Bait Barrel

[Rickyrebar]

I put the rifle away for a few months after the final day of spring bear season and after a couple of weekends of back logged honey do's I struck out yesterday for my first "pre-season"conditioning hike in an area that I've been hiking & hunting in for the past 3-4 years. A couple of miles down a familiar over-grown gaited road, I found a well beaten path that I had never noticed before, so I investigated, 25 yards down this path the trees opened up and I found myself standing in a very open (high ceiling) part of the forest, the ground was absolutely saturated with bear crap aka "skat". Strapped off to a tree was a bait barrel (filled with grain pellets). WTF? Looked all around for a game camera, couldn't locate one. The barrel was a metal barrel, it stood up right, had a opening cut into the bottom of it, the cut edges of the opening had been rolled back to create a smooth edge, it had a baffled, gravity feed design to it... looked like a professional manufactured rig. Excuse my ignorance, but can anyone tell me what this set up might be? The barrel had a number hand written on it... #452, I think. Is this a set up by WDFW?
As I mentioned before this is an area I have hunting in for a few years. I have hunted bears not more than 100 yards from where this barrel is. Had a close encounter last fall with a bear near this area.
I hiked 2 miles or so past the barrel and found skat everywhere along the road, fresh peels everywhere.
My curiosity regarding the barrel also becomes a concern should it still be around during the regular bear season, if you get my drift... I know there are bears in this area (as does someone else obviously), I also know the bait barrel is there (as does someone else). I'll obviously keep a close watch throughout the summer, but should the barrel still remain come general bear season, what do I do...? I'd hate to get busted hunting off a bait barrel, mine or not I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of it.

[wraithen]

call it in? If it's wdfw they'll tell you so.

[ICEMAN]

The bummer is you cannot ethically or legally hunt near this area now.

[Goshawk]

It could be anything from a WDFW approved feeding station to limit the amount of damage being done to the trees to a poaching operation. Call the WDFW and find out. The numbers makes it sound legit, it would also be a great way to look legit when it's not.
If it's WDFW, then the baiting will be over with before bear season rolls around. There is a "person of interest" in my area who runs feeding stations for timber management during the spring/summer then guides just out of sight of them in the fall.
Call and know for sure.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Not sure if the WDFW is involved, private timber companies pay guys to feed the bears during the spring, I know the guy that feeds for WH in a popular area (wont say where as he likes his job, and I hope to get it from him when he retires).
Those pellets (if it is the same) are ground up dried chicken, seems the bears love it !
usually the guy I know quits feeding in the summer, wont go into some of the stories he tells of WH employees hunting over his baits, but he did tell me they are not allowed to keep anything.. 

[ellensburgpo]

It could be anything from a WDFW approved feeding station to limit the amount of damage being done to the trees to a poaching operation. Call the WDFW and find out. The numbers makes it sound legit, it would also be a great way to look legit when it's not.


I agree with goshawk. If its a legal bait at least you will know once wdfw gets involved. If its not, wdfw should have delt with it by bear season. As stated above, you didn't put it there, but you now know its there, dont put yourself in jeopardy for someone else's problem.

[Wenatcheejay]

Native?

[75johndeere]

Sounds like the timber company if its on there property i have found a few on Hancock managed lands

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[johnr060]

I saw four different ones in gmu 520 like two weeks ago. I looked to see if there was a trail cam and there wasnt. After looking closer i saw that they were numbered. they had pellets in them, and were placed on nice game trails.might be a good place to sit and watch for a bear come august

[pianoman9701]

I saw four different ones in gmu 520 like two weeks ago. I looked to see if there was a trail cam and there wasnt. After looking closer i saw that they were numbered. they had pellets in them, and were placed on nice game trails.might be a good place to sit and watch for a bear come august

Or a bad place to lose your hunting privileges.

[ellensburgpo]

 

[arees]

I found one on the Monroe spring bear hunt a couple of years ago.  I may have been off course at the time and never went back.

[Ripper]

I found one this last spring season. It sounds like exactly what you described. It had alfalfa pellets in it. It was on timber co land, and it didn't look like the bears had touched it.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Better hurry and call in those 10 points ...might help ya come next draw season ...LMAO !! 

[Rickyrebar]

The barrel is located on Hancock managed property, its in a wildlife escapement area (walk-in, no vehicles).
I have passed this particular location many times over the years just never ventured off the trail in that particular spot. In years past whenever I pass that particular spot, when I have my dogs with me, they always would dive off into the brush and disappear, there is always a lot of evidence of elk traveling across the road @ that point, so I always figured it was a spot back in the thick stuff, where they would loaf or bed down, which is why the dogs would would investigate. I suspect, like some of you have suggested, that this is an annual feeding station to keep tree damage to a minimum, let me tell you it ain't working too good, they are tearing the trees apart. I am going to call WFWD and check it out with them.