Bait-less black bear hunting in the North woods of MN

[tzone]

You could walk with me grouse hunting. I seem to see the damn things all the time.

 

[Horse]

Guys question if theyll see a few hundred thousand elk in CO on forums and your thinking of spot and stalk a few bears in MN north woods. Ambitious. Somebody's gotta be the first. Good luck.

 

[Jmnhunter]

Elliot, I have similar feelings on bear hunting over bait, I've done it (with no luck) but can take it or leave it. I've thought the samething as well as far as doing it baitless or predator calling. Now I just don't have the time to do it

I would think if you could find some cuttings in the Arrowhead region (atleast there are some elevation changes) and scout them out prior for food sources, then after you narrow some down, glassing during the evenings, I would think you would find one on a old logging road or near the cutting towards sunset. Only issues I see is if a ATV trail is nearby, there seems to be alot of grouse shooters in that area between Grouse opener and deer season, but if you go bear opener, you would a couple weeks prior to that.

Superior Nat'l forest has alot of roadless areas where you could get away from pressure but finding some recent cuttings/openings could be the challenging part.

 

[NoWiser]

For what it’s worth, I hunted bears for the first time this year. I had major reservations going into it about hunting over bait. My thoughts have changed almost entirely now that it’s over. I loved every part of the hunt, and the baiting was a blast, though it was a ton of work. At no point did I feel I had an unfair advantage. I never did get the particular bear I was after. My advice would be to reconsider using bait. You may be surprised. I know I was.

 

[CubSlayer]

For what it’s worth, I hunted bears for the first time this year. I had major reservations going into it about hunting over bait. My thoughts have changed almost entirely now that it’s over. I loved every part of the hunt, and the baiting was a blast, though it was a ton of work. At no point did I feel I had an unfair advantage. I never did get the particular bear I was after. My advice would be to reconsider using bait. You may be surprised. I know I was.

Thou art wiser than one realizes. I've been bear hunting over bait since I started back in 2013. Anybody who thinks its easy or provides an unfair advantage hasn't tried it. It takes dedication, hard work, and planning. When that bear finally comes in, it is exhilarating. Congratulations, you're now addicted too.

This year, I wanted to try something different, so I gave hounding a try (spot and stalk simply isn't practical out here). Although it had physical exertion, it didn't have the thrill of baiting.

I've never hunted Minnesota, but I've been up there. Hunting bears spot and stalk up there sounds ambitious. I wish you the best; you'll have some awesome stories to tell.