BEAR TAG DRAWING DONE!
Wisconsin
Just checked the status of the drawing on-line. 10 points in zone B and I DID NOT DRAW!!!!! Need to look for the numbers yet, but this kinda ticks me off!!
Guess in some respects I jumped the gun. My screen clearly shows no tag issued. Called the DNR had them all confused as they could not even see what I was seeing. She had to do some digging to find out that everything should be updated by the end of the week. So maybe it will change. She also said she had a memo stating there would be a delay.
I really want to see the numbers for this year. It dont sound good already!!
the dnr site right on the front page online licensing
Its kind of strange how they do this-but I think they add a point shortly before the draw- then do the draw- anyone know for sure? Seems like a strange way of doing it! But thats how it appears to be based on following what my clients tell me who watch this stuff.
So Steve- when you draw hopefully you will see 0 points and a successful draw. Did you have 9 when you looked at it last? Seems to me 10 should draw B. But thats a tough draw compared to all the rest. good Luck
No difference in mine at all still the same points I had last year.only applied for a point
They are in the process of the drawing and hope to have results up by early next week. That is what I was informed via DNR chat at 8:25 this evening.
When I checked everything said it was for 2015. No point added, but said permit not awarded. When I talked to the DNR. All they could see is 2014. This year is my 10th point.
Either way not a huge deal. My tag most likely will go to a kid. Unless the one I got in mind cant do it. Then maybe I will use it on one of our bad bears. Still would rather see the kid get it.
Thats cool Steve that you will give your tag away-I'm hoping for one next year while my daughter is still young enough(17) to have it donated to her. I have killed several-giving it away would be better. Last year I had one/father daughter and 1 father son combo-both parents gave the tags to the kids-they sat together and each kid killed a bear-what memory they have-and I have a good feeling that I was able to assist them. good stuff
I'm a Zone B guy with 9 points as well, nothing has been updated for me at least as it has shown 9 points since I started checking it months ago.
Editorial comment: NINE years plus is a RIDICULOUS amount of time to have to wait for a bear tag.
well when you have 3 dollar applications for any tom dick and harry, what do you expect....... Prior to the 3.00 application, and when they went to a permit, you actually had to have a hunting license to apply, and the average draw was every 3 years.......
I realize bear hunting got more popular, but more money is received by the 3 dollar rule,,,,,,,
Western states with other species all require you buy a license just to earn a point. Time? It took me 26 years to draw a tule bull elk tag. 32 years into a sheep tag and still waiting. Internet apps has also made draws easy for all.
any stats on those that apply and never send for a kill tag or just never go? If adding some skin to the game would get rid of the dead wood and take a year or two off the wait I'm all in.
If they apply and never send in for a kill tag it does not matter, it doesn't affect your odds of drawing......
What would you think of a season in which there was a weekly or 10-day quota, and when it's full, it's closed? In other words, your wait for a tag for the most popular zones would be only every 2-3 years, but you would only be able to hunt 7-10 days out of a 40-day or so season (and perhaps less since there would be a quota assigned to each week; if for some reason that quota was not reached, it could be added proportionately to each remaining time period).
The idea sounds good in theory. Can see a lot of issues with it though. Right off the bat, most knowing the start of the season has highest success. Would apply then making for longer wait times. Closed when full would upset many that were not successful right away. Putting pressure on many to shoot the first thing they see.
Not sure how the unfilled tags being carried over would work. A secondary draw the first day of 2nd time slot? Dont exactly seem right. Carried to the next year?
The season in MI may be more like what you are thinking. Same results though. The prime time slots and zones. Have much longer wait periods. In fact normally residents can buy tags over the counter in the latter seasons. As few want those time slots. Success rates drop off dramatically in those times as well. Tough to find a bear in MI come 3rd week of Oct. You can get tag and bear hunt though.
I know so many want more tags and to be able to shoot more. However, we would not have the bear hunting we do today. If the current system was not in place.
I have friends that hunt like I do. In all 17 states it is allowed in. By far, and hands down. What we have is superior. Sure a few states like NC produce some big bear. Yet those are getting fewer fast and only in certain areas. Many states one can buy a tag right over the counter. Success rates being far lower, and average size is amazingly smaller. I get guys from all over the US and a few countries that come train with me every year. They are always impressed by the size and numbers of bears we have. Do we really want to give that up just to shoot something? Many of these other states do not allow baiting either. Dogs yes, but no bait. That changes things in a quick hurry. If we get rid of baiting. In just a few short years there will be a dramatic increase in tags. However, the success rates will also drop dramatically. Nobody has what we do!! No doubt in this scenario. You cannot have the cake and eat it too. Start eating that cake and watch what happens. I for one do not want to have to explain to my grandchildren how we screwed this up!!
