Got a Bear tag!

My Dad and I got our first blackbear tags. Unfortunately my Son didn’t get his but he is still excited to get out with us. My Dad has 40 acres in good bear country. Now I need some help! What’s a good location for the stand? What bait do I use to start with? How do I keep them there? Etc etc. I believe I’m going to Start with Bernie Barringer’s “Bear Baiters Manual” book. My plan is to use the Winchester Model 94 .30-.30 that my Grandpa gave me. I shot my first Whitetail with it and I plan to shoot my first bear with it.

baiting is 3/4 of the fun

I ordered the “bear baiters manual”. Hoping it comes signed by Bernie! Any extra “Luck” is welcomed!

Give me your real name and I'll sign it. Got three orders today so I don't know which one is yours.

Good luck hope you post a pic of a nice bear!

Keep in mind bears have sweet tooth. Pretty much anything that the kids like to eat will work.

PM sent. Thanks a bunch.

Don't forget that your shot may be at last light-irons are a challenge.

What hunt did you get?I drew the 3rd hunt in the Gwinn management unit

1st in Baraga Unit

Thought I had 5 points glad I checked I have 6. Might cash them in next year for the UP.

That’s great! Let me know when you head this way!

Here, we always find bears in the feed in the fall.
Chokecherry brush or blueberry patches. Find sign there your about guaranteed shots at bears.
Congrats on getting your tags.

Bear love grain fields also .
Wheat , and oats seem to draw them .
Seen acres of oats wiped out by bear.
Don't think there's many if any grain fields in the UP .

I understand the nostalgic reason, but I would ditch the 3030 for a better bear gun. Shotgun slug if necessary.

Are you only hunting that 40 acres?

To each is own, but if you need bait to “hunt” bears, then you’re not hunting. Find denning areas, find their trails to and from, find where they then go to find their food and hunt that. It will be clear as day when you find it. That’s the closest to “bait” you should hunt over. Towards the end of the season you’re going to find them at the source of their food trying to pack calories for the winter. I’ve seen more black bears over the years then I care to shoot, and it’s always around a good food source or on their trails. I’m all for traditional use practices, like running hounds. But to hunt over a bait pile, that’s not hunting that’s just waiting for them to show up. You’ll find bears when you’re not looking for them half the time, when you do see which way they take off. Usually it’s back towards what they feel is safe. And that safe direction is usually their known trails, food sources, water source or dens. That’s where you start your search. Scout, scout, scout

Well apparently there isn't any "real" bear hunters in the whole U.P.,because I don't know of one hunter that operates like you say you do.Your post started with "to each is own" and that's where it should have ended

Don't look now but your ignorance is showing.

did not get mine 5points

We typically run a mix of 1/2 granola & 1/2 trail mix- we top with caramel sauce early but don't hunt over it.

What would you recommend then? 30/30 or something similar is what I recommend to my bear hunters. What I often tell them is whatever rifle is short and light to pack, and they are comfortable shooting. I personally don't like a scope for bears, because I am using hounds and want the peripheal vision and no magnification for on the ground with dogs all around it. But I'm generally not allowing a client to take that type of shot anyways, so for a treed bear or a client sitting on a bait in the evening, I have come to prefer them to use a scope, because it is amazing how many people can't hit what they are shooting at with open sights.

P.S. Personally I use a 45/70 Guide gun, but I've used a 30/30 and a 32 special, and both are very good bear guns.

Excuse me but my ignorance? I’m sorry but your a fool to think that your capabilities are limited to the use of bait. I stated by to each is own as in do as you please. But your true potential is yet to be discovered if you rely on that for harvest. Each and everyone one of us have the ability to go out there, put in the time scouting and learning the habits of this animal and to immerse yourself into the habitat to find the bear. You’re ignorant if you think that’s the only way to harvest a bear, and it’s a cop out for you to use the easiest method. At the end of the day it fills a tag and puts meat in the freezer and that’s the end result. So congrats. But I wouldn’t call it hunting, you’re just harvesting a bear at that point. While you’re at it, learn the proper definition of ignorance

Anyone who thinks you can only harvest over bait, come to New York and I’ll take you bear hunting. It’s illegal to bait bears here yet in 2021 there were roughly 1500 bears harvested and that was done by exactly how I stated. Case closed.

Buck (Zandra) and BernieB. Thought you might need some of this since you’re so butthurt by my comment on how to HUNT a bear


It’s real nice, get it on sale at target

Look in the mirror

Nice come back, what are you 12? I remember my first youth hunt…

Black Bears are no harder to kill than deer. .30-30 win is perfectly capable of killing a Bear, especially over bait. Use it .

Chris Hanson has a real temper.

