RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

The one thing that gets old quick on this forum and any others for that matter is how MANY people will jump all over someone and condone them for their actions when they have never tried it themselves. Hunting high fence multi 1000 acre ranches, baiting bears, the list goes on and on. Ive only hunted bear in Quebec once, so i have very limited knowledge of it, but i will say that to shoot a bear up there without the use of bait would be a very very very unproductive method of hunting. IMO it would be a waste of time, sure its possible, but then again, so is winning the megamillions lotto.

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

We have a short 3 day(?) bow season for bears and baiting is not allowed. I wonder every year how anyone even kills them. I dont see baiting any worse than putting on drives for them. And i'm not against putting on drives.

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

I am all for baiting bears. I think a lot comes down to the cultural dynamics of the state (as opposed to the actual biological aspect) as to whether it is legal. I am sure that states in which it is not legal, could structure the season/bag limits such that if baiting was implemented it would have no detrimental impact on the overall harvest. I do believe terrain plays a huge factor in success outside of baiting. Vast expanses of woods are going to make for much more difficult hunting. We cannot bait here in PA, but we kill a decent amount of bears, but 90% of that is done on drives. (yet another can of worms) I would love to see our archery bear season moved to the spring, allow baiting, and make it at least 3 weeks long. But I would have to take a LOT of drugs if I seriously thought that plan would actually ever be implemented. Our main bear season is only 3 days long, and the archery bear I believe is only 2 days long a week prior. AND none of these seasons are open on a weekend.

Now, as far as baiting deer….I have certainly opened my mind compared to just 5-10 years ago, and in certain situations, if it were legal I would bait them too. A couple places I hunt have large populations of deer, but not very much access to the huntable woods. Baiting can draw these deer from the safe havens (or just good habitat places) to those where access is better and may not have a natural draw to them. In the grand scheme of things for these areas, its all about killing the deer and giving the hunters all the tools they may feel are needed to effectively do so.
Outside of this realm I would choose not to bait, and honestly wouldn’t care to see it legalized, because there is ample opportunity to be successful without having to implore excessive tactics. And I feel it would/could vastly alter the natural patterns of the deer. I’ve already seen it happen with a non-hunter baiting the heck out of his land so hunters can’t shoot the deer.

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

As far as baiting goes, I'm not a fan of it.I do however, understand that bears do not have the same movement patterns as deer have. They don't, for the most part,come out into fields or follow exact trails the way deer do.Bears in most regions live in VERYTHICK woods where you getting a reasonable shot would be difficult at best, so bringing them out to a bait is the only "realistic" way of getting a shot at one.
I'm no bear expert, butI'm fairly certain that they are almost exclusivly a nocturnalanimal, so baiting them gets them to come out/move around,during daylight so a shot at one is possible. So, I guess what I'm saying is baiting is the most realistic way to hunt them, plain and simple.
I know bear season is coming up for a lot of you guys, so good luck to all of you.If you do kill one, do not forget about the "man law", it's STRICTLY enforced!;):D

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

Bear hunting in your state isn't the same as bear hunting in Mn. I'm guessing your chicken ass would be packing a side arm when walking through the big northern woods of Mn because its so thick and dark. Yes Jeff, It is that thick and swampy up in the sticks. It would be damn near impossible in Mn to hunt without bait and be succesful shooting bear. Why people can't understand this is beyond me.

You cannot use what one state has for restrictions and try and put that into every other state. Thats just "common sence" but then again I'm seeing more and more of that on this forum on people who don't know a damn thing on a certain subject but always seem to stick there nose in it and stir the pot.

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

Its a Common Sense thing, not a double standard.
Several things are taken into consideration when laws are made on bag limits and method of hunting ect.
The very first thing I would like to point out is a Bear is not a Deer, suresome will take it as an insult because they can tell them appart, but its quite obvious thats where their knowledge on the 2 ends.
I have never used Bait for a deer, no reason to, they are patternable, have a relatively small home range, high in numbers (compared to Bears)and for the most part are not nocturnal, however I am glad to have the option to bait Bears for the opposite reasons.

Without writing a book, estimated number of said annimal to be hunted per State, quota of annimal to be harvested and maintain healthy managable population per State, terrain per State, patternability of said annimal per State, ect...ect... ect!
Its a common sense thing!

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

The double standard, I think, Sliver.....is when you throw the word "hunt" in there. We (NC residents - where baiting deer IS legal) hear it all the time from people who oppose the practice. They feel like it takes the "hunt" out of hunting for the animals. I don't have an opinion, either way, I just don't employ the practice.

I think it would be interesting, though, to hear a man from VA (or any non-baiting state)and a man from WI (or any baiting state or province)discuss the difference in their respective methods of "hunting" bears.

From a state that does allow deer baiting....we hear the "it ain't huntin'" arguments all the time to describe the practice. I'm wondering what theNC bear hunter thinks about your bear hunting methods? Or...if HE thinks there's a "double standard".

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

I know where I have hunted Black Bears (all over Canada)it would be next to impossible to hunt them with any success without bait, especially with a bow.

Not so of deer even in the same areas.;)

Dan

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

LMAO!! That's always been a problem of mine trying to find guys to share a Bear hunting trip with me. One thing keeps most guys from going.

The Big Yellow strip down their back. Many make excuses, and some have told me: "No way I'd hunt anything with a Bow that can Hunt me";)

As far as baiting goes? I think if it's legal in the state your hunting then go for it. It's usually frowned upon by those who have never hunted over any kind of bait. Especially if they say it is not hunting.

Those same guys will spend thousands of $$$$ on equipment, seed, minerals, and time to put in Food Plots, etc. and call it hunting? but would look down there nose at some fellow who hunted over a Bait in Wisconsin.

Double Standard? Whatever! It's not legal to Bait in IL. & NE. where I do 98% of my hunting, but I won't look down at anyone that uses a legal means at their disposal.

Dan

RE: Bear Baiting, a "Double Standard"?
 

I've been hunting the Sandilands area in Manitoba for 10yrs now. I have never had a bear walk in front of me while in a stand w/out bait. Although the woods are littered with bears. Where I hunt its the only way to hunt bear.
Now with that being said I do know of some people that could have killed bears when they we attacking horses, donkeys, sheep and cattle....... But I'm sure they weren't going to shoot them with archery equipment;). And this only happens when its a BAD yr for berries in the late summer and fall. I guess they could wait at their garbage cans for a bear but that would be baiting too.
Sounds to me that in states where there is a 2-3 day season for bear and no baiting allowed........ they just have a season to say that they have a season. Of course your going to have big bears as the harvest rates are low and bears are allowed to grow b/c of it. I can tell you we have BIG bears here too and we are allowed to bait. We have big bears b/c there allot of them.
Baiting bears is half the fun of the bear hunt. Mind you its allot of work but FUN. When your bait is finally hit you know it! And then you get to figure out if there is one big enuf to kill.