Black Bear Stole My Feeder!

[LeeBishop]

Well boys, it looks like I have a crook in the area to hunt down.

I had only seen a glimpse of a black bear(it's butt) here a few years ago running through a pine thicket away from me while I was walking around with my bow.

And my dad had said his pears were eaten by a bear.  He just saw a couple of them right down the road a few days ago and that's not very common.

I guess a few more have moved into the area with this crazy drought looking for food and water.

I had a deer feeder on top of a bluff that has been lying on the ground for the last few months while we were collecting shale to fix roads with.

Well, in the last two weeks since I've been here a bear ripped my feeder apart trying to get the last couple of handfuls of corn out of the thing. It may have been in there fermenting to attract the bear.

Anyway, all that's left is the base (I built it out of cedar posts) and the little funnel that came out of the bottom of the barrel.

The entire 50 gallon plastic pickle barrel is gone. I have to try and go find it. My old school Made In America aluminum feeder timer is gone too. Must have ripped it off. That thing cost me like $150 back in 1999.

Anyway, this is all that's left of it. If I see him while I'm out bow hunting then I'm for sure going to try and get myself some bear steak and a nice mount.

  http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/DeerFeeder.jpg

[ChrisM]

And here I thought that coons were distructive.

[LeeBishop]

I found my feeder 300 yards away in a draw where there used to be a creek bed before a guy put in a road about 60 years ago.

He really tore the thing up. But, the good news is that I know where the bear wants me to leave him some fish  in trees      I am looking forward to bear season now. I may not only take my first deer with a traditional bow but I may take a bear in the same year.

Here is what Mr. Bear left me.

 
 
 
  http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Bear3.jpg

[americanhunter7]

Yogi's getting a little DESTRUCTIVE....    Better let Boo Boo know Yogi's on the, "Hit list"    for tearing your feeder up! Good luck and sorry to see your feeder in such poor shape.

[Shakes.602]

Man!! Ya Just Cant Trust AnyBody Anymore!!      Reckon  IT  was One Hungry Critter!! "He/She'll Be Back" in my best AHnold Voice!  

[LeeBishop]

I will be ok. I have another feeder to feed the hungry critters with. We have had a drought and there isn't really much of an acorn crop here. They are going to be starving.

I need to go load up the remaining feeder with corn and let the boys and girls fill up their bellies.

I think I'm going to do most of my hunting near that site where the bear was misbehaving. About 300 yrds off in the woods I made a new trail with a backhoe (small kabota) to set up a salt block in the ground with a little doe estrus dripper. I diluted about 1/2 oz into about 4oz of water just to give a decent scent. I'm not going to fill the thing up with potent estrus until rut.

Put up a new lean-to stand 15 ft in an oak tree.  Hopefully I can kill myself this elusive buck that's running around.  I mounted a game camera at the location too to keep tabs on the area until season starts.

[GabeGa]

Man,,, you got your feeder stolen and messed up. but that bear pooped like...just to add insult to injury    

[LeeBishop]

Well, on second thought, I don't know if I want to fill up my other feeder with this guy running around. I can't afford to lose a $150 feeder. This bear isn't going to be polite and just eat whats on the ground.

I think I may take this barrel and strap it to a tree and use it that way. Or I can find some extra PVC pipe around here and use that.  

I can't be replacing these feeders until this outlaw is found.

[LeeBishop]

I was thinking Bear season opened on October 1st but that's zone one.

Zone two opens Sept. 15th for archery. AWESOME!  Mr. Bear is going to be fed well for the next two weeks to keep him in the area. I need to run out and take this barrel to where I found it and put a quarter bag of corn in there for him.  I need to unbolt my feeder first though.

[GabeGa]

Lee ,  it sure sounds like premeditated entrapment for that poor poor hungry Mowgli...at least trow in some apples ,cupcakes, M&M's'n treats in the deal/final meal for him. spoil him man! spoil him              

[LeeBishop]

I just went down and put the barrel back where he left it. put 1/4 bag of corn in there and about 8 ounces of honey.  I'm going to take care of my friend.

I'll catch some catfish to leave him in there too over this next week. He's going to eat well. He'll think he's hit the jackpot.

It's only 12 days away from archery season in this zone. Not long to wait.  

I also took my trail camera down from my bow hunting stand and moved it to the barrel. So, I will check it everyday to see if the barrel is knocked over. If it's knocked over then I know I have photos to download.

[YORNOC]

Thats great! Better a bear than some sneaking vandal like around here.
 My buddy in Blackstone, Massachusetts had a bear run off with his upright feeder in the spring. He got it on video.

[LeeBishop]

It would be hard for a person to get back here and drag off anything of value. I hunt about 1 mile from the road on private land of around 300 acres (my dad's place he bought when I was a kid).  

My only neighbor is the U.S. National Forest. Least populated county in my state.

[Shakes.602]

IT  is gonna' be a Happy Well Fed Bear!!    , but it sure will Help  YOU  get the Thief!!  GOOD   LUCK  and Be Safe!!      

[LeeBishop]

Thanks. I'm carrying a .45ACP loaded with Corbon Pow'R Ball ammunition when I'm out and about. I won't be having any wild fella sneaking up on me. I just want to try and get my first traditional kill with my vintage Ben Pearson KM Special.

It's going to rock. I'm building a target bag frame tomorrow to move out into a field.  Right now it's hanging up between two trees and I can't afford to miss that target in the woods. Rocks and trees won't treat my wooden arrows very nicely if I miss.

I think the hay field will be a little more forgiving.

I'm excited about it. I was thinking my first kill with my vintage Pearson was going to be a deer, but it may just well turn out to be a wild and wooly bear.  :D

*come on 12 days. tick away for me*

[LeeBishop]

I found him!  He's not as large as I was hoping, but it will be a good first kill with a bow I think.  I'm going to have to put my tree stand out today or tomorrow.

What do you guys think? Around 300lbs? I wish I could find myself one of those big ole 500lbs boys in the woods.  I will take 280-300 though.

 

 

 

 

[bentpole]

Lee, don't worry about his weight.    

[Gen273]

I say stick him if you get the chance. Keep us posted.

[LeeBishop]

Well. I'm just glad that I can turn a torn-up feeder into a hunting opportunity. I checked the feeder and it still works.  I just have to find a new funnel for it and mount it to a 5 gallon barrel or something.  

I don't think I'm going to use another large barrel for a feeder. I have one store-bought tripod feeder that I bought a couple of years ago to help keep deer in the area, but after seeing what the bear wants to do, I can't load it up with corn yet.

[TRT]

Lee, those are great trail camera pictures.  The first one really got a chuckle out of me.  I hope you get him.