# Baldwin unit



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

Anyone know the reason for so few tags available?

Seems to be a very large area to only give out 50 permits?


----------



## dewman22 (Jan 3, 2008)

One of the coolest things I ever saw in the woods while hunting was last Nov. when I was deer hunting on my land that is located about 10 miles east of Baldwin..........a bear. I was up in my climber at just about dusk, I already had deer milling around me when I heard what I at first thought were a half a dozen deer running to me, then to my surprise :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: it was Yogi. But back to your question, don't know.


----------



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

127 hits and knowbody has a theory?

I figured I could get some answers on this great bear hunters board?

50 tags?


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Timberwork, I began to post when you first started the thread, but it was going to be another negative post on MDNRE's bear management. But seeing as you are concerned enough to post again...

Regarding the low number of tags in the Baldwin BMU...it is the exact opposite of the "management" MDNRE and the NRC imposed on Drummond Island...where they had an estimated population of 4 bears, so they opted to kill of 2 of the 4 in the name of sound science. Their plan seems to be "hope a couple swim over from the mainland to rebuild bear numbers." Maybe you are better off that MDNRE doesn't impose their "Drummond Island" management process in your area. Your area, along with Red Oak are the last remaining BMU's where a good number of nice bear are to be found. This is not just an opinion...it comes from MDNRE's own data.


----------



## coyote/dave (Mar 10, 2009)

baldwin area seems to actually be managed.. probably the only bear population in this state that is..... in baldwin kill tags are ussually determined by the percentage of sows killed the previous year.. perhaps a lot of sows were killed last year... the majority of bears killed are in wexford county... as i read in another post 5 bears in the 400 -600 lb range were wounded in the same camp near where i run my hounds... bear car collisions may also be a factor... my early season scouting has produced a fair amount of tracks but haven't been seeing the big guys like i ussually have... won't know till baiting season starts and i can get my trail cams out...


----------



## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

Rooster Cogburn said:


> Your area, along with Red Oak are the last remaining BMU's where a good number of nice bear are to be found.


What is the usefulness in having a "good number of nice bear" if nobody can hunt them? I'm sure the 28 hunters that kill a bear in this 10-county BMU (with increasing occurrences of nuisance bears) are appreciative of the DNRE's quotas. However, there are thousands of other hunters who would like to hunt this BMU who are understandably frustrated with the current quota levels. The bear population in this BMU continues to increase while quotas continue to decrease. Weird. Maybe we should just set the quota at 50 for _all_ BMUs. That would almost certainly result in higher numbers of "nice bears", and the sucessful hunters would be happy as a lark. Problem solved.


----------



## coyote/dave (Mar 10, 2009)

tracker 83.... youre headed in the right direction .... reducing tags in all the BMUS will help greatly..... wasted 3 tags in my 10yr bear hunting career in the upper peninsula.... could never find a suitable bear... quit going to the U.P.... we really don't need baldwin to end up that way..


----------



## too-tallbowhtr (Mar 4, 2010)

I think it is nice to have at least one area to look forward to hunting!Leave it alone,put your time in,build points, and draw a tag and feel the reward of the hunt and the chance to shoot a true trophy Black bear.My two cents!


----------



## coyote/dave (Mar 10, 2009)

too-tall thanks for the support.... was out roading the hounds this morning... rigged 4 bears in the 1st two miles.. one track in the 400lb range...... its more of a pleasure to enjoy the fact they are around than killing one.... catch and release hunting is the only way to go...........


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

In June 2009 Ms. Humphries signed the 2009 Bear Management Plan where it clearly stated the statewide bear population was estimated to be about 19,000 bears. 7 months later, on January 28, 2010 we received a letter from MDNRE with an admission the revised bear population estimate dropped to 11,100 (excluding cubs, pre bear season). Pre bear season means before the 2009 kill season. 2,026 bears were killed in 2009. So, that further reduced the statewide population (excluding cubs) down to 9,074 bears. Based on MDNRE estimates, half of the state's bear vanished. 

In 2009 MDNRE issued 11,473 kill tags based on their estimate of about 19,000 bears in the state. With current estimate of only 9,074 bears MDNRE plans to increase the number of kill tags to over 12,000 tags for 2010 and another 12,000 plus kill tags in 2011...and the NRC endorsed it. 

