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Author Topic: Bear Trapping  (Read 8758 times)

Offline wags

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #15 on: November 20, 2015, 04:37:07 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #16 on: November 20, 2015, 04:40:35 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

What's done with the Bears after being shot by the contract exterminators?
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Offline Humptulips

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #17 on: November 20, 2015, 08:46:05 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

What's done with the Bears after being shot by the contract exterminators?

Bottom line is the State owns them. The land owner has to deliver them to a processor and pay to have them butchered. Then gets donated to charity.
The hide is sold by the State and I believe the gallbladder goes to the State and gets destroyed.
Bruce Vandervort

Offline winslow

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2015, 03:58:31 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

What's done with the Bears after being shot by the contract exterminators?

Bottom line is the State owns them. The land owner has to deliver them to a processor and pay to have them butchered. Then gets donated to charity.
The hide is sold by the State and I believe the gallbladder goes to the State and gets destroyed.
That leaves only one question for me - How do I get on the list of people who get charity bear meat?  8)

Offline CementFinisher

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2015, 04:15:41 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

First off with high bear density areas with high damage which is how these hunts are permitted, how do you think you could target bears doing the damage? also almost every bear in western wa is peeling trees in the spring. Secondly the "bait" isn't bait you must first try and turn the bears to the feed to resolve the damage before hounding can take place. if the feed is left after that period to continue to try and deter damage the hunters cant even hunt within certain distances of said feed. And the wdfw gives a amount of bears that can be taken due to amount of damage and all caught bear must be harvested. these are highly documented and overseen hunts. the regulations are extreme.   Lastly your dream of a open spring season wouldn't solve the damage problem because boot hunter success rates is way to low to lower the population enough to decrease damage.

Offline CementFinisher

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2015, 04:17:44 PM »
Also wdfw gives distance perimeters for start of chase, kill zone, and dog recovery area, from a gps coordinate from center of damage area.

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2015, 04:23:28 PM »
but on public lands where these hunts cant be set up to prevent damage too publicly owned trees, I agree that a open spring season on high population high damage public lands should be put in place. a good example Elbe Hills and Tahoma State Forests

Offline CementFinisher

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2015, 04:26:48 PM »
a good example boot hunter success rates not being high enough is the hancock owned lands that don't have a bear cull other than the draw spring bear permits. I know a guy who feeds for them. They have to feed more and more every year creating more bears creating more damage. the boot hunters just don't kill enough bears.

Offline winslow

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #23 on: November 21, 2015, 08:02:36 PM »
Low success rates probably has nothing to do with only being able to hunt in the daytime...

Offline JimmyHoffa

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #24 on: November 21, 2015, 08:19:02 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

First off with high bear density areas with high damage which is how these hunts are permitted, how do you think you could target bears doing the damage? also almost every bear in western wa is peeling trees in the spring. Secondly the "bait" isn't bait you must first try and turn the bears to the feed to resolve the damage before hounding can take place. if the feed is left after that period to continue to try and deter damage the hunters cant even hunt within certain distances of said feed. And the wdfw gives a amount of bears that can be taken due to amount of damage and all caught bear must be harvested. these are highly documented and overseen hunts. the regulations are extreme.   Lastly your dream of a open spring season wouldn't solve the damage problem because boot hunter success rates is way to low to lower the population enough to decrease damage.
I remember reading a book by a professional bear hunter in Washington, and tried to tally the when/where/hows of his stories of hunting.  The vast majority of his bear kills (1,300?) were in the spring, seeing many bears daily and killing up to six a day.  Seemed like a window from mid March to early June was about as good a season you could hope for.  After June, the bear guys would go get jobs in the mills or commercial fishing until deer/elk season when they might shoot a bear by happenstance.  Then they would hound hunt cats until March when bears were stirring about again.
In my own observations, I think about 90% of the bears I have seen have been in the spring--especially in the years with good snow and cool spring/slow melts.

Offline Humptulips

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #25 on: November 21, 2015, 09:50:33 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

First off with high bear density areas with high damage which is how these hunts are permitted, how do you think you could target bears doing the damage? also almost every bear in western wa is peeling trees in the spring. Secondly the "bait" isn't bait you must first try and turn the bears to the feed to resolve the damage before hounding can take place. if the feed is left after that period to continue to try and deter damage the hunters cant even hunt within certain distances of said feed. And the wdfw gives a amount of bears that can be taken due to amount of damage and all caught bear must be harvested. these are highly documented and overseen hunts. the regulations are extreme.   Lastly your dream of a open spring season wouldn't solve the damage problem because boot hunter success rates is way to low to lower the population enough to decrease damage.