I had a wolf tag this last fall as many know as well as Jeff. It was nothing but work and hassle. First zone closed in 2 days. Pull and move. Second zone closed in 4.5 days. Pull and move. 3rd zone filled in a couple weeks. I was done for the season.
It wasn't so much fun. I would not want our bear hunts follow the same format. The way it is now you have all season and can pass up small bears or sows. The proposed way above your going to take the first bear you see to punch the tag.
No thanks
Just wondering what others thought of such a plan, or any version of that to cut waiting times. Maybe as simple as no transfer except in cases of terminally ill hunts, etc. to dramatically drop applications?
As for the quota not being hit (if that would happen the first week, for example), you would take the "extra" animals (say it was 90) and give each of the other "three" periods "30" more each in their quota (all in theory and pretending there were four 10-day periods and knowing it would have to again be divided by zone quota).
So what happens then if the quota is not met in the last time periods?
I'll use MI again. Will have to verify this again. But if I recall correctly something like 70-80% of the bears are harvested in the first time period. Scary Huh!
Cut the wait time for a tag raise the price.
Put a five year wait to even begin applying after drawing a tag
Have auction tags. Outfitter tags. Or whatever niche tag that
that a get ya back in the game quicker.
Could go out a state but that be to easy. And like this year what fun would that be. Waiting must be have the fun. Going do that some day hear that so often for most someday never comes
TAGS ARE OUT!!!!!!!!!!! I drew with 10 in zone B. Now to find the right kid!!!
I checked online and my app is not updated yet for bear. Still shows last years drawing
I just got the info to verify the MI stuff. In PDF form so need to do some converting to post it. Will open some eyes for sure!
Clear to see in these how the first time slots take longer and have a higher kill rate. Overall success rate is 1/3 of what we enjoy in WI! For many years the same cries were heard. Then OOOPS!!! No more bears!! Now they are having to cut tags back finally to try to bring back the population. Still are many people crying for more tags. Just to sit in woods and see nothing. What's worse yet is that much of this is guess work. There has not been a population study in a very long time. Which is part of the reason they are in bad shape now.
Remember these are not deer or rabbits. Bears average around 3yrs old before they begin breeding. Even in WI the highest percantage of bears harvested are sub-adults. IE, not of breeding age. With that in mind it is easy to see how fast a population can go to heck quickly
Yes it sucked for the wolf season to close in 4.5 days. That was a lot of time invested in scouting, preparing traps. Setting and checking 12 traps alone took about 7 hours and 70 miles to run every day. Over $1000 invested in traps alone. For all that to end that fast really upset me and I let the DNR know it on the survey they sent out. I wasn't mad that I did not get a wolf but I was mad that the DNR sold so many licenses which forced hunters and trappers into a drag race against the DNR's season ending time clock.
Bear hunting (guided or DIY) is expensive and time consuming too. I would hate to see that turn into a drag race circus to beat a very short season or low quota with too many licenses sold ending the season very quick like wolf season was.
There is a lot of strategy in bear hunting similar in many ways to hunting a specific large buck. Wind, temp, and other factors make you choose when and where to hunt. If your time is limited you are forced to make choices based on limited or unknown season length instead of weather etc. Imagine for a minute being forced to pack your archery deer season into a specific 5 day time period. That is kind of what was 'suggested' above for bear.
I can't even imagine how bear guides or dog hunters would deal with short or unknown length bear seasons.
How would DIY baiters for say 3 different seasons interact while baiting for one season overlaps hunting for the previous season? Or worse yet bait hunters for three different hunting seasons baiting at the same time.
Wahoo, my 12 year old daughter got drawn for a tag in zone C.
Awesome rut!!!
I was on cloud nine earlier. Then my world came crashing down quickly. The laws in WI only allow the transfer of a tag to a child once. Regardless of special circumstances. This does not sit well with me. I feel that the terminally ill, and those with major disabilities. Should have the opportunity to hunt as much as they possibly want or can. Not that extra or special tags should be issued. But, if a guy like me wants to give the tag to one of these people. So be it. Does it really matter who harvests the bear with my tag. TO some degree that is. Don't believe it would be right to give a perfectly healthy child 5 , 6 tags or more. But truly the folks that are terminally ill, or have a major disability. I say major because we all are aware of the abuse of the disability system. Don't feel it is right that someone claiming to be disabled because of arthritis in the pinky finger. Should qualify for this. The disability side of things may be more touchy. There should be little argument over the terminally ill folks. Sorta like a Make a wish thing!
