We just returned from a week of bear hunting. Even though we didn't get a bear, it was a fantastic experience on public land in SE Wyoming. Here are a few pictures.
This sow with a cub was illegal to shoot.
This big boar came to eat only in the dead of night.
This big sow was badly rubbed.
Here I am coming out from placing a bear bait.
The hunt actually started on April 15th when we first placed our baits. We had our first bear show up in mid-May. By June 1st, we had six bears hitting our baits. On June 3rd we setup camp and started to hunt. Unfortunately, the eight sow mortality quota for the unit was reached on June 8th thereby ending the hunt before the June 15th calendar date that the season was scheduled to close. I am not crazy about the mortality quota system, but it helps to assure there isn't an over harvest of female bears.
This was a great hunt! Checking the trail cameras was almost as exciting as seeing the bears in person. In addition to the bears, we got pictures of: elk, moose, deer, antelope, fox, and coyotes. And sitting in a stand waiting for a bear to come to the bait is an intense experience especially when you have pictures indicating what you might expect.
The beauty and solitude of Southeast Wyoming is unbelievable! During nearly a week of hunting we saw only a half dozen other vehicles. I cringe to think this land might someday be transferred to state or private ownership!
This sow with a cub was illegal to shoot.
This big boar came to eat only in the dead of night.
This big sow was badly rubbed.
Here I am coming out from placing a bear bait.
The hunt actually started on April 15th when we first placed our baits. We had our first bear show up in mid-May. By June 1st, we had six bears hitting our baits. On June 3rd we setup camp and started to hunt. Unfortunately, the eight sow mortality quota for the unit was reached on June 8th thereby ending the hunt before the June 15th calendar date that the season was scheduled to close. I am not crazy about the mortality quota system, but it helps to assure there isn't an over harvest of female bears.
This was a great hunt! Checking the trail cameras was almost as exciting as seeing the bears in person. In addition to the bears, we got pictures of: elk, moose, deer, antelope, fox, and coyotes. And sitting in a stand waiting for a bear to come to the bait is an intense experience especially when you have pictures indicating what you might expect.
The beauty and solitude of Southeast Wyoming is unbelievable! During nearly a week of hunting we saw only a half dozen other vehicles. I cringe to think this land might someday be transferred to state or private ownership!
