Post by: jwroberts on March 30, 2010, 07:17:33 AM
Post by: ICEMAN on March 30, 2010, 07:19:19 AM
Post by: let.it.fly on March 30, 2010, 07:23:53 AM
Post by: markts on March 30, 2010, 07:32:57 AM
Post by: wastickslinger on March 30, 2010, 07:41:17 AM
Post by: Thehowler on March 30, 2010, 08:15:11 AM
Post by: wrangler on March 30, 2010, 08:25:20 AM
Post by: alanger on March 30, 2010, 08:51:14 AM
:bash:
Dang, too bad someone didnt draw it that wants to hun and has time.
:bash: wow, talk about puttin the cart before the horse....
Cant you congratulate him instead of posting self pitty???
Congratulations on drawing, hope you have a good hunt.
Post by: Alan K on March 30, 2010, 09:05:45 AM
:bash:Dang, too bad someone didnt draw it that wants to hun and has time.:bash: wow, talk about puttin the cart before the horse....
Cant you congratulate him instead of posting self pitty???
Congratulations on drawing, hope you have a good hunt.
No kidding. . .
Way to go on drawing jwroberts, try getting in contact with Weyerhauser or whoever is putting on that hunt and see where most of their bear damage is at. Get up high in that area to a spot with a good vantage point across a canyon into some 5-6 year old reprod and wait and watch. That's all I know of how to hunt them, a handful of people on here have been successful calling them in, maybe try that.
Good luck!
Post by: woodywsu on March 30, 2010, 09:13:41 AM
Congrats on the tag. Do the best you can and that will be good enough.
Post by: bobcat on March 30, 2010, 09:37:44 AM
Congratulations on drawing the permit. You have just as much right to it as anybody else.
It's kind of hard to comment on it yet, as we don't know what part of the unit is open for the spring bear hunt. I can tell you there are a couple of large blocks of state DNR land, and a large portion of the remainder of the unit is owned by Weyerhaeuser.
Your best bet is probably going to be glassing clearcuts and/or trying to call a bear in with a predator call.
If you want to post some more specific questions I will try to answer them as I am pretty familiar with the unit.
Where are you from?
Post by: boneaddict on March 30, 2010, 09:45:09 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on March 30, 2010, 09:55:21 AM
Even though I have been carrying a bear tag for years (just in case) I have not actually targeted bears myself, but last year during turkey season, I had a close encounter with one (in the unit) and hope for the same chance this year.
It was coming out of a clearcut into a creekbottom early in the morning while I was crossing creek to get to gobbler on the other side....
Post by: KimberRich on March 30, 2010, 09:57:29 AM
There's a lot of dedicated people on here that put a LOT of thought/effort/$$ into hunting and would love to have the tag and to hear someone say they put in for it on a whim and probably cant hunt much isn't going to sit well..
That said, I hope you get a chance to scout some and hunt some. Look forward to hearing a good bear story in a couple months!
Post by: littlemac on March 30, 2010, 10:02:44 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on March 30, 2010, 10:10:44 AM
Post by: wastickslinger on March 30, 2010, 11:05:51 AM
My point on this is not new, many have voiced the same thing time and time again. There are so many people that put in for special permits that do not have time to even hunt. They waste a tag for the guys who have been trying for years to get one. I knew a kid who drew desert A a few years back and never hunted one day, he didnt have time. And how many guys have invested all of their points for the last 15 years for that tag and to see it go to waste. It sucks. If you dont have time to hunt and scout, dont know the area at all, and really dont care if you hunt or not, then why put in for the special tags? Maybe a new topic should have been started instead of jacking this one but I though it related.
I will offer advise that you are looking for.
1) take 2-3 weekends off and go scout before your hunt
2) buy all the maps you will need to ge to know the area.
3) Go hunt hard for a week and fill that tag.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on March 30, 2010, 11:12:35 AM
Post by: KimberRich on March 30, 2010, 11:12:42 AM
I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe I should not have been so honest, I apologize. I hope you get a bear, I really do.
My point on this is not new, many have voiced the same thing time and time again. There are so many people that put in for special permits that do not have time to even hunt. They waste a tag for the guys who have been trying for years to get one. I knew a kid who drew desert A a few years back and never hunted one day, he didnt have time. And how many guys have invested all of their points for the last 15 years for that tag and to see it go to waste. It sucks. If you dont have time to hunt and scout, dont know the area at all, and really dont care if you hunt or not, then why put in for the special tags? Maybe a new topic should have been started instead of jacking this one but I though it related.
