. I suppose they could even use a sort of deer stop to allow cubs to self release. I see no down side. Sows with first year cubs are off limits. Releasing a full grown sow with cubs nearby would be a nightmare!
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: 330-Trapper]
#7678606
09/25/22 11:14 AM
09/25/22 11:14 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,319
Northern MN
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How about opening a hunting season during the 9 day gun season like they had long ago. Could do it like the old days with party tags but have the listed participants printed on the tag and make it a separate draw for the tags from the regular seasons tags. The DNR do the draw after bear season and just allow the unfilled quotas as a guide to the numbers given. All bears need to be registered before the start of deer season and it would just be another tool in the DNRs management plan. No bait no hounds.
Just a thought I hunted Wisconsin during those days. I recall that as well. I remember too Minnesota had a bounty on bears when I was really young, my father spoke of it. Bears were able to be killed year round I believe. Edit: I am not however as old as White17 and was not around for the bear migration across the Bearing Sea land bridge. Osky
Last edited by Osky; 09/25/22 11:16 AM.
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: Osky]
#7678650
09/25/22 01:05 PM
09/25/22 01:05 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,481 mn north of blakely
Steven 49er
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,481
mn north of blakely
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Welcome to the political agenda of the Minnesota DNR. Hopefully there are more common sense individuals involved in your policy decisions than we have.
Osky
That political agenda was driven by input from the public. People complaining about too many hunters disturbing their QOE. Instead of managing the wildlife the DNR is more interested in managing people it seems. I am not a bear hunter but if I was I'd be glad that I reside in the no quota zone.
Last edited by Steven 49er; 09/25/22 01:06 PM.
"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon". Milton Friedman.
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: AJE]
#7678652
09/25/22 01:07 PM
09/25/22 01:07 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,481 mn north of blakely
Steven 49er
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,481
mn north of blakely
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Oh and I don't think anyone is as old as ole White17. Well except for maybe the beav. I don't know if the beav saw the land migration but he for sure sat behind George Washington in the 6th grade.
"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon". Milton Friedman.
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Re: A growing Wi bear population?
[Re: BvrRetriever]
#7679796
09/26/22 10:16 PM
09/26/22 10:16 PM
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,094 WI - Wisconsin
AJE
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,094
WI - Wisconsin
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Good comments above.
Here's my take: I think Wi should legalize foot snares for bear. I'm referring to like the Belisle version. We can use 'em for yotes & cats. Bear would take the larger size. It could be limited so that a trapper can only have 1 bear trap out (so no one would have to release a bear). Trappers would apply in the same drawing hunters apply for. I have heard of no issues with the current foot snares being used in Wi. I don't see what would hurt to allow them for bear trapping. I suppose they could even use a sort of deer stop to allow cubs to self release. I see no down side. Sows with first year cubs are off limits. Releasing a full grown sow with cubs nearby would be a nightmare! True. I'm not sure how Maine handles that issue.
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