Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
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Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
So now that I'm done bear hunting for this season I'm reflecting back on mistakes made and what I'll do different/ what I learned from this season. For those that don't know I had a couple encounters, one that I couldn't get turned on in time to shoot and one that spooked when the wind changed and my safety clicked while I was getting on him.
1. Bear baiting is a lot of work
2. I'm not gonna setup in an area that doesn't allow me to use obstacles to block circling
3. Keep the legal 3 baits going in case one goes cold
4. Take time off work to hunt so I can bait in the morning and choose stands according
5. Clear out trees for all wind directions to hunt with mobile set, avoid permanent sets and having only one tree/lane as an option
6. Get more cameras and cards so each bait is always monitored
7. Hunt the other nearby unit, I think it has more bears and less dog pressure
8. Practice shooting a rifle left handed (shouldn't matter if I use obstacles better next time)
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1. Bear baiting is a lot of work
2. I'm not gonna setup in an area that doesn't allow me to use obstacles to block circling
3. Keep the legal 3 baits going in case one goes cold
4. Take time off work to hunt so I can bait in the morning and choose stands according
5. Clear out trees for all wind directions to hunt with mobile set, avoid permanent sets and having only one tree/lane as an option
6. Get more cameras and cards so each bait is always monitored
7. Hunt the other nearby unit, I think it has more bears and less dog pressure
8. Practice shooting a rifle left handed (shouldn't matter if I use obstacles better next time)
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Which unit are you in? You've still got time. I'll be catching bears all weekend. I can help for the next three days in red oak. The the next month in newberry.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Blackhorn wrote:Which unit are you in? You've still got time. I'll be catching bears all weekend. I can help for the next three days in red oak. The the next month in newberry.
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Thanks that's very nice of you my tag is in the gwinn unit though.
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- john1984
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
At least ya saw somethin :)
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- hunter_mike
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Thanks for posting. Better luck next time. I think hindsight advice like this is priceless for others.
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
- stash59
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Sounded exciting even with out the kill.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Yeah it was a fun experience regardless of success; but next time I'd like to be standing over a bear.
9. Record wind direction daily and cross reference with access direction from pics and hunt accordingly. I thought he was accessing from the south only but I think he was really using a just off wind. Something I would have caught with more picture analysis
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9. Record wind direction daily and cross reference with access direction from pics and hunt accordingly. I thought he was accessing from the south only but I think he was really using a just off wind. Something I would have caught with more picture analysis
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Another thing to is a friend of a friend guides in newberry unit so I'm gonna volunteer to help bait a bit next season to see how he sets up etc
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
5. Clear out trees for all wind directions to hunt with mobile set, avoid permanent sets and having only one tree/lane as an option
I would only set up one or two trees and never go beyond the bait... To me accessing the same all the time is important so the big bears don't freak out in scent where it was not before... I have seen a lot of baits go dead by moving a treestand, adding a trail cam just before hunting on the wrong side of the bait, or wandering around looking at the bear trails... There touchy beyond what most people think... Especially on new baits. Its easer for outfitters who have established bait sites that bears visit every year.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
I second the notion about moving stands around, it can be a mistake. Bears have you patterned whether you like it or not. mature bears especially can simply go nocturnal and the slightest sign that something went haywire. I have seen bears get super edgy just because the hunter used a different scent or a honey burn on the first day of the hunt, something they haven't been doing while baiting. It can easily be enough to make them decide to sit that evening out altogether.
Also on bears circling to catch your wind, here's an important issue most people miss. Bears will often circle the bait site to check your ground scent and find out what time you came in to bait. If you have been baiting at noon and the bear comes at 7:00 he is accustomed to scent that is seven hours old. If you come in to hunt at 5:00 then suddenly your scent is only two hours old and he may leave. Anything different will cause a cagey bear to avoid committing to the bait site and can easily make them go nocturnal altogether.
I cover a lot of this type of thing in detail in my book and video The Bear Baiter's Manual and How to Bait Big Bears. http://www.bernieoutdoors.com/
I appreciate you sharing what you are learning with us, we are all still learning. The more I know about bears, the more I realize how much more there is to learn.
