Wisconsin Bear Hunting Zone D - assistance

[krueger]

Hello all,

I'm a complet outsider looking for a little advice/ assistance. I grew up in eastern Wisconsin (Shiocton) and moved to Minnesota for work about 14 years ago and now live in Forest Lake,MN. I've hunted deer for 25 years (eastern wisconsin, Chequamegon-Medford area and now near Luck, WI). This year, my twin brother and I were lucky enough to draw our first bear permits in our life. We proceeded to set up 3 baits back behind a farmer that I'm friends with and we had a ton of bear hitting the baits every day.... up until the season. We both sat opening Friday and Saturday all day long and the only bear either of saw in the daylight was a smaller bear that my brother shot at the end of the day on Saturday. I went to reset the baits last Wednesday and only one of the baits was touched. I then went out on Saturday morning to find that none of the baits had been touched in 3 days.... I'm not sure what happenned, but it's like they switched to a completely different food source (I'm thinking acorns as a LOT have dropped). Needless to say, this experreince has humbled me more than words can say. I honestly thought that this would be easy and I'd just pick the bear I wanted.... not so!

I'm reaching out to see if anyone on here knows anyone in Zone D with bear dogs who would be willing to allow someone with a kill permit to tag along with them in the next couple of weeks. I know I'm a complete outsider to this forum and this group and I apologize for making my introduction in this manner. Any guidance, advice or help would be truly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chuck
chuckandkeri@live.com

[Nolte]

Chuck
Can't say I can help you as we have more tags than we'll be able to fill. I've also had to turn away friends because there are so many tags this year. Most of the groups I know of are in the same situation.

Does your farmer friend have any corn. If so go check it out to see if they've been hitting it. Find the sides or trails they are using and maybe setup there.
It's worth a shot if the baits are inactive. Or if you know some good acorn ridges that could be an option too. I know plenty of bow hunters that have seen tons of bear while chasing whitetails.

[krueger]

Thanks Nolte!

The corn was getting hit hard (pretty much the same time as the baits were getting hit), but the bear haven't hit the field in about a week or so. The corn is getting hard and dimpling now and I think they like it when it's soft and sweet. I still hunted around the field on Saturday afternoon and didn't smell any bear or see any fresh sign/ tracks. All of the corn that was down looked like it had been down for over a week. We had some real strong winds last Wednesday and now the ground is just covered in acorns in certain areas. There is a ridge that is covered in oaks about 1/2 mile back in, which is where I deer hunt. If I can't find someone with dogs to tag along with, I will set up shop back there and see if I can find one!

Thanks for the advice,
Chuck

[1bigbear]

Sent you a P.M

[easttntrapper]

They quit the corn here and went to acorns. probably be your best bet

[krueger]

Great feedback ! Thanks for giving advice to a stranger! Much appreciated!