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Main Boards => Dangerous Game => Topic started by: oifvet on September 12, 2013, 08:34:00 PM
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I got lucky and drew a baldwin michgan bear tag and this will be my first traditional hunt and im nervous. I have 6 bear on one baitt site two of them well over 300lbs. Im using a st joe river bow 47# at 28 draw and im drawin 30. I got some woodsman broadheads. Huntinf off the ground with bait at 14 yds.. Anyone got comments to stoke me up even more..hunt starts 20th :) if I can figure out how to post pics ill put them up of all the bears
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I wish you luck on the upcoming bear season! This is a hunt I have wanted to go on for awhile but haven't got too it. I post pictures through photo bucket but there may be an easier way through the site.
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Link to Ray Lyon\\'s Baldwin Unit Bear from 2008 (http://shrewbows.com/raylyonbear2008.html)
Here's my Baldwin Unit bear from 2008. I figured it was a once in a lifetime bear from that unit since there's over 2000 guys applying, and only about 70 tags issued per year.
Good luck with your hunt. Bears die easy if you hit them correctly. Your equipment set up sounds just fine. Make sure the bear is broadside or SLIGHT quartering away. Be patient. If you have multiple bears coming (I had 3 at my Baldwin site and two were mature bears), the young ones will tend to be earlier to beat the big boys to the bait and they'll be skittish. Be patient with your shot, once the bear commits, he'll more than likely give you a good shot opportunity. Make a 'V' with logs at the bait site if you can to direct the bear into the bait site so he's broadside. Don't hunt if the wind is bad. The hunt season is usually short (I had two weeks for my hunt period, but I know some are only one week). Better to skip a night than educate one of the nice bears and force him nocturnal. If your hunting from the ground, make two blinds if you can and hunt the best for the wind. Finally, have a plan for the meat. September can be warm and bear meat will spoil in a hurry. Get it cooled off in a hurry. I was lucky in that I had a walk in cooler available and the night I shot my bear, it was 70 degrees out. My meat turned out beautifully. My bear scored 18 3/4 and weighed in at 225 dressed. He barely had any fat on him, so he was a skinny bear.
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I was also lucky enough to draw a Baldwin unit tag this year. I have several active baits going. Placed a treestand on one today. Going Sunday afternoon to put up a stand at another. Both stands will be under 15 yards to the bait. Hunting with an old Root longbow, 47#@28, and laminated birch arrows and Zwickey heads. Two of my 3 baits have been totally cleaned out every time I've checked them since they were placed 8/20, and I have several hundred pictures of different bears. The third bait has 2 bears coming, but only about once every 3-5 days. The baits are about 6 miles from each other. Hope this cooler weather stays around. Good luck in your hunt!
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Hey thats awesome..congrats on drawling your tag. It took me 12yrs to get it. Sounds like you got a great set up! Good luck on your hunt as well. Hopefully we can compare harvest pictures
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Hey thats awesome..congrats on drawling your tag. It took me 12yrs to get it. Sounds like you got a great set up! Good luck on your hunt as well. Hopefully we can compare harvest pictures
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Congratulations to both on drawing a tag. The Baldwin unit has some great bears and I've seen pictures of some 500 pound brutes to from the Cadillac area. Enjoy the tags because it'll take thirty years to get another.
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Twelve years for me also, although a good friend of mine drew last year, so this is the second year we have baited bear. My friend shot his bear the first evening last year. I'm 58 years old, so if it takes 30 years for another tag, I think I'll hire someone to bait!!
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Kstout, with 2, 200 people applying for 70 tags per year I take 2, 200/70 and you come up with a number that's just over thirty. Obviously not all will stay in the drawing, however I believe the majority are waiting it out. There's a page on the dnr website that shows how many preference points it took to get drawn in the unit and how many people applied with their number of points. It makes it pretty easy to determine how close you are to getting drawn.