There is a good chance Michigan's bear numbers can no longer be sustained in most of the state. For sure the U.P. has been grossly exploited. This is documented.

So, Timberwork you should probably feel a little better about MDNRE actually managing your bear resource in the Baldwin BMU.

Once we have a new governor in place...there needs to be some "change we can believe in."


----------



## mark49331 (Sep 26, 2009)

coyote/dave said:


> baldwin area seems to actually be managed.. probably the only bear population in this state that is..... in baldwin kill tags are ussually determined by the percentage of sows killed the previous year.. perhaps a lot of sows were killed last year... the majority of bears killed are in wexford county... as i read in another post 5 bears in the 400 -600 lb range were wounded in the same camp near where i run my hounds... bear car collisions may also be a factor... my early season scouting has produced a fair amount of tracks but haven't been seeing the big guys like i ussually have... won't know till baiting season starts and i can get my trail cams out...


 


Hey Coy/Dave,
Do you remember what the post was where you read that 5 bears were in the 400-600 lb range ? Thanks Mark


----------



## coyote/dave (Mar 10, 2009)

mark49....it was the post about bear guns...nobody responded to my post


----------



## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

coyote/dave said:


> too-tall thanks for the support.... was out roading the hounds this morning... rigged 4 bears in the 1st two miles.. one track in the 400lb range...... its more of a pleasure to enjoy the fact they are around than killing one.... catch and release hunting is the only way to go...........


Well, at least you're being honest. This really isn't a science discussion. You support keeping quotas ridiculously low because it benefits YOU as a "catch and release" hunter at the expense of those of us who would like to actually harvest a bear from the Baldwin BMU.


----------



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

It really sucks, I know of some huge bears, and I cant hunt them, I only have 7 points, 8 points after this draw. So I have atleast 2-3 more years to wait.

50 tags seems a little light? There has to be a few thousand bear in the Baldwin unit.


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Timberwork, just a suggestion...email Adam Bump at: [email protected] and ask him what they estimate the bear population is in the Baldwin BMU. He's not going to know as MDNRE now admits they cannot estimate how many bear in the Western U.P., or the Eastern U.P. because they don't have the data (see: 2008 Bear Management Plan online, its in the plan) so they lump the Western & Eastern zones together and estimate that. We have a Letter from Mr. Bump (1/28/10) stating their data does not support estimating how many bear there are in any of the BMU's. So, then ask him how they calculate how many kill tags to issue in the Baldwin BMU....and is it the same method they use in the other BMU's. If you follow up on this please post it here on the site.


----------



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

E-mail sent


----------



## coyote/dave (Mar 10, 2009)

the problem with michigan is...there is to many people in this state that think they have to kill everything just because it exists...`so if you have a problem with baldwin bmu go hunt somewhere else...every resident in this state owns the resource and we expect it to be managed wisely.. that means even us animal lovers should get the oppurtunity to enjoy the resource too... p.s. i also watch birds and pass up small bucks...keep killing everything and there won't be nothing left


----------



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

coyote/dave said:


> the problem with michigan is...there is to many people in this state that think they have to kill everything just because it exists...`so if you have a problem with baldwin bmu go hunt somewhere else...every resident in this state owns the resource and we expect it to be managed wisely.. that means even us animal lovers should get the oppurtunity to enjoy the resource too... p.s. i also watch birds and pass up small bucks...keep killing everything and there won't be nothing left


 
After I do my 1st baldwin bmu hunt after 10 years waiting, you can count on me hunting bear somewhere else, there is no freaking way I'll wait another 10 years.

There are bear running the streets of Manton,Cadilac,Traverse City, LOL!!

What do you want, as many bear as deer? I have atleast 8 bear in a little 1000 acre parcel I hunt deer.

10 counties, kill 28 bear, that doesn't add up to me.


----------



## griffondog (Dec 27, 2005)

Here is a story from Tony Hansen you should read it. We need to get the DNR some funding so we can have our wildlife managed properly.

