bears

[mizpah]

While waiting for the fishing action to pick up some of you must be out baiting. Over in the Northome area baiting has been real slow. Even the guides are reporting slow action with less than half of the baits being hit. I was wondering how things were going around Red.

[bieganekbaitco]

I have 6 stations 3 miles west of Kelliher and they are really being hit hard. Cant wait till Sunday!!!!

[Fish-on]

I have serviced 14 sites this year, but I'm down to less than half that now. Six baits out today, four hits. One I think is multiple bears. Two of the baits were hit lightly, and just picked over, I think the berries and acorns are taking their toll on the baiting, I've heard it's slow everywhere. I'm seeing a lot of acorns turning up in the scat now. That's not good news.

[Sand Burr]

bieganek,
I hope your coming up/over to red this weekend it would be fun to see you again. I took your advise from that first night I seen you "Bears are like shootin dogs out of the garbage can up here" of course you might not remember that. I had to get Kelly and Satchmo to show me how the garbage shootin goes! Just to get back on your good side bring a shirt up with ya and I will finally buy one from ya but in trade you got to take a look at the rack. They would go nice with that fancy portable you haul around. I will be at ninetoes cabin on sunday.......

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"Hey Nice Rack"
www.bucketrack.com

[This message has been edited by Sand Burr (edited 08-29-2002).]

[bieganekbaitco]

Sand burr, you made it through another summer....good job!!! I have some hunters coming in from South Dakota saturday, so i'll be showing them around "Gods country". I'll meet you in Westwind only if you buy the first round,hehehe!!! Marko

[mizpah]

Thanks for reply. I only have 4 baits out with 2 being hit. Good luck on opener!!!

[kelly-p]

Yo Baitco.! I heard you were baiting. Did you know that "littleitalty", NINETOE & his better half, SATCHMO and 7 others all tried to get a tag in Area 41 and didn't get one because so many people there are giving away freebies? Do you really want to come to WW and face them?

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[scott-z]

So, lets hear some bear stories! Was there any activity this weekend? Kelly, Ninetoe, Baitco,...anybody! Did anyone get lost? Or to hungover to get up in the morning? Not that any of you would ever do anything of the sort. Is anyone seeing any grouse while they are in the woods?

[Fish-on]

My wife missed one last night. Buck (bear)fever I guess. Hope he comes back tonight. Baiting is tough and spotty this year around here. Everyone seems to be struggling to get regular hits.

[mwktrapper]

I'm running sites in the Grand Rapids area, it is terribly slow down here, although one of the clients shot a 275 last night. Know a guy around here has 150 sites out, trying to supply 50 hunters, has 8 bear comin in. Everybody is havin a tough year down here. Good luck to all goin out.

good fishin

[kelly-p]

I'm getting taught a lesson scott-z. Last year was too easy. Area's 41 and 12 are O.K. but 13 is real tough. The best baits on the private land where the bears came from last year are almost all dead.
It's been tough hunting but great people. They all fit right in and get along great. You will most likely be meeting many of them as they have all signed up for duck hunting and deer bowhunting. They were all strangers Sat. but many friendships have been made that will be there for years. I think they all were the "class clown" but SATCHMO is doing a great job of babysitting them.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[mizpah]

The hunting remains pretty tough around the Northome area. We have only 2 hunters with one connecting on day 2 and the other passing up on a smaller bear. Talking with the locals finds it very, very slow. Like with most, their baits were hit and then they stopped. One thought on the tough year was the discussion about the army worms that hit our area hard again this year which hurt the berry crop causing the bears to move out. I don't know if I buy into that.

[bieganekbaitco]

I dont think there is the critters the D.N.R. estimates. Did manage to see a couple in Nistlers corn east of Shooks this past weekend though. West of Kelliher there is a lot of chokecherrys and wild rasberrys this year. Is anyone seeing any grouse this year?????

[mizpah]

Must have put on 20 miles in the woods and have yet to see a single bird.

[kelly-p]

My gut feeling is that there are not that many bears and a lot of food around for them.
Most everthing around here slowed or stopped Sat. when the people hit the woods with a lot of bait. Also one place in Area 12 has acorns so thick on the ground that the ground is covered but no bears. None of my food plots of oats or corn were hit this year. What the h@#*,,, if it was easy they would all be doing it.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[Fish-on]

No question the blackberries, rasberries and chokecherry bushes are sagging under the weight of a bumper crop. Acorns are starting to drop too. Hunting sounds like it's been tough all over. Some of the lockers around here are saying it's one of the slowest years they've seen. I am down to four baits and only had one hit last night. The others get hit lightly when they do get hit, the bears are just picking out the meat and sugar-caoted stuff. Too much to eat is my opinion.

[scott-z]

Thanks for the stories. They are always enjoyable even if the success rate is low. There are a ton of berries around my area this summer also. Kelly-p, I am looking forward to the duck hunting this fall. I have been working with shadow regularly this summer and will continue to do so this fall. Does there seem to be quite a few ducks around? P.S. I bought a fish house trailer and will soon begin construction on a mobile fishing lodge. If things go according to my plans, you will be sick of me by the end of the fall/winter. Later!