If anyone has any input on this either way. I would like to hear from you. As this is something I cannot do alone. Help from my fellow hunters would be greatly welcomed whether good or bad!!
Steve, I understand what you're saying and you are trying to transfer the tag for the right reasons. But for every one person like you there are 50 or 100 moms or grand parent who don't hunt who are putting in for tags for their grandkids and once they draw a tag they keep putting in for a different kid. I think the purpose of the tag transfer was so that a bear hunter could transfer a tag to a youth, not for non-hunters to make it more difficult for real hunters to get tags.
Steve,
Great point. I would like to see them give us the ability to transfer tags to vets who came back too injured to hunt by themselves also.
As far as parents with kids and grandparents transferring tags, I think once is more than enough. Last year there were tags given out to people who applied for the first time. Granted the success rate isn't as high as the rest of the state, it's an opportunity. It's not about the kill it's about the experience and the opportunity.
There's a bill going around now about ability to transfer various hunting tags to disabled, etc. Might be time to suggest some amendments. http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb20.pdf
Also Steve, not sure what you mean about no population study in a very long time, or bad shape now? One study just wrapped up a couple years ago. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/bearmanagement.html
Mike, Absolutely I believe it should be to include our wounded vets. I am looking at the special circumstances, and not those that want to take advantage. Will always be those type of people.
Naz, thanks for the link. Will look at that closely. My idea, so have been tasked to come up with a rough draft. Then will go up the channels from there for proper wording and revisions. Already have the support of the WBHA. Just have to get the wording right.
Also when I referred to no recent study. That was for MI. I took part in the last WI one. Have helped the MBHA with the basis of our study. As they are really trying hard to get MI to do another one. So management can be done based on sound science. Rather than outdated data, and a best guess. Just like here, adn with deer. You have pockets with higher populations. So this skews the mindset of many. Overall the population is in the toilet. Just a few years ago there were more tags issued than the entire estimated population. This really scared some. Since then there has been a decrease in the tags every year. I have friend there that have hunted there longer than I have bee alive. Hard every day type of hunters. One was even part of the WI demonstration hunts. In fact he was the one that provide me with the above posted documents. Many MI guys come to WI to train. Just because they cannot find a bear in MI most days. Very tragic. Would hate to see the same thing happen here.
Only through education on the matter. Can we begin to help folks understand why things are they way they are here. Very few people know what happened back in 85 that brought on our current structure. Restoring our population levels to what they are now. That judge said he would not be responsible for shooting the last bear in WI. By the same token I will not be responsible for watching our population go in the toilet again. Will do everything I can to help educate folks to enure all Wisconsinites enjoy a quality bear hunt for generations to come.
Naz,
Scanned through the report, was mainly interested in what was going on for Zone C. This jumped off the page-
"Last year the quota was not met; increasing permits will allow more people the opportunity to hunt. If we increase permits and success rates go down, we will create more opportunity to hunt but less opportunity to harvest. Low success rates may indicate that landowners are not allowing bear hunters to access private lands as they want to preserve bears for their own hunting purposes."
The issue is too many hunters pressuring the bears. landowners around here want the bears removed and they are letting 4 -6 hunters on every 40 acres. Which is creating problems between hunters, too much pressure.
And we are still dealing with dogs on private land, the same issue regardless of the zone! There has to be a better way to keep people from training their dogs off of baits that are on private land where they have no permission to even run!
Mike, What you have quoted there is exactly what I have been trying to point out with MI comparisons. At least on the amount of tags. Number of tags is always based on the success rate, and the quoata. TO make it very simple will use a round numnber. Quota is 1000. Success rate is 50%. Tags needed to be issued to meet this will be 2000. Success rate drops to 25% now 4000 tags will need to be issued. When one steps back to think about it. What do you want. Quantity or quality? Granted in zone B you may need to wait 10yrs. But odds are you will harvest when you get a tag. Meanwhile one may have drawn 3,4,5 tags in C, but has not harvested. Would be nice to get a tag and shoot a bear every year, but we all know that dont happen. Sure does not happen with deer.
