I just can't win!

[hunter399]

I set up this cam a week or so ago.
Just on a main trail,which you can see in the background.
I was there on one of those smoky days
Man ,my luck has gotta be the worst I've seen.
SOB walks by 4hr later,give me a break.
Then the only two animals on the cam was this bear,and a forky WT.
Same day I setup,and nothing since. They got me so paranoid,that I'm thinking they are avoiding the trail now.
So I setup a secondary cam just a bit farther down the trail.
How can I pattern a bear that only walks by 4hr after I setup ,then nothing?
Kid starts school tomorrow,so I'll be solo from now on.
So who is gonna carry my sandwich,and Vienna hot dogs in a can.
Losing my $#@& here .
Pic is me,cam setup.
Bear ,few hours later.

[Timberstalker]

That's a decent bear.
Stay with it.

[hunter399]

That's a decent bear.
Stay with it.

I gonna try!
I believe the day before I setup the cam,I was there with the foxpro.
Although all my cams are on public.
There is adjoining chunk of private about a mile away that's about a 1000 acres. So I'm definitely playing the cat and mouse game.
Or just trying to get lucky and catch him on the public.
I'll keep at it though,thanks for the encouragement.👍

[brokentrail]

Where is the feed either where he was coming from or going to?

[hunter399]

Where is the feed either where he was coming from or going to?

That's also a problem,not sure,maybe some elderberry.
Definitely not any huckleberry. I can tell every stump and rottin log is tore to pieces. There was one big pile of poop. It did look like there was seeds in it. From something. I'll look around a bit more.
In the next few days.
Cougar opens Friday I think.
So the foxpro is definitely getting a work out in a few spots.
There is a lot of fawns on that adjacent private property.

Ohh the crazy part also is he came from the same direction I came in. 
He is definitely hiding right under my nose at times

Pretty good chance I pushed him out by setting that cam in his spot.

[pianoman9701]

At least you know he's there. Good luck!

[Pathfinder101]

In my experience, he's probably smelling you when you are in checking your cameras, laying low and waiting for you to leave.  It also sounds like he's running a "circuit" through his area.  He's not a young, stupid bear.  The only way to kill him (aside from getting lucky) is to figure out what he's eating, set up watching it from as much distance as you can manage, and wait for the wind to get right and him to make a mistake and come out.  Everything has to match up just right though; wind, his circuit, you sitting there...   
Every year we get big bears on our trail cameras that we never get to see in the flesh.  Last year we sat from dark to dark for 8 days before a big boar showed up.  This year we sat for 3.  We could hear bears in the dark timber ripping apart stumps and huffing that never came out into the open for a shot.  They knew we were there and waited for us to leave for the night before showing up on camera... 

[hunter399]

In my experience, he's probably smelling you when you are in checking your cameras, laying low and waiting for you to leave.  It also sounds like he's running a "circuit" through his area.  He's not a young, stupid bear.  The only way to kill him (aside from getting lucky) is to figure out what he's eating, set up watching it from as much distance as you can manage, and wait for the wind to get right and him to make a mistake and come out.  Everything has to match up just right though; wind, his circuit, you sitting there...   
Every year we get big bears on our trail cameras that we never get to see in the flesh.  Last year we sat from dark to dark for 8 days before a big boar showed up.  This year we sat for 3.  We could hear bears in the dark timber ripping apart stumps and huffing that never came out into the open for a shot.  They knew we were there and waited for us to leave for the night before showing up on camera...

That's really good advice,thank you.
I will try and figure out what they are feeding on.
And I have to find a better spot to glass,watch,and observe from.
He isn't the only one there. , small cinnamon,really small black.
And another black with a cub,which I want nothing to do with.

I'd love to find him,I think he rules the roost around there.
But would be happy to find that small cinnamon too.

I'm giving the area a break today. Raining like cats and dogs.
That should kill any scent from hiking around yesterday.
My next plan of attack is to hike up that trail into the basin.
Which I haven't done yet,been about 6 years since I've been up there. And Blaze a trail to a better spot to watch for the day.
Even though my scent will be on the trail,I got to get to higher ground to see anything. It's thick in there.

Lately with the hot weather,that trail leads to a water source.
I figured I could pattern him coming and going from there.
And just catch him,and sit and watch. And just hiking around that.
But I don't think that's gonna work. Since he hasn't been back in nine days.


So what do you guys think?

Keep watching the end of the trail? Keep my scent low,and not disturb the area.

Or hike up the trail? Disturb the area a little. Not even sure he is still in area ,since nine days. Go actively looking for him.

If I do go looking,pretty good chance I will push him out in short order. But may get a shot at him depending on all the variables.
If he is even on the public. May be able to catch him on his way out.

Or I can wait till Friday,setup foxpro,try to call him out.Or pickup a cougar in the process. Have a pic of a cougar in the area in April.
But nothing since. So again not sure if it is around still or not.

[Pathfinder101]

Foxpro might pull him to you, that's how Little Pathfinder killed his bear last year.  I don't think scent you leave on the trail bothers them.  In my experience, he's probably hunkered down someplace waiting for you to leave (which is why it didn't bother him to walk down your trail 4 hours after you left).  We have found that it helps to be a couple of hundred yards away from him (if that's possible in your area).  Its fairly thick where we hunt, and I am set up about 150-200 yards from the trails that I expect them to use. 
Good luck!

[Scruffy]

Your pic is just from the 20th, in my experience with my cams, bears seem to have a route they travel.  Although I can't pinpoint what day they will come through but it usually isn't consecutive days but more like 10-15 days apart.  I have cams on the east and west side and they seems pretty consistent with large gaps between sightings but no pattern.  I would say as long as food is in the area stick with it and hope to intersect him.  I have tried calling a few times in the past with my FoxPro but no luck yet.  After the 1st I will try again.  Hopefully the cougar will return to your area again.  Good Luck

[jrebel]

Food in the NE corner is sparse right now.  Wild plums are done, most berries are done…..the elderberries and some choke cherries are all that is left.   They will be stumping hard and looking for private land apple trees.   If you’re finding tore up stumps, you’re in the right area.  I would think calling could be very productive from this point on in the season.   Clear cuts would also be a good place to spend late afternoons. 

[hunter399]

Well just to update....
I'm done with this spot at least for now.
I'm sure I'll be around there again before the season ends.

I didn't go up the trail, probably my biggest mistake.
I didn't use the foxpro.
I did check the cams, 1 cam had nothing,other cam had a moose.
Same moose I saw in person,I'm sure.

So no bear at least on the trail.
I did sit around there for a half a day, checked the creek and generally looked around for awhile. Rosehips and elderberry was the only berry I see around. And some rocks flipped,stumps and log tore up.
Maybe if there was a bit more pics of him,in the last 12 days would of gave me some incentive to hike my butt up there.
That I just have that feeling he is hiding where I can't hunt him.
But who freaking knows.

I'm switching focus from bear to cougar now,with a bear tag still in my pocket. So you never know what will happen,that's how hunting goes sometimes.
Also moving to a different area.


One pic is from trail cam.
Other pic is crappy cell pic.
Same moose I believe.