Originally Posted by
johnnyHunts
I was watching a show on one of the hunting/outdoor channels "Savage Outdoors." From Savage Arms. I like Accutrigger but I don't understand something. Sportsman Channel.
They were in Canada somewhere an there were about five or six of them. Briefly, they had set up barrels in the woods that appeared to have food in them, some kind of a attractant (illegal in my state from what I can read, Georgia.) Anyway, they waited for the bears to come eat and then two women shot some bears with a bow and later another guy with a Savage rifle.
My question. How is that hunting? Am I missing something? First, why are they using attractants? And why do they hunt the bears in the first place? Do they eat them? Does it thin the herd so bears don't starve like deer?
I can eat a deer and thin the population but I just didn't get the bear hunting on this show. It looks pointless and unsporting (if you can have such a thing killing animals.)
I know that sounds like trolling. Sorry. I was genuinely puzzled.
To start, as I am from Canada and I am one of those hunters that bait the same as you seen, I can forward some info on the tecnhic's used here.
The woods are very large here and at most cases spot and stock is impossible. Not that anyone here would not try a stock over the bait system. The population of bears sky rocket because of the large woods and that is another eason why there looks to be so many bear shot leaving the impression that all the bears in the area are taken, when there is way more then what is taken.
A black bear will come to food and at most times on the same trails he uses but that don't mean its like (Shooting fish in a barrel) because the nose and ears of the bear are so good that they will pick you off well before they get to the barrel at most times.
Is everyone successful when hunting here No, hunters on the most part here pass up alot of bears and only hunt the large outstanding bears that maybe coming in, but if you travel some distance and pay for a tag, then some would soon use the tag and take a meat bear.
Last season I spent two weeks over a bait and in the end I never used my tag , passing on a number of small bear, so we all are not successful all the time.
Here in Ontario we also only have a fall hunt (No spring hunt) and the season is short with the other big game seasons running into the bear is yet another reason baiting helps reduces the population.
Hope that helps...