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I could be wrong and correct me if I am they gave out 55tags fir Baldwin this yr. And I keep reading bout then reducing it even more
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I could be wrong and correct me if I am they gave out 55tags fir Baldwin this yr. And I keep reading bout then reducing it even more
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They gave out 70 this year and 70 last year. Last year Baldwin was the only area to increase tags. I think there were 34 with 11 points that didn't get drawn.
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I am one of those 34 with 11 points but hopeful for next year. I just love bear hunting and try to go at least once a year and twice if I can (spring and fall) but keeps coming up snake eyes for me. Good luck with your hunts guys
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killinstuff, sounds like your guaranteed for next year! Got 2 stands set today in the rain. All three baits were cleaned out today. Only had the trailcam on the private land bait, looked like an average bear, but came in at 6:30, so plenty of shooting light. Saw a lot of bird hunters in the area of the one public land bait, don't know how, or if this will affect bear activity. The count down is on, going to check baits every day now until Friday morning hunt.
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(http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w474/kerrydebstout/PICT0083.jpg) (http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/kerrydebstout/media/PICT0083.jpg.html) (http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w474/kerrydebstout/PICT0040.jpg) (http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/kerrydebstout/media/PICT0040.jpg.html) Here are a couple that I have coming to the baits.
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I checked mine last night near copemish bait sight gets cleaned out daily! I have 6 bears on cam now think biggest is 400 man only 5 guys..im gearin up now fer the trip :) I wish everyone th e bwst of luck that drew a tag )
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Great lookin bears!! 5 days left n counting!!!! Super stoked..I gopewe have a tread of the sucess we all have :)
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Good luck guys. Nice looking bears.
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Wow, that bear looks like a big old gorilla. Real nice. Good luck on your hunt.
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KS,
I see you're from BR. My land is off of 19 mile, near Big Jackson School. I have 10 bear points and am waiting to actually apply, until I know I'll have a September with more time. I'm thinking 2015-16 should be my years.
Lots of bear sign in my area. The worst thing is all the downstate guys who come to train their dogs, yet they don't even have a Baldwin tag.
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Mojo, I've seen sign of hound hunters in some areas, but haven't had trouble yet around my baits. I'm hoping that continues, but you never know on public ground.
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Well boys the hunt is a few days away. Thanks for the good luck and pointers. Wanna say thanks to arwin for helpin me fine tune everythin as I will b leavin tomorrow for my hunt and hope to give you all a great success story on my first traditional hunt.
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Well boys the hunt is a few days away. Thanks for the good luck and pointers. Wanna say thanks to arwin for helpin me fine tune everythin as I will b leavin tomorrow for my hunt and hope to give you all a great success story on my first traditional hunt.
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Good luck on your hunt bro, you've been waiting a long time. :saywhat: Your shooting great, you'll do fine. :shaka:
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Oifvet, Good luck tomorrow!! I've checked my baits, checked pictures, and made my decision on which bait to hunt tomorrow. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Pick a spot, and shoot straight!!!
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Good luck ksout!!
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Can't wait for the pictures and story when you get back Josh!!!!!
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Good luck pifvet! saw a real nice bear in the irons area last year while hunting deer. walked right under my stand looked at me woofed and lumbered off awesome night!
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I hope you guys are having a good hunt. It looks like the weather is improving for you. With the youth deer hunt this weekend along with bird hunting going on there was a lot of activity in the woods. One of my bow hunting buddies who was baiting for a friend of his up in the Red Oak unit just north of you guys ran into all sorts of trouble with hound hunters. They came in to his bait set on Friday (illegal since they are not supposed to be in the woods with dogs the following day) and they broke the trail camera off the tree and smashed it up. There were hound hunters on the two track road he was baiting off of on Saturday morning and there has been no activity at his bait site since. It's public land, so the area is fair game, however when hound hunters are in their a day before they're supposed to be and destroying property, that's the type of thing that causes hunter division.
Anyway, I hope you Baldwin hunt unit guys are having a good hunt.