I will offer advise that you are looking for.
1) take 2-3 weekends off and go scout before your hunt
2) buy all the maps you will need to ge to know the area.
3) Go hunt hard for a week and fill that tag.
x2
Desert A and didn't hunt!!!! :bash: :bash: :bash: One of, if not the most coveted deer tag in the state.. What a waste.
Post by: bobcat on March 30, 2010, 11:12:48 AM
Post by: saylean on March 30, 2010, 11:15:52 AM
Post by: wastickslinger on March 30, 2010, 11:17:24 AM
I don't see the big deal. It drops his points back to zero. He got a permit, burned his points, and now he's at the back of the line for next year. Everybody has to start somewhere. I'm sure the WDFW takes into account that not everybody is going to hunt every day of the season, when they decide on the number of permits to issue. More bears would be killed if all the permit holders were prepared to hunt at least every weekend of the season and already were familiar with the unit. I'm hoping many are unsuccessful, there will be more bears left for me this fall, or next spring if I decide to apply for it.
The kid that drew desert had 2 points. Dont think it really hurt to drop him back to zero. But how do those guys feel with max points that dream of that tag. :twocents:
Post by: bobcat on March 30, 2010, 11:22:00 AM
The kid that drew desert had 2 points. Dont think it really hurt to drop him back to zero. But how do those guys feel with max points that dream of that tag. :twocents:
My post wasn't in regards to the Desert A permit you posted about. I was still just referring to this topic, and I think it's quite a bit different than the Desert A permit.
That is a shame that anybody would put in for that one and then not hunt it. In that case, I would also :bash:
Post by: whacker1 on March 30, 2010, 11:28:27 AM
On the other train of thought, I agree with Bobcat. But I do understand both thought processes. If he doesn't hunt or hunt much it leaves another bear out there to get a year older, or less competition for the others that draw tags. Also puts that person one year further back of the rest of the herd on future draws. However, if he shoots a bear in the limited amount of time that he has to hunt, then we probably have another interested hunter that will continue hunting bears for much of his life, which helps for overall recruitment. This is what furthered my interest in Elk when I was in highschool. I drew a late cow tag as a senior in highschool. I hunted every opportunity I got, even though most of that was only hunting half days, because I had to work in the afternoons. I ultimately shot a cow on the 5th day, i believe, and now Elk is my favorite species to hunt. We all have to start somewhere.
On the other side, it does put everyone else that could have drawn the tag another year older should they draw the following year. Time is not something we all have a lot of as years go by and we age, so I definitely understand the constranation on this issue. But this is a weighted RAFFLE type system and not everyone that draws will be a dedicated hunter.
On the Desert A subject. I bet the other guys that drew were probably glad that they had one less hunter to compete with, and the guys that drew the following year had one more buck to look at. I agree that it does suck that the tag was wasted, but there is always more than one perspective and I try to look at it from all angles. The WDFW has put us in a competitive position to draw for the "Quality" hunts (their term), which is self-perpetuating problem when you look at it from the perspective that we will only have a limited possibility of drawing these "quality" tags which increases the pressure and demand for said tags. It will create hard feelings for some, but it is by nature of what we have available to us.
Post by: Snowman on March 30, 2010, 11:30:36 AM
So I put in for bear this year on a whim. I put in for Lincoln A pretty much just becasue it is close. I have never hunted in that area nor have I hunted for bear. I may only have a couple of weekends to get out due to being in EMT school. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Not looking for your honey holes just general ideas about the area. Thanks a ton
Got a tag that means go hunt... Good luck... I see both sides of the debate here, but what ya going to do. He now has no points!!!
Post by: woodywsu on March 30, 2010, 11:35:58 AM
But we can't jump someone's case for getting drawn and not devoting as much time as others would like. The guy drew a tag, yeah it sucks that he might not use it to his advantage, but it is his tag. He can do whatever he wants with it. :twocents:
Its frustrating but let him use/waste his tag.
Post by: D-Rock425 on March 30, 2010, 12:09:02 PM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on March 30, 2010, 12:14:18 PM
This really doesn't seem like anybody other than the most dedicated guys who plan on really putting forth an effort, and maybe one "lucky" guy are going to harvest a bear........
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on March 30, 2010, 12:15:31 PM
Post by: bobcat on March 30, 2010, 12:30:14 PM
Post by: Rufous on March 30, 2010, 12:31:07 PM
I know it really burns my ass when I look at the hunt statistics and see that so many of the hunters who draw special tags do not even bother to hunt. I suspect a lot of it is anti hunters putting in and drawing those tags but maybe it is bonified hunters who just "put in on a whim" and did not really plan to utilize the tag.