As for the dogs. You all know how I feel about this. Have discussed it many times. So I will only say this as food for thought. It is just a handful of bad apples causing 99% of the problems. These type of activities are illegal. There are laws in place for them. No different than many other things!! So can anyone out there honestly tell me. That more laws, new law, taking away from those that do everything possible to do the right thing. Prevent the criminal activity?? How has this worked out for one of my pet peeves. DRUNK DRIVING!!!! Illegal to drive drunk, but yet happens every single day. This is potentially life threatening for everyone on the road. So how has it being illegal stopped it. What about the drugs, thefts, and the list goes on. How about a hot topic for all of us. Gun control!!! Will taking your guns away. Stop the criminals from having guns?? The answer is always the same. Criminals are criminals. Imposing more restrictions on the general public does not, and will not stop the criminals. Get law enforcement involved, and let them do their job. Eventually it will make the bad apples go away one way or another!!! I know its a hassle, and results dont come as fast as we like. I am dealing with the same issues myself. So I know first hand how hard it is. To stop and rid ourselves of these dirtbags!!!
I got a tag also, unit C, 2 years.
Good guys got their tags,,,,,, I got the call tonite if I could keep their baits going
Should be fun, since we will all be heading out to sd for snow goose on march 2oth, lots to talk about...
lots of more fun....... all agree, not enough tags issued...
s
I understand why most want more tags. Just wish there was some way I could impress on more how important the way things are. Is so beneficial to the future of bear hunting in WI.
I have stated many times how much I really like the guys on this site. As there is far more civil conversations here. So with that said again. I have a question for all.
Every year I see it come up about dogs. Already seen it again this year. Always the same thing. Dogs ruined my baits, made all the bear go nocturnal. So rather than trying to explain, with the countless hunts, pics, etc, that prove otherwise. Here is a very simple question.
IF dogs were the reason causing your baits to shut down, and bears to go nocturnal. Why does this only happen come the harvest season, and not in July when we begin training???????
Steve,
I have stated this before and will state it again. I have no problem with bear hunters using dogs. I have done it in the past and will do it again.
My main complaint is that there are a few people that run their dogs even after the training season is closed in Zone C where there is NO open season for running dogs to hunt bear.
Nothing more frustrating than sitting in a tree and having dogs come to the bait and make their way through the woods.
I agree that there are a few bad apples out there and don't let them ruin your hunt!
As far as the number of tags in Zone C, it would be nice to find out how many go unused as the success rate is way lower than the other zones.
The limited tags and longer wait are indirectly why I love to bear hunt in Wisconsin. Also Sows with cubs being off limits. They both contribute to a strong age structure which is really appealing to people that want to hunt mature bears.
Maybe Wisconsin should consider smaller zones. Let's face it, A B C and D are huge zones. Smaller zones might allow the DNR to even out the population better.
I drew a 2015 zone C permit .... Last year the DNR allowed me to return my 2014 zone C permit due to shoulder surgery, and reinstated my points. ;-)
I don't know anyone that applied in C that didn't get a tag this year. I seen posting where one guy used 7 points for a C tag??
Mike, I agree with you. Those people need to be stopped. Always the criminals that cause problems for honest people.
Zone C is an interesting place. My thought is the major reason for lack of success is agriculture. Failure to understand or consider. The bears movement to fall food sources. Private land access follows suit with this as well. If you only have small pieces to hunt. It's real hard to keep a bear in just that 40 or what have you. Combined then with the fall food sources. You may be out of luck before it even starts. Even if you got baits scattered on several areas. Corn comes in 2 miles away. Bear are going to head there instead of your bait. Remember there is no bait you can put out. That will compete with a natural food source! If there is, I have yet to find it! For me mushrooms and acorns are a big factor. Understanding these food sources. Then trying to put baits as close to them as you can. Is your best option for success. Next major thing would be far more people activity in the areas around you. In these far more populated areas. I see the affect of it in my far more remote location comparably. Would think this would be compounded some.
Zone C in most areas is a whole different ball game. Almost have to completely throw the book out the window when it comes to hunting those agricultural areas.
Woohoo, just got mine zone D took 6yrs. I'm very surprised to get it
Steve,
Yes, baiting in Zone C compared to the other zones is a whole different ball game and a lot more challenging to say the least!
I've got 11 points now. Had to much going on to hunt this year. Who would be a good outfitter for 2016 and do I have enough points? I've tried baiting WI on my own and it wasn't worth the time or cost so I won't go that route. Had tags in A,D, and C still looking for a decent bear.
Mike F or Steve can take care of you. All depends if you want to hunt B with Steve or A/D with Mike.
Thanks for those kind words DT.
Still have not seen the final numbers on everything yet. Did find out from a future client when he draws. Who did not draw this year in B. That 400 with 9 points going in got tags, and 300 that did not. Roughly, and came from the DNR. He was just one of the unlucky ones.
So was my son, he had 9 points and didn't draw.
beaneater- Sit down and figure out what you want in a hunt. Plenty of outfitters can put you on a bear and fill your tag. If that is what you are looking for go for it.
