Bear Baiting
By Bernie Barringer
My first exposure to baiting bears with barrels was on a Canadian bear hunt several years ago. At the time, barrels were not allowed in Minnesota so this was my first experience. I was impressed with several aspects of using barrels, but two of the most important were the obvious advantages of protecting bait from the weather, and using an opening in the barrel to regulate how much of the bait the bears could get at a time.By Bernie Barringer
The photo of the bear on my trail camera made me sit up in my chair. This was a really big bear. Huge. Definitely an old male; and he was a regular at this bait in Minnesota’s Zone 24. I would get a couple dozen photos and videos of him over the next couple weeks. Every single photo was at least an hour after dark. He was very recognizable because he had square DNR tags in each of his ears.By Brian Strickland
He appeared just 12 steps from the base of the pine I was perched in, slipping towards the bait like a ghost floating above the forest floor. His raven-black hide looked impressive through the screen of brush he was easing through, and as he crept forward I knew the quest for my first black bear was about to come to a close. With each slow step he took my heart rate increased; but when he paused and raised his nose to inhale the cool mountain air, he knew something wasn’t right. For 10 minutes he stood statue-like, slowly turning his head in every direction surveying the area, and all I could do was wait.By Bernie Barringer
I have been doing at least one spring bear hunt in Canada every year for many years, and I look forward to it all year. I love spring bear hunting. I was very disappointed when my 2020 spring bear hunt was cancelled, and when 2021 rolled around and left me with no Canadian options, I decided to do something about it. I was going to do two hunts to make up for the loss of the two Canadian opportunities.By Al Raychard
Vermont is not a very large state. Wedged between New York on the west and New Hampshire on the east the state covers just 9,609 square miles, making it smaller than 44 other states. With less than 650,000 residents Vermont is also sparsely populated. Only Wyoming has few people. What Vermont lacks in size and people it more than makes up in woods and bears.By Jana Waller
Gazing down onto the green vastness of the tundra from high above in the floatplane I couldn’t help but wonder who may have possibly traversed this remote, wild terrain?Have hunters and gatherers from centuries past made their way across this expansive swampland or is there still land that’s never felt the weight of a hunter’s footprint. I love romanticizing about a landscape that few feet have ventured.
By Timothy Fowler
A spot and stalk hunter finds appreciation for his first baited hunt.By Matthew Taylor
A deep appreciation for the ellusive black bear in the mountains of Arkansas.DIY Backcountry Baited Bears in Wyoming
This DIY public land hunt had its challenges, but we loved every minute of it!
By Bernie Barringer
The plan was simple. Arrive a week before the season, get some baits going, then hunt for a week. We mostly would use our ATVs for transportation into the backcountry, then set up baits 200-400 yards back into the mountain valleys. The most difficult part of this was navigating the confusing and convoluted bear hunting regulations of the Cowboy state. See my description in a separate text on that.-Bernie Barringer-