I hope we have not run JWRoberts off. I encourage you to read through the thread I started about bear hunting tips. That will get you started. If you have more questions send me a PM (private message). I hunt the east side so I really do not know you area but I will help you all I can. One thing you should consider is to get a copy of Ed Flowers book titled "Education of a bear hunter". I read it and it was quite interesting and informative, especially for hunting over on the west side.
I wish you the best of luck, Rufous.
Post by: Alan K on March 30, 2010, 12:50:17 PM
Post by: Geno on March 30, 2010, 01:18:01 PM
I would be surprised if Weyerhaeuser didn't have hound hunters with depredation permits out there chasing bears.
They do...I know one of them.
Post by: jwroberts on March 30, 2010, 02:22:30 PM
Post by: alanger on March 30, 2010, 02:35:58 PM
I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe I should not have been so honest, I apologize. I hope you get a bear, I really do.
My point on this is not new, many have voiced the same thing time and time again. There are so many people that put in for special permits that do not have time to even hunt. They waste a tag for the guys who have been trying for years to get one. I knew a kid who drew desert A a few years back and never hunted one day, he didnt have time. And how many guys have invested all of their points for the last 15 years for that tag and to see it go to waste. It sucks. If you dont have time to hunt and scout, dont know the area at all, and really dont care if you hunt or not, then why put in for the special tags? Maybe a new topic should have been started instead of jacking this one but I though it related.
I will offer advise that you are looking for.
1) take 2-3 weekends off and go scout before your hunt
2) buy all the maps you will need to ge to know the area.
3) Go hunt hard for a week and fill that tag.
Well if you have 15 pointsw thats great, it means your about due for a draw and your time will come, luck of the draw man.
Post by: Elkstuffer on March 30, 2010, 02:53:11 PM
This is really pretty simple. If you can't offer congrats or some decent info (which is what he asked for) then don't waist everyones time by posting a bunch of crap and making us read through it! :twocents:
Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off. ;)
Post by: BIGINNER on March 30, 2010, 02:58:59 PM
HOPEFULLY YOU GET ENOUGH INFO TOGET YOURSELF A NICE BEAR.. CONGRATS :chuckle:
Post by: wastickslinger on March 30, 2010, 03:16:07 PM
Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off. ;)
me too
Post by: Ghost Hunter on March 30, 2010, 07:12:17 PM
Maybe I'll bump into you in the Lincoln unit. I'll be happy to share info, it's my first year in that unit too. Put in for it because it was close ;) and new for spring bear. I have had help from others on this site, and feel it's only right to pass it on. Hoping to get lucky in the hunt this year, instead of the draw :chuckle: Good luck!
GH
Post by: ICEMAN on March 30, 2010, 07:27:32 PM
Remember the saying "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all".
This is really pretty simple. If you can't offer congrats or some decent info (which is what he asked for) then don't waist everyones time by posting a bunch of crap and making us read through it! :twocents:
Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off. ;)
Elkstuffer, puhlease... We are mostly big boys here. We have opinions. Personally, I am not going to always sugar coat a response or just keep quiet. There is value in expressing our opinions, as long as it is mostly respectable. No one is telling anyone to "screw off" but you. Hunters often feel aggravated over scenarios like this, whether you like it or not.
Post by: Curly on March 30, 2010, 07:49:44 PM
Wow, thanks for all of the responses, both positive and negative. Yes I am a hunter, have been all of my life, thanks to an awesome dad who taught me to respect, enjoy and take advantage of our rights. Maybe my post was a little off. I have bought a bear tag every year I have hunted, "just in case" I saw one. I have never seen a bear in the wild until last year when I saw one while archery hunting in Montana. He came down a hill within about 25 yards and stared at us. It was pretty intense. We did not have a tag so we had our bear spray ready. That event really convinced me that I would like to get one. I have put in for spring bear for a few years now not knowing much about the hunt. This year I put in for Lincoln "on a whim" because it is close(I live in Buckley). I would prefer not to drive across state for something I don't have any experience in. My thought was that if I got drawn I would use this as a stepping stone into bear hunting and hunt hard. Keep in mind that I have put in over 50 days deer and elk hunting each of the last 2 years. Now the bad news, due to budget cuts I may be losing my teaching job at my school. Being proactive and trying to be prepared, I decided to go back to EMT school to give me another job option just in case. Unfortunately I signed up for school before the bear drawing and now I will be in class on several Saturdays. Hope this explains my situation a little better. I fully appreciate my opportunity and intend to take advantage of it as much as possible. Thanks for all of the suggestions so far and hopefully I will be back to ask for ideas on how to have the meat done, looking forward to bear pep & jerky. Thanks again
Wow, Buckley is close. :yike: I figured you lived in Chehalis or something. Anyway, congrats on drawing the permit.