If you are looking to learn how to kill a bear, what it takes and learn from the hunt, there are plenty of outfitters that will do that too.
There are guys who also offer bait sitting or hunting with dogs, plenty of options out there.
Now is the time to plan your hunt for next year. Contact the outfitters you might want to hunt with, get a list of references, make some phone calls and take good notes, go to the shows and meet the guides and talk face to face.
In my opinion, if you want a big bear, your best chances are Zone D.
Are there really a lot of WI outfitters at the shows? Can't really see that being the case/ Shows are not cheap to have a booth at. I would guess those at the shows are taking on a lot of clients. Just because of the costs involved. For me most shows will take at least 1 client to cover the cost. Insurance takes another 2-3. I only take 5-10 normally depending of the year. Always seems to be the lower on years like this one. Never will, and could not see taking on 20-30 people a year. I feel it takes me away from my clients. When it comes to going with my dogs it's always only one at a time. Unless a family, or buddy thing. Don't want the peer pressure of multiple shooters out there. I hunt alone or with only a few at most. Again less peer pressure in the woods. Big groups can be fun to hunt with. Yet, your under that tree with 10 or who knows how many people. Or multiple shooters. Kind of puts pressure on people to shoot when they might want to pass. Don't want anyone to have that feeling of if I dont shoot my day is over. I want the choice to always be yours. Lower numbers of people does mean less revenue. I believe in quality vs quantity. Crazy way of thinking to some, but I don't hunt bears for the money.
I always say B is for big bear. The results though depend on the guy pulling the trigger. Every bear harvested is a trophy to the shooter. Nobody should ever take that away from you. Just because of what it weighs. Even then it's skull size that makes the books. Not how much fat is on it!!
The Wisconsin bear guides you want are booked full shortly after the draw if not before the draw. They won't waste their time or money at shows.
Something has been bothering me since last year. It will have me scratching my head the rest of my life. So I want to tell you guys about, and give you something to think about.
All the preparation in the world sometimes wont mean squat!!
Had a bait getting hit daily by 3 different boars. Right up until the day a hunter went on stand. Then that bait was literally killed!!! Not a single bear ever came into that bait again!! Bears walking by on trail bordering all sides. Yet, never went to the bait. Moved that hunter after a few days. To one of my very best baits historically. Almost the same results followed. Almost no critters at all came into it. Took 3 days after he left before that bait was touched again. WHY??? I will never know. My best guess was movement, or not staying in stand. I dont see scent as a major concern on my baits. Still though this guy was going in fairly scent free. One day even did a imitation anise burn for him. I could smell it a half mile away. Still nothing came around while he was there. I will always wonder about this!!!
Another stupid scenario. Big boar coming in between 6 and 7 every night. First night what we believe was a shooter got passed. No problem. Next night the guy leaves the stand early to go watch the packer game. WTF!!!! Big boar never returned to that bait again during shooting hours. GEEEE, I wonder why!!!
I'm sure others like me have some similar stories as well. No way anyone can prepare for these types of things. I have to think both of these scenarios could have been prevented some how.
Just something to think about!!
Steve - not sure what happened in the 1st scenario, but clearly something spooked the bears.
For scenario #2 we would always have another person come to the bait at closing time to escort the person out. This way the bait wouldn't be quiet for hours with a bear secretly observing the bait area and then suddenly spooked by an individual climbing out of the tree. The old 1 in 2 out trick. Opposite of the 2 in 1 out we used when dropping a hunter off at the bait. Kind of simulates the baiting routine even though it was off the normal schedule.
FYI: I found this regarding changes to the preference point system last year:
"For the 2014 bear application drawing, individual winners were chosen based on the number of preference points they had prior to the drawing. All unsuccessful applicants received their preference point following the drawing. Because this change was applied uniformly to all applicants, there was no change in wait times needed to successfully draw a bear tag. This change makes the bear application drawing consistent with those held for all other species."
It never did make sense to me the old way....
Except historical data on draw points by successful applicants each year will need to have an 'asterisk' for 2014 and later.
Agreed. But since they change harvest goals often (yearly?), that probably has a more noticeable effect. Also, dog year or bait sitter year? You need to go back two years to have an apples-to-apples comparison, the harvest goal may have changed twice since then so a one time, one year shift might just look like noise.... or not!
My experience with bear hunters was that about 20% of the hunters were serious, 50% were casual hunters, and the other 30% were just looking for an excuse to get away and drink. The way our system works now, with the harvest goals and success rates factored in, any attempt to weed out the 'less serious' hunters might result in a temporary increase in the frequency the rest of us get tags, but since the success rate will go up as well, the DNR would be forced to reduce the number of tags issued so the wait would settle right back to where it is now.
