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Post by skeeter on Feb 12, 2016 20:09:07 GMT -4
Automatic Bear Feeder
Hey
Has anyone ever though about using an automatic bear feeder? Bait savings? Night time bears? Too many varmints?
A multitude of reasons. We seem to have automation in every other aspect of hunting from calls, to decoys, scent dispensers, spin feeders, night vision,
Reason I'm asking is - because anything out there was $1000. or more. Sooo .... being a retired Automotive designer ... I have designed one
Just an open forum to see what the heartbeat would be amongst bear hunters. Rumor in Ontario is the spring bear hunt might have bait quantity limitations imposed. If new bait limitations are imposed then a method to control bait offerings might be a handy option.
Anyway fire away guys! |
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Post by tuketu on Feb 15, 2016 10:07:42 GMT -4
Hmmmm ...would it be fair to assume that the "Skeeter Feeder" might soon go into production? I can only imagine the time and effort that has gone into getting your feeder just the way you want it !
Just how many prototypes were there ? It really is a work of genius Skeeter!
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Feb 15, 2016 23:10:06 GMT -4
Hmmmm ...would it be fair to assume that the "Skeeter Feeder" might soon go into production? I can only imagine the time and effort that has gone into getting your feeder just the way you want it !
Just how many prototypes were there ? It really is a work of genius Skeeter!
tuk
d 1 Tuk The only reason I started this post was to get some feedback from guys out there on their thoughts. Has anyone ever thought about an autofeeder. I surely have a bunch of prototypes - or maybe we should call it like it is - failures on the way up the learning curve! And most of those spent time in the woods with 2 cameras per site. I gave up quite a few bear seasons because unless you go ALL IN how do you really know? And there is more to my baiting then just an automatic feeder. You tuk should know me by now! I tend to take the path less travelled. Most times there's a reason why that path is less travelled. Lot's of dead end roads but every so often a glimmer of light. My buddy dropped off some sheet metal components just tonight. Enough to build 8 feeders. I'm waiting for timers and other stuff from China to arrive (early march I hope). We're going to put these newest feeders into our hugely successful elevated barrels. Last season MY THEORY on large bears began to start paying dividends. It goes against most of the teachings out there. We did not run the auto feeders last year at all. Our entire effort was perfecting a new presentation. The autofeeders proved their design during the previous 3 seasons. We had bears coming when we wanted them there - but sows with cubs took over the time slot. One thing we did learn in a huge way was that by employing an autofeeder you condense all the bears into that short "Kitchen open" timeframe. Big bears are solitary animals, like big bucks. They do not like a lot of traffic and one or two snarly bitchy sows kills the spot. Last season we eliminated all sows, lesser bears, and 99% of the varmints. In doing so we created a quiet non-competitive oasis for those big bears and it worked better then we dreamed. All 5 baits had big trophy bears! If you build it they will come. This year we're adding in the autofeeders to get those bears coming to the oasis on our schedule NOT theirs. Only thing left to do is figure out how to kill'em! I have 4 perfect autofeeders ready to go but I needed one more and opted to use an off the shelf motor. This motor is 3"smaller then my original design so the CAD model needed some tweaking. So I figured I might as well make 8 units. I need one but I'll make 8. why??? why not! I'm retired and I've got time. anyway it's a long winter! |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2016 20:42:52 GMT -4
Pretty slick Skeeter...thinking it through like you have.
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Post by Web Walker on Dec 3, 2019 14:40:11 GMT -4
I would like to know more about how your feeders work.
I hunt Hyde County in NC and we have some very large bears that hate the day time.
w3walk@aol.com
910-393-8410
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Post by tuketu on Dec 7, 2019 22:45:59 GMT -4
Hey Web Walker ...Nice to see you dropped in ...Thank You !
With respect to big bears ... that's usually their MO ! They get big for a reason... they're smart!
Skeeters set up is designed to deter or eliminate small bears from stealing all the bait. Because of the distance Skeeter travels to his bait sites ... whatever he puts outs for bait has to last. His system will not necessarily bring them out in the daytime as any bear can be trained to show up at intervals when they know food will be available.