If I drew a bear permit for that area, I'd concentrate on DNR lands since the Weyerhauser land has probably been hunted (and will be hunted again this spring) by contract hunters with hounds. Start your scouting trips out now with any free time you have looking over the DNR lands for peeled trees (probably not any fresh ones yet, but look for peeled trees from last year). You should be able to spot the dead trees fairly easy just driving around. Then get out and check the area out a little closer on foot. Try noticing where possible food sources are like grass and skunk cabbage. Learn to use a predator call and you might just find yourself a bear. Good luck. (BTW, I've never hunted bears myself so take what I say with a grain of salt.........) I have called in a few spring bears and helped pack one out though if that counts.
Has WDFW even said where the Lincoln boundaries are yet?
Post by: GoldTip on March 30, 2010, 08:13:11 PM
Post by: jwroberts on March 30, 2010, 08:40:46 PM
EMT school shouldn't be too bad, just time consuming, more of a refresher for me since I use to be a firefighter until I got hurt. Hoping I can get back in the department, especially if my teaching job gets cut
Post by: Elkstuffer on March 30, 2010, 08:58:56 PM
This wasn't the usuall senario were a guys 1st post is "hey, I drew ____ tag. What rock do I go and set on till the _____ show up". jw has been on here for awhile now and contributed like most. I thought that's what these site were for. To help your fellow hunter. I guess I was wrong.
Post by: billythekidrock on March 30, 2010, 09:06:16 PM
JW
Maybe I'll bump into you in the Lincoln unit. I'll be happy to share info, it's my first year in that unit too. Put in for it because it was close ;) and new for spring bear. I have had help from others on this site, and feel it's only right to pass it on. Hoping to get lucky in the hunt this year, instead of the draw :chuckle: Good luck!
GH
Let me know where you guys will be camping and I will swing by.
Post by: billythekidrock on March 30, 2010, 09:12:34 PM
Wow, Buckley is close. :yike: I figured you lived in Chehalis or something. Anyway, congrats on drawing the permit.
If I drew a bear permit for that area, I'd concentrate on DNR lands since the Weyerhauser land has probably been hunted (and will be hunted again this spring) by contract hunters with hounds. Start your scouting trips out now with any free time you have looking over the DNR lands for peeled trees (probably not any fresh ones yet, but look for peeled trees from last year). You should be able to spot the dead trees fairly easy just driving around. Then get out and check the area out a little closer on foot. Try noticing where possible food sources are like grass and skunk cabbage. Learn to use a predator call and you might just find yourself a bear. Good luck. (BTW, I've never hunted bears myself so take what I say with a grain of salt.........) I have called in a few spring bears and helped pack one out though if that counts.
Has WDFW even said where the Lincoln boundaries are yet?
I am sure we will have to wait for a phone number for the timber company and then have to sign up and possibly pay a fee before we get a map or boundary description.
But I am pretty sure that it will NOT include state land. If you read the regs it states "That portion of GMU 501 that is designated as the hunt area by participating commercial timber landowners."
Post by: Curly on March 30, 2010, 09:17:39 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on March 30, 2010, 09:21:52 PM
That blows. Doesn't make any sense to me. Of course it doesn't make any sense to me why the whole state isn't open for spring bear either....... :rolleyes:
Same here...... :dunno:
Post by: bobcat on March 30, 2010, 09:30:58 PM
Quote
If you read the regs it states "That portion of GMU 501 that is designated as the hunt area by participating commercial timber landowners."
I have read that but I don't think it necessarily is excluding the DNR land. After all, the DNR is essentially a "commercial timber landowner." They grow trees and sell them, same as private companies do.
I really think the DNR land will be open. I emailed somebody at the WDFW today about it. Maybe I will get a reply back tomorrow.
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on March 30, 2010, 10:27:16 PM
If they open them, I guess it will be a cluster of guys in that area, but there is some good spots on Weyerhauser land.
They already opened a couple gates (WH), and the one at the end of Bunker opens the 15th of April, so there will be lots of places to drive in....
One of the gates on Ingalls has a sign "Walk in Hunting Only", so you might see my truck parked there..........
Post by: billythekidrock on March 31, 2010, 04:50:12 AM