Griff


There is almost always a story behind the story. That is very much the case regarding the controversy swirling around bear hunting regulations.
On Thursday, the Natural Resources Commission is expected to levy a decision on two options dealing with bear hunting regulations.
Option 1 would create "general" and "private land only" tags -- very similar to what's done with turkeys and deer.
Option 2 would maintain the existing system.
Unfortunately, neither of these options is really an ideal solution. Option 2 is, however, the only choice the NRC should make. Why? Because Proposal G, which passed overwhelmingly in 1996, requires that the NRC base its wildlife management decisions on the best available science. And --whether you like Option 1 or not -- there is very little science to support such a change. In fact, that's one of the reasons we've got to the point we're at.
I spent some time talking with NRC Chairman Keith Charters today. Charters, it has been widely rumored, is the brain behind Option 1. In fact, the option was not his idea.
"I honestly did not bring this option to the table. It is not my plan. It is an internal option and that's the truth," Charters said.
Charters is, however, fed up with what he perceives to be a lack of response by the DNRE to conduct a study on bears in the Red Oak unit to determine if they are a "source" population -- a population of bears that expands into other areas of the unit -- and gets a better handle on the number of bears in the area.
While Option 1 came from within the DNRE -- and that was confirmed by the Department -- Charters and Option 1 has been heavily criticized as catering to the large privately-owned hunt clubs in the area. Charters, however, claims he is only looking out for the bears.
"Look, I've been around a long time and I've seen what happens when you have a heavy concentration of critters in one area. I've seen TB, I've seen CWD. And all we could do was say 'Well, we should have done this or that,' I don't want to do that again," he said. "I've been in the club country and visited with the landowners and they are telling me that there are way too many bears. I've seen a tremendous number of bears there. I have no stake in the Turtle Lake Club -- or any other club there. I don't hunt there. I've been there to visit about three times. This isn't about that. It's about a bear population that I truly believe is not being managed properly."
The DNRE, however, says there is no evidence that supports the claims of overpopulation. Charters and other Commissioners counter that by pointing out the fact that the DNR has not conducted the study they've asked for.
There may or may not be an overabundance of bears in the area. I don't know. No one seems to know. And until we have sound science-based evidence to deteremine what the truth is, the NRC has no business endorsing a change in regulations that would impact the number of tags available to bear hunters that can't access the private land in the area (and let's face it, the landowners simply aren't going to let people in that they don't know). To approve regulations that could negatively impact a bear population that could be a source population for the unit is irresponsible.
So there are not only two sides to this story -- there's also two parties to blame. The DNRE should have conducted the study to supply the NRC with the data it needs to make a sound decision. And the NRC should not be making ANY decisions without the proper science.
So here's what MUCC thinks should happen on Thursday. The NRC should adopt Option 2 -- but it should also issue a mandate that the bear study be conducted so that both parties have better data to work with. Perhaps the area truly does need revamped regulations to increase the harvest on private lands. Or maybe there truly is no overabundance. Perhaps the population is a source population and a change in Unit boundaries is needed.
The fact of the matter is that no one really knows. And trying to make a decision now is simply not acceptable. It's bordering on childish really.
I understand the DNRE has faced tremendous cuts in budget, funding and staffing. Trust me, I know how that works. But after 6-7 years of requests by the NRC for better data, they should have made an effort to accomodate the NRC before it got to this point.
And the NRC should not even be considering Option 1. It does not have the science it needs --and is required under Proposal G. No matter the reason why they lack that data, the fact remains that it's not there and they have no business even considering this option.
Both sides MUST do better. There is too much at stake. The hunting community deserves better. The bear population deserves better.


----------



## RML (Apr 24, 2009)

Hi Guys

I live here in Baldwin. The bears are in dumpsters, getting hit by cars a couple every year. Demolishing bird feeders. Running thru down town, running thru my parking lot. One of my customers was grouled at last week by something in the bushes down by the bird feeder.There is no shortage of Bears. The DNRE could give out 50 tags just for Lake and Newyago counties another 50 for Wexford and Manistee so on and so forth for the 10 county Baldwin managment unit. Only half or less of the tags would be filled. We just need a bunch of problem Bears or some people to be attacked for them to wake up. The only thing that is good, is it is like getting a trophy tag because we have some BIG ARS BEARS around here. They are under hunted for sure.

Back before the baiting ban on Deer I had Bears wiping out carrots faster than the deer could get to them. I knew it was one days before I saw him, a 350 to 400 lb. big boy. He was eating a bag a day in one sitting. I would spread the bag out and the next day it looked like someone picked them all up and put them back in a bag a carried them out. No nibbles, no ends bit off, no crumbs anywhere. I had baited Bears and Deers for years.You could say a Master Baiter Ha ha...I knew what was going on with those carrots...

