I had never taken into consideration how far away the bear may actually be when bedded down and how that may affect their timing. Thanks for another great video and more tips!!
I’ve been trying to figure these bears out for awhile. In South GA our season is in the fall, which isn’t much of a fall because we’re in the 80s-90s all the way until the last week of November. We lease about 2k acres and we very rarely see bears in the day time. I’m talking maybe a handful of times the entire year. When should I start baiting them? The week of bear season isn’t until October. Any thoughts on what to put out for bait?
How do you find out where the bear is bedding? I hunt deer with bait and for the last 3 or 4 years. One is a tank. But they, for the most part, are coming in after dark. I am about 100 yards from a pond and creek, which covers the water you were talking about. This is in the swamp, I hunt deer on the edge of the swamp in the hard woods. No oaks, just maple, birch and cherry. I have them on trail cameras and rarely during daylight. You gave me lots to think about, so I am thinking of putting in for a bear tag this spring for the fall hunt. Thanks.
Great question. Although I have little experience with baiting deer, it seems like they would look for the nearest safe bedding cover where they felt secure if they are going to remain in the area of the food. It's different with bears since they are eating so many calories in order to put on fat for the winter denning. The bait site determines the bedding area, rather than the other way around. In other words. If your bait is near a place where the bears will use for bedding, they will take advantage of the nearby water/swamp in order to stay close to the food.
Great videos. Always wanted to ask why you don't carry a gun when putting out bait or going to your stand. I hunt on the Idaho boarder tons of predators. I always have a hand gun. Don't want to run into a Grizzly or wolf pack or a black bear or a cougar.
Great question. I have been around bears so much that I have little fear of them mainly for two reasons: 1) I recognize their demeanor and body language and react accordingly, and 2) I approach baits cautiously mainly out of concern for surprising a sow with cubs. That's been my strategy and it's been good... so far. I do carry when in grizzly country most of the time.
Great videos! Question.... Do you intentionally make noise when going in to bait an area? Or do you try to be as stealthy as possible, while being vigilant of any potential danger?
I agree location is #1, but in my 30 year plus experience you can have the best quality bait and location but when a bear's natural food source kick's in especially in the Fall that #1 bait location become's a secondary food source. Hence why many Bear Hunter's in the Fall have Bear's coming in during daylight hour's but come time to hunt many time's during that Fall period the Bear's start hitting your bait's irregularly or stop all together. I don't think it's any thing we Hunter's do on our location selection or method's of baiting that cause's this to happen, just that a Bear's garden is ready for harvesting. So that bigger boar that was coming in like clock work before the kill season during daylight hour's might be laying out in a nice cool corn field or even bedding down close to the Oak's that have dropped their acorn's. If this happen's to your #1 bait's and now that big boar only show's up during dark hours or once in a while during your kill season, I personally think a Hunter need's to get more aggressive and try to locate that natural food source where he's primarily feeding and set-up on him or even try stalking him. Many area's that I hunt where corn fields are present, those bear's rarely leave a cornfield until it's picked. Corn field's that aren't harvested many time's become's a bear's den/nest site for the Winter also. A Bear Hunter might have to opt for looking for new area's with less of a abundant natural food source if they're having their best bait's going nocturnal on them, which mean's for some of us Hunter's more time and money traveling to those area's to set-up new bait location's. If a Bear Hunter can make that kind of switch, I'd put sometime into researching the amount of rainfall certain area's of your State or Province received up to that natural food growing season. If lack of rain or such things late Spring/early Summer frost and damaging winds killed most of the natural foods that Bear's thrive on come Fall, those area's might produce the result's we Bear Hunter's need to have those big boar's coming into the bait's during shooting hour's. Location's can have all you think a Bear need's, but without a natural food source or other meat/fish source your odd's go up if you can get bait's into those areas.
I had never taken into consideration how far away the bear may actually be when bedded down and how that may affect their timing. Thanks for another great video and more tips!!
Yes, exactly.
Thanks for all the great advice I myself is getting ready for the 2020 spring bear hunt in Ontario I really enjoy all ur videos keep up the good work
Good luck!
No different than a big buck. Expecting them to move in open areas during daylight is a pipe dream! Good topic
Sounds like excellent information , thanks Bernie!!!!!