What you say is pretty much on the mark. What precipitated the talk about bear trappers certification is in smaller plots of land which makes hound hunting difficult if not impossible with the rules they set.
As an example across the road from me is a block of land of 180 acres. The same guy owns another block nearby of 80 acres. They are almost completely surrounded by National Forest with some private that cannot be hunted on. He has suffered bear damage rates of between 5% and 10%. Doesn't sound like much but you add that up over a few years and there is like 50%+ of his trees either dead or damaged.
He tried hounds for a number of years. I think he told me they were able to kill one bear in like 5 years. The reason is the dogs run them into the NF and they have to call off the hunt. Sometimes the bear practically beats them back to the mans land.
He asked me to snare them and of course I cannot get a permit, no certification. He did get USDA APHIS to snare bear for the last two years and they have knocked his problems way down.
The only problem I have with this is I do not believe USDA should be in competition with private business. I would prefer a WCO got that contract.
I also would prefer a Spring Bear season in the area but I do not think that would solve the mans problems. It would if we could use bait or hounds without all the restrictions imposed by I-655.
Bruce Vandervort

Offline Blacktail Sniper

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #26 on: November 21, 2015, 10:25:58 PM »
Something really does need to be done about the bear situation. I have a friend who shoots dozens of bears every year for the big timber companies, he uses hounds.
They don't just target the offending bears, they bait them into the area before they start hunting then shoot everything, it really shouldn't happen that way, but no one says anything about it.
There should actually be spring seasons in these areas open to the general public. However, the timber companies don't want to open their lands to the public. I say too bad, if you don't want to let the public hunt the bears, then learn to accept them and the damage they cause.
The problem is, is that the hunting community doesn't want to upset the timber companies. It would be interesting to see an accounting of the numbers of bear taken by these guys.
This issue is one of my pet peeves.

First off with high bear density areas with high damage which is how these hunts are permitted, how do you think you could target bears doing the damage? also almost every bear in western wa is peeling trees in the spring. Secondly the "bait" isn't bait you must first try and turn the bears to the feed to resolve the damage before hounding can take place. if the feed is left after that period to continue to try and deter damage the hunters cant even hunt within certain distances of said feed. And the wdfw gives a amount of bears that can be taken due to amount of damage and all caught bear must be harvested. these are highly documented and overseen hunts. the regulations are extreme.   Lastly your dream of a open spring season wouldn't solve the damage problem because boot hunter success rates is way to low to lower the population enough to decrease damage.
I remember reading a book by a professional bear hunter in Washington, and tried to tally the when/where/hows of his stories of hunting.  The vast majority of his bear kills (1,300?) were in the spring, seeing many bears daily and killing up to six a day.  Seemed like a window from mid March to early June was about as good a season you could hope for.  After June, the bear guys would go get jobs in the mills or commercial fishing until deer/elk season when they might shoot a bear by happenstance.  Then they would hound hunt cats until March when bears were stirring about again.
In my own observations, I think about 90% of the bears I have seen have been in the spring--especially in the years with good snow and cool spring/slow melts.

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Offline CementFinisher

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #27 on: November 21, 2015, 10:35:26 PM »
Bill Hulet was ralph flowers mentor. Several books on both men out there. bill is and always be a houndsman bear hunting legend, and ralph flowers surpassed his mentor in lore and bear numbers. Ralph was a hound hunter but as he aged snaring became a bigger and bigger part of his trade. Niether put these numbers up by just boot hunting the spring. They worked for timber companies and the state keeping populations in check and the many other men of their time and no other hunters complained, theres a lot of bears and a lot of woods out there boys for everyone to enjoy. with the limited culls that happen today there is plenty of bear opportunity for everyone. no need to get your panties in a bunch

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Re: Bear Trapping
« Reply #28 on: November 22, 2015, 06:36:15 PM »
Bill Hulet was ralph flowers mentor. Several books on both men out there. bill is and always be a houndsman bear hunting legend, and ralph flowers surpassed his mentor in lore and bear numbers. Ralph was a hound hunter but as he aged snaring became a bigger and bigger part of his trade. Niether put these numbers up by just boot hunting the spring. They worked for timber companies and the state keeping populations in check and the many other men of their time and no other hunters complained, theres a lot of bears and a lot of woods out there boys for everyone yto enjoy. with the limited culls that happen today there is plenty of bear opportunity for everyone. no need to get your panties in a bunch

To be fair in regards to the bolded comment, those non-complaining hunters could also use the same methods as the timber company men.

Apples to Apples then, Apples to Oranges now.



It is better to be consistently incorrect than inconsistently correct...

Sarcasm: The ability to insult stupid people without them realizing it. 

My level of sarcasm depends on your level of stupidity...

Sarcasm makes smart people laugh and stupid people mad.

 


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