Here's a story: We had a sow named Annie here in Newyago County that lived on a friend of mine Grandma's farm vanicinity. She was a radio collar sow and had more cubs than any Bear the DNR knew of. She averaged 3 cubs a year for several years then, 2 cubs a year for several more. I believe( story has it) she as poached by some bow hunters.Then they( the bow hunters) were caught up with after stealing my buddys 6 point,when he went for help to drag it out. They looked in the guys quiver and matched up the arrows to the Bear that was poached( I guessed the arrow was still in the Bear). My buddies 6 point was long gone from the camp and they never caught up with it, but It did lead to the arrest of a Bear poacher.. The End..

To bad they don't let more people try to hunt for them here. Problem is there is no hard numbers. This state really need to make it manditory to check in all big game. In Missouri where I hunt some and most all of my family lives. If you don't have your big game animal checked in by 10 P.M. you are a poacher and will be delt with like one. They have a really cool automated system over the phone and I taged them and checked in both my deer before I left the field last year. It is the same for Turkeys down there. Our DNRE would rather guess or estimate than use real numbers. Back in the day our DNR would at least ask for all the tags from Deer processors not anymore. Why would you not want all the real #'s to support your theories. Because it is more fun to make the crap up I guess..

I have a really good camp I go to for Bear in Qubec around $ 2000( lodging & Meals) + transportation and lic. for a full week of Bear Hunting on 95,000 acres they lease from the Qubec goverment , Pike , and Walleye French cooking and in the middle of flippen no where with big Bear's too and the hunt is from the last week in May to the 3 rd week in June. The Spring hunt will not interfere with Spring Steelhead season or Spring Turkey season or any of your Fall hunting or Salmon season.The only bummer is all the blood suckers fling around. A full bug suite is a must.. Thanks for reading 

Clint


----------



## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

coyote/dave said:


> the problem with michigan is...there is to many people in this state that think they have to kill everything just because it exists...`so if you have a problem with baldwin bmu go hunt somewhere else...every resident in this state owns the resource and we expect it to be managed wisely.. that means even us animal lovers should get the oppurtunity to enjoy the resource too... p.s. i also watch birds and pass up small bucks...keep killing everything and there won't be nothing left


Kill everything? Who in this thread is advocating killing off the bear population in this BMU? Great job constructing a strawman there... My opinion is that the bear population in the Baldwin BMU could sustain a harvest quota 2x or even 3x as large as it is today and still maintain a viable population of bear. Again - only my opinion.

And yes, every resident of the state owns these bears - even us evil bear killers. And I also agree that the resource should be managed wisely. Harvesting animals is an integral part in the management of any game animal.

P.S. your argument had a little more validity when you admitted that you like the low quotas because it benifits YOU personally as a "catch and release" hunter. Your argument further eroded when you decided to take a stance AGAINST the killing of bears... in a bear hunting forum.


----------



## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

RML said:


> I live here in Baldwin. The bears are in dumpsters, getting hit by cars a couple every year. Demolishing bird feeders. Running thru down town, running thru my parking lot. One of my customers was grouled at last week by something in the bushes down by the bird feeder.There is no shortage of Bears. The DNRE could give out 50 tags just for Lake and Newyago counties another 50 for Wexford and Manistee so on and so forth for the 10 county Baldwin managment unit. Only half or less of the tags would be filled. We just need a bunch of problem Bears or some people to be attacked for them to wake up. The only thing that is good, is it is like getting a trophy tag because we have some BIG ARS BEARS around here. They are under hunted for sure.


Clint, the low quota advocates think that we need to sit back and accept the nuisance bears because it enhances _their_ personal pursuits. I would wager a guess that if you added up the residents in the BMU who are fed up with nuisance bears and added the hunters who would like to actually kill a bear :SHOCKED: they would outnumber the "catch and release" hunters by at least 100:1 and maybe even 1000:1. Remember, we are managing a resource that is owned by everybody...

This discussion reminds me of 80's deer management in Michigan. For a long time the state managed the deer herd so that there would be a "deer behind every tree". Hunters were thrilled. It didn't take long and the population exploded to 2 million animals, and with it came a huge increase in car deer crashes, habitat destruction, "nuisance" deer (browsing of landscaping, etc.), disease in the herd, and crop damage. It was then that the DNR realized that they need to manage the herd with all of the residents of the state in mind - not just a certain group of hunters.




