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Post by tuketu on Dec 29, 2017 10:10:20 GMT -4
The new year will soon be upon us .. time to start thinking about the new seasons ahead. For those who are lucky enough to have a Spring season time is closing in.
So what are your plans for 2018 ?
New locations? New methods or setups? Perhaps a new baiting strategy?
For myself, I will definitely be using the elevated barrel set up again with perhaps a few slight changes. The chain & turnbuckle anchoring worked exceptionally well.
As much as I like the spot I'm in, I think it's time for a change. The bears seem to be getting too used to the set up and I'm getting less and less shot opportunities during daylight hours. What is it they say ...Change is as good as a vacation ? However I'm leaning towards Einstein's theory on Bear hunting ..." Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Not sure If I'll move back to Bea's old spot at "Wayback", or maybe something in between. But I'll definitely be staying in the same area on the gated road.
So What's new for you in 2018 ?
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Dec 30, 2017 0:28:13 GMT -4
Me too. looking ahead. I'm definitely sticking with my elevated design.
We made a few tweaks midseason last year for some user friendly upgrades. All my baits are now functional with the bike winch or a hand boat winch. Bikes are great but it's hard to hide your baits since the bikes leave a footprint every where they go. Multiple trips in/out kill ya!
We have hung teaser baits every time we rebait the barrel. bottom of teaser is 81" up ensuring only a good bear can get it. We had a brain cramp and of course we've come up with a 5 bag teaser system. teasers are 4" apart from each other. in other words 1st bag is 81" second 85, 3rd 89 etc . the whole system is infinitely adjustable.
A good bear can get the 81"bag but it will take better bears to get the higher ones. We've had up to 3 good bears on a bait from xxl to xxxl to xxxxl.
depending who gets there first depends on who gets what. if xxxxl get there first he gets all of them. if xxl get there he gets the 1st bag but of course there will be the higher treats for our target bear. We want to make sure he gets something. He should be able to figure out that competition is costing him by being late. we're hoping this baiting method might get our target in a little sooner.
I've already been in the garage and got 4 units done (3 more to go) waiting for our spring trip up to bear country.
anyway the offseason is a good time to dream and plan for the next season.
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Post by losthunter on Dec 30, 2017 12:33:19 GMT -4
well now, I'm looking ahead to see if I can drag the Tuckster away from his endless hair and nail appointments, get him to take off the apron and come up to help me work on my new property. The place has some great potential for deer hunting. Its literally in the heart of some of our best deer hunting. There's a few obstacles , in holding deer there year round....no real issue come the fall....50 acres of corn will do that. I discovered this year, that soon as the rut was over....the big boys vanished. They will not eat bait up there ...too much corn around I guess. I have one year hunting it under my belt and I have a couple assumptions of whats going where.....but just guesses right now. I have about one half - 3/4 mile worth of trail to cut. I want a couple killing food plots in the woods as well, and plan on leaving the big corn acreage as destination plots. Its only 80 acres...so I was interested in finding just one person who has a sense of morals and ethics of upstanding character, who wants to put in a little sweat equaty with me, in order to have unlimited access to the property for hunting purposes . I couldn't find such a person..so I went ahead and asked Tuk lol....... All I have to do is get him to leave the 'Burg once in a while, take some pain meds, and come up with me..... I should add ( but I dont want to lol) for those who dont know....I'm always taking shots at my friend, its mostly in fun....and on that note....here's a pic of him on his Barbie wheeler and new pink xbow. Sharpen the saw tukman  |
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Post by tuketu on Dec 31, 2017 10:06:43 GMT -4
rolling rolling rolling
Lmao ... you can be such as Ass sometimes ... You know that ?
Altho that is a rather striking picture of me isn't it ! Remember that day at Phil's lol!
All in good fun . Looking forward to breaking ground and seeing what we can accomplish ... nothing but potential.
Thinking we can go anytime to flag out any trails you may want to make.
Like the teaser idea Skeeter ! Any pictures of it in action?
