seeth07
Well-known member
No, just thru tomorrow. Work Monday and Tuesday for both of us and then the wife will be back up for 7 days straight if needed. I'll just have friday night, sat and Sunday next weekend
Please BEAR with me, 2024 is going to be full of unBEARable surprises!!!
- Thread starter seeth07
- Start date
thusby
Well-known member
I was sitting the same days as you. 85 degrees at 5:30pm, covered in gnats/mosquitos and a bead of sweat dripping off my nose.
seeth07
Well-known member
Hard for me to really wrap this up with how angry I am but basically IT SUCKED. I no longer am a supporter of the way WI structures it seasons and the rules and regulations around using hounds for hunting black bears. I now feel that it is completely out of hand and outrageous what happens drawn from conclusions made by my own personal firsthand knowledge and experience.
And I'm a huge dog lover, especially in regards to using dogs for hunting - I have two golden retrievers trained as upland and waterfowl dogs.
And I'm a huge dog lover, especially in regards to using dogs for hunting - I have two golden retrievers trained as upland and waterfowl dogs.
thusby
Well-known member
Best to wait for the late bait season every other year. That last week can be golden. Finding unpressured bear can be tough.
seeth07
Well-known member
Some numbers to help understand the frustration:
4 baits, rebaited the entire duration at least once every other day or as needed from 1 week prior to season to end
7 days of no dog use to start the season - of which we were in NM and unable to hunt.
13 Daylight instances of boars on a bait during that time.
28 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait during that time.
170 Gallons of bait used.
2 days of dogs allowed before we showed up
3 Daylight instances of boars on a bait during that time.
7 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait during that time.
0 Dogs on camera or landowners noticing dogs on private property.
10 days of at least one of us present and actively hunting, 2 additional days in there where we were not - 12 total day span.
3 Daylight instances of boars on bait - of which we were there for one of them.
21 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait
40 Gallons of bait used.
1 Boar shot at and missed
5 times dogs showed up at a bait on camera
8 times encountering trucks running dogs on private they don't have permission
2 verbal confrontations with outfitters running dogs
1 time sitting and having to resist the urge to shoot the dogs on the bait
1 phone call to a sheriff saying its not worth his time because he is too busy to deal with it
4 baits, rebaited the entire duration at least once every other day or as needed from 1 week prior to season to end
7 days of no dog use to start the season - of which we were in NM and unable to hunt.
13 Daylight instances of boars on a bait during that time.
28 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait during that time.
170 Gallons of bait used.
2 days of dogs allowed before we showed up
3 Daylight instances of boars on a bait during that time.
7 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait during that time.
0 Dogs on camera or landowners noticing dogs on private property.
10 days of at least one of us present and actively hunting, 2 additional days in there where we were not - 12 total day span.
3 Daylight instances of boars on bait - of which we were there for one of them.
21 Nighttime instances of boars on a bait
40 Gallons of bait used.
1 Boar shot at and missed
5 times dogs showed up at a bait on camera
8 times encountering trucks running dogs on private they don't have permission
2 verbal confrontations with outfitters running dogs
1 time sitting and having to resist the urge to shoot the dogs on the bait
1 phone call to a sheriff saying its not worth his time because he is too busy to deal with it
Arcola
Well-known member
As a WI hound hunter, I'm sad to hear about your season. @thusby is right about taking advantage of the week that hounds aren't in the woods. I too would suggest the years where sitting bait is the late season, like he did (although it looks like the first week could have been very productive had you been available). My main takeaway from your stats, is that you have some shitty outfitters in your area. I would report those guys to the DNR if it were me. Outfitters need to be held to a higher standard. There aren't any outfitters in the area we run, but there's always somebody that just refuses to follow the rules and it gives everyone a black eye. We run a tight ship and do everything we can to follow the rules and mitigate the bad publicity. It's sad when those that wont follow the rules muck it up for everyone else -especially with other hunters. The divide between our own will be our ultimate demise.
seeth07
Well-known member
I'm guessing the area you run has a lot of public land? This specific area does not. The closest reasonable tract of public land (more than 200 acres) to run the dogs is about 15 miles away.
Arcola
Well-known member
Yes, primarily public but scattered private that we are careful to respect. Knowing that about your area only embraces my comment about reporting those outfitters. Their intent sounds pretty blatant.
seeth07
Well-known member
The one guy literally told me "the only way to get the bears off all of your baits on private is to run our dogs through to chase them off. Call the Sheriff, I don't care, he won't do anything"
Arcola
Well-known member
The DNR will care.
seeth07
Well-known member
Not true. This is an instance of trespassing - not hunting. The warden can't do anything other than what you can do - call the local sheriff since it is their office that deals with property trespassing.
Arcola
Well-known member
Well, I guess it depends on how mad you are and how far you want to push the issue at this point. It sucks that another hunter negatively affected your hunt.
seeth07
Well-known member
I don't think you fully understand the situation and numbers. This wasn't a hunter. It was numerous people running dogs (not even with hunters) with zero care or regard for the fact that the entire area was 100% private. If it was a single person, that is one thing. It was an entire culture of dozens of trucks running dogs with zero regard for the land in which they were doing it on. They didn't even have a hunter with them because their whole purpose wasn't to tree a bear because they knew they couldn't hunt it there. It was entirely to chase bears around and get them moving north the 15 miles up to the huge swath of public land.
Arcola
Well-known member
How would I fully understand the situation when you did not share those details??
I was showing sympathy to your situation because you were negatively affected by a group of shitty hound hunters. I'm invested in the reputation of hound hunting and actions like you experienced do not improve that reputation. Those types need to be scrutinized.
If you're mad enough to smear hound hunters as a whole on the internet but not mad enough to take legal action, I'm not sure what more I can add to the conversation.
I intentionally did not comment that (per your stats) you squandered the first nine days of the season which provided 16 opportunities, had you been there (and missed a shot on a bear). Plan better. I'm out.
seeth07
Well-known member
no, you are absolutely correct. We got put in a tough situation with selecting what our hunt dates would be. Our logic was that since we were in a high private area, the impact of hound hunters would be nothing since they can't legally use them in that area unless they were willing to trespass. Our assumption was wrong and it is for that that frustrates me. I cannot really comment on the missed bear, my wife was the one that missed it and it was at the one bait that we did not have any run ins with hounds.
It for sure is not directly me blaming the actions of the hound hunters for not filling both of our bear tags. With higher priority placed on this hunt, it absolutely would have happened. The actions witnessed however no longer make me an advocate for allowing the use of dogs for bear hunting under the current framework in this state. I don't want to see it taken away but I have some ideas on how it should be changed and this winter/spring I will not be silent on the matter.
thusby
Well-known member
Sounds rough and a bummer, I think you got some bad apples in your area. I would talk to the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association to get it cleaned up. You would be surprised how connected they are. Hound hunting is a real privilege and you will get respect from that crew.