RML said:


> We had a sow named Annie here in Newyago County...


I am very familiar with Annie. I had the privilege of helping Larry Visser take measurements from her and fasten a new collar around her neck after the DNR trapped and tranquilized her on our property (along with several other bear that summer). I am intimately familiar with the large population of bear in that area - mostly due to Ms. Annie. Maybe after another 10 years of applying I might get to actually hunt on my own property. In the meantime we'll continue to hunt with the camera and get even more pictures of the dozens of bear in our immediate vicinity...

As an aside, I believe that the purpose for the DNRE is keeping the quotas low is not to appease the trophy hunters, or the non-hunting bear watchers, or even the "catch and release" hunters. But instead, the purpose is to aid in the continued southward progression of the bear herd. Just a guess.


----------



## Wildcatdad (Dec 24, 2009)

I have never hunted bear in Michigan. I am working on my points. I live in the Baldwin unit. Yes we have alot of bears. Thats my opinion and not based on anything other than the presence of bear sign and knowing the success percentage of my buddies. I read a study once that stated adult boars are the biggest predator of younger bears. So if we did not hunt any bears there would be more boars and they would take care of the population. If we take out these mature bears there is a healthy population and a recreational activity. The state just has to figure out the happy medium, how many is not too many. Removing 50-75 bears across this large of an area I would think is less than too many (taking into account tagged, wounded and unfilled tags). I believe more bears could be taken without damage to the population. This being said if the amount of extra bears taken are sows we are not helping the bears. My theory-put a size limit (they do it elsewhere) and give more tags.


----------



## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

Sows have cubs "every other year". That sow would average one bear per year. A very good sow. Survival of cubs are somewere between 50-80%. Sow bears come in heat for the first time at 3 or 4 years old. So if the sow lived until 14 years old she would have produced around 12 cubs. I may not be right in the case of that sow...but now you can see the reason for letting bear populations mature. 

Age 4, age 6, age 8, age 10, age 12, age 14

50% sow age four sow would produce 2 cubs, age 6 sow would produce 2 cubs.

Total providing no one killed them would be around 16 cubs.

If you think about this scenario with deer....the exponential growth would be staggering!


----------



## GVDocHoliday (Sep 5, 2003)

Here is a story written by my future father-in-law about his experience hunting bear in Lake Co Public land. Mind you, he is not a bear hunter, I am not a bear hunter, his daughter is not a bear hunter...he just has been putting in for tags for 10 years and finally drew. He has no desire to ever hunt bears again, since for him, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and there is no way in his mind that he could ever exceed the joy that this experience brought him:

*So I want to be a Bear Hunter*
By Don Armstrong

So I wanna be a bear hunter. I have never seen a wild bear. How do you find em?
This is the story about my foray into bear hunting. The points I have been accumulating over the years for a coveted Michigan Lower Peninsula hunt finally paid off this year; 2009.. I drew a permit for the Baldwin Management Unit. My daughter Jandin and her Loverboy Bryan Miller live 20 minutes from the town of Baldwin at Walhalla Shores in Branch. Jandin works for Jason Lloyd of the Boyer Insurance Agency in Baldwin, and always talks up the hunter types she meets. Terry was a customer that had seen a bear recently. He offered to show us where it crossed the road. My 15 year old nephew Jaxson Butler headed north with me to meet up with Bryan and Terry in Baldwin. We arrived a little earlier so we could fill up a couple of storage bins with some discarded restaurant oil to use as bait. Bryan and Jandin came right on schedule as Jandin was being dropped off at work. We met up with Terry at the VFW just north of US 10 and proceeded north and east to the SW side of a huge swamp. The Baldwin-Luther swamp looks to be about 2-3 miles wide and 5 miles long. After some scouting Bryan pinpointed a great spot to set up on. An up-rooted Cedar stump about 11 yards from 3 Cedar trees that would conceal our ladder and loc-on stands. The spot is on a narrow side of a 50yd long hump of high ground, surrounded by a tall swamp of grass and reeds. This spot would give us seclusion when walking in and its the kind of stuff we were told that bear like to bed in, wet and thick. Bryan began to dig a spot for bait and instructed Jaxson and I to build a log barrier out of fallen trees. They should be stacked on top of each other to form a log wall. You make 2 walls, with the wide side facing toward your stand to make a V shape. The bait is put on the inside narrowest spot. This will force the bear to be in a good shooting position facing away from you. In addition to using the cooking oil I had an assortment of stuff from the freezer and pantry. My wife Ruth Ann and her mom Norma Jean and Mary a sister donated old meat and canned goods. I bought some bulk bread sold as animal feed and my mainstay food source was given to me by Michigan Protein Co. of Cedar Springs. Joe and Joe Senior came through for me in a BIG way. They contributed 14-40lb. Blocks of palm oil, a transfat used by the cereal industry. These made for a fairly long lasting base over which we would dump the other stuff. I had also asked for some old pastries and stuff from the large local grocery chain stores but they claimed it was against their policy and so they just throw it out. After placing the bait, Bryan wanted more logs to cover it up, that way you can return a few days later to see if you had visitors. It takes big visitors to move the logs to get to the bait. If they are pushed away you have bear. Now picture this. We were doing all of this on a hot and intermittingly rainy day. Jaxson and I were hauling the logs that were stuck in the swamp muck with fungus on them and now on us. Plus, I had given Jaxson some black leather gloves to use which became soaked. He removed his gloves to wipe the sweat and rain from his face. He didnt realize he was wiping the black dye from the gloves onto his face. We got quite a laugh  It looked like we were having our first visit by Mr. black bear!