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Dec 31, 2017 15:45:19 GMT -4
heading out for last deer hunt
here's the teaser bag hanging ..... this little bear can only wish ...
A 3" long bolt was welded on to the barrel angled upwards so we can slip the bag over the bolt.
When I go in to hunt I always hang a bag ... something different ... table scraps some days
bottom of bag is 81"
this smaller bear can barely get wrist into hole. He gets minimal bait for the effort he puts in.
here's a better bear that can actually stretch out with claws to the bolt height ... that would be 92"
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Post by skeeter on Dec 31, 2017 16:24:45 GMT -4
thinking caps went on - we do that as age and wisdom takes over.
we're basically lazy and looking for the easiest system from initial baiting to biweekly rebaiting to weekly rebaiting to running baits daily during the hunt etc etc to actualy hunting. (if anyone thinks we still don't bust our azzes then beware)
anyway this is what current system is with barrel and teaser hanging
our first brainwave was to take down barrel system and replace with xmas tree teaser system.
doing this would save us a lot of work on the last day of the hunt running around taking stuff down and cleanup etc.
Any bears we have when we got there should still come in - you'd think. they already have been introduced to the teaser bags during our rebaits.
we'd totally eliminate the bears that just get their wrists in too. Just target bears left we hope.
the bags would only be 11" from the tree and this worried me a little. varmints etc.
here's the idea utilizing the barrel hoisting cable. barrel gone replaced xmas tree teaser chains/hooks.
Thinking caps and quite a few days and beers later and here's where we're heading for 2018 ...
Get the xmas tree teaser set-up out away from the tree.
Have the ability to stock up the teasers while the barrel is still in use.
No sudden surprises to the bears - same routine - same look feel for them.
Leave the barrels on the sites we go in to hunt originally. let those barrels run dry and just maintain xmas tree teaser.
The extra bait sites with lesser bears not being hunted - we can remove the barrels and unused bait and just load up the xmas tree teaser. Those bears will have time to adjust while we hunt elsewhere. We save bait and make bait runs quick and fast - fast in - fast out.
The baits we're hunting do not need to be maintained with a daily baiting run .. the teaser bags for that day can be brought in by the hunter with minimal disturbance.
away from the tree. We have been beaten by some smaller bears that have used the barrel hole lip to do a chin up and swat at the teaser. They can just barely get it BUT even one successful runt identifies a weak spot in the system. So I adjust accordingly! I want this bullet-proof! The goal is, and always has been, to only feed target bears and reward them with teasers! I sure hope some circus bear does not show up with a trampoline or pogo stick or stilts. If they do then I'll give up!!
We're doing the work now to save us time and effort in the woods. The effort we put out now will pay us back 10-fold in effort saved.
here's the 2018 concept ... I added a squirrel/coon/raven guard ... we haven't had any problems BUT this is to ensure I don't.
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Post by tuketu on Jan 1, 2018 6:06:17 GMT -4
Very interesting concept Skeeter !
What materials are you using for the bags? Definitely be disposable ? I would think plastic grocery bags would not be suitable. I'd be afraid they would ingest them , not to mention the shredded plastic every where.
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Jan 1, 2018 14:42:53 GMT -4
The plan is to use shopping bags. They're cheap and I could be going through about 15 to 20 per day. A small local meat/grocery store here has great bags. A little bit thicker and no holes in the bottoms. They've got 2 sizes and I can get all I want for 3 cents each. I've seen lots of bags over the years and some are absolutely almost worthless. They can barely hold in the groceries they were designed to carry. Depending on what we put in them I do NOT want leakage. It could cause a mess to trucks, bikes, camo, bows etc.
