School me on black bears ***Update page 7: Getting better!

[NBK]

Sitters are first this year.
I had 8 years of points in the bag and deferred last year because hounds went first.  Probably could have drawn two years ago but dang it, an elk hunt got in the way!      

[NIGEL01]

I'm all fired up also.  Will be hunting up by Grand Maris this fall.  Don't think our bears are quite as big as yours those!  I'm going to reread Dr. Ken Norbergs book on bear hunting,  it's been several years since my last bear hunt.

[Birdbow]

I agree with ak213 about beavers. Been opening 1 bait on my land since 2000 and once I started hanging beaver carcasses the action really improved. Here is a fall hunt only. In the barrel I use kibbled dog food, whole corn, and mini-marshmellows soaked with cattle grade molasses and  with raspberry jello sprinkled in. The small food bits keeps the bruins at the can and not carrying larger bait away into cover. Good luck!

[DaDVM]

Were you mailed a notification or is there a place to look online for the drawing results?

[DaDVM]

Make sure to check your state regulations also. It is illegal to use animal products in WI so that will limit what is added to your bait.

[LB_hntr]

Excellent advise for all. I will just add make sure you put you baits in the thick security cover that offers distance travelling in thick secure cover. The thicker the better. Don't try to pull the bears into a spot that is best for you. Set baits in a spot they want to be during daylight. Use trail cams at all baits to make sure bears are hitting them at day time. If you have a spot that is only getting hit at 3am its probably in a spot bears don't want to be.
 Another powerful attractant is Cameron hanes bear crack. Its like a honey burn but with jello, sugar, and syrup. It makes a sticky candy that after the burn you can pore on logs and the bears will spend hours trying to chew it off. I have used the bear crack burn on 5 occasions when sites went cold and all five times it brought bears in.

[NBK]

Originally posted by DaDVM:
Were you mailed a notification or is there a place to look online for the drawing results?

Nothing mailed yet.  I went to the Wisconsin DNR Licences page, same page as your application.  Click on "bear" and your preference point number and tag status will appear.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

Thanks Nigel01...I forgot about Norbetgs book.

Dr.Ken Norbergs book is an excellent source for bowhunting over baits for black bear.

I make it a point to review it prior to every spring black bear season.  It is loaded with practical bear hunting adviceand will put any bear hunter on the right track.

[Firstlight]

Sounds like great advice.

I have never baited but from what I hear.

Start baiting as soon as you can to get them used to your spot.

Honey Burns I'm told are highly productive, grease, jelley rolls, etc...

Trail Cam to pattern time of visits.

And finally, one well placed arrow.

Sounds like a nice time.

No bait allowed in my area but we are allowed two bears a year here and I expect to try for my first archery BB this Spring.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

Honey burns do work well to scent up a large area drawing bears in from a long ways away down wind of the burn.  The key is to let the honey burn so it smokes heavily using the air currents to take it what ever direction its blowing.

Scent drags also can bring in bears from great distances.  We use nylon onion and potato bags to drag old rags soaked in fryer grease or hamburg grease down log roads leading to our bait sites.  We drag them a mile or more down these log roads in going to and going away from the baits.  You'll be surprised how well this works.

[lt-m-grow]

One thing you need to know about the Wisconsin calculus is that "more bait" is not an option. You get 10 gals tops.  This includes anything at the site.  Old bait, junk bait etc  If it goes over 10 you are done.

It also needs to be hidden, which means, in a hole, in a covered crib, in a anything natural.  It cannot be accessible by anything but bears or at least that is the idea i. e. No barrels.

Like most places in the fall, the berry crop can make or break the hunt.  Good berries, good luck...

No honey burns, no bacon grease etc. either.

And as mentioned, no animal by-products of any sort.

You also get a short run at it before the dogs run, which is is a pain.    I like dogs, but WI is too small for dogs.  Dogs tend to move all bears starting the day they start.  Sitters (what we call bait sitters) have a tough time.

