Bear this year
Massachusetts
Contributors to this thread:
There is a lot of deer chat starting up but it's pretty quiet concerning bears. Less than a month to go. Anybody planning to hunt them in Mass this year? Beech trees are super heavy with nuts in 4S. Put some time on the beech ridges and you have a realistic chance of a successful still hunt. Seven different bears in the yard this spring and summer.
Tekoa
I may go here and there. My spot in zone 2 has a lot of beech trees but I haven't seen a single nut in around 5 years there. Like a needle in a haystack but good to just get out.
I'll be hunting bear, but not in Mass. I just hung two stands up in NH, bait is going out September 1st.
I buy the tag, have seen more bears this year already than past years, but man I can't eat "it" so will be a last minute decision for me, and share all the meat with friends family.
I will be baiting for the first time this year at the camp in NH. Ton of bear around up there. I have seen a full blown cinnamon color bear and a half brown half black bear around the camp. Hoping to get one of those guys! Good luck to all who are going after them this year.
HFC, you have been baiting for a few yrs now, correct? Any tips/ tricks you have would be much appreciated!
Moons try to place your bait in a thicker area and if possible close to a swampy area. Anise oil,fryolator grease, molasses, and powered jello mix are all good. Spread them over the barrel and ground around your bait. Any animal that comes around will step in the message and carry it around the woods. Good luck man it's addicting , a lot of work and a lot of fun .
Thanks Bowhunt. I have heard a lot about the fryolator grease, makes a ton of sense. I have a lot of corn, oats, and this stuff called textra feed. It was a cheap grain/oat mixture with mollases. Also four big bags of dog food. Was planning on nailing sardine cans in the tree with a rag as sort of a drip scent rag. The local breakfast joint up there said they would save all the scraps, and the dunkin donuts said they would save all there old bagels /donuts for us. Can't wait!
Mainephoneguy, why can't you eat it?
Were about in zone 2 spike? I killed a bear up there a few years back. Last year a guy I work with went up there and burned anise oil and saw 4 bears was all nervous and missed 2 of them. His wife was getting on him pretty good about the misses lol.
We'll shoot a couple bears this year for sausage. I hope to get my daughter one this year. Came close last year, but no comfortable shot opportunity for her.
Moons, Bowhunt has great info above regarding bait. I'd also add that you can't really put too much bait out. I want every bear that comes to the bait to eat to their hearts content. If you have a constant supply they will bed very close to your bait, if you run out, they will go to someone else's bait.
I also think your stand location in relation to your bait is important. Every bear I have seen come to the bait has first circled down wind before committing to come in. If you have the wind directly to your face they will circle down wind of the bait and get a good whiff of you in the process, bears that have seen a bait site or two will probably not come in knowing you are there, I learned this the hard way last season. I have two stands set up for crosswinds this year. So my baits will be on the edge of the swamp where bears are bedded, they come out and begin to circle down wind, but because of the crosswind when they get down wind of the bait they are smelling only bait and not me, because my scent will be blowing 20 yards further back from the bait.
I've also noticed they learn where your stand is quickly after just the first sit. I'm bringing my climber along in case I can't arrow one on my first sit, keep them guessing where I am.
I'd love to take credit for these ideas, but for the most part they come from greater minds than mine. Check out the bear hunting podcast, particularly the episodes with Dan Infalt and Clay Newcomb.
Good point HFC . I forgot to mention Moons , if you're the one baiting & hunting the site leave a shirt you've worn . Wear one of your descented hunting shirts when you go to set up. Get it good and sweaty and when you are done hang it up near the site. Do this every time you go to bait. The bears will associate your smell with dinner. If they get a little whiff of you when you are hunting it won't bother them. It works.
Murphy, up in Becket off Route 8. I also hunted out in Conway where it is infested and still not one single bear sighting. A lot of deer though!
Great info guys thank you very much.
Moons what town are you going to be in? I hunt Bradford.
Oh man you guys have some competition going now! After the season Moons had last year I'm glad I'm not hunting anywhere near you, haha.
Hahaha no competition!! I hope everyone kills..... But.... I do hope the cinnamon color bear finds my bait before he finds Bowhunts :)..
HFC, where abouts in Nh do u hunt bear?
That's the kind of luck Moons has. The one cinnamon colored bear in New England and it's on Moons property!
Spike, I have tried eating bear cooked several different ways (sausage, stews, hamburger etc), just don't have a taste for it. Tekoa: Try using Anise Oil some of the guides up in Maine use it.
Moons, I hunt in Chatham, NH. A tiny little town on the eastern edge of the White Mountains.