I’m assuming you mean me? No not a temper, just don’t have patience for stupidity. I think this is hilarious that I got two people so butthurt because i discredited their inability to harvest a bear by actually hunting it. It literally made my morning

If you think that’s a temper then I’m sorry snowflake

Boys it is time to bury your egos or there will be some reaping soon.

Yes sir, no problem here. Offer still stands, anyone is welcome to come to New York and come hunt some bears with me. That’s all

Geez, the man just wants to harvest a bear on his 40 acres. May not have lots of acreage to hunt like you might have. My guess is you have a bad temper

Yes it is

I think the 1st reference was to the iron sights and low light conditions.
He stated there maybe "better options".
The second reference was to the caliber.
Short range and low light , heading out the backdoor. ( I gotta think the majority of us would grab a slug gun too).
Use what you feel is right for the job.
40 acres is not a forest available to unravel a bears travels and habits.
Best of luck
Post lots of pictures of your bear and Grandpa's gun.

I do agree the caliber is more then enough for the job.

You could go to one of the 29 states and Canadian provinces that use baiting as their primary bear management tool and learn about the topic you seem to be so passionately opposed to but utterly ignorant of.

I shot one in this area back around 1982. I would go to the chow hall in the mornings and get the stuff scraped off the trays, such as french toast, pancakes, bacon, sausage, etc. I would then take it to the back side of the EOD demolition range on KI Sawyer and dump it. I did this for thirty days before the season. After about a week, the bear would come to the bait as I was pulling away each morning.I ended up getting a nice young tasty one. I got it with a S&W model 29 at about 30 yards.

Yes,the good old days when you could buy a license over the counter.And those are the best eating size.I always apply for the last hunt,and have been successful in the drawing,but not so much filling the tag.I find their easier to predict earlier in the season in regards to them hitting baits,by the last hunt they get unpredictable no matter what kind of bait or how much you put out.Here today gone tomorrow,maybe they'll be back,maybe they wont.Plus earlier hunters have taken some bears and houndsmen have been running them for a few weeks.I've talked to hunters that have hunted around your old air base,good bear district.

30-30 is ok as long as you dont hit bone on a bear.
Unless you take a head shot or a good neck shot,you will have some tracking to do.
A 308 or 30 06 would be much better than a 30 30 especially if a big fat fall bear comes to the bait or a longer shot if spot and stalk.

Yup...wounded bears are no fun.

I would add 77 mag or 45/70. shotgun slugs are great too.

So I assume you don’t use any scents or attractants on your trap line?

Thick cover close to a swamp is a good bait. Or another water source. Want it thick so they feel good coming in during daylight and I like to set on the edge of a small opening. If you can get back 40 yards since you have a rifle. Bears aren’t hard to kill if you hit them right. One of my bears I would have had no chance with irons this spring it would have been way too dark

I understand the whole 30-30 thing. I have other rifles I could use along with bow and arrow. I’m going to use my 30-30. As far as baiting vs non baiting. I’m going to use bait. As far as 40 acres. I have access to thousands of acres around my Dads 40. I may not hunt on the 40 but there is sleeping quarters, kitchen, etc on the 40. I’m looking forward to learning about bears. It’s okay if I don’t happen to get one. It’s okay if I don’t get a shot due to lighting. It’s okay if I get one! Of course I would rather shoot one but I also would rather shoot one with Grandpas gun. There’s only one First!

Anyone that thinks hunting bears over bait is easy and a sure thing hasn't tried it.

good luck Jeremy, many a bear have been kill with 30-30

A 30_30 is much better than a shotgun slug!. Been there/seen that!

If you are after any bear, use sweets along with grains.
If after an older/bigger bear, stick to t.c.a.p.'s strategy.

Bear in general are fairly easy to bait until they get a few years on them.

And this is for t.c.a.p first post, do you fish and if yes, do you use bait /a lure?
Get off your high horse!

My thoughts exactly, guy must exclusively set blind sets.

My dad and his buddy have tags for Zone B in Wisconsin this fall, we're having lots of fun baiting and learning a new animal. I should get my tag in a couple years.

Would love for my dad to put one of these two in the freezer!

Big baits bring in the big bears.
You want a huge bear hunt the town dump.

LOL Some truth to that .Seems the local villages and towns made them off limits , or at least frowned on that tactic .When I guided years ago , I did the hunting.Found the bear and baited them for the clients to just pull the trigger or release the arrow. I loved it , because there wasn't any bear the client shot , that I couldn't of shot myself .That's what I was paid to do .I did the best most rewarding job of my life then .

A few years ago the town would hire an old trapper to shoot the Bears at the town dump.
One day he went out and shot 4 big ones.A couple were 500+ lb for sure.

There is a trapper also that has a Bear Management area up near the Canyon,about 100km north of town.
When he starts his baits in August the town bear trapper takes all the caged bears caught in town up to the canyon and drops them off at his baits.