Spring bear season in WI?

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Mike Foss
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:23 am

Manitoba derek wrote:I obviously live in Manitoba where we have a spring bear season that we run baits for. Honestly I would never hunt bear another way. The number of times you see a big sow and your trying to sex her then all of a sudden 15 min later 2-3 cubs come walking in that she had stashed close by. Baiting in the spring season is the only way to ensure clean ethical kills are made and selectively harvesting mature boars to ensure the longevity of our spring traditions. I am also a firm believer that dogs have no place in hunting bearunless you are tracking a wounded or lost bear. In Manitoba we are not even allowed to track with a dog. If they do give you guys a spring season I hope for your sakes your allowed to hunt over baits and no dogs outside of tracking.


I don't hunt with hounds but support them as a form of bear hunting, its a long tradition here in Wisconsin. Our hunting rights and the change of our hunting culture is slowly disappearing, we need to support what is already in place. I never did personally care for bear hunting over 55 gallon barrels, barrels have no place in hunting bears, it doesn't look natural.


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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Manitoba derek » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:43 am

Like I said. The ability to hunt over a bait allows you to selectively harvest mature male bears. Running dogs and shooting sows is a sure fire way to run your bear population down the drain. Baits allow you to make proper decisions. Eg that monster bear that came out 5 min ago that I would of shot on sight running dogs but upon watching it for 5 min you then see 3 cubs come out of the shadows to feed on the seemingly safe bait. 3 cubs that would of been orphaned and would never survive. So now instead of one bear taken from the population you have 4. I stand by my statement. Dogs have no place hunting bears aside from tracking a wounded one. Time to get out of the dark ages Wisconsin and protect your populations. Mic drop..
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:08 am

I am in no way in favor of a spring bear hunt in Wisconsin. Most hunters do not really follow Wisconsin's bear hunting unless your associated with it in some shape or form, its not like whitetail hunting where you can get a tag every year, so the interest is not truly there until you get that precious bear tag. Wisconsin has finally gotten a grip on the population, the big population days of the past are long gone. Slowly over the last 10 years a pattern has slowly taken shape. Ten years ago it was nothing to have 10 different bears at each bait station, now your lucky to have 3 committed bears. Bear hunting is one of Wisconsin's best big game success stories so why try and fix something that isn't broken. Hasn't anyone been paying attention? look at all the different seasons we have for our whitetail hunting in Wisconsin, now someone wants to add a spring bear hunt. I believe they are just getting creative for more license sales etc. If Wisconsin wants to continue to offer a great quality bear hunt NO changes should be made besides I would rather eat a bear that has foraged all summer long than one just coming out of hibernation, also hides can be much nicer closer to Fall time.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:35 am

Manitoba derek wrote:Like I said. The ability to hunt over a bait allows you to selectively harvest mature male bears. Running dogs and shooting sows is a sure fire way to run your bear population down the drain. Baits allow you to make proper decisions. Eg that monster bear that came out 5 min ago that I would of shot on sight running dogs but upon watching it for 5 min you then see 3 cubs come out of the shadows to feed on the seemingly safe bait. 3 cubs that would of been orphaned and would never survive. So now instead of one bear taken from the population you have 4. I stand by my statement. Dogs have no place hunting bears aside from tracking a wounded one. Time to get out of the dark ages Wisconsin and protect your populations. Mic drop..


Manitoba derek, no need to explain about bait stations to me. The use of hounds in Wisconsin has not after all these years and will not damage the bear population as there is only a certain amount of tags given each year. The bigger threat is wolves on the bear population as we have no wolf season. Have you ever bear hunted in Wisconsin?
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Manitoba derek » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:50 am

I have not hunted in Wisconsin as I don’t see any need to travel south of the border to hunt when I live where I do. Also I don’t see how it would make a difference if I had. A black bear is a black bear no matter where it lives. But just a quick question. Why are there only a certain number of tags allowed to be sold? I know in Manitoba the only animals that we control the number of tags sold or drawn are animals that we were concerned about there population in areas. So do they limit your tags there because if they had free sale of them it would effect your total population? Just a question don’t want to get to heated as I am enjoying this conversation. Also you guys have problems with wolfs killing bears??? Sry that’s just almost unheard of where I come from. Mby because there’s lots of obviously easier pray for them around rather then trying to take down a sick , young or wounded bear.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:41 am

Manitoba derek wrote:I have not hunted in Wisconsin as I don’t see any need to travel south of the border to hunt when I live where I do. Also I don’t see how it would make a difference if I had. A black bear is a black bear no matter where it lives. But just a quick question. Why are there only a certain number of tags allowed to be sold? I know in Manitoba the only animals that we control the number of tags sold or drawn are animals that we were concerned about there population in areas. So do they limit your tags there because if they had free sale of them it would effect your total population? Just a question don’t want to get to heated as I am enjoying this conversation. Also you guys have problems with wolfs killing bears??? Sry that’s just almost unheard of where I come from. Mby because there’s lots of obviously easier pray for them around rather then trying to take down a sick , young or wounded bear.


