I absolutely love baiting bear. Like Schultzy said; The work that goes into building a successful bait site is astronomical. The joy of actually getting a bear to hit the site is overwhelming, harvesting is just icing on the cake. High fence I do not agree with.. To an extent. My boar hunt was high fenced on 720 acres. High fence's and boar hunting almost come hand in hand however. This was probably the hardest spot and stalk I have ever been involved in. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. But nobody can say a high fence hunt is bad.. Every hunter has his/her own prerogative. I'm not one to tell them their wrong, if it floats your boat it floats your boat.
As long as I get an 800 pounder on the ground I'll be happy, otherwise it will be utter disappointment.
Bear baiting is fun, spot and stalk is intense, heck, just having them come by a whitetail stand is cool! Thwack em all!
If the animals r fenced...then its ''catching'' not hunting.Baiting bear,if u'r law allows it,then ok. Here in Pa no baiting...unless special regulations(Philly suburbs)
I have nothing against baiting at all,As long as its legal in your state.I have hunted over bait before and enjoyed that method of hunting.Just because you bait dont mean your gonna get a kill.High fences ,I will never do at all,Just isnt for me.
I just got back from a bear hunt in Northern Minnesota... I spent many weekends scouting and mapping out where bears should live out there. I navigated into the wilderness useing a compass and topo to find bear tracks, rub trees, trails, wilderness food sources ect. We placed 6 baits for 2 hunters... We both got bears in the 1st two days... The reason we have success when we go, goes way beyond the heavy scouting. Bait placement needs to be in exact spots to keep bear from circling, and make them feel safe coming in... The biggest bears won't come walcing into just any bait in daylight. There is a lot of skill that goes into baiting that you would not understand unless you lived it... The majority of hunters, and sadly guides, in that area have the same opinion some of the biased comments here reference. They think they can throw a bait anywhere along the roadside and get bears... And well they do get some, but they don't have near the success we do... I don't bait deer, but have no problem with those who choose to do so... I don't kill deer or elk behind a fence, but have no problem with those who do, as long as they portray it as a fenced hunt. To each there own...
Personally I enjoy bear hunting just as much as I do whitetail hunting. 90% of the fun in black bear bait hunting comes in the baiting part, the feeling that you get when you finally get a nice big bear coming to one of your bait sites is indescribable. In my area bating is the most efficient way to hunt bear because the cover is so thick. The only other way you can successfully get a bear here in Maine is trapping and hound hunting. For some reason I don't like the thought of trapping such a big animal (nothing against trapping, I trap small game myself) and I just don't agree with hound hunting for bear. High fence hunting on the other hand, I am not necessarily against but I personally would not like doing an high fence hunt.
Baiting bear is not a sure thing for sure,There is a difference in the high fence hunts also.Look at some of the ranches in Texas say 20,000 acres behind high fence.Thats alot different than a canned hunt where you are in 20 acres.Saying that if it's legal than it should be each persons choice
I think baiting bear is ok but the areas where they have been baited for the past 5-30 years have been picked over for trophies. The best bears are coming from spot and stalk hunting. It is a matter of conservation. If they can be baited, it is easier and the big ones get thinned out fast, but it is the cheapest way to put a bear on the wall. If you want a big bear, spot and stalk in an area that is not accessible to a boat or a pick-up will give you the best chance. Spot and stalk is the most fun anyway.
I haven't done a baited bear hunt yet but hoping to this spring. If you ask me its about the most ethical way in most cases. It assures most guys will wait till the bear is in range not get excited n take a bad shot cuz they think the bear is about to run. It also let's most hunters let the smaller ones walk and wait for a decent bear. Here in PA we do not allow bait for bear hunts. So yes, we get some real monsters here. Atleast one a year goes over 650 lbs. But, the kill percent is krazy low, even lower with a bow. So the bear hunters here don't wait for a big bear. They see black and they shoot. Bad time to be a black lab lol. Most bear here are between 50-125lbs...if I remember rite its somethin like 65% of the bear are in that range and another 20% are between 125-175. Atleast in places like Maine who bait kill way less cubs letting the bear grow and live a longer life.
Bears are one of my favorites critters to hunt. I've killed several over the years, rifle, bow via spot and stalk, while on whitetail stand and over bait too. They all work but if you really want to see more bears and get close to bears, I'd bait. Glassing and spotting and stalking is the most exciting for me personally but its all fun. I have no problem with baiting predators. I plan on baiting bears this spring!
I wish I lived closer to some spring bear hunting. Would love to do it this year. I'm gonna head down south instead and see if I can take care of a few hogs...probably over bait as well.
Neither is shooting little bucks like the one in your avatar. See how dumb that sounds? One hunter telling another hunter what is and isn't hunting is a slippery slope. 99.9% of the time, comments like yours, come from someone who has never tried the activity that they bash. They are also usually stated in a simple way, with no real substance. Here's your chance to elaborate. How is baiting not real hunting? Can you give me facts, or just an emotional opinion?
