Baiting Bears in NY

[Five Seasons]

A recent podcast on bear hunting I listened to got me thinking more about this. We all know that baiting bears is illegal in NY. Most of us know that most bears are taken by opportunistic hunters. Meaning, you're out deer hunting and a bear wanders by. That's not to say spot and stalk or tree stand bear hunting is impossible or doesn't happen, but I believe many of us would agree that it's the big horn hunting equivalent of the east. It's one of, if not the hardest types of hunts there is, heck NY gives you a free bear tag lol.

Many states (take Arkansas for example) have not met their harvest quotas and recently remedied this by allowing baiting. 

With our bear population growing and spreading I'm wondering if there are any organizations out there pushing to change these laws or is it a fools errand? Is the biggest obstacle the fact that our fall bear hunt coincides with deer and regulating bear baiting vs deer would be impossible, or is it the animal rights groups? Or something else?

thanks all

[ATbuckhunter]

As far as I know there are none that are pushing for bear baiting. Like you said, they're mostly a target of opprotunity by deer hunters. A lot of people pass bear becuase they don't want to deal with them, so I think baiting is needed. We dont really have a bear hunting culture like they do in PA. The only thing good that we have is a very long bear season, but it doesnt help when people arent really targeting them much

[dbHunterNY]

it would draw too many questions with DEC about baiting bears while not allowing baiting for deer. people do fairly well with dogs going after bears. i have yet to see one. i don't think they're that overpopulated yet to expect any drastic changes.

[airedale]

27 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

people do fairly well with dogs going after bears

There was a time when Bears could be hunted with Dogs in NY. The first Governor Cuomo who was in bed with the animal rights groups put an end to that, Dogs are still allowed to be trained to run and tree Bears but no shooting.

As for baiting it is a common method for hunting them in many places,  I would have no problem with it personally as long as the numbers held up.

Al

Edited September 9, 2019 by airedale

[Al Bundy]

I wonder how pizza fed bear tastes compared to corn fed bear. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

I would absolutely love it if we could bait bears in September. No deer season then so baiting deer isn’t an issue


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[Five Seasons]

49 minutes ago, airedale said:

There was a time when Bears could be hunted with Dogs in NY. The first Governor Cuomo who was in bed with the animal rights groups put an end to that, Dogs are still allowed to be trained to run and tree Bears but no shooting.

As for baiting it is a common method for hunting them in many places,  I would have no problem with it personally as long as the numbers held up.

Al

 

26 minutes ago, The Jerkmann said:

interestingly i've talked to fellow hunters around our camp and not one seems to have an issue with anyone baiting a bear, but deer? oh man haha. So yeah I think it's common. I don't think many would lose their shit either, but I prefer to do things the right way. Currently I'm using a honey pot which is gray area in and of itself. 

[dbHunterNY]

1 hour ago, airedale said:

There was a time when Bears could be hunted with Dogs in NY. The first Governor Cuomo who was in bed with the animal rights groups put an end to that, Dogs are still allowed to be trained to run and tree Bears but no shooting.

As for baiting it is a common method for hunting them in many places,  I would have no problem with it personally as long as the numbers held up.

Al

ooohhh... makes sense. hear of them getting tree'd not during the season but during is usually somewhere else.

[dbHunterNY]

31 minutes ago, Al Bundy said:

I wonder how pizza fed bear tastes compared to corn fed bear. 

nothing compared ones fed with Marsh mellows, old breakfast cereal, grazed donuts, and whoopie pies. lol that's what i've heard anyway... that the diabetic ones are tasty.

[G-Man]

I'd much prefer a spring season

[WNYBuckHunter]

13 minutes ago, G-Man said:

I'd much prefer a spring season

Same here. We get them living around our place during the spring and summer, and then they seem to disappear late summer and into fall. Maybe a baited spring season would be the best option. It wouldnt affect deer hunting/baiting laws in any way.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I honestly thing thee baiting could be pretty easily regulated for the bears. Stay away form the foods a deer would eat and you'd be good. bread products, bacon grease and meat. 

[G-Man]

59 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I honestly thing thee baiting could be pretty easily regulated for the bears. Stay away form the foods a deer would eat and you'd be good. bread products, bacon grease and meat. 

I've seen deer eat fish, frogs and popcorn.. I think early  spring season boars only baited , and they have best coats early spring

[Robhuntandfish]

In some states that bait you have to register your baiting site and mark it with your info and they only allow so many per sq mile. That could cert be done here.  

[Pygmy]

I would be all for a baiting season....I have no desire to shoot a bear for their meat or their pelt, but they are a pain in the ass on the property....I'll kill one if I see one  during season just to get rid  of the SOB... I don't want to waste good meat, so I have talked to a couple of guys who would take the pelt and the meat, if I should shoot one...

[Nytracker]

Back a few years ago I was given a bear roast  told to treat it as lean beef . We pressure cooked it like a pot roast . It was good . 

[G-Man]

17 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

I would be all for a baiting season....I have no desire to shoot a bear for their meat or their pelt, but they are a pain in the ass on the property....I'll kill one if I see one  during season just to get rid  of the SOB... I don't want to waste good meat, so I have talked to a couple of guys who would take the pelt and the meat, if I should shoot one...

The pelt is quite valuable.. the queen needs it for her guards hats

..

[G-Man]

1 minute ago, Nytracker said:

Back a few years ago I was given a bear roast  told to treat it as lean beef . We pressure cooked it like a pot roast . It was good . 

Key is proper.care and removing all the fat.. that is time consuming

[rachunter]

I'm heading up this weekend to give it a shot.Theres a few wondering around by me mostly down by my beaver pond.I'd like to get one with my muzzle loader.I've taken a few with the bow there pretty good eats if cooked right.

I've seen this one in my yard a few times even while shooting my guns.

[G-Man]

10 hours ago, rachunter said:

I'm heading up this weekend to give it a shot.Theres a few wondering around by me mostly down by my beaver pond.I'd like to get one with my muzzle loader.I've taken a few with the bow there pretty good eats if cooked right.

I've seen this one in my yard a few times even while shooting my guns.

Beaver is a favorite of bear!!

[crappyice]

Beaver is a favorite of bear!!

Which makes sitting over a bait pile in wary September with the wind in your face a lovely experience. That beaver caster is some tough stuff.
If NY was to have a baited season for bear it would beer to be outside of deer similar to Maine’s seasons to prevent “cross baiting”


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[G-Man]

1 hour ago, crappyice said:

Which makes sitting over a bait pile in wary September with the wind in your face a lovely experience. That beaver caster is some tough stuff.
If NY was to have a baited season for bear it would beer to be outside of deer similar to Maine’s seasons to prevent “cross baiting”


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Again spring seaon in april with. BAit makes perfect sense..

Edited September 10, 2019 by G-Man

[The_Real_TCIII]

Sign me up for a April Spring Bear Season!  Is there even a remote possibility that the DEC would consider this?

Zero. A bear could kill Cuomo and it wouldn’t be considered


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[Nytracker]

5 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

Zero. A bear could kill Cuomo and it wouldn’t be considered


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One could hope .....  for a spring season that is .

[rachunter]

I think the bears are sticking around for the beaver pond and this year the berries are all over from my road all the way back to the pond. I know something eat most of the rye grass in my little food plots.


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