Our usage with the teaser bags has shown that very few are totally pulled down. Rather the bag is gutted and the contents spill all over the ground. This is perfect because it directs the bears attention downward and they're moving around for quite a while offering different angles for a good shot. I do NOT EVER want a bear to tear down the entire bag because then they usually just walk off into the woods with it. If it's at the end of the day you might not have enough light left when he returns. The hooks for the current system I have already made. 1/4" stainless and some are 5/16" steel rod. Made about 40 so far - 5 per xmas tree are required. I made extra because that's me!? I'll be headed up on May 7th for a week, before the black flies, to get the bait sites prepped.
Anyway if anyone has any thoughts or ideas then please chime in. Only a fool knows everything and I'm no fool.
Skeeter |
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Post by skeeter on Jan 3, 2018 10:16:25 GMT -4
here's a visual for those that might need more to grasp the idea ----Like Tuk & losthunter im-watching-you-smiley-emoticon
lowest bag will be at 81". This is a height we will start with since we currently know it works. We have had bears reach up 11" higher to the next barrel strength ring. (where the current bag holder bolt - is welded to barrel)
 
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Post by losthunter on Jan 4, 2018 9:51:11 GMT -4
here's a visual for those that might need more to grasp the idea ----Like Tuk & losthunter 
lowest bag will be at 81". This is a height we will start with since we currently know it works. We have had bears reach up 11" higher to the next barrel strength ring. (where the current bag holder bolt - is welded to barrel)
I do.....guilty as charged.....I like picture books lol. I subscribe to the notion of keeping it simple.....but will readily admit....i like the idea of the high barrel....me personally would use it in conjunction with more normal type setups..I like the comapny....and I think sometimes company has advantages...I know of a few big bruins who are now mounts lol because of smaller bears....ie they rush in at last light to run off a smaller bruin eating the food. I have a fear that if I'm only feeding a boss bear and he likes the dark side....there's nothing I can do to if he's the only one feeding there......having said that tho....if my lower barrel went empty....I wouldnt care if lesser bears wonder off to look elsewhere....I do like the idea of always having a shooter bear have access to grub tho...... I hunt bears on crown land mostly....so I have to be careful what I do to trees etc.....if I had bears on my personal property....I for sure would have a high barrel . Keep the ideas coming |
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Post by skeeter on Jan 4, 2018 11:38:41 GMT -4
I do.....guilty as charged.....I like picture books lol. I subscribe to the notion of keeping it simple.....but will readily admit....i like the idea of the high barrel....me personally would use it in conjunction with more normal type setups..I like the comapny....and I think sometimes company has advantages...I know of a few big bruins who are now mounts lol because of smaller bears....ie they rush in at last light to run off a smaller bruin eating the food. I have a fear that if I'm only feeding a boss bear and he likes the dark side....there's nothing I can do to if he's the only one feeding there......having said that tho....if my lower barrel went empty....I wouldnt care if lesser bears wonder off to look elsewhere....I do like the idea of always having a shooter bear have access to grub tho...... I hunt bears on crown land mostly....so I have to be careful what I do to trees etc.....if I had bears on my personal property....I for sure would have a high barrel . Keep the ideas coming Rodger
I couldn't agree more about keeping it SIMPLE. Nothing beats the simple designs that's 99.9% of the bear hunters use. YES they all work and they all get bears. How can I or you or anyone argue with that! But at some point the rubber hits the road! I sure wish there were a few more guys like me taking the roads less travelled because then my learning curve would have been reached a long, long, time ago.
I will now dissect some of your quotes from above personally would use it in conjunction with more normal type setups we ran our elevated design with roller barrels for about 5 yrs. Our thoughts was that smaller more plentiful bear activity would help drawn in more BIG bears. Then let the rollers run out. The last 2 yrs we only ran the elevated and found out we didn't need the rollers. Having both systems there only increased the equipment we had in the bush and increased our bait consumption. We still ended up with larger boars. The beauty of the elevated is that it can be as high or as low as you want it. So we can start low for all bears and raise it as we get larger animals BUT we don't even do that - we set it at our cut-off height right from the get-go. BAIT MANAGEMENT. The big boys are out there and will find you. They might find someone else's bait site first but too much traffic there and they will abandon and wander. I can not stress enough about the importance of call lure! It needs to be there working 24/7. through wind, rain, sun, heat, 24/7. A call lure torn down in 2 days or losing potency will cost you opportunities when a larger bears wanders through your area and keeps going. They need to find you no matter what system you have! Eventually The larger bears will find your oasis and then the hunt starts!