There are other tactics some hunters use to try and lure in the big bears during shooting light. Take a look thru some of the other Categories, you may find some info that helps.
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Dec 13, 2019 13:55:53 GMT -4
Well time to chime in since I'm the only one I know that has had any hands-on, analytical, time with automatic bear feeders. They do work BUT (always a but) it's not the total answer that most guys think. Yes the bears can be trained. They can ride bikes at the circus and do other tricks to amaze us. The problem being is that all the bears - from your monster - all the way down to your lesser bears and SOWS and cubs, are limited to visit the feeder in the compressed time frame when the feeder is open. In the world I know - the monster bear is NOT KING! Older, larger sows with cubs RULE, then smaller sows with cubs are flexing their feistiness to claim their share. In a population where 50% of the bears are sows with cubs ... your baitsite is ruined when they find it.
The bigger monster target bears will move on. I gave up using my autofeeders about 4 yrs ago after 10 yrs of development. They work great BUT BUT we were over run with sows arriving 30 min before the doors opened and they stayed or swapped positions with other sows, until about 30 min after the doors closed.
So where did we go from here? I revisited my ultimate bear design to attract and hold only the target bear - you pick the size you want. The last 3 yrs have been hectic and the off season was CAD 3D designs and redesigns. I want it bulletproof. I want it to work 110% of the time. I want it to work better then any claims I could dream up. Why? because it's a reflection of me. Many bear hunters are happy with my 80 to 90% results and have been driving me nuts for the last few years to let them know the design. TOUGH! Last fall season was a real tough one here in Ontario. I must say the results of the latest prototypes were impressive. I think I got it now! The last 2 months have been CAD designs and redesigns and tweaks to make a bolt on unit that can be manufactured in the fewest steps and at the lowest cost. I have made 14 units so far and will make another 6 shortly. Jigs and fixtures have been made for all steps and to guarantee repeatability of the results.
I am going up this spring to deploy these units at my bait sites (7) 5 are long time established and 2 more new spots. 2 units are going to a friend, an outfitter in Sudbury, and 3 are going to Quebec. I have 14 cameras to cover the action at my own baits personally. I have no plans to hunt the spring - just going to spend money and bait to gather more intel ... spring won't get here fast enough!
Last years results were fantastic. never wasted a kernel of bait unless the bear was a TARGET animal. The animals we had were few compared to other years but we had enough interaction and intel videos to add to the learning curve. We had numerous lesser bears and varmints try try try and finally leave. SUCCESS AT LAST! 100% results.
ALSO - one of the publish old time proven methods to turn a bear from nocturnal to daylight visits is bait reduction. Send him away hungry, introduce a different, tastier, rationed bait and you raise your chances. Another competitor bear getting it first works wonders also. This new design allows closing of the 24/7 endless bait supply in minutes when you're not hunting - to allow you to ration and switch baits when you are hunting. This rationed bait is still only accessible to bears of target size and larger. If you are going home till next week you can reopen the endless supply in minutes until you come back to hunt.
BUT I can only attract and hold them there, I can save you bait, I can save you time, I can save you effort and money. Killing them is sometimes very difficult. But unless you have a big one dedicated to your baitsite then what chance have you really got? I like my odds better. I'm in the game!
Back to the automatic feeder discussion. I have made this new simplistic feeder compatible with my auto feeder. Since the bears can be trained like I stated earlier then what if I have a baitsite with only target bears then add in my autofeeder. The combination just might be the winning ticket.
Anyhow the quest continues!
Skeeter
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Post by sideswipe on Dec 14, 2019 1:43:34 GMT -4
“Jigs & fixtures have been made” I taught voc ed auto mechanics for 35 yrs. Iv’e also heard the phrase “building a better mousetrap!” But I have never encountered a specialist in baiting...technology or psychology or a bit of both! Commend you for your expertise & persistence. If our stupid state had not outlawed baiting I wouldn’t be surprised seeing Skeeter LTD patented bear feeders in Cabelas by now. Course you’d be so busy making money you wouldn’t have time for hunting. Always enjoy your posts & not too bashful to make a reply.
