Anyone been able to hunt the Book Cliffs for bear in the past? Any tips on the best way to bait in UT?
Looking at the Utah regs there are some baiting rules like no metal or plastic.
In his words, the do-gooders didn't like that much.LOL
So if you want to go bear hunting in the Bookcliffs, don't yell at a sow with cubs. They don't appreciate it! Good luck!
Bait may not be contained in—nor can it include—any metal, glass, porcelain, plastic, cardboard or paper. The bait station must be marked with a sign provided by the Division and posted within 10 feet of the bait...
You may use nongame fish as bait, except fish listed as prohibited in Utah Admin. Rule R657-13. You may not use any other species of protected wildlife as bait. You may use domestic livestock or its parts—including processed meat scraps—as bait, as long as you have a certificate of brand inspection, bill of sale or other proof of ownership or legal possession.
Sound like if you own the horse/mule it would be legal to use as bait? Don't know if it would be worth hauling one out there...
"Years ago in Utah we had an unlimited spring bear hunt. For many years a group of us (6 - 8 guys) would hunt bear every year. (Pahaska was one of that group). We sure had a great group and so many fun times.
Anyway, one year late in the season, a good friend of mine named Clair and I decided to go back and spend the balance of the season. I have a friend who owns a dairy farm, and he gives me his dead critters at that time of year. This particular year, none died and we were really in bad need of a dead critter.
Well Doug (the guy with the dairy farm) knows a ton of people and said he knew an old horse trader who he said might give us one of his horses. Late on the eve of our departure, my buddy Doug calls and said he had found a horse for us. He went on to say that this guy goes to coffee every morning at 5 am, and if we wanted it we had to be there at 4:45 am SHARP! I assured him we would be there, and we were. The guy says, pull your truck over by that correl and I will load him in for you. I go jump in my truck and try to start it, but it wouldn't turn over. I hear the guy yelling get that over here. The next thing I know is here comes this guy with a front end loader full of this dead horse. I wanted to move my stuff, but he says I don't have time for that and dumps the horse on top of all our gear. He asks if my truck is stick and I say yes, and he say jump in and turn the key on and put it in gear. So he push started us and we were on our way. There was not place to get my truck fixed at such an early hour, so we decided to drive to Price Utah and get it taken care of there. We hit Price at 8:00 am, purchased a new cable as I knew that was the problem. We drove to a steep side street, put on the new cable and tried to start it, but nothing. So we coasted down the hill, got it started and went back to the auto store and ask where we might get it fixed.
At 1:30 in the afternoon we were on our way again. But the horse wasn't fairing so well. It was the second week in June, and the temperature was near 100 degrees. Four more hours (in that temperature) crossing the desert by Green River, Utah did not help.
By the time we got to camp it was 7:00 PM and we had a horse whose legs were now about 12 inches long if you get the drift. If you didn't, then it won't be long until you do. I backed up to a tree, hooked a chain around the tree and around the leg of the horse and pulled forward, unloading the horse onto the ground. It was now time to skin it and quarter it.
Seems as my whole life I have always been a screw around. This time was no exception. The poor old horse lay on the ground, looking to be 3 times the size he was, barely 14 hours before. I squatted down much like a man does to do his thing in the woods. I was just one arms length from the horse and had my sharp Puma floding knife, open and in front of me. Carefully, I lightly touched the sharp blade against the ever so taut stomach of the bloated beast. Clair, standing back, says "You better be careful buddy!" I replied, You just have to know what your doing." Suddenly and without notice I remember hearing a big boom, and I was knocked into a backwards somersault. My mouth and eyes were full of that horses last meal. As I gagged and vomited I could hear Clair laughing in the back ground and when gaining some composure, I would hear him say "Oh Bill!, Oh Bill!" and then break back into laughter until he again would exclaim the same double phrase, two word sentence. My entire front, and the back of my truck was sprayed and plastered gut green. With in 3 or 4 minutes I too was laughing and vomiting intermittently. I have never seen a guy laugh harder in my life than did Clair. He maintains to this day, it was one of his very favorite days on earth, and the hardest laugh of his life. He said I felt so sorry for you, but it was just so funny I could not help laughing. But he says he was torn between the humor and my suffering, which by the way, I did! Clair still claims if we had a video of that event, we could retire from its royalties. When he tells the story, and people ask, " Did it get in his mouth?", He proudly says, "Hell, it puffed his cheeks!"
Have a great bowhunt, and always be careful with a knife.
BB"
I hunted the book cliffs a little over 10 years ago for elk...awesome hunt....and saw a few bears but nothing big.
I wonder what the mechanic thought... working on this truck with a whole dead horse in the back.....
Mark