Next we drove 40 minutes north to an area by Pine Lake near Brethren where Bryan grew up. A friend of his saw a bear there. We loaded up my plastic bike cart with bait and made bait station #2. Afterwards in the jeep headed back to Baldwin it hit me, it finally felt like bear hunting! Now we would wait for bear to come to us and sure enough Bryan checked the spots baited a few days later and both had been hit. Between Bryan and Jandin they kept delivering bait about every other day. Bryan set up his trail cam at site #1 and kept sending out cool pictures of quite a few different bears, sows and cubs and medium to large boars. Now that the calendar reads September 3rd we have to ask ourselves some questions. Should I start another bait station in case these go bad? When is the best time to put up a ladder and loc-on stand? Is it safe to put stands on federal land or will someone find it and steal it?
Bryan reports to me that there is no sign of activity lately at bait station #2 as of September 8th. I headed up to bait the Baldwin site and check out the Pine Lake site on Friday Sept. 11th. Nothing was happening at Pine Lake so I decided to try a spot on some county land right by Walhalla Shores. I put the bait and my big game ladder stand on my cart and walked in about 500 yards from the road, crossed a creek and set up a new bait station and stand. It was a lot of work but I figured Bryan or Jandin could deer hunt out of it if no bear came there. 
I then traveled back to bait station #1. All the bait was gone at the Baldwin bait-site so I called Jandin at work and told her that I had a negative vibe, that the bear was tired of our continued presence and had hauled all the bait off to eat. She reassured my troubled psyche by indicating that more bear are visiting the site and consuming more. Bryan also would call later to say that his DNR friend says that bear are really trying to add fat and will consume up to 20,000 calories a day now. The joke going around was that I thought Yogi and Boo Boo packed up all of the bait in their picnic baskets and took it away Ha Ha Ha.

On September 14th Bryan emailed us trail-cam pictures of a sow and a cub and a couple boars feeding there yesterday. The plan is to put out bait for the last time on Wednesday the 16th. My hunting season starts on Friday the 18th. Thursday the 17th Bryan would come down to my house in Sand Lake and I would videotape him bow hunting during the early antlerless season.
Now I am beginning to get a little un-nerved, the reality of facing off at close range with an animal that has eaten people was bringing a little tension from fear and doubt into my mind. Could I do it? Or would I cower in its presence?
Luckily I quit playing the negative mind games overnight and I was now eager to get the hunt on! The 17th came and went without Bryan getting a doe close enough to shoot. We saw many deer though and it was a nice primer for tomorrow.

