2018 Bear Season
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: Mike F
28-Jan-18
Mike F's Link
The number of bear permits has been decided on. I heard that they will be drawing around Feb. 6th.
From: Hoot
01-Feb-18
From: Hoot
01-Feb-18
Yup - I heard today they'll be drawing next week.
From: Jeff in MN
01-Feb-18
Wow, C has a really really low harvest rate. I guess as expected. I knew it was low but did not think it was as bad as 1 in 6.
A harvest quota of 1,250 bears and 2,130 permits for Zone A; 800 and 1,195 for B; 1,200 and 7,330 for C; and 1,300 and 2,315 for D.
From: Mike F
01-Feb-18
I don't get why they keep increasing the number of tags in C. At least this year they are reducing the harvest quota in C. And no population estimate since 2011. They are a little behind on that to say the least! With more tags and a smaller quota the success rate will slip again.
From: Nocturnal
01-Feb-18
Zone C is the Wild West of bear hunting
From: Hoot
01-Feb-18
Noc +1
From: ground hunter
01-Feb-18
Noc that was funny
From: Mike F
01-Feb-18
Noc-
Wild West? Please explain....
From: MF
01-Feb-18
Mike F... I believe he means, to many tags, competition, which makes it a crazy place to bear hunt.
From: Nocturnal
01-Feb-18
What MF said.
From: Huntcell
01-Feb-18
Hunt the Ackley west of Antigo you wouldn’t know if should call the warden or the sheriff. It’s public but you wouldn’t know how some act.
From: Jeff in MN
02-Feb-18
What is the quota thing? Usually a quota means once the kill goal is reached the season closes but I have never heard of that happening.
From: Live2hunt
02-Feb-18
Noc, Wild West? So true, especially on the public lands.
From: MuskyBuck
02-Feb-18
I ran in to a bear guide is zone D two summers ago when I was checking my trail cameras. We had a nice chat and he seemed like a nice enough guy, but I could not believe when he said he had well over 100 baits active on public land. That seemed like a recipe for conflict with other bear hunters/guides. Bear hunting is very popular in this area. I'm not into hunting bears, so maybe this is common practice.
From: Mike F
02-Feb-18
That's an understatement. Not only near Antigo, all over in Central Wisconsin. If you don't have access to bear hunt on private property chances are that you will be over run with "Johnnie Come Lately" bait hunters the last 2 weeks before the season.
I had 2 good baits all over a mile from where I park over run with baiters 4 at one bait and 7 at the other. It's a zoo out there come August 15th....
From: Jeff in MN
02-Feb-18
I think Wisconsin Teacher hunts C (private land I think) and does well.
From: Hoot
02-Feb-18
Musky - Was that guide from Iron River?
From: MuskyBuck
02-Feb-18
Hoot-yes
From: wisconsinteacher
02-Feb-18
I hunted C for a few years and now hunt D. My dad has C tag in 2008 and got a nice bear night 2.(bait was hit every time we checked it that summer) I had a tag in 2009 and got a nice bear night 1. From there, the tag numbers went up and I got out of there. Dad has tried hunting one more season (2012) and my brother-in-law hunted 2 tags in 2014 and 2016. Total, he has seen one very small bear in both years. Where dad hunted on private land, he was the only bait in a 2 mile by 1 mile block in 2008. In 2012, there were 7 baits on that block and not one bear was killed.
Too many baits and tags did not help dad and now he is done hunting C. Another thing we have notice is the average size has gone down. in 2000-2005 most guys killed 175-250 pound bears, now 125-200.
The only way I see guys being successful in C right now by hunting right next to corn fields later in the season.
In 2016, I shot a very nice bear over bait. I want one more hunt with hounds and then I will be giving my tags to kids. My wife has a Zone D tag for this year so I hope we can get lucky!!
From: Mike F
02-Feb-18
We have good success and it is good for the kids we take. They don't have to miss any school and can hunt the whole season. The kids shoot some nice bears here in Portage and Marathon counties.
From: MF
05-Feb-18
Check your status in the next few days... I know some hunters that got there bear tags.
From: Treefarm
05-Feb-18
I see status change for bear today.
From: Mike F
05-Feb-18
Yup, they are drawing and we will know more by the end of the week. If your pref. points reset to 0 you will be getting a harvest tag.
From: longbowbud
05-Feb-18
So far were 2 for 2, zone D
From: MF
05-Feb-18
longbowbud....how many points did you have to draw for D
From: longbowbud
05-Feb-18
10 and 7
From: GoJakesGo
05-Feb-18
Not all land owners are pricks. My neighbors and I open our lots to youth hunters. Yesterday I counted 100 turkeys.
From: buckmaster69
05-Feb-18
Got one !!!!!
