I have never seen a bear during gun season in my life. And we cover a lot of ground!


That would be another good money generator for the DNR with virtually no affect on harvest!

I'm all for increased bear harvesting opportunities, but never has my family seen a bear during gun deer season. Well I guess a distant cousin did one time.

Last time out in my ground stand, a sow behind a tree and I played peek-a-boo for 45 minutes at 80 yards. When her curiosity was satisfied, she ambled up over the top of a hill and gone.

During gun season?

Some don’t den deep. Our deer season is in November and in this area they are snoozing by then, food is gone.
My father crossed a laid down bushy spruce many years back while deer hunting and a bear came out from under. Another time in the late seventies deer hunting we found about a 200 lbr curled up and sleeping at the base of a large red pine, no cover at all. He moved somewhere a couple of days later. I also found one on a brutally cold morning late November maybe ten years ago end of deer season. He was curled up against the back side of a hummock/hump along a trail I was walking. Standing there I saw the light puffs of steam/breath rise up every so often that gave it away. That bear also had moved on when I checked it a couple of days later.
Even in the dead of winter in deep snow you can find bear tracks leading off somewhere, I’ve no clue what prompts them to do that.

Osky

North Central WI, see bears almost every year during deer season. Not just I but my family. It's cool to see one in the white snow. When we're doing small pushes we bump them. And of course with warm seasons we see them foraging.

Over the course of 45 years of deer hunting I have seen 10 bears total during gun deer season. The bears have grown in population considerablly IMO since the 60's.

Chris

Just talked to someone yesterday who had a bait in Zone C and had 11 different bears visiting it regularly.

We see bears foraging or pushed out front of a drive almost every year. I think with the opportunity some would be surprised at the numbers that could be taken during the 9 day deer season.

Yes BrvRetriever it was the Monday of deer gun season. Thought it was cute, her hugging the tree, peaking her head around ... then stepping out from behind the tree on her hinds for a better look. I'd shuffle a bit and she would be back behind the tree. After 45 minutes of this, she must of figured I wasn't any kind of threat or loss interest and moved on.

Well then I guess maybe a bear season during gun deer season might go over ok if it ever passed

I doubt a special bear season would pass. Never know though.

Bernie, Shot mine in zone C, ran two baits on our property, had a sow with 3 cubs, sow w 2 cubs, 2 sows with singles, also two dry sows on baits. Nor shortage of bears currently or in the future. Lots of baiters, not hunters necessarily.

Bear baiting sounds like a lot of work & $, with a low success rate based on baiters I've talked too. I may try it someday, we'll see. It sounds interesting. It would be cool to get 1, though I don't know if I'd want to do it every year.

Watch out you'll probably get addicted like the rest of us. It's a lot like trapping. Much of the same appeals to it.

True Bernie. AJE your state makes it tougher than ours in what you can legally use for bait.
To me the greatest aspect of baiting is wether you use the dirt around the bait for tracks, cameras, or both you can adjust what your doing to get the mature bear you want. Easy to pass on lesser/unwanted bears. Sometimes quit the bait if overrun by sows and cubs or use that bait as a decoy to keep sows and cubs off other baits. Bernie is right it’s like trapping in its options.
Note AJE while your state is tougher with baiting restrictions than ours, your state allows hound hunts. A great way to get after them and a great means of being selective in the harvest.

Osky

For the Love of God!!