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Had a huge amount of hunting activity around my bait this weekend. Saturday I saw 3 bears. Had a 150 pounder at the bait at 6:00 P.M.. Then about 6:30 a bigger bear came in with a radio collar, kept either his head or hind end toward me, drew my bow twice, but each time it turned before I could get a shot. Then another good size bear started toward the bait, got about 30yards away, and the radio bear ran over and started a fight with it. They both left then, it got dark and I left at 7:51. Both bigger bears were back at the baitat 8:21, and then off and on til 1:30 in the morning. Sunday there was a lot of shooting in the area, 4 wheelers running around. I hunted til dark and Didn't see anything at all. Today went to rebait, but the bait hadn't been hit. Went back at 2:30 to hunt and there was fresh bear scat on the trail into the bait, but nothing came in. Tomorrow I'm going to a different bait, let this one rest a couple days. So far it has been a good hunt, but no bear yet!
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The weather looks good for the week. Hopefully the activity will settle down in the woods and you'll get your opportunity. Good luck!
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Well I arrwed my first Michigan black bear as night. I heard the death moan in everythng. But my blood trail wasnt the greatest and It got dark so I backed out after forty yds. Going bout 9 this morning to retive him :) ) good luck to the rest you hunting!!!!! Ill post when I get my hands on him!
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Can't wait to see the pictures and hear the story. One tip I got from old timer Ron LaClair about blood trailing/tracking. Always take a compass reading from the stand to the last place you saw the animal (or in this case the death moan). After dark, you can always take that line to find the animal or start your blood trail.
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Congratulations! Looking forward to pictures.
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I found my bear yesterday weighing just over 300 lbs. He ran under 50 yrds :) I couldnt be happier pics to follow soon!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Well done.
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Congratulations!!
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The sun has set on the last day of my Baldwin bear hunt, with no bear for me. Had a great hunt, with big bear at the bait several times. Each time they seemed to keep their head, or rear end to me. Drew my bow several times, but each time the bear turned before I could get a shot off. I had about a 300 pounder walk directly to my tree, put his feet up on the ladder, and shake the tree. Also had 2 bears fighting about 30 yards from the bait, so plenty of excitement.
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kstout,
Sounds like you did have a lot of excitement. Hopefully oifvet will find those pictures before long. ;)
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Are you guys hunting anywhere around the Pere Marquette or Betsie rivers, where I go salmon and steelhead fishing?
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I had one of my baits near the headwaters of the South Branch of the Pere Marquette river.
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I'm the Lead Ranger at Tippy Dam State Recreation area...in between those two fine rivers. Salmon are in THIIIIIICK.
You've heard the expression tacked like cordwood...well, they really are.
My FIL drew a bear tag for the Baldwin unit and killed one in 2008. My wife will draw next year. I only have one point...I opted to put all of my luck into the elk draw which I did last summer/fall and was successful.
I get bear picks on my trail cams all over that region(100% public land hunter).
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Ill be just west of Baldwin next weekend for some hunting fishing off the PM.
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How many preference points are needed to get a tag up there ? Sounds like fun. I have a camp in Delta county, just west of Escanaba.
ChuckC
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I drew with 11 points this year, but there were over 30 that weren't drawn with 11. So sounds like at least 12 next year.
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wow. . . sounds even worse than Wisconsin !
I would be 70 or more by then !
Oh well. Thanks for the info
ChuckC
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In the western UP you can buy a late season OTC tag most years. It's the LP that has guys are waiting in line 11, 12 or more years for a chance at a backyard bear. Crazy thing is there is no shortage of bears in the LP. Shortage of nice bucks but not bears.
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CJ,
I've been up in the Northwest end of the UP for bears. Because of the distance, we were using a guy who started the baits and then each group in after had to keep the baits up and running for the next group. Unfortunately, that's not my cup of tea and it's a poke from TC to run baits up there. I'm hoping to draw a Red Oak tag in a year or two since it takes about 5-6 points for that unit and I've been stocking points since I got my 2008 Baldwin unit bear. I can do my own baiting in the Red Oak Unit as there's some spots that are only 45 minutes from the house.