only 3 weeks to go - need a crash course on da bears

[Jcol6268]

4 minutes ago, HighEndHooker said:

Baiting already was restricted, so I’m hoping that it means keeping the existing restrictions in place. You couldn’t hunt from a stand within 100 ft or something from your bait. I don’t remember exactl, I always hunted from the ground.

This is what I’m hoping for 

[mazzgolf]

6 minutes ago, HighEndHooker said:

No, I even called a F&W officer who told me unless it’s absolutely impossible, to not drive an ATV onto the land

OK. This is what I was thinking of -- from the 2017 digest... I guess you are saying that they said they won't normally permit it even if you ask for it :/

[Mixbaghunter]

Look online at shoot placement it is behind where you aim on deer. And wma or state, gap. Just hunt for deer the bears will show up. There will be enough bait piles around . 

[hunterbob1]

1 minute ago, mazzgolf said:

OK. This is what I was thinking of -- from the 2017 digest... I guess you are saying that they said they won't normally permit it even if you ask for it :/

You did your homework grasshopper. Yes you are allowed to use an ATV for recovery only. My buddy and I used to do it. I contacted the bear biologist the ATV must be registered and insured event sent me a permission letter. When we killed the bear we had to call it in to tell them where we were going in with the machine. Took a couple at dusk.We were finally able to make it to the check station before it closed not like in the past when it took us 3-4 hours to drag the sack of jello out.

[hunterbob1]

6 minutes ago, Mixbaghunter said:

Look online at shoot placement it is behind where you aim on deer. And wma or state, gap. Just hunt for deer the bears will show up. There will be enough bait piles around . 

Correct good advice bear vitals are further back than deer

[Bucndoe]

47 minutes ago, HighEndHooker said:

Baiting already was restricted, so I’m hoping that it means keeping the existing restrictions in place. You couldn’t hunt from a stand within 100 ft or something from your bait. I don’t remember exactl, I always hunted from the ground.

300 feet

[Merkel]

I’ve had no trouble seeing bears. In some cases 5 at a time.  The question is will Ray Lesniak get a court injunction to stop the hunt.

[Eyesofthewoods]

In my experience bear hunting they seem to stick to the mountain laurels,  ridges with sun,  scrub oaks on mountain tops,  blueberry patches(lucky to find) and I’ve had good luck in beech, poplar groves as well.  Typically bears feed in morning and night but in early December they will be feeding if they haven’t already denned you.  With it being early December if you can get out with fresh snow in a bear centered area get boots on the ground cut a track and take a walk.  Can’t tell you how many bears we’ve killed over the years with even 1” of fresh snow. 
 

as far as gutting it’s about the same as the deer but I’d look it up online to be safe (can’t remember how I even did it with the 2 I shot as my hunting pals were helping me out too).

I would imagine most butchers would know what to do for caping the bear for a rug.  At least in PA I never ran into issues.

the perfect bear is about 150#  this way you can drag it out like a deer.  My buddy shot a 527# last year in a laurel swamp and needless to say we broke out balls getting that Bruin out. 
 

good luck! 

 

[Rusty]

3 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

1. Where? All these bears we keep hearing about up north -- WMAs, state forests, parks, The Gap?

Wawayanda, Newark Watershed, Hamburg Mt WMA, Sparta Mt WMA. 

[Rusty]

3 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

4. Morning, afternoon, dusk?

All day. 

[rgw]

Herd through the grapevine baiting is being restricted just like turkeys, can’t hunt within 300’ of bait

[Mixbaghunter]

57 minutes ago, rgw said:

Herd through the grapevine baiting is being restricted just like turkeys, can’t hunt within 300’ of bait

That's 100 yards I can't see how that would work when so many bait piles around .but I believe that was in tree or blind

[hunterbob1]

3 minutes ago, Mixbaghunter said:

That's 100 yards I can't see how that would work when so many bait piles around 

0 citations were written.

[rgw]

6 minutes ago, Mixbaghunter said:

That's 100 yards I can't see how that would work when so many bait piles around .but I believe that was in tree or blind

It’s going to be different than before, 100 yds no matter where you hunt from

[Roon]

4 minutes ago, Mixbaghunter said:

That's 100 yards I can't see how that would work when so many bait piles around .but I believe that was in tree or blind

Use to be bait pile if on ground you could sit right on top of it, if in tree or blind it had to be 100yrds away. I remember them saying when I took the bear class if you killed a deer and gutted in front of your stand they will see it as a bait pile.

The state is money hungry and will take it anyway they can