Buck Magnet

A couple weeks ago, I walked behind my house and into the woods to see how my ladder stand was. I noticed tracks about 10 yards from it. They were HUGE bear tracks. This is in South Western Pennsylvania so the only bears around here are black bears. I figure that the front paw was probablly about 6 to 6 1/2 inches across. How much would you think this bear would weigh? His tracks came off of a REALLY thick brushy hillside, down to my ladder stand, and back up to the hillside again. Do you think that the bear would stay in this area until next bear season? He is staying in a bad spot for a bear, he has a airport about 250 yards from him on his one side, houses on the two ends of the brushy hillside, a big field on the otherside that has a highway on the far side of it, and houses on the side of the highway. I was just wondering if you could tell me some stuff about bears. I hunted bear this year but never saw any sign of them, I really don't know much about them, but I would love to get one next year. Thanks.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

stubblejumper

There is no real way to tell the weight of a bear buy the track but if the front pad is over six inches across the bear is larger than average.A rule of thumb used to be to take the width of the front pad in inches and add one to get the bears overall length in feet.In this case that would make this a seven foot bear but some bears have larger than normal feet and some are smaller than normal so this is by no means guaranteed to be accurate.

Buck Magnet

Thanks, I was just trying to get an approximation. Do you think that the bear would be going over 300 pounds? Thanks for the info. I have no idea about bears. As my name implies, I am mostly a deer hunter.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

Lilhunter

I agree with stubble....add 1 to 1 1/2 inches is the rule of thumb for figuring out how big a bear track is. You are looking at a HUGE blackie! I would bet most of those folks have never seen him or have even the slightest he is there! You may or may not bait but you can use scents I would bet! Try them, they do work...

Buck Magnet

I believe he has been in there for atleast three years, I saw his tracks this year, last year I saw his bed on that hillside, tracks in my back yard, and a deer carcass tore up in the woods. The year before that, my dad saw a big bear up in that brush. I hope that he stays there. I really hope that I can get him. That would be an awsome bear to harvest.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

RonM

You can keep in the area with bacon grease on a stump, anise,carion,, At camp we have a peanut butter tree, we smear peanut butter on a tree each time we go up, to keep him coming back. We dont do this for hunting mind you but we want the kids to see it when we go to camp. We throw our scraps out in a bear pile, the only thing he doesnt like boiled potatoes, he loves corn on the cob,and from time to time he will raid our back porch , took our just baked turkey one year,usually makes a mess with debris. But we still try to keep him around for the kids.....

Buck Magnet

I don't know if that is legal in Pennsylvania. I know that baiting and using those bear bait smoke sense things are illegal too. I will try to find that out. I might have to do that to keep him in the area.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

Thaninator

Buck Magnet:
In what kind of soil did you find these tracks?

If it is legal, and there is no danger of the bear harassing houses or residents, and no chance of people stumbling upon it's feeding area, I would keep hauling cattle carcasses, old doughnuts, grease and anything else you can find, to your good location.

Beware though, if you aclimate this bear to humans and being fed, and someone stumbles upon it, their life could be in danger.

Sounds unusual for a bear to hang out in such a crowded area, but I don't know much about PA bears.

I do know that all bears are driven by their stomachs. If they can find an easy source of food, they will stay...if not, they can just as easily leave.

RonM:
I have known several people that were seriously hurt by making friends with bear. They would do as you described, and keep food handy. Problem comes when the bear looses fear of the human, and starts insisting on food.

When it is not available, they can get very aggressive. Not a good time to have children around.

We have a deluge of black and grizzly bear around here, and I've seen this happen too many times to take any chances with kids.

<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> If You Ain't Hunted Alaska, You're Still Just Practicing <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

Buck Magnet

We found the tracks in snow, they were only about 2 hours old. They were really fresh. He hasn't been a problem. I don't think that many people know about him.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

RNZ

B M, sounds like he is a very big bear based on his tracks. Good luck in getting him - he didn't get that big by accident. Keep in mind that he may be in that area now, but that doesn't mean he will be in that same small area during the hunting season. The home range of this bear could be 20 or more square miles. Your 3 day season is going to give you a very limited window of opportunity to bag that big bruin, even if he is still in that immediate area.
Like the others said, find a way to keep him around. Baiting is illegal in my state also, but a person can feed big game animals anytime other than during the season and ten days before it starts, so long as they are X distance from public roads, buildings, homes etc. Maybe PA has a law similar to this. This way you might have a chance to keep him close until about 2 weeks before the season opens. Good luck. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>