It makes a whole lot of difference if you have no experience of Wisconsin's bear hunting history and regulations etc. A bear is not a bear, what happens in Manitoba does not necessarily mean its the same in Wisconsin or other parts of the country, bears all over the country are different, farm land bears vs big woods bear, different baiting techniques changes a bears behavior, human population changes a bear behavior. Most bears in Wisconsin are very skittish and will not tolerate human scent or odor. In my experience Geographically Manitoba's wilderness areas are so much bigger than Wisconsin, your bears can be very bold. The tags.... Wisconsin, back in the day you could buy a bear tag over the counter just like a deer tag, the population dropped down so low the state closed the season down, I believe that was in 1985, then the state came up with a draw system, each year you apply for a point, once you reach a certain amount of points for the zone you want to hunt in you then can apply for a kill tag. There are on a average well over 100,000 thousand bear hunters that apply each year and Wisconsin gives out around 10,000 kill tags. Wolves? our deer population has dropped so low in the Northern part of the state that wolves are now targeting bears, pulling bear cubs out of dens during hibernation months, killing yearlings etc.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Manitoba derek » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:11 am

I do gotta say that wolfs taking cubs from dens is definitely something that dose not go on in Manitoba. Manitoba 80% of our population lives in the southern 200km so that dose leave most of the province uninhabited and many areas accessible only through float plane. With that said yes I could see how bears in Wisconsin could be a lot more sensitive to human activity. I still stand by my opinion of hunting with dogs. But I can see how it would help down south with you guys. Also the number of people that live in Wisconsin is a completely new beast as well for a guy like me. We only have 1.3M people in Manitoba and in Wisconsin you guys are over 5M with only about 1/4 the land. I definitely do have huge respect and props for the pressure you guys have to face and your ability to be able to over come it. But I do gotta say. Come up to Manitoba some day and get on some of our big bruins. You wouldn’t regret it my friend. We don’t have deer quite as big as our buddy’s in Saskatchewan but our bears are second to none.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby john1984 » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:26 am

What if a spring bear season could reduce bear hunting pressure in Sept?

From what I read about southern Wisconsin (zone C) the bears just seem to stop hitting the baits during daylight once Sept arrives. Dan and his bear hunting group have MUCH better success rates in northern MN than they do in zone C. Why is that?? Why is the bear pop expanding into southern WI in the first place?

I think a short spring bear season without dogs would be interesting to test out ...

Your already allowed to start baiting in mid April to get that bear meat tasting sweet anyways.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:08 am

john1984 wrote:What if a spring bear season could reduce bear hunting pressure in Sept?

From what I read about southern Wisconsin (zone C) the bears just seem to stop hitting the baits during daylight once Sept arrives. Dan and his bear hunting group have . MUCH better success rates in northern MN than they do in zone C Why is that?? Why is the bear pop expanding into southern WI in the first place?

I think a short spring bear season without dogs would be interesting to test out ...

Your already allowed to start baiting in mid April to get that bear meat tasting sweet anyways.


John 1984... contrary to maybe what you have heard about the bear population in Zone C prior to the bear hunt in September theirs not as many bears as they might want you to believe or seem, they want the population as low as possible, in doing so they try to justify giving out many tags. Once August comes around everyone is out there baiting thus activity will slow down on baits, same thing happens in Northern Wisconsin, plus you have many AG fields of corn in that milking stage that pulls bears away. Comment about Dan and his group "MUCH success rates in northern MN than in zone C Why is that??" They don't give out 6500 bear tags in Dan's area like they do in Zone C, I also believe its less populated, less AG land where he hunts in MN, it makes a huge difference. They also do there homework and work hard at it.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:17 am

Manitoba derek wrote:I do gotta say that wolfs taking cubs from dens is definitely something that dose not go on in Manitoba. Manitoba 80% of our population lives in the southern 200km so that dose leave most of the province uninhabited and many areas accessible only through float plane. With that said yes I could see how bears in Wisconsin could be a lot more sensitive to human activity. I still stand by my opinion of hunting with dogs. But I can see how it would help down south with you guys. Also the number of people that live in Wisconsin is a completely new beast as well for a guy like me. We only have 1.3M people in Manitoba and in Wisconsin you guys are over 5M with only about 1/4 the land. I definitely do have huge respect and props for the pressure you guys have to face and your ability to be able to over come it. But I do gotta say. Come up to Manitoba some dayand get on some of our big bruins. You wouldn’t regret it my friend. We don’t have deer quite as big as our buddy’s in Saskatchewan but our bears are second to none.