One of the better tips that I have seen in WI is, don't screw with the bait.  Find a bait that draws in bears then stick with it.  Don't think at the last minute - you will use the good stuff - and switch bait food right before the hunt.   I have been told and believe this screws up the bears and makes them nervous with the sudden change.

Having laid out the problem, I would love to hear the experts play this hand.  Ryan, for example is a rock star of bear hunting,  and I would love to hear how you would work your  magic with this situation.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

Well I hope I'm not the Ryan to whom you refer...certainly no "rock star", just a guy who lives in a place polluted with bears.

The things you revealed about Wisconsin certainly make it tough to bait bears like we do here.The 10 gal rule sucks, and can't see the reason for it? The no barrel thing is easy...done it here and it's fine. The no grease thing can be substituted with anything smelly that sticks to the bears once at the bait.

I totally agree with the fact that natural berry crops will ruin the hunt. Bears everywhere seem to capitalize on natural food sources when they are present over hitting baits.

In this circumstance I'd try my best to achieve what is easy to do here....provide the bears with a place that they can ALWAYS eat something. If that means rebaiting the measly 10 gallons every day then do so. If it means adding something to get the bears to spread scent trails around by sticking to their fur then do it. Definitely bait starting the 1st day you are allowed, and don't do so at prime hunt times. Don't add new flavors of bait last minute (as mentioned), and don't add new people to the group of baiters last minute.

It's all about classical conditioning. If a bear can go to a spot, always have something to eat, and never encounter danger (man), then you're doing things right. Hunt the wind when it's time to hunt and the rest is up to the bears.

As far as dogs running bears...I'd need to figure out a good dog recipe. (JJ to dog people but kinda serious at the same time)..Ryan

[ChuckC]

Fryer Grease Is Ok As Long As It Is Vegetable Oil.  Kool Aid Flavored Corn Or Similar Suger Is Cheap And Good.  Try A Burn Using Blueberry Pancake Syrup.    Heck, It Probably Doesnt Fit Exactly With The Rules, But Finding A Good Bait Site And Cooking Up Some Breakfast (With Lots Of BACON) On The First Morning Of Baiting Works For Me, As Does Keeping My Hoodie Right Next To The Stove While I Do It.
Chuck c

[ChuckC]

Oh, And Pick A Bait Site First Based On Possible Bear Access, Then Being Back Away From Everybody, Then With A Mind On WHERE Your Stand WIll Be Placed.
chuckc

[NBK]

Again guys, great stuff.
Ryan, my Dad is more excited than I am I think because he's retired and looking forward to "having a job" baiting!  I also asked him to be my camera guy, so we'll limit the scent to the two of us towards the end.
Gimme a day or so here and I'm going to post up an aerial photo of our land, then let's have some fun picking potential stand sites.  I've got a couple in mind where I've gotten day time bear pics with no bait at all, but I'd like to hear from the rest of you.

[NBK]

Here's an aerial photo of our land.  My first potential stand site is marked with the red cross.  It's located in a dark spruce swamp, (Think shade and deep, moist moss floor) overlooking a sizeable cedar tree with a natural spring at it's base.  I've gotten trail cam pics of bear rubbing the cedar without bait.  It can be pretty warm here in the first part of September when the season opens so I'm partial to this location due to relief from heat, and water.  
My concern about this site is that it's the lowest elevation with the mainland to the east and rising up to an island to the northwest.  I like the funnel aspect of the location, but winds are pretty swirly there.
Anyways, what do you all think?  Good spot, or does some other spot jump out at you?

 

[Ray Lyon]

I sent the below to Mike in a private email since I attached a copy of an article on my bear hunt, however I thought my comments would help others too.

Michael,

I thought this might be of interest to you.  It was the first article I had published (I’m now up to 9 in TBM and TAW combined and it’s been a lot of fun).  

Lots of good comments on the Tradgang thread.

Here’s my thoughts:

Be on the edge of an area with a large thick plot of cover if possible(my bait in this story was on the edge of a huge public land swamp/lake area-miles square).  I had 3 different bears coming to the bait.  If you have berries in the area and there’s a good crop, consider being close to it.  Natural food can be tough competition if it’s plentiful, even if you have good stuff on your bait.  