Maine phone guy: Be careful using anise or other spices in Mass. I suppose even liquid smoke and most of the commercial lures would fall under this law as a nutritive enticement or attractant:
Considered baiting. For the purposes of 321 CMR 3.02(1) and unless the context requires otherwise, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
Bait means any natural or artificial substance, including but not restricted to, (I deleted the obvious ones) , honey, molasses, anise or other spices,or any other substances or products which may be fed upon, ingested by, or which otherwise constitute a nutritive attraction or enticement to bear.
HFC, I bear hunted last year in Gorham... Up in your neck of the woods. Do you usually have good numbers of bears hitting your bait?
Spike- I seriously couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him. Walking the edge of a pond. He popped out on a big boulder and stood there just shining in the sun. As light a brown as you see on tv.
I believe anise is illegal to use as Tekoa stated.
Tekoa: No not going to use it, thought you were hunting NH.
I believe the law states any edible bait. I know it specifically states anise oil but I do believe we are allowed to use the incense sticks as they are smoke and not to be ingested. I've tried them with no luck yet and hopefully I read the law right.
My guess, for what it's worth, is that incense would be OK. The "nutritive attractant" thing is interesting. When I was a kid we would put our clothes in a bag with some apples, to make them smell like apples. That would actually be illegal now, I think.
Concerning the oil, and the incense, I wonder how much of a factor curiosity is. I wonder if they just smell something unusual, and want to check it out. And of course I know very little about bears. Regardless, maybe someone should try smoking a cigar.
Moons, last year was my first year taking it semi seriously and 200 pounds or more of bait disappeared in 4-5 days, lots of bears. Lots of competition with other baiters though. Most guys go the minimum required distance from the road, so its not that hard to out work the majority of guys. I went a little crazy this year and both bait sites are close to a mile walk, one with 1,000 foot elevation climb, but I think the back breaking work will be worth it.
saw a whopper up in Windsor the other day... he's been around my buddy's house quite a bit. Hopefully he'll stick around.
Ungie, it sure sounds like you have them figured out in your area from reading your comment further up this thread. Are you focusing on natural food sources? Isolated water?
Check out the blonde stripe on the bear in my front yard a few days ago. He'd make a real cool rug.
The only bear in MA with a blonde stripe and it walks through Moons yard lol. Moons I'm gonna meet up with you before the season and rub your head for good luck!
Hahah. It's an nh bear. Front yard of the camp where we'll have the bear bait in a few weeks.... 4th different bear that we have had in the yard.
On a side note, I wouldn't be opposed for a little get together before the season. Would be a fun time. Spike, you can rub my head, but you'll only kill small deer! Not impressive !!!
Moons, after last season I will be just fine with a doe or spike!
moons it that one of those rare skunk crossbreed bears?
Spike, I'm fine with a doe or spike every year!
Drslyr, I think it's a cross breed with a golden retriever...
plenty of bears on me and my friends deer cams this year.. got one spot w/ more bear pics than deer. Time to put my daughter on one.
Locked n loaded for tmrw morning!
Good luck moons. For me it will be opening day in mass and Saturdays after that. Pulling cams this weekend. Had 7 different bears in the yard this year. Managed to take a couple with the rifle so I'll be using the recurve this time. Tekoa
Bear just got hit on Rt 7 on Great Barrington line...
This man taught my father how to hunt. He has handed down so much hunting equipment it's not even funny. Last time he killed was 2002. A black bear over bait in colebrook nh. He's up to bat first tmrw afternoon. I'll be videotaping him! Bait is all set. Can't wait for tmrw.
good luck! Let's see some pics after you connect!
Good luck Moons! Starting next Saturday I will be taking the Marlin lever gun for a walk.
Pulled a card today in NH
Bear at my deer spot but not at the bait!
Went out for the 1st bear hunt of the season tonight . I bought my buddies 12 yo son . He got his first bear. Nice 150lb boar.
nice job. I was out yesterday evening no bears, but the deer were posing for pictures.
That is amazing nice job,.. that just made the kids life long memory,. well done!
Thanks guys, he's very happy. He was shaking so much it was awesome. His two sisters have come to hunt with me over the last couple years too. Now they've all got bear . I'm very happy.
Congrats. Is this MA or NH?
Went bear hunting today in zone 2 and as usual saw nothing but a fox. I was driving back home and passed by a corn field and their was a guy outside. I said oh what the hell why not and spun around. I said do you mind if I bear hunt out in your corn field and he said sure go ahead. He said their were a few other guys hunting it and shot one on opening day. But he said he has seen 3-4 Bear at one time so hopefully I will have some luck.
I have been getting my bear permit for past 4 years just incase i see a big one while out deer hunting. found these guys on my trail cam but could never shoot a sow with cubs.