company has advantages totally agree but I like when the company is all mature boars. anything else I can't afford! be careful about the company you get. A sow in a spring hunt will help you. A sow in a fall hunt will often KILL a bait site. If a sow has access with any barrel/crib/hole/log pile/milk crate design ever devised your bear hunt might be over. My xmas tree teaser during my actual hunt is my latest attempt to get mr big in during legal. Hopefully I can feed him and maybe one or two others and let them compete between each other for a smaller offering and at the same time simplify my baiting efforts.
the dark side we all know how this works! many a hunter has the same stories and frustrations. So many things have been tried. Take food away, the two hunter switch, different foods, auto feeders, commercial scents, pastes, concoctions, etc. One thing I do know is that over time the big boys do make the odd cameo legal time appearances. My records lead me to believe that the cool days seem to be the best or wet/soft rain days. I truly believe that the major contributor to nocturnal BIG BOYS is their overall mass and fat that causes them to overheat more then smaller leaner bears. Almost every big bear on our videos is panting and gasping. This itself will restrict the big guys movement to the coolest time of the day - night time. They don't get up till last daylight and by the time they get to you (they walk slowly) it's past legal in most cases.
anyway BEA I like bantering back and forth because through this intellectual exchange we all get better (I think)
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Post by losthunter on Jan 4, 2018 13:39:36 GMT -4
I do.....guilty as charged.....I like picture books lol. I subscribe to the notion of keeping it simple.....but will readily admit....i like the idea of the high barrel....me personally would use it in conjunction with more normal type setups..I like the comapny....and I think sometimes company has advantages...I know of a few big bruins who are now mounts lol because of smaller bears....ie they rush in at last light to run off a smaller bruin eating the food. I have a fear that if I'm only feeding a boss bear and he likes the dark side....there's nothing I can do to if he's the only one feeding there......having said that tho....if my lower barrel went empty....I wouldnt care if lesser bears wonder off to look elsewhere....I do like the idea of always having a shooter bear have access to grub tho...... I hunt bears on crown land mostly....so I have to be careful what I do to trees etc.....if I had bears on my personal property....I for sure would have a high barrel . Keep the ideas coming Rodger
I couldn't agree more about keeping it SIMPLE. Nothing beats the simple designs that's 99.9% of the bear hunters use. YES they all work and they all get bears. How can I or you or anyone argue with that! But at some point the rubber hits the road! I sure wish there were a few more guys like me taking the roads less travelled because then my learning curve would have been reached a long, long, time ago.
I will now dissect some of your quotes from above personally would use it in conjunction with more normal type setups we ran our elevated design with roller barrels for about 5 yrs. Our thoughts was that smaller more plentiful bear activity would help drawn in more BIG bears. Then let the rollers run out. The last 2 yrs we only ran the elevated and found out we didn't need the rollers. Having both systems there only increased the equipment we had in the bush and increased our bait consumption. We still ended up with larger boars. The beauty of the elevated is that it can be as high or as low as you want it. So we can start low for all bears and raise it as we get larger animals BUT we don't even do that - we set it at our cut-off height right from the get-go. BAIT MANAGEMENT. The big boys are out there and will find you. They might find someone else's bait site first but too much traffic there and they will abandon and wander. I can not stress enough about the importance of call lure! It needs to be there working 24/7. through wind, rain, sun, heat, 24/7. A call lure torn down in 2 days or losing potency will cost you opportunities when a larger bears wanders through your area and keeps going. They need to find you no matter what system you have! Eventually The larger bears will find your oasis and then the hunt starts!