Actually we do have active bear feeders that are owned & maintained by the WDFW (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife). They were developed by the famous professional bear hunter Ralph Flowers (over 3300 documented bear kills) in the state of WA. If ya don’t believe me ask Tuk. Ralph developed these bear feeders at the request of the WDFW back in the 60s when tree farms would loose 20-40 yr old replanted fir trees by hungry bears peeling the bark. A hungry bear, often a sow, could girdle dozens of the tree farm’s cash crop in a day. That old sow would also teach her cubs to do it too. More than once this would be the first place to look for fresh bear sign...they always come back to the same spots year after year (so do some bear hunters). If anyone is interested in peeling, me or Tuck could show you some pics. Think I still have a few if Tuk or Skeeter would dumb down the instructions so I could post pics. But only if someone replies.
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Post by skeeter on Dec 14, 2019 9:39:01 GMT -4
Hey Sideswipe
I started may career as a millwright apprentice for 2 years. Then back to school. Then hired at GM. I scored in the top 5 during their apprenticeship search with over 2500 applicants. It was a point system and testing. Having my grade 12 and grade 13 and 4 yrs in university with sciences and maths, and a near perfect on the testing got me the pick of the litter in trades. I chose patternmaking which was the highest paying skilled trade at GM. Worked with everything - wood - plastics - cast iron -stainless - aluminum etc etc. did this for 17rs .. ran mills, lathes, triple headed tracers, surface grinders, CNC equipment too. and lots of hand work with layout, fitting etc. BEST JOB IN THE WORLD! I never called in sick! Then my world became unglued when GM shut their best foundry down! Was on the pavement for 2 yrs but kept getting calls from GM salary to join there new team of designers. So reluctantly I signed on. Bills to pay etc. Anyway I became a designer and was originally in Manufacturing Design. We supported the remaining GM foundries in Defiance, Ohio, Saginaw, Mich. Messina, NY and a few other overseas. Our main project at the time was lost foam casting. heads and blocks. We made all the molds and gluing fixture designs that ran in those 3 plants. The lost foam program was all aluminum casting for the in-line 6 5 and 4 cylinder engines for RWD trucks SUV we also designed all the aluminum engines for the FWD cars sunfires etc. I had a hand in all that stuff. BUT it's all discontinued so maybe I wasn't as good as I thought I was! HAH!
We transitioned over to actually engine design for GM Powertrain. I was assigned to heads - castings, water jackets, intake & exhaust ports etc etc. Our group worked on every single engine GM made - North America, South America, Australia, and even for China. All of this was CAD design and tube time.
58 and I had enough of the GM rah, rah, bullshyte, and the constant reductions to pension and benefits. Labor relations on the salary side was a snake-pit. So I retired before another poisonous bite.
Hunting was/is my passion and my background of continuous improvement makes me insane to go down the paths without answers.
Anyway Doesn't matter what I did because now Im just a retired bum collecting Canada pension and the like. I love it.
So I spend my free time dreaming and my hands busy. Last night I shot my 97th deer with a bow. Just a big doe for meat. Life is good!
My hats off to Mr Flowers for his design. It obviously serves a purpose. But his feeder/ as per design/ attracts ALL bears ...
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Post by sideswipe on Dec 15, 2019 13:59:47 GMT -4
Man! That was quite a ride Skeeter. “I spend my free time dreaming & my hands busy.” That’s the way to spend retirement alright.When I was in the teacher factory they wouldn’t allow us to just submerge ourselves in our major but we were required to “broaden” our outlook a little. So I got slightly acquainted w/welding, photography, cabinet work & even a basic course in patternmaking (mostly wood patterns, go upstairs & ram up a sand mold & fireup a crucible of aluminum). You soon found out if your great-looking pattern worked or not.