It sucks, but I am resigned to the belief that our system is probably as good as we are going to get.
Badger, That is exactly right. At least if we want to continue to have the most successful bear hunts in the nation. No other state has the success rate we do. Even the consistency, size, and age structure of our population is one of the best in the nation.
Do we want to be like MI. Where residents can by a take over the counter yearly with under a 20% success rate? Same as with WV, VA, NC, and PA. Maybe Maine as well, but have to check numbers on that to be sure along with the western states.
We also have to give some credit to the size limit helping to some degree.
Even more so the WI hunters deserve a pat on the back for the restraint shown on what is harvested. Very rarely do I ever hear the horror stories I do from MI. Have never seen some of it myself. Good friend of mine found 7 small bears shot and left for dead in his area last year. 2 of them were actually his clients. Shot the bear, said nothing then left. Nothing could be done really about either. One of these guys though is in for a rude awakening. As he booked another hunt this year. Wardens will be waiting for him this time.
I have seen some small, and questionable bears shot. But have never heard of any be shot the left dead. When they were too small. Most of those 7 were just cubs!!!!!!
Wisconsin bear management is so much better than Minnesota. Minnesota has sold anywhere from 19,300 licenses in 2000 to 6590 sold in 2013. Used to be you could buy an over the counter license for parts of the state and hunt there if you did not have a draw license. Then they made it so you could buy both and shoot a bear in the no quota area and your quota unit. Then there were years whey you could shoot two bears in some quota units. Now you can buy both licenses and hunt in quota and non quote units but only shoot one bear.
Anyway, Minnesota hunters are paying the price now for those liberal tag quantities and rules. You can't draw your first year any longer. Second year is not an option in most units. The reduction is a good thing because the age structure had been totally destroyed by the liberal tags.
Sex harvest ratio varies from 47-62% males. Way too many sows being shot, many of them with cubs which is legal.
Wisconsin has nothing to complain about regarding bear hunting except for the long waits but believe it or like it or not, that is really a good thing.
I really wish more people would take a good look at what is going on in other states. Compare it to what we have going on. Much of what guys like me have to say is blown off. People just want tags to kill in general. This is clearly seen by the amount of complaints on tag numbers.
If folks don't want to read up on it. Believe what they are reading, or hear from guys like me.
I'll let you know when to stop in for a visit. When I have guys from other states here training with us. Some even coming from other countries. They will tell you first hand the difference.
We should be proud of what we have in WI, and strive to keep. Not look for ways to destroy it!
?Steve tell me where in MI I can get a tag OTC
Razor, as far as I know OTC tags are for residents only. The left over tags are made available to residents. Normally most are for the 3rd period. Most of the U.P. zones for period 3 have zero preference points needed. Baraga, bergland, gwin, and carney zones. If you want to hunt periods 1 and 2 each will require more preference points. Some a whole lot more than others. Amasa, and Newbury around 7 or so. They are reducing the tags again this year. SO the early periods may be even higher this year.
Hope this works this time
Just give the WI DNR time, they will destroy bear hunting as they have deer hunting. If bear hunting was the cash cow deer hunting is, they would have already trashed it.
Ya,you can get OTC tags in MN but only for the fringe bear areas. Mostly private land and what is not private gets hunted hard every year. The DNR (and farmers) do not want bears there. Tags there will always be OTC.
I know a guy that hunts OTC in the same area every year. He shoots a bear about every 4th year near where he lives.
DNR destroyed deer hunting? Or DNR used hunters to get deer numbers closer to legislatively-established goals? We can argue all day about the DNR, and whether goals were too low or not, but in the end hunters shot down the herd, winters hammered it and predators took a bite. But the herd still lives on, smaller in many areas, yes, and WI continues to lead in book bucks and ranks among the top states in overall harvest. I wouldn't say deer hunting is destroyed. There are a lot more players in the uneven distribution of deer in WI than the DNR.
I have no problem with bear management in Wisconsin. My hunters over the last 10 years have had a 85% actual kill and a 99% opportunity- This same rate is pretty close to what other well established and hard working guides get on a yearly basis in Wisconsin. The fly by nights that pop up and are not in it for the right purposes who take 30-50 hunters don't accomplish this same kill rate-but that's another post. These results are from hard work, private and strategic public land baits and a good knowledge of bear and how to hunt them. They are also the results from good bear management. We have a quality bear management program that the Wisconsin DNR has established and I hope they keep it. Most of my hunters go to Canada a few times between the draw hunts to get there fix on bear. And when they draw a Wisconsin tag they know they have a coveted tag and are going to see bear. Here is my bear chart from 2014-I keep them to show my hunters what to expect with that coveted tag. The bears passed on this do not count the sows and cubs and is always a partial list- sometimes I don't hear of every single encounter and it doesn't get recorded-but its pretty close. We wouldn't be able to offer results like these if we had over the counter tags and would be the same as MN.