company has advantages totally agree but I like when the company is all mature boars. anything else I can't afford! be careful about the company you get. A sow in a spring hunt will help you. A sow in a fall hunt will often KILL a bait site. If a sow has access with any barrel/crib/hole/log pile/milk crate design ever devised your bear hunt might be over. My xmas tree teaser during my actual hunt is my latest attempt to get mr big in during legal. Hopefully I can feed him and maybe one or two others and let them compete between each other for a smaller offering and at the same time simplify my baiting efforts.
the dark side we all know how this works! many a hunter has the same stories and frustrations. So many things have been tried. Take food away, the two hunter switch, different foods, auto feeders, commercial scents, pastes, concoctions, etc. One thing I do know is that over time the big boys do make the odd cameo legal time appearances. My records lead me to believe that the cool days seem to be the best or wet/soft rain days. I truly believe that the major contributor to nocturnal BIG BOYS is their overall mass and fat that causes them to overheat more then smaller leaner bears. Almost every big bear on our videos is panting and gasping. This itself will restrict the big guys movement to the coolest time of the day - night time. They don't get up till last daylight and by the time they get to you (they walk slowly) it's past legal in most cases.
anyway BEA I like bantering back and forth because through this intellectual exchange we all get better (I think)
You know what they say......." Whats important to learn id the stuff you learn after you know it all " So agree..always keep eyes /ears peeled for new info. I have never seen a small / medium bear approach with his mouth open and panting.....I think if you see a bear coming in with mouth open....its likely a good one. |
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Post by skeeter on Jan 4, 2018 15:14:09 GMT -4
this just about sums it up - What's important to learn is the stuff you learn after you know it all!
Why is bear hunting not like deer hunting. In the world of deer hunting any hunter that gets a big buck is only too eager to tell the world about his methods. Bear hunters seem to keep their cards close to their chest. Or is consistent big bear hunting just plain old luck!
I'm not talking about big bears in far off places like Manitoba, Newfoundland etc. Those bears have never seen a human until they walk in during daylight and just look at the hunter with indifference. "Excuse me while I grab a bite."
The big bears I'm hunting in my neck of the woods only got big because they got lucky - and never died from their human encounters.
I do think there is a way to get them though and I'll die trying.
My first goal was attracting them and keeping them and I think I'm winning on this front.
Next is finding out how to get more legal time visits. My theory on mass/heat makes sense and was concluded/deduced when videos with sound became available. A pic is worth a thousand words but video with sound is the entire dictionary!
Three of our consistent baits with larger bears seem to have a common trait. their proximity to cool swamps. These 3 baits have big bears in usually within 1/2 hr after dark and on cool days or damp days - earlier - we get that last 1/2hr legal chance at them.
Two of our baits get big bear action but not as consistently and usually later at night. These are ridge top - open hardwoods baits and not real close to the daytime cool refuges. These bears need to travel a longer distance from their beds and it's all uphill. Quite the task for them it seems as they're usually just about passing out when they show up! We're going to move one of these baits real close to a major swamp (a cool place) and hope to shorten the distance from daytime refuge (bedding) to our bait. We're going closer to meet that overheated, slow walking monster sooner.
Anyway lots to think about and digest! and yes BEA I have never seen a sml med or lg bear panting! only the real big ones!
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Post by losthunter on Jan 5, 2018 16:44:45 GMT -4
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Post by tuketu on Jan 6, 2018 13:45:01 GMT -4
I knew what that friggin' video was before I even opened it ! Still funny , but ya gotta let it go Brother !
rolling
Skeeter I'll either have to set my standards higher or my barrels lower.
Altho I'm not holding out for a big bruin, I'm still liking the xmas tree idea in the event a big boy happens by when all other food may be gone.
It does concern me that the bears may rip down the plastic and consume it because of the food residue in them. Just bothers me that it might cause them internal distress.
Roger the chain and turnbuckle idea does work quite well with the steel barrels and does very little, if any, harm to the tree.
tuk
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