If your season is early, have a thermocell handy for keeping the mosquitos at bay.  You’ll want to be low in the stand, I like 10 feet with lots of cover.  Keep still (thus the thermocell to keep you from swatting bugs).  Too high makes for steeper shot angle and poorer outcomes.  I shoot sitting down.  Make sure everthing is quiet. At 12-15 yards from the bait, everything sounds like a gun going off.

Use a bait that is small in size so the bear can’t carry it off.  Dog food covered with grease, syrup, ect. is good. We even popped popcorn and covered with cheap syrup and dry raspberry jello mix (it smelled good).

If you’re using some meat or fish to start the bait (stink factor) put that away from your actual spot for the good sweets.  Bears don’t like stinky stuff in my opinion, but the smell will attract them.  

Trail cameras are great for seeing what’s on the bait and when it’s hitting.  If this is a once in eight year hunt, don’t skimp on getting a good camera/no flash ($200), you’ll appreciate it in the long run.  

Use bacon grease around the bait site ground to get scent on the bears feet.  They’ll do a lot of advertising for you.  

If you’re hunting a small private chunk like you posted, keep to one bait site.  Bears will travel for miles and you’ll compete with yourself if you’re trying to cover two baits on the same 240 acres.   Pick the best spot that allows you the most undetected entrance and exit.  Also pick a spot that you can put up two stands so that you can cover the best wind situation.  Don’t hunt if the wind is blowing to where you think the bear is coming from. It’s not worth educating an older bear.

Consider baiting later in the day.  Then when you’re actually going to sit in the tree, have someone walk in with you and bait while you get in the tree.  Often times bears will bed close buy if there’s thick cover.

Get the stands set up when you first start baiting for prevailing winds.  I hunted in Canada one time where I told the outfitter I was only interested in a big bear.  He knew the bait to put me on, but had no stand there.  We put up my Lone Wolf stand and the outfitter and one other guy came along while I set the stand and checked the bait.  I hunted it that night and low and behold a gorgeous bear was coming in.  He hit the base of the tree where everyone was standing earlier and stopped, sniffed around and then turned and walked straight away.  No shot opportunities.  

Slip in and out as quietly as possible. Consider raking a path in the leaves if they exist for the first 50 or one hundred yards so you can slip in and out.

Know your bear anatomy.  Every bear I’ve shot (three now) or my best friend shot (two), went less than 60 yards.  Two or three blade head does not matter.  Don’t hit them high.  Get both lungs and you’ll have a short happy trail.  Use a V of logs at the bait site to try and direct the positioning.  

Good luck.  I’ll be watching the posts to see how you make out.  

Best regards,

Ray Lyon

[Hummer3T]

To me the small pocket of water with softwoods (NE)  around it stands out, I would go for the little tail sticking out to the south.

not knowing what the ground cover etc. is like, this is my first impression. Are you baiting? or just sitting, if just sitting, likely I would pick a trail from dark timber to berry bushes or other natural or farmed food sources.

good luck.

[NBK]

Hummer,
Unfortunately that's off-property.  Here's another view with the property lines roughly drawn in red.
The green swatches are food plots planted with winter rye and brassicas.
The purple lines mark grass roads that are usually laden with black berries and raspberries in late summer.
The green cross in the SE corner is an old bear bait station from previous hunters.  It's in an open bowl with poplar slashings to the west and a pine stand to the east.
The yellow line is what I consider a "bear trail" leading from the high ground in the east to the spring.  There's often scat, it's well beaten down into the mossy ground and there's nary a deer print in it.
The pink line is what I'll initially use as my access route.  There's a predominant SW wind that time of year.
I'll be sitting over bait, (no animal materials), and plan on starting to bait within a week.

 

[Blaino]

This is the kind of threads that used to be all over TradGang...Love it..... Bow hunters helping bow hunters!
I know NOTHING about hunting bears but the guys that do mention berries can hurt hunting over bait.
All of that purple tells me you have a plan "B" of stalking the roads if the berries are still around in September.