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Early Bear Season

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  • Early Bear Season

    Anyone here making a trip up for some early season Bear hunting in the ADK's?

    I plan to be up there for the next 2 weekends, though I'm not sure if the weather and foliage will be conducive to my success.

  • #2
    I had planned on getting back in before Saturday's opener to fish, but things at home have prevented it. I may go in a couple of weeks after opening weekend frenzy dies back, not hunting but to fish. Not saying that bear hunters are a bad lot, but I will be wearing at least a blaze orange hat, maybe a vest as well.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Lucky13 View Post
      I had planned on getting back in before Saturday's opener to fish, but things at home have prevented it. I may go in a couple of weeks after opening weekend frenzy dies back, not hunting but to fish. Not saying that bear hunters are a bad lot, but I will be wearing at least a blaze orange hat, maybe a vest as well.
      Is early bear season really that hectic where you are? In years past, I haven't noticed much activity.

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      • #4
        The MRP is reputed to be the top producing area for early bear. I drove out on the Friday prior to the Saturday opener a few years back, and there was more activity in there then than I see on summer weekends. There was a small forest fire up near Lost Ponds that afternoon, and lots of emergency vehicles coming into the T, so I stopped when I got to the Red River and waited to allow them to get through and not have an encounter in a narrow spot on Fawn Lake Mountain coming out, and I spoke while I was waiting with a number of gentlemen who seemed to me to be fine campers and sportsmen. But unless I am hunting, I tend to stay out of the woods when others are hunting.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Lucky13 View Post
          The MRP is reputed to be the top producing area for early bear. I drove out on the Friday prior to the Saturday opener a few years back, and there was more activity in there then than I see on summer weekends. There was a small forest fire up near Lost Ponds that afternoon, and lots of emergency vehicles coming into the T, so I stopped when I got to the Red River and waited to allow them to get through and not have an encounter in a narrow spot on Fawn Lake Mountain coming out, and I spoke while I was waiting with a number of gentlemen who seemed to me to be fine campers and sportsmen. But unless I am hunting, I tend to stay out of the woods when others are hunting.
          Well I've been up in that area in years past and I never noticed a huge swell of hunters. There are some up there, but not as many as you'd expect to find in the southern zone for opening day.

          I'll likely be in that area this weekend, so I'll see for myself if this year is any different.

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          • #6
            Southern Zone deer opener in WNY is like a combat zone! Why I stopped hunting a number of years ago!

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            • #7
              Actually it did not dawn on me until last Saturday that Early Bear Season was almost upon us. I'll probably go up this weekend but since bears have left my Camp alone for the past 2 years I'll probably not hunt and let bygones be bygones.

              I really admire your persistence. With baiting illegal and scenting curtailed the only way to bag one is either through luck or staking out a food source. I no longer have the patience for either but wish good luck for those hardy souls who do.

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              • #8
                I'm working the weigh-in in Bolton for the King George Fishing derby until 1 or 2pm on Saturday, then I'm taking a ride into camp and setting a trail camera. I'll likely bring along the -06 just in case. The young hunter in our group (age 18) wants a bear bad, so if I do see anything I'll send him there on Sunday, which is the first day he can hunt.
                Life's short, hunt hard!

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by cityboy View Post
                  Actually it did not dawn on me until last Saturday that Early Bear Season was almost upon us. I'll probably go up this weekend but since bears have left my Camp alone for the past 2 years I'll probably not hunt and let bygones be bygones.

                  I really admire your persistence. With baiting illegal and scenting curtailed the only way to bag one is either through luck or staking out a food source. I no longer have the patience for either but wish good luck for those hardy souls who do.
                  Gary Lee used to say that in years with no mast crop, all you needed to do was locate your camp on a slope with a good downdraft and then fry some bacon for breakfast! As for baiting, I met a retired Police Officer from Westchester once who admitted that he had once brought a garbage bag full of frozen menhaden up and hung it overnight. He said there were a few small pieces of the plastic bag left in the morning, and he gave up on the idea of (illegal) baiting after that.

                  Good luck to anyone who is going out for Yogi. I can't afford that much buttermilk!

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Lucky13 View Post
                    Southern Zone deer opener in WNY is like a combat zone! Why I stopped hunting a number of years ago!
                    It is a bit of a war zone. You either need to bowhunt (its usually less crowded) or get into some private land. Public land in western NY is too much of a cluster during the rifle season.


                    Originally posted by cityboy View Post
                    Actually it did not dawn on me until last Saturday that Early Bear Season was almost upon us. I'll probably go up this weekend but since bears have left my Camp alone for the past 2 years I'll probably not hunt and let bygones be bygones.

                    I really admire your persistence. With baiting illegal and scenting curtailed the only way to bag one is either through luck or staking out a food source. I no longer have the patience for either but wish good luck for those hardy souls who do.
                    This will be my first year of seriously hunting them up in the Northern Zone. I have spent some time in years past casually hunting them while out on deer hunts.

                    But from the time I have spent looking for them, I have a lot more appreciation for why most of the neighboring states and provinces allow for baiting or hounding or both...finding bear in the big woods of the north is tough.

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                    • #11
                      I saw a notice on the DEC site regarding trailers allowed in the MRP from Labor day to Memorial day. Is this strictly enforced? I planned for this weekend, but that whole mice and men thing... I have not been to the MRP yet, but have been trying hard.

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                      • #12
                        I have seen popups to 40 foot long RV's back in the plains (I have no idea how they maneuver and there are only a few sites I can think of that will accommodate them). I have not seen trailered boats. As to enforcement, motorcycles were not allowed but I've seen them all the way back into the Moose River. Not sure what you mean about mice and men.....

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                        • #13
                          The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.
                          "A culture is no better than its woods." W.H. Auden

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                          • #14
                            Far too warm to hunt. I heard only 1 shot at sunrise. I had intended to walk a trail in afternoon but it was much too hot for hunting clothes and I feared ticks if I walked in shorts. I'll wait for cooler weather to try again.

                            After consideration I think I'm still owed two bears for past damage to Camp.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by cityboy View Post
                              Far too warm to hunt. I heard only 1 shot at sunrise. I had intended to walk a trail in afternoon but it was much too hot for hunting clothes and I feared ticks if I walked in shorts. I'll wait for cooler weather to try again.

                              After consideration I think I'm still owed two bears for past damage to Camp.
                              You have to use the warm weather to look for opportunistic areas.

                              I haven't found ticks to be a big deal up there. Wear some light/summer hiking pants or gaiters.

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