Opening day for my bear hunt was another in a string of warm sunny days. Jandin was going to sit with me and videotape my hunt. We decided to not go out into the stand until her normal baiting time of 10-11 am. The bear we were targeting was coming in to our bait around 5:00 pm fairly regularly. We took the stand around 11:45 am. It was a long uneventful sit except for the pretty woods and the hot sun. Finally at 6:30 pm a mid-size bear came in. It stopped to eat on a transfat block at about 5 yards, too close to for me to shoot at from my sitting position. The block had been pulled away from the bait pile and although I was directed by Bryan to return it and cover the bait with logs I didnt because I was in a hurry to get on stand and I didnt want to make any noise in case a bear was nearby. I should have listened. The bear seemed to act a little antsy and kept looking back at the direction it came from, finally running away up the trail we arrived on.
At 7:00 pm another bear came along following on the same trail as the first, this was a little larger bear I would estimate at 250 lbs. It went all the way into the main bait and gave me a perfect shot position, so I slowly raised the bow from my lap and pointed down at the bear and pulled back the string. My bow made a squeaky noise just as I came to full draw. The bear instantly looked over his shoulder at me, I just continued to sight my pin on to his vitals while noticing his right front leg was moving backwards. As soon as my aiming was complete I squeezed the trigger on my free flight release. The shot looked good and the bear exploded over logs in a wild dash. I watched it run about 70 yards and stop and then lunge forward. It ruffeled up the ferns as it disappeared. I thought he went down there, but he didnt. My daughter had it on tape and we were able to see what happened when we checked it out in slow motion. As soon as the leg going back touched the ground the bear rotated his shoulders toward me in order to turn and leave. At the same instant my shot was released. My arrow hit squarely on the big shoulder bone, which was now covering and protecting the vital organs. We found the arrow and the Rocky Mountain Snyper Broadhead was broke off at the insert. Feeling defeat was a tough pill to swallow for me, Jandin and Bryan.
The next morning I climbed into the stand just after daylight. My camera girl was going to Traverse City to help her mom with a WOW expo event while Bryan was at work as a Ranger at Ludington State Park. I hunted until 10:00 am and saw nothing. At 2:30pm I came back to hunt again for my Saturday night sit. At 6:10 pm I heard something approaching from my left. The sun was bright in my face so I looked down. The bear sounded like it was moving away so then I looked up to peek, it was, but then it turned and made a circle around back to my bait. I had placed 3 small logs on the bait because Bryan thought the bear would have to remove them to eat. The distraction would allow me to draw without the bear hearing my squeaky bow. Instead, the bear climbed up the logs we had piled there already and stepped down beside the logs I had just put there. One of the logs ran right across the middle of the bears body and I didnt like the shot. I decided I could aim just above the log and lifted my bow off of my lap. Just as I got it pointed down for the draw the bear decided that a couple of bites was enough and backed up a step and crawled over the logs to leave. I was bewildered at my second chance walking away. I drew back and luckily after about eight or ten yards he stopped in a spot that gave me a clear shot. I quickly released the arrow and watched it bury into his side right up to my bright pink fletchings. The bear burst forward and ran the ridge around me and I heard a crash just after it got out of sight. I was cautiously optimistic that the bear was down but I still didnt feel like rushing over to check. So I called Bryan who told me to wait for him to come and help me. He grabbed his lantern and the milk-jug gallons of water I had in his freezer, and drove to my site. I knew it would take Bryan a while so I walked back to the jeep and stored my hunting gear and backed my trailer onto a depression to allow easier loading of the bear. I took my pull cart off it and loaded the 20 gauge for tracking. Bryan came and we traveled back to the scene of the shot. Bryan wanted to track from the beginning instead of starting where I last saw the bear. It took a little time to unravel the trail even though the bear covered the whole distance in seconds. There was good blood and we got so immersed in following the trail that Bryan was only a few feet away when he seemed to just appear. He was big and his long thick hair was pitch black and looked like he had just been groomed.. BEAR DOWN!
Bryan offered to tackle the gut job and I gladly accepted. It took a while and the smell wasnt as bad as Bryan had expected. It had a honey-sweet scent instead(rolleyes). Now the hard part - getting it out. We positioned the bear on its back, so that the hind end was up near the handle of the cart and the head dangled over the seat. We secured it with a couple of tie-downs. I didnt think the small axle would hold. We pulled and pushed the cart over logs, hills and across muck but after 450 yards, and about 10 rest stops we made it. At the next to the last stop, when we got to the easy pulling, we set the cart down so I could catch my breath. Bryan looked at me and said This is probably a great time for me to ask you something important, considering youre fairly exhausted, oxygen depleted, and may not