triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
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Bear Hunt Is On.....
- Thread starter Fletch
- Start date
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Didn't see anything tonight.. Bears are not moving... Too late for a productive season... When a bear uses more energy to find food than they get, their bodies automatically shuts down.. Going to be a great season next Oct. if we have it, which I think we will...
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Everyone's cameras are void of bears for a couple weeks now... First cold spell slowed them down.
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This bear is a prime example of what I'm talking about... He laid down in front of my camera at 9:45, never moved till 6 am. That's 8 1/4 hrs of sleep... They are very nocturnal and should be up foraging for food, but his metabolism says nope... Like you putting in long hours of no sleep, eventually you just doze off...
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- 6,359
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- 6,359
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24 bears harvested yesterday... I think that makes 92 for the 5 days... Like I figured harvest would be low due to the timing of the hunt... I believe there are 4 more days next week, however bad weather predicted so that will shut down the bears to next to nothing... I didn't even go out yesterday, gotta know when the cards are stacked against you... Zone that produced the most bears has alot of public land and the large amount of deer hunters occasionally bumped a bear which became a target of opportunity for someone with a bear tag... Main zone I hunt the kill was low due to lack of hunters.. That's ok as it's bear central and next Oct. gonna be a lot of giants on their feet... And from what I heard an Oct. hunt is already in the works..
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Hmmm.... Was ready to wash clothes and put gun away... But... We got some snow today, so if it's still on the ground come Wed. I may go for a walk and see if I can cut a track to follow.. Last time I did that I followed for a couple miles till I caught up to him...
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Bear hunt extended due to a low harvest... It will resume starting Wed. thru Sat. I'll predict less than 15 bears are harvested... They are just hunkered down... We have snow on the ground so I may take a walk later ( no gun )... See if I cut any tracks, then if I go out tomorrow and find tracks that weren't there today, I'll know they are fresh...
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Tried 3 spots that have tons of bears... Did not cut a single track... Guess that proves my point... They just are not out and about...
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Only 10 bears shot yesterday... Which actually surprised me... Only one shot in zone I hunt which is bear central... Bigger wilder woods in this zone... Bears were killed more in open farm areas where more food is available plus more bait piles for deer, that some bears are still hitting...
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I have not heard of any giants so to speak... Guy showed me a pic of one his cousin got that looked to be 300ish... I'm sure there have been a couple big ones shot, just haven't seen them on social media or heard any talk...
Big_Holla
Senior Member
I wonder how many will use this as a "see there aren't that many bears" reason to cancel it for next year. Yogi sleeps during the winter you uneducated politicians......
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Boy you are so correct in that assumption... I've already heard comments such as: See there aren't that many bears as they say, if there were that many, the kill would be higher.. Freaking idiots sums it up best.. I'm pretty sure there will be an Oct. season next year... I also can guarantee the kill will be quite high and several bears 600+ lbs will be harvested... Possibly a world record black bear...
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Only 4 bears taken today... None taken in zone I hunt....
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5 bears killed today... So that makes 20 for the extended season bringing the season total to 113... I said 15 or less in the extended... I was off by 5... That leaves alot of bears for next Oct..
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Most of the bears killed were close to farm land, so combine that with bait piles for deer everywhere they were finding a food source, therefore their bodies didn't shut down and we're still up and about... Now the area I hunt has the highest bear density in the state, yet few bears were harvested... Now this is some of the wildest mountainous terrain going, with swamps, thick mount laurel,blow downs... You would think you were in Canada... Therefore only natural foods exist and lately mast crops are horrible...
You are correct... This hunt didn't even scratch the surface when it comes to bear population control... More bears will be born in Jan. then were harvested.. I would venture to say that last year more than 50 were killed by cars on the roads... I alone probably seen 10...
Supposedly fish and game already are working on guidelines for future seasons... Unless some political bullshit occurs we should have an Oct. season with bow and muzzle loader in 2023... The out come of this season will be more productive as hunters will have time to plan for it... Scouting, baiting etc... Some very big bears will be harvested...
You are correct... This hunt didn't even scratch the surface when it comes to bear population control... More bears will be born in Jan. then were harvested.. I would venture to say that last year more than 50 were killed by cars on the roads... I alone probably seen 10...
Supposedly fish and game already are working on guidelines for future seasons... Unless some political bullshit occurs we should have an Oct. season with bow and muzzle loader in 2023... The out come of this season will be more productive as hunters will have time to plan for it... Scouting, baiting etc... Some very big bears will be harvested...
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
It’s amazing how the northeast part of the state is a concrete jungle yet the northwest part is beautiful mountains and streams. I guess the only reason it’s not developed is because of how rugged it is.