Also on bears circling to catch your wind, here's an important issue most people miss. Bears will often circle the bait site to check your ground scent and find out what time you came in to bait. If you have been baiting at noon and the bear comes at 7:00 he is accustomed to scent that is seven hours old. If you come in to hunt at 5:00 then suddenly your scent is only two hours old and he may leave. Anything different will cause a cagey bear to avoid committing to the bait site and can easily make them go nocturnal altogether.
I cover a lot of this type of thing in detail in my book and video The Bear Baiter's Manual and How to Bait Big Bears. http://www.bernieoutdoors.com/
I appreciate you sharing what you are learning with us, we are all still learning. The more I know about bears, the more I realize how much more there is to learn.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Since I have river frontage ,We have decided to only hunt along a river . It is very thick inside 50yds of the river and a bear might go between the river and my stand but I might catch him doing it too. They never seem to come from across the river and I dont think they like crossing it in the daytime cause it is so open. They sure like brush and it is thick along the river. I also never bothered hunting 2 stands. and I only had to sit out one night cause of wind direction.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
dan wrote:5. Clear out trees for all wind directions to hunt with mobile set, avoid permanent sets and having only one tree/lane as an option
I would only set up one or two trees and never go beyond the bait... To me accessing the same all the time is important so the big bears don't freak out in scent where it was not before... I have seen a lot of baits go dead by moving a treestand, adding a trail cam just before hunting on the wrong side of the bait, or wandering around looking at the bear trails... There touchy beyond what most people think... Especially on new baits. Its easer for outfitters who have established bait sites that bears visit every year.
Thanks for the input Dan. That makes sense. Based on that I'm thinking prep trees sw and nw of the bait for action coming from the east and vice versa for the west. I should've specified but I'll do all my tree prep and log cutting a month or so before baiting starts. Given the option of hanging and leaving a lock on would you do that over hang and hunt?
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
Freelance Bowhunter wrote:I second the notion about moving stands around, it can be a mistake. Bears have you patterned whether you like it or not. mature bears especially can simply go nocturnal and the slightest sign that something went haywire. I have seen bears get super edgy just because the hunter used a different scent or a honey burn on the first day of the hunt, something they haven't been doing while baiting. It can easily be enough to make them decide to sit that evening out altogether.
Also on bears circling to catch your wind, here's an important issue most people miss. Bears will often circle the bait site to check your ground scent and find out what time you came in to bait. If you have been baiting at noon and the bear comes at 7:00 he is accustomed to scent that is seven hours old. If you come in to hunt at 5:00 then suddenly your scent is only two hours old and he may leave. Anything different will cause a cagey bear to avoid committing to the bait site and can easily make them go nocturnal altogether.
I cover a lot of this type of thing in detail in my book and video The Bear Baiter's Manual and How to Bait Big Bears. http://www.bernieoutdoors.com/
I appreciate you sharing what you are learning with us, we are all still learning. The more I know about bears, the more I realize how much more there is to learn.
Thanks for the input I actually watched your video on YouTube the other day where you discussed this, makes sense. You've got a lot of good info on there. That book sounds like something I'd be interested in I'll have to check it out. I definitely learned from this experience I hunted our third period about 7 or 8 years ago but I didn't really analyze my hunts the way I've learned on here.
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
With bears, yes. I still hang and hunt a lot, but I prefer pre-set stands set when baiting starts and in spots I walk past while baiting rather than where I would be forced to walk out of the norm.Given the option of hanging and leaving a lock on would you do that over hang and hunt?
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Re: Lessons learned what I'll do different next time
dan wrote:With bears, yes. I still hang and hunt a lot, but I prefer pre-set stands set when baiting starts and in spots I walk past while baiting rather than where I would be forced to walk out of the norm.Given the option of hanging and leaving a lock on would you do that over hang and hunt?
Do you typically hang your stand on the same path you walk on to bait?
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