Wisconsin Bear Hunting

I like the idea of "bombing the site with a new strong smell". Scare em or move em. I have ideas of using Fish Formula (strong anise), molasses or cool aid/ jelly mix for strong fruit smell. I've used molasses at times but not lately. I'm using cool aid covered popcorn now. Do bears like anise? What about Limberger cheese? Any other suggestions? Maybe a commercially made spray? I could leave a bag of coffee. Then when he can't sleep, maybe he'll move around all day!

Had a good hunt. Never saw the big bugger but did score on a decent sow. Keep in mind, the picture is after a pretty good drag through some nasty cover. Ratoney

Im still waiting to see Dittos bear. Since the hounds go today, they will surely screw up his hunt! Yeah right!! Congrats to all of you that have had success, and good luck to you guys that are sill putting your time out there.

FR- He has to be staying close to keep everything away. Bomb the bait early with scent. Take it when you leave. Use a towel rag etc, with a small bucket or container. Hang rag full of scent above bucket so any drippings stay off ground. Lots of scent leaves when you do. It will either spook them or bring them in. Anything strong and different. hang a few of them. What ever it takes. Coat hanger and coffer can works good.

Best way to beat a bear is through it's belly. Hard to do when a buffet is laying everywhere!

Can add 2 more days in the numbers and the average remains the same for us. The 9th was a bad day! Only 25% hit. Next day 75%. By far baits near the oak ridges the best right now. DUH, hey. I got one bait that just exploded!!! Been in the same spot for the last 10 or 12 years. In oaks, but always slows. I cant be sure. The chip is so confusing. I think at least 12 bear hit that bait on the 10th. Bear I have never seen before even!!! 2 sows showed out of the blue. A strange boar. At least 3 different sows 1 with 3, and 2 with 2 cubs. Then 3 boars for sure. Might be a 4th sow, and another boar. Got to study it close. Saved the whole chip!! Never have seen so much activity on this bait.

Take a look at these 2 sows! The big one is a bear I have never seen before. That is such a big sow I can't think of a good name! MAZILLA?? The other is your typical 125-140.

I sat out from 9am-7pm on Monday night with only a couple 'coons visiting the bait. I went back in this morning from 8 'til noon. A porcupine was the biggest animal I saw today. It was windy and sunny both days, very windy today. Acorns were falling everywhere and my tree was whipping around enough that I didn't feel too comfortable. Hopefully I get a chance to hunt some calmer overcast days. I forgot my card this morning, but had 150 pics overnight. I suspect it was mostly 'coons but it looked like it got hit by a bear, too. Since the season opened my bait only got hit on Saturday at midnight, 2:45am, and 2:30pm. Unless it got hit last night, too. That's not much of a pattern to work with.

During the week before the opener I dumped 5 gallons of white oak acorns in my bait. I would guess there's about 4 gallons there yet. I figured since I thought they were keying in on acorns how could I go wrong by putting a bunch in one spot for 'em? Apparently they come to the bait to eat something besides acorns.

I wont be out again 'til next week, but I'll post a report. Good luck everyone!

Wed I came so close to bagging him. BB returned and parked himself on my bait pile 3 days before the hunt. At 7:10 pm a cub came past me at mach 2. I could see what seemed like 2 black blobs in the brush and out came a nice bear. I was going to shoot but it did not seem right. It was not chasing and seemed more interested in what was behind it and where the cub went. I think it was ma, left her go. Sat till after dark then came out. 20 min later Big Boy was on the bait, he watched me leave. Now he is keeping the others off the bait and they are afraid to come in. Any advice? I only have Sat & Sun left to hunt. I did pass on another bear Tues about 200 lbs. Now I think maybe not my best choice.

Just got back from Northwest Wisconsin where I help guide bear. 49 out of 57 hunters were successful. Biggest bear was 490 lbs.

Toothy, try bread and grease they will be getting away from the sweets very soon and will be looking for carbs before long. Also from what I have seen through the years is when bear are hitting in the middle of the night it is dam hard to turn them into shooting hours bear. Have they been leaving any bait behind? if so don't feed anymore of what ever they leave behind. We DO NOT use anything that is salty,have never liked cinnamon or any other hard candies bears will eat it but there are other baits that will work a lot better. good luck with your bear

This bear only comes at night also but he is a beauty.Bait is in Oconto cty.forest creek bottom 300 yds from road.My bait is mixture of corn,peanut brittle,cinnoman drops,cherry and blackberry candy corn,mixed nuts and a little veg.oil to lube pail.I bait evry 2-3days. I have tried baiting before 6:00 am because my last photo is always at 5:00 am.I have tried anise and smoke sprays any other ideas.Thanks Toothy

Good job Cady.

Bait hit rates are remaining about the same for us. 6 day average 70% hit, and 70% during shooting times. Bad weather days were bit slower. have seen a shift in bait sites. Which is the beauty of a large number of baits. Bear move so do you. My best bait of the year was dead for 72hrs as of yesterday afternoon. Skipped baiting today. Back to daily again tomorrow.

Acorns certainly causing problems. Been falling for a month now, but the right ones are falling now..well wrong for us!! High winds have had them falling like rain.

All the food in the woods has the bears moving at goody times. I suppose all the noise from falling acorns has them jumpy as well. Wish I had more night hits here. Going to be a real pain come Wednesday for us.

Not much you can do to change feeding time. More bait to hold them closer. More scent when you in there to lure them in. Problem is it will still be there when you leave. Can take the scent with you for the most part, but not the bait. You could, but not a good idea.

Other than that stay vigilant. It can take a lot of hours on stand.

Thanks so much for all the heart warming comments! Wow! You guys are great. Congrats to all the successful hunters and to all those still hunting like me.

As far as Trent's bear that was shot on Thursday night, I have been sitting morning and night with only 2 smaller 100-125 lbs that I have seen. The big boy that i posted the picture of earlier is still coming in regularly, but at night. Very frustrated but looks like all you guys are having similar results. I hope things pick up to there normal patterns, however highly unlikely with the acorns and the corn standing in the fields.

I talked to a farmer that was chopping corn this weekend. He choped about 40 acres of corn. When he got to the middle of the field, the last 8 rows of corn, the bear finally jumped out and headed back to the woods. The bear watched him go by until he kept getting closer and closer. This goes to show that they are tight in the corn feeding as much as they can. I think they like a change of eating habits after being fed all the sweet stuff all summer. I am thinking of picking up some corn from the feed mill with molasses and start to feed that. What do you guys think? Keep going strong boys, we still have time!

Having hair issues. A week ago Saturday was my last hit both my main sites got it but have gone dead. Any suggestions as to what I can do to change it. Oh ya acorns are falling right now.

Sense of humor for ya all I have a 70 yr. Old man ( grandpa ) running my hairs cause I'm outta state till next week. He had run the baits all season.

Just got back from a zone d bear hunt with an outfitter. I sat 31 hrs with no bears coming to bait. Baits were hit daily but at night. I waited 9yrs for that! Oh well

Sat all day Friday Saturday and Sunday with no luck. Didnt see a bear!! I do have tons of pics tho, only problem is every one of them is coming at night!! Any ideas why? Or if thier patterns will change? Congratulations to all that have put a tag on one. Good luck to all! Thanks!

Nice job every body. I have a ?? my Dad sat Wed. thru Sun. and has seen a sow and two cubs so far. He said he has 28 hrs in the stand and we had a ton of day light pictures and lot of different bears. Is this happening to other people also just curious. Thanks and good luck to all!!!!!!!!!