I've heard of those monster bears up there. Biggest in my camp when I guided was 639lbs but that's as rare as shooting a 200 inch whitetail.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Manitoba derek » Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:50 am

Ya 500 lb bears are routinely caught on camera around here. But like any trophy class animal they are smart and take a little know how to get on. But it can be done a lot easier then getting on a trophy white tale around here
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:20 pm

Manitoba derek wrote:I do gotta say that wolfs taking cubs from dens is definitely something that dose not go on in Manitoba. Manitoba 80% of our population lives in the southern 200km so that dose leave most of the province uninhabited and many areas accessible only through float plane. With that said yes I could see how bears in Wisconsin could be a lot more sensitive to human activity. I still stand by my opinion of hunting with dogs. But I can see how it would help down south with you guys. Also the number of people that live in Wisconsin is a completely new beast as well for a guy like me. We only have 1.3M people in Manitoba and in Wisconsin you guys are over 5M with only about 1/4 the land. I definitely do have huge respect and props for the pressure you guys have to face and your ability to be able to over come it. But I do gotta say. Come up to Manitoba some day and get on some of our big bruins. You wouldn’t regret it my friend. We don’t have deer quite as big as our buddy’s in Saskatchewan but our bears are second to none.


Dead wrong it is very common in Manitoba. In fact I wrote a story for Predator Extreme magazine on that very topic and it was confirmed by many people that it's a common problem in All of the central Canadian provinces and particular Manitoba.

I have hunted Manitoba many times and I am also very familiar with the dynamics and the tags, etc. The bear hunting there is very different than here in the US. You're assertions about hound hunting are totally based on ignorance and I am always amused in a way by people who have strong opinions on topics they have little to no knowledge about. I believe there are 11 states that use hound hunting as a bear management tool. It has a deep tradition and although I do not hunt bears over hounds or own hounds, I have hunted with hound hunting outfitters and killed bears over hounds in Idaho and Maine. It's not really for me, but I understand the appeal and I support all legal bear hunting methods.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:24 pm

Mike Foss wrote:
john1984 wrote:What if a spring bear season could reduce bear hunting pressure in Sept?

From what I read about southern Wisconsin (zone C) the bears just seem to stop hitting the baits during daylight once Sept arrives. Dan and his bear hunting group have . MUCH better success rates in northern MN than they do in zone C Why is that?? Why is the bear pop expanding into southern WI in the first place?

I think a short spring bear season without dogs would be interesting to test out ...

Your already allowed to start baiting in mid April to get that bear meat tasting sweet anyways.


John 1984... contrary to maybe what you have heard about the bear population in Zone C prior to the bear hunt in September theirs not as many bears as they might want you to believe or seem, they want the population as low as possible, in doing so they try to justify giving out many tags. Once August comes around everyone is out there baiting thus activity will slow down on baits, same thing happens in Northern Wisconsin, plus you have many AG fields of corn in that milking stage that pulls bears away. Comment about Dan and his group "MUCH success rates in northern MN than in zone C Why is that??" They don't give out 6500 bear tags in Dan's area like they do in Zone C, I also believe its less populated, less AG land where he hunts in MN, it makes a huge difference. They also do there homework and work hard at it.


A big part of it is because they are hunting areas with minimal natural foods. Over much of the state of Minnesota, the success rates are lower because of abundance of oaks, hazelnuts, etc. Not to diminish what they are doing because they are skilled hunters for sure, but there's a big difference from the mixed hardwood areas to the Canadian Shield areas.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Swedishbowhunter » Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:03 pm

I for one would love to have the opportunity to hunt bear in wi in the spring. Depending on how the DNR would structure the season I would vote yes. I originally thought the "dog" only guys would be against this, but if it took away all the "bait" sitters out of there fall season they might go for it. Perhaps they will change it to bait only(no dogs) in the spring and dogs only in the fall.
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Re: Spring bear season in WI?

Unread postby Manitoba derek » Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:19 am

My apologies on my very poor wording in my last post. I said that a little too definite about the cubs being taken by wolfs. I should of worded that more like this. I have never heard of that happening in Manitoba. I have grown up living and hunting in this great province and honestly this is the first time I have ever heard about wolfs hunting in this manner. But I do not appreciate how your Comments towards my knowledge or misinformation about this subject. Next time why not try to educate rather then just calling some one ignorant and then bundling them into your own group of no nothings. Like I said I have hunted bear my whole life. Been running baits since I was 5 years old and eating bear since before I can remember. Bear hunting is a topic I am not very ignorant with. But your the “expert” I’ll just go back to lurking around here thanks for the talk
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