From: MF
05-Feb-18
GojakesGo.... what's that have to do with getting a bear tag? LOL
From: longbowbud
05-Feb-18
3 for 3 now, one more to go
From: >>>--arrow1-->
06-Feb-18
Minion Mike the drawing was last Friday. The results could have been checked already Monday morning. You don't have to wait till the end of the week.
From: ScottG
06-Feb-18
Got mine for zone D
From: ScottG
06-Feb-18
Got mine for zone D
From: Trapper
06-Feb-18
C for me along with anybody else that applied for it.
From: WausauDug
06-Feb-18
i've run into the 100 bait guy from Iron River too. not very happy about it
From: Mike F
06-Feb-18
Steve, I am waiting to hear back form people that are out of the country on vacation. I already know my status.......Chill buddy!
From: RUGER1022
06-Feb-18
Good luck everyone .
Never cared to kill anything with a Krispy Creme in its mouth .
When they sold OTC Bear tags I bought one just in case a bear walked by . It still should be OTC tags . We never ran out of Bears .
From: Live2hunt
06-Feb-18
Not sure what good it will do me going by my previous tags, but I got one for C also.
From: Live2hunt
06-Feb-18
LOL, I agree Ruger. I may have to figure something different this year myself. Baiting just doesn't cut it anymore in C, where I'm at anyway.
From: ground hunter
06-Feb-18
Live 2hunt........ do what I did,,,, I sat off my bait, on a stool, and shot one with my long bow, and a bear razorhead, at 7 yards........ if you do not think that was fun, well what can I say................................
From: Cheesehead Mike
06-Feb-18
Got my 18th point... :^)
From: Live2hunt
06-Feb-18
GH, the problem I have in C where I am is they quit using the bait a week or more before the season starts. I should learn where they go from there. My sets are in oaks, so they either do not like those acorns or they are hitting the local corn fields.
From: RutnStrut
06-Feb-18
The problem with zone c is there are WAY too many tags issued. Then you get d.bags that will set up right on peoples established baits. More tags diminishes the quality of the hunt.
From: TrapperJack2
06-Feb-18
Zone C here but got private land to hunt and not too many hunters in the area
From: Hoot
07-Feb-18
Rut- you are so right. I read an article that the DNR geniuses are thinking that the low success and lower harvest rate was probably due to hunter saturation. Really?? In 2014 - harvest goal was 1,350, 5,050 permits, harvest of 1,024 for a 20% success rate. In 2015 - harvest goal was 1,300, 5,490 permits, harvest of 972 for a 18% success rate. In 2016 - the success rate was 17% with 6,190 permits and a goal of 1,300. In 2017 - the success rate was 14%, harvest of 1,009 with 7,050 permits a goal of 1,300. 2018 should be a banner year with 7,330 permits and a 1,200 goal. Insanity at it's highest level.
From: skookumjt
07-Feb-18
Zone C was set up that way on purpose. It was never intended to be managed for bears. As things have changed people have tried repeatedly to change that and it gets shot down every time. The DNR is only doing what they are told.
There should be an additional zone added to move the " no bear management" area south to where there are essentially no bears. Hwy 10 for example.
From: Jeff in MN
07-Feb-18
7 yards with a long bow is nothing. I know someone that got a bear with a spear. He was above the bait a few yards. (Not in Wisconsin) Sort of like spearing sturgeon but way different. He was on a quest to get a bear with every weapon possible and legal, the spear completed his quest.
From: CenterStateBearBait
19-Feb-18
Anyone looking for bear bait in central Wisconsin we will have a complete inventory for all your bear bait needs. We have some stuff in stock now with everything else, coming in within next month or so.
From: TrapperJack2
19-Feb-18
CenterStateBearBait, location or website with price list?
From: CenterStateBearBait
19-Feb-18
Arpin, WI We do not have a complete price list yet but hopefully will by end of the week and I can forward that to yoy
From: Mike F
20-Feb-18
TrapperJack2 I sent you a PM
From: Mike F
20-Feb-18
Skook - we kill bears south of HWY 10 and have plenty on the cameras. Need to move the southern line a little farther south than Hwy 10. More like HWY 90 on the west side of the state to HWY 21 to HWY 41 to Green Bay. Make everything south of there the "no bear" zone.
From: Drop Tine
20-Feb-18
The DNR doesn’t want a population of bear in C and below due to increased conflicts and not a true bear range thus the reason for the high quota and tags.
This is what I got with talking with biologists while being on the CC Bear committee.
From: TrapperJack2
20-Feb-18
Sent you one back Mike F
From: TrapperJack2
21-Feb-18
Hey Mike F, sent you a message just now. Not sure if it went through. Let me know.