Wish I had stayed w/bow hunting. Got my1st rabbit that way when I was 14; 30# recurve. Now I’m supposed to be 80 in 6 mos but that’s gotta be a mistake! Wish it was me that got a deer yesterday! I did get to shoot 2 cowboy silhouette matches yesterday. Trying to knock down steel plate critters w/origional or repro 19th century leverguns handloaded w/cast lead bullets. Come to think of it, my biggest & my prettiest bears were taken w/a lever. One still hunt’in & the other spot & stalk in BC.
Yes, Ralph Flowers was a piece of work. Back in WA when bear were considered pests, not game animals. The Western WA Timber Protective Association hired Ralph. He made his living by getting paid/ bear tail each month. From huge old boars, sows, even cubs. He would create quite a social uproar today. He would always make sure there wasn’t any meat go to waste. Many a time he would come into town w/a pickup full of bears. There were always needy families of mill workers or loggers grateful for the meat. Ralf got some ideas from European forest management to build feeders that attract hungry spring bears & leave the reprod (replanted) fir trees alone. WA is so strict now that if you are bear hunting & are found by a wildlife officer sitting over a WDFW bear feeder you get written up.
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Post by skeeter on Dec 15, 2019 15:37:11 GMT -4
Sideswipe
I never claimed to be an expert. I am good at a lot of things and have had a lot more exposure then most. I knew I could never understand women so I'm trying real hard to understand bears. Women are way more ornery, unpredictable, and out of my capability to understand. HAH! Anyone could do what I'm doing. Just need to focus and be prepared to fail. and fail again. over and over. With enough time I'll eventually get it right. I've still got a lot of road ahead of me before I'm your age - I hope. My hunting partner is Mark. He's a great partner! He buys in to every scheme I come up with and splits the costs with me. Without someone like him I may have quit a long time ago. He too is an ex patternmaker so he can provide insight when I need it. BUT the greatest teachers are the bears. Game cameras are the only way to unlock their world and I was fortunate to have grown up during this time of intel. Too bad more hunters don't use these tools to learn rather then just see pics.
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Post by sideswipe on Dec 16, 2019 13:55:45 GMT -4
Hey Tuk, Ralgh’s 1st manmade feeder bait was biscuits made out of beet powder & some other products. Chk it out in your copy of “Education Of A Bear Hunter” by RF. When I did a little work at the state fish hatchery we used to mix up batches of trout food w/antibiotics in a small, electric cement mixer. Just say’in.
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Post by tuketu on Dec 21, 2019 8:52:16 GMT -4
What a great read !That's quite a Bio.
Skeeter you never cease to amaze me with your inventions - so ingenious ! Can't wait to see what you've conjured up this time ... 100% success rate ... impressive !
This year was pretty discouraging ... Lot of my "Bear Peeps" agree that it was a strange year for bears, didn't follow normal convention when it came to bear sites. And Yes Skeeter ...Forgive me for I have sinned - I'm still using the traditional barrel method - How Passé ! In 2 months not one daytime picture of a bear on Tcam . So discouraged was I that I only spent one afternoon on stand all season. I did get hooked up with a Secret Santa to provide me some sweets but I used them sparingly as a special treat as they were a limited supply.
Must say I was spoiled having Losthunter as a partner, baiting and hunting alone has lost it's allure for me. Trying to find someone compatible to hunt with is harder than some may think, and like you said it helps to keep you going - feeding off your partners excitement.
There's a Nova Scotia Bear Hunters Facebook site that I even posted on to try and solicit a partner but surprisingly no takers. If I can't find a partner I'm not sure there will be another bear season for me.
Hey Sideswipe I'll have to find that description for ya ... reminds me I may have to read my books on Ralph again , once I finish my second reading of "Bows on the Little Delta' . A short memory can be a wonderful thing !
tuk
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Post by sideswipe on Dec 22, 2019 12:49:57 GMT -4
“A short memory can be a wonderful thing.” Love it! Put it in my quiver of one liners. Wonder what Pipepusher has been up to. Always loved the description of his treks to his sites in the preseason. Just a little too late for Jack London eh?
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