Bear Hunt

[bearplott]

How everyone doing up that way this year? Any success yet?

[kelly-p]

It's been getting slower and slower the past 5 years but this year is amazingly slow. I think it is real safe to say that the bear numbers are down 70% to 80% from what they were 5 years ago.

[bearplott]

Would you care to offer your thoughts on why that is so? Is the state giving out too many permits?

[halad]

30-06,

Maybe to many sows and cubs are being killed.

[bearplott]

Cubs can't be legally harvested can they? In Wisconsin, sows with cubs are also protected. Is Minnesota the same?

[kelly-p]

My feeling is that there has just been way too much hunting pressure in this area. I think many people "discovered" this area when they were here crappie fishing, looked at a highway map and thought that there was a tremendous amount of remote areas that should be great for bear. The problem was that these huge remote areas are mainly bog and not bear habitate. All of the hunters ended up clustered on the narrow ridges of high ground running through the bog. It has been commen the past 3 years for the baits to be 100 to 150 yards apart for miles down these higher ridges. It would be interesting to compare the number of bait stations registered in this area 8 years ago to the number registered now. I feel it could be 10 times more bait stations now.

For example some friends had a bait station in great bear country in the same exact place for many years. It used to be commen to sit there and watch 5-6 bears on the site at one time. That place has been baited the past 3 years and has not even had a single hit. 5 years ago every bait I had was within 5 miles of my house and every hunter had a bear by the 2nd night. Now I am driving the pickups 20+ miles in 4 different directions and then taking the wheeler further and having less success with 1/2 the hunters.

I wish MN would not allow sows with cubs to be shot. I do not think that the cubs have a chance to live with out Mom. Most areas do not the high numbers of Timber wolves like we do. They will catch the cub on the ground or dig it out of it's den and kill it. Also these cubs do not have Mom to show them where the berries are at one time of year or where the acorns are at now. This cubs end up just waundering around lost and can not find natural foods so they go to where people are and eat the pie on the window sill. When the MN DNR says that we have too many "problem" bears I wish that they would realize that with every Mom killed we are creating more "juvenile delinquent" little bears.

In any case it looks to me like this area has never had the bear numbers this low. My father and the "oldtimers" can not remember it ever being like this. I think the DNR's high bear numbers are more likely in areas with a lot of private land and less hunting pressure.

On a little bit more happy note Labs got his bear last night. A nice 300+ pound chocolate. We think it must have been retarded or suicidal for Labs to get it.

[InTheSchool]

I think I can count the hits on our four baits on both hands. There have only been 4-8 bear registered in Blackduck this season. I think Kelly is correct about the amount of pressure in the woods. For us the Saturday of labor day was like sitting next to a 4wheeler motocross. And that was on both private and public ground. My friend in Onterio feels they lost alot of bear this past January with the mild temps. The bear came out of their dens and then were caught with the February/March cold snap. The other thing is I have never seen as many acorns for as long (mid August untill and through now).

[bearplott]

Well, hopefully things get turned around and like the walleyes on Red Lake the bears become plentiful again. Sad to know that people can legally harvest sows with cubs. Congrats on the #300 chocolate. That's a nice bear anywhere!

[charliepete2]

First off....who shoots sows with cubs? I know a lot of bear hunters, and not one of them would even think about taking a sow with cubs. I just don't think it happens much. I've never even shot a sow in my life.

Secondly I agree that bearhunting has become a harder game. Specifically when compared to Wisconsin. The obvious reasons are that we have way too many people hunting. If we restricted the number or hunters, I think we'd harvest more bears. The second thing that hurts bear hunting is the proliferation of 4-wheelers. Now every tom dick and harry can get a bait back in the woods without much work. It used to be only the guys that worked hard.

Personally I haven't had a downturn in my bear hunting. Sitings and bears taken have remained steady. I certainly have had to work much harder to get away from the crowds though.

[Stud]

Quote:

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It's been getting slower and slower the past 5 years but this year is amazingly slow. I think it is real safe to say that the bear numbers are down 70% to 80% from what they were 5 years ago.

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I'm going to have to disagree with this! I hunt in and around that area and there are more bear then ever. Sometimes they just are not on your bait. I had some nice pictures of 8 different bear, however, the weekend of opening it rained a lot and then the acorns fell, that is why bear hunting sucked this year. The bear are out there. Put up a camera and you'll see what i'm talking about.

[Mopad]

I don't know if there is an abundance of bear by red lake or if the numbers are down. I do know that the 40 acres I own 3/4 of a mile from the south shore has bear on it. Last year we had many on the camera. This year our moultree deer feeder was completely destroyed along with some other things. I learned my lesson not to put up the deer feeder once they come out of hibernation. They sure are a nuisance.