If I remember right the weather was against bear hunters in our part of the state (Hayward) with a lot of rain and thunder early in the season. Guessing that is why the 'opportunities' were down on days 2 and 3 in your chart above.
Weather was against us all season. Lots of rain and more standing water then in many years. Had a bumper crop of mushrooms again.
yes- we had to abandon 3 good baits because of tree cutting activity after the storm and all of my hunters left there stands at 530 or so opening day. We still managed a nice kill with a few nice bear. We had to scramble and move hunters around- part of being a guide is to maximize your baits and move hunters and utilize spares when the wind is right and things come together. I had an older gentleman-82 who was seeing bear but couldn't decide on which one was legal. So I moved him to a spare-he shot a 355# Boar! I moved a bow hunter into his bait- he killed a 170# and was very happy with it. The bow hunter who killed the 170 dressed was on a good bait- but the weather messed it up-I didn't give up on it. I put another bow hunter on his bait who had passed a nice 200# plus opening day on another bait, but it started hitting at night and after that all he saw was sows and cubs, so I switched him to Mels old bait that had a good bear on it - but he shot smaller #120 dressed bear that came in and he decided to take it because he had to go home, plus his wife wanted a rug. But the bait that bait had a bigger bear on it than the 120# - now it was spooked- I stopped baiting it- started a bait 300 yards away and on day 6 Al took that bear with a muzzle loader a nice 312# bear. So that night we switched and moved hunters and killed 5 bear out of maybe 10 hunting-and also wounded one that we should of had- 3 shots at 20 yards with a shotgun and slug with a rest-ouch over all a decent season-I have had better seasons-but anytime you get a 85% kill not counting the wounded one is a good kill rate. I will post 2013 bait sitters second season chart- it doesn't vary much-still a very good kill. The hound season really doesnt change anything -the chart will tell the story. We have great bear hunting in Wisconsin!
yes- we had to abandon 3 good baits because of tree cutting activity after the storm and all of my hunters left there stands at 530 or so opening day. We still managed a nice kill with a few nice bear. We had to scramble and move hunters around- part of being a guide is to maximize your baits and move hunters and utilize spares when the wind is right and things come together. I had an older gentleman-82 who was seeing bear but couldn't decide on which one was legal. So I moved him to a spare-he shot a 355# Boar! I moved a bow hunter into his bait- he killed a 170# and was very happy with it. The bow hunter who killed the 170 dressed was on a good bait- but the weather messed it up-I didn't give up on it. I put another bow hunter on his bait who had passed a nice 200# plus opening day on another bait, but it started hitting at night and after that all he saw was sows and cubs, so I switched him to Mels old bait that had a good bear on it - but he shot smaller #120 dressed bear that came in and he decided to take it because he had to go home, plus his wife wanted a rug. But the bait that bait had a bigger bear on it than the 120# - now it was spooked- I stopped baiting it- started a bait 300 yards away and on day 6 Al took that bear with a muzzle loader a nice 312# bear. So that night we switched and moved hunters and killed 5 bear out of maybe 10 hunting-and also wounded one that we should of had- 3 shots at 20 yards with a shotgun and slug with a rest-ouch over all a decent season-I have had better seasons-but anytime you get a 85% kill not counting the wounded one is a good kill rate. I will post 2013 bait sitters second season chart- it doesn't vary much-still a very good kill. The hound season really doesnt change anything -the chart will tell the story. We have great bear hunting in Wisconsin!
2013-16 hunters- 13 tagged,2 wounded -17 passed plus a bunch of sows and cubs. Opportunitys do not count the kills. We only count legal bear a hunter could have killed-not partial sightings on bear circling baits or the same ones coming in twice or three times. We don't count sows and cubs which would double the sightings. all bear are officially weighed at registration-in Cable. The 2013 season was decent, but we had a bumper crop of natural food that the bear where on after the wet summer. Each year is different- that's why I always tell hunters-take the tag when you can-its always a different season. My chart is my chart- I could exaggerate the passed bear, the sizes , the numbers and so on- but I want hunters to have a realistic idea of what the hunt is. We do not have a bear behind every tree-but in Wisconsin we have a good healthy population and its a great tag to have.