[Fish-on]

Kelly, I don't think zone 12 is much better. I talked to a friend from Warroad last night and he has six baits out and has had only a TOTAL of two hits. Another guy has four baits out and no hits. A guide I know from Williams has 80 baits and 29 hunters and is struggling BIG TIME. It's just a really tough year. Hopefully it will improve. Good luck.

[mizpah]

Last year we shot a 420 pound boar the first week of October. I think we are going to give it a rest for awhile and hit it again in a few weeks. Since there are no grouse there shouldn't be many hunters in the woods later in the month.

[kelly-p]

We did manage to get 2 bear for 3 hunters in 12 but it looks like that was the end of that as those baits have all died. We are still able to put hunters on baits that were hit the night before but the day before season opened we had 26 baits being hit regularly that I felt very good about. Right now I can count the "hot" baits on my fingers and I'm worried that tomorrow I might only need one hand.
This kinda stuff didn't happen before this guy called Marshal came up here bear hunting. I think we will blame it on him. In 3 short days he became a Waskish "legend". Now just when we are rcovering he's coming back up Friday,,,Another round please!!!!!

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[Fish-on]

Kelly is it true that there were more than 250 additional tags available for zone 13 that were left over? If so that's gotta be darn good for business.

Good luck with your baits. I spent quite a bit of time spicing up my baits today with molasses and cooking used bakery grease. I've never worked harder for less results in bear hunting.

[Chaunce]

I have two baits getting hit pretty good.
but they are going to have to wait a week going out to stick a mule deer in colorado tomorrow. kelly we will have to celebrate ronnies bear when i get back. sounds like they are seeing a few up there.

[kelly-p]

I know there were about 250 extra tags for Area 13 but I do not know what has happened with all of them. Some of my people that missed out in 41 picked some of them up. I would have rather had the people in 41.
Chaunce,
We already celebrated Ronnies bear,,,,Sunday night, Monday night, AND Tuesday night. This group of bear hunters is just as crazy if not worse then crappie fishermen. Wait until you meet Marshal. He had Mike and the boys very entertained Tuesday night. We just found out that he left work and headed is north again. He should be here about 10:30. I went straight home when I found out cause I know he will hit West Wind first. Marshal doesn't know that our new plan is a bear decoy. We are trying to find a black rug for him to wear. The best thing about Marshal is that he doesn't care if he gets a bear or not because he has decided that Waskish is the most fun he has ever found. Good for him but it's gonna be tough on us trying to keep up with him.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[kelly-p]

SATCHMO scores! Two of the clients decided to go fishing last evening so SATCHMO decided to go into one of thier baits. He hadn't taken his gun out of the case all season untill then. On the way into the bait he met up with a 330 pound boar at 5:00 in the afternoon. Further proof that luck beats skill.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[Sand Burr]

Thats it SATCHMO is going to get that little move that marshal does on the dance floor! That would'nt of been the stand I was hunting out of?????? Any other reports for me??? Still planing on hunting this weekend. Dad and I will hunt friday and sat. night.

[Satchmo]

No Sand Burr, I was southwest of there by 30 miles. That shot you heard beyond you your last night came from the freezer crews bait farther down your trail. I checked it out and you could have put the gut pile in an ice cream pail. Then two days later, your bait was demolished!!! HE IS STILL THERE!! Go get him next weekend. Good Luck Guys!!
P.S. Ninetoe got up close and personal with one by his ground blind on Fri. evening.Things didn't quite go as planned though!

[kelly-p]

It's good to see you'll make it for Friday night Sand Burr. Forcasted highs in the 60's should get things going. Marshal had a doe walk up and blow down his neck last night. NINETOE had that bear play with him again last night. Now he's gonna move up in a tree this weekend. I might save him the work and hunt it Friday night. I snuck into the 4 Acre and the Cedar in 41 just before dark tonight. There was a bear on both. A few hours after you left SATCHMO a bear was walking down the center line of the highway right where I passed you.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[woodman]

Mizpah- WHo are you and where are you hunting in Northome? I grew up there and my parents are Ardell and Marlys Hanson. My dad's neighbor Tom Lindley has only 9 bears so far, unless they got more this weekend.

Woodman
Scott Hanson

[Sand Burr]

Kelly,
Did you loose some people in the woods? I was wondering if Joel will have to make new shirts that say EIGHTTOES and on the back he could put Yogis autograph $5 with a bear paw in the center. Let's here the full story joel! Keep me informed Kelly. Satchmo we will have to do lunch sometime since I work down the street from ya!

[kelly-p]

I can see that we should set up camaras covering NINETOE's and Marshal's blinds. Those two seem to have so much fun. I think that with the cooler temps the bigs boys are starting to play. Dallas, Fish, Camp, Wet Road, Ridge and NINETOE's favorite scary spot were all hit real hard last night.
The bad part of todays run of the baits to the north was that my dog found NINETOE's rotten fish. The back of the truck was full of bait so he had to ride in the front with me. All the way back out with both of us hanging our heads out the window. I let him off over at NINETOE's place. The dog smelled bad but looked real comfortable sleeping on NINETOE's bed.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652