Michigan Bear hunting adventure

[buckbull]

Heading out Sunday to prepare the state land sights for baiting which starts Aug 11th. For my hunting zone. My cousin Still hasn't gotten back with me about hunting at his place

Take plenty of pics. This will be fun to watch.

 

[go_deep]

Once you get your site prepared, I'd drive around and knock on a few doors and ask for permission.

 

[KHSRanger23]

Once you get your site prepared, I'd drive around and knock on a few doors and ask for permission.

I think go_deep is on to something here. Private landowners usually reluctant to grant access when hunting deer or elk. However, when it comes to hunting predators ranchers, farmer's and landowners are much more receptive it seems.

 

[go_deep]

I think go_deep is on to something here. Private landowners usually reluctant to grant access when hunting deer or elk. However, when it comes to hunting predators ranchers, farmer's and landowners are much more receptive it seems.

That and these bear tags take a long time to draw, so most likely the landowner your asking don't have a tag, or even know anyone that does have one or will have one for years.

 

[marcusvdk]

Yeah got the one site set up on public land brother came out and help me set a path for walking. And get dead fall cut to length to set up the bait and make sure it's covered as I cant use man made items or lumber. Got a trail camera up to get pictures. Pic below of the set up.

 

[marcusvdk]

Brother mentioned he had a friend in the same area with property and hunts around there on public. He got ahold of him and said yeah me and the neighbors are having a 250-300 lb bear tearing up there trash cans. Said the neighbors post pics on Facebook every few days of it on trail came. He offered to have me hunt at his place as a spot and then also drove us around to a few other public land locations and we found another great location to bait. He was a wealth of information for locations and the terrain. Not a bear hunter but helped find a few new spots and offered his stand location on his property. There are still really good people out there.

 

[marcusvdk]

Well tomorrow I can start baiting my locations. Got 6 baits set up in buckets to go fill 3 stations tommorrow. The other 3 buckets are going to my brother's as he will be camping up there Friday to Monday so he will fill my stations sunday night or Monday morning. Saving me a 4 hour round trip. Yeah.

Pics of my buckets below.
Has granola, Cheezits, peanut butter, rice crispy treats. Fruit gummies and candy corn. Saving the trail mix for closer to season. Bring some frosting to pipe around the sights as well.

 

[buckbull]

Not sure if a bear would hit your bait but I know I would.

 

[marcusvdk]

Not sure if a bear would hit your bait but I know I would.

This was a combo of things I read up on as a good bait so we will try them out the cheezits I got on discount for 50 cents as they were expired figured why not addd them lol.



Also have some peach skins and cores im going to through around as they have a strong scent. They are scraps from canning this week

 

[tim]

Marcus

Can you use hay bales? if so , spread them out and put the bait in the hay bales. it will make the bait last longer and it will keep the critters around more, because they have to sort thru the hay for the goodies. Also, be prepared for lots of raccoons to eat all your stuff.

 

[marcusvdk]

Marcus

Can you use hay bales? if so , spread them out and put the bait in the hay bales. it will make the bait last longer and it will keep the critters around more, because they have to sort thru the hay for the goodies. Also, be prepared for lots of raccoons to eat all your stuff.

I'm not sure on the hay bales but on the one public land piece already I created a pit with logs over the top that are too heavy for a raccoon to move

 

[marcusvdk]

I took a bunch of pics today and pulled the card onn the trail camera. Well I was out baiting. Well post them soon

 

[marcusvdk]

Thursday setting up bait site one

Walked the path we cleared to get from two track to woods and found 6 piles of this on the path



Then pics of me setting the bait at site one


Pulled the card from the cam i set sunday when we were there to get the logs set. And found these nice pics



The October section of bear hunting is bow only falls during bow season for deer think I may be hunting here for 2 animals if I am unsessesful.

 

[marcusvdk]

Here are pictures from the setup on the other public land site that my brothers friend showed us. The pit blind is very old been there a long time from the look of it.



Pushed a few deer when i was driving two track.

At the guys house when I went to bait i ran into a flock of hens with probably 20 young ones.

Got my brother the next 3 bait buckets so he could bait for me Sunday night before he leaves from camping up there saves me a 5 hour round trip plus the hour up there baiting

 

[marcusvdk]

Also hit a local grocery chain store yesterday to find close dated twinkies and hostess powdered donut packs. Twinkies 10ct box for $1 and 30 cents for the donuts packages. G

 

[CrimsonArrow]

Don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but I’d talk to the local garbage collectors. They will know where every nuisance bear is in your area. Easy to get permission to hunt problem bears, and you don’t need to bait as heavily

 

[marcusvdk]

Brother hit the bait sites for me today said the two public land sights got hit hard the logs were thrown around lol. He for got his SD card reader so I have to wait till Wednesday when I go bait again to see what the size was

 

[marcusvdk]

I don’t claim to be a skilled bear baiter, but the last time I did, the biggest bear I had on camera went gaga for the black oil sunflower seeds. I had a couple options on my bait pile, but he cleaned up the sunflower seeds every time

I picked up a bag of these seeds ill add them to the next set of baits

 

[gonhunting247]

Looking forward to more pics Marcus. I kill a bear almost every year here at home, but I am enjoying your thread .

 

[marcusvdk]

Looking forward to more pics Marcus. I kill a bear almost every year here at home, but I am enjoying your thread .

Thanks im the one testing it out for the family dad and brother should draw next year so I'm doing alot of the leg work figuring things out for sure. Hope Wednesday to have some good pics from the 2 trail cams on public land. The friend of my brothers put a cell cam out on the site at his place so I'll get random text from my brother im sure with pictures.

Kinda fun having a cool adventure like this. Forsure and sharing with you guys