I also am very pleased with how Wisconsin is managing the bear population, I do wish the population was down some, but the bear structure is one of Wisconsin's DNR best success stories. Jim is a very good guide and runs a top notch bear guide service. Last year was a strange year me, NWO lucked out and was on the edge of that storm and managed to stay dry. NWO had one of the greatest years ever, 23 clients and two friends. We ended up shooting 23 bears, 4 bears under 200lbs the rest were 200plus, 3 bears well over 300lbs and one over 400lbs. For the first time ever we tagged two chocolate color phased bears. I lost 2 bait stations to logging and one stand to a thief, so I pulled the plug on that one, almost 2 months of baiting down the drain. Had people walk in on private property baits 2x when the hunter was in the tree, both times hunters was not seen and didn't say a word to the trespasser but later in the evening bears came in and were shot. Like Jim said, every year is different. With a late opener this year (bait sitters) its going to be interesting to see what is going to happen. Paper notices were just mailed out on Friday.
Hey Mike-send some of those chocolates to the Hayward area. I haven't seen any on my cameras here. (Ever) 23/25 is great. I don't think the average bear hunter knows how hard it is to keep a 80-90% kill rate each year. I know for a fact that not all guides in Wisconsin hit that mark. The more hunters you have, the harder it is. Like you said, logging issues, land owner issues, theft, weather, natural food, spooked bear, and people who start showing up around the baits. These are all stresses that fall on bear hunters doing it themselves and guides-but you just work through them. Its hard when your guiding and these things happen, but that is why you have multiple spares and a back pocket approaches to resolve what pops up- that only comes from years of experience in dealing with them.
I can honestly say that Mike Foss (NWO) overcame a lot of major trials that were tough to say the least the last few years, but he came thru it and didn't miss a beat by providing another great hunt that his hunters were expecting. That's a sign of strong Character, and being dedicated to something you Love to do- That's a great Guide.
This seems to be a pattern with anything that we do in life, its has to be in the heart to exceed at something-what ever the occupation,faith or Hobby it is- it goes way beyond the $$$, degrees, initials, and status that something may be bring-those things ware off after a while. I try as a father to instill this to our kids and anyone that is listening:) Mike gets this.
Here is something to think about. Bear population estimate In the U.P of MI is 9000 bear 1 yr or older.
What do you think would happen to our tag numbers. If we allowed the population to drop to these numbers!!!
ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!!!
I won't be hunting for quite some time but did put in for a preference point this year.
Bear per square mile is probably not that much lower in U.P. vs. Wisconsin when you figure U.P. has only about 16K square miles.
The difference Naz is that UP is almost all bear range. Can't say the same for Wisconsin even though bears are showing up farther south all the time.
Jim, good trick setting up a new bait site close to the one that was spooked. It is a trick I used a time or two. When I establish a bait site part of the decision process of where to put a bait is to find and know exactly where I would move to in exactly that situation. It just comes naturally because there are usually a couple of good spots to setup a stand in an area which makes deciding which one of those spots to use difficult but the spots you did not use are your alternates.
My greatest success with that trick did not involve moving the bait. I just sat on the ground when I figured out the bear had busted me where I was. Next day the bear came in, looked right up at my empty stand and I said checkmate to myself as I killed the biggest bear I have ever shot. Did the same thing when baiting for my dad, 80 yrs old at the time on his first bear hunt. I would sit with him, I saw the bear two days in a row and I could tell he saw us and would not come in. When baiting the third day I setup two chairs where the bear would not likely see us if he took the same route in. It worked, dad shot him. Did the same with a nice buck that busted me.
More than half of WI counties now record bear kills, though the primary range is, obviously, the northern and central forest. I think it would be fair to call at least 25-30K square miles black bear range here, though, maybe more.
It was not all that long ago the UP had a better bear population than we do. That is why I have been using it as an example. So folks would understand how fragile what we have is.
Jeff, Its a great trick that has worked a few times- I did the same thing on Tags-a bear with two red tags in 2013- a 400# zone A bear that was really spooky- we moved a bait about 125 yards on that one in some super thick stuff along a bog shoreline. The shooting lane was tight with a rifle and the hunter went up in a climbing stand almost 30 ft. He got the bear after I baited it about a week. Its nice you were able to get a bear with your dad, my dad passed away several years ago but my best memories were taking him to a active musky or a Walleye hotspot when he couldn't do it on his own. Its really nice when you share special spots and activity's with family and special friends. I guess that's why I guide-for the most part I get 99%satisfaction. Its really nice when you trick a trophy bear or deer. Sometimes it works and sometimes you get busted-but that's what makes fun.