Glad to help
I’ve been trying to figure these bears out for awhile. In South GA our season is in the fall, which isn’t much of a fall because we’re in the 80s-90s all the way until the last week of November. We lease about 2k acres and we very rarely see bears in the day time. I’m talking maybe a handful of times the entire year. When should I start baiting them? The week of bear season isn’t until October. Any thoughts on what to put out for bait?
How do you find out where the bear is bedding? I hunt deer with bait and for the last 3 or 4 years. One is a tank. But they, for the most part, are coming in after dark. I am about 100 yards from a pond and creek, which covers the water you were talking about. This is in the swamp, I hunt deer on the edge of the swamp in the hard woods. No oaks, just maple, birch and cherry. I have them on trail cameras and rarely during daylight. You gave me lots to think about, so I am thinking of putting in for a bear tag this spring for the fall hunt. Thanks.
Great question. Although I have little experience with baiting deer, it seems like they would look for the nearest safe bedding cover where they felt secure if they are going to remain in the area of the food. It's different with bears since they are eating so many calories in order to put on fat for the winter denning. The bait site determines the bedding area, rather than the other way around. In other words. If your bait is near a place where the bears will use for bedding, they will take advantage of the nearby water/swamp in order to stay close to the food.
@@BowhuntingRoad Thanks so much for the information.
Great videos. Always wanted to ask why you don't carry a gun when putting out bait or going to your stand. I hunt on the Idaho boarder tons of predators. I always have a hand gun. Don't want to run into a Grizzly or wolf pack or a black bear or a cougar.
Great question. I have been around bears so much that I have little fear of them mainly for two reasons: 1) I recognize their demeanor and body language and react accordingly, and 2) I approach baits cautiously mainly out of concern for surprising a sow with cubs. That's been my strategy and it's been good... so far. I do carry when in grizzly country most of the time.
Great videos! Question.... Do you intentionally make noise when going in to bait an area? Or do you try to be as stealthy as possible, while being vigilant of any potential danger?
Just another day at work, just approach normally, so they do not spook too bad.
@@BowhuntingRoad right on. Thanks!
Great advice 🤘🏻
Thanks Bernie
Thank you hope I get one
Good uck!
Makes sense..to me.
I agree location is #1, but in my 30 year plus experience you can have the best quality bait and location but when a bear's natural food source kick's in especially in the Fall that #1 bait location become's a secondary food source. Hence why many Bear Hunter's in the Fall have Bear's coming in during daylight hour's but come time to hunt many time's during that Fall period the Bear's start hitting your bait's irregularly or stop all together. I don't think it's any thing we Hunter's do on our location selection or method's of baiting that cause's this to happen, just that a Bear's garden is ready for harvesting. So that bigger boar that was coming in like clock work before the kill season during daylight hour's might be laying out in a nice cool corn field or even bedding down close to the Oak's that have dropped their acorn's. If this happen's to your #1 bait's and now that big boar only show's up during dark hours or once in a while during your kill season, I personally think a Hunter need's to get more aggressive and try to locate that natural food source where he's primarily feeding and set-up on him or even try stalking him. Many area's that I hunt where corn fields are present, those bear's rarely leave a cornfield until it's picked. Corn field's that aren't harvested many time's become's a bear's den/nest site for the Winter also.
A Bear Hunter might have to opt for looking for new area's with less of a abundant natural food source if they're having their best bait's going nocturnal on them, which mean's for some of us Hunter's more time and money traveling to those area's to set-up new bait location's. If a Bear Hunter can make that kind of switch, I'd put sometime into researching the amount of rainfall certain area's of your State or Province received up to that natural food growing season. If lack of rain or such things late Spring/early Summer frost and damaging winds killed most of the natural foods that Bear's thrive on come Fall, those area's might produce the result's we Bear Hunter's need to have those big boar's coming into the bait's during shooting hour's. Location's can have all you think a Bear need's, but without a natural food source or other meat/fish source your odd's go up if you can get bait's into those areas.
Cub protection instinct. It is drilled into them by nature. Even males will be imprinted with it. They learn a lot from Mom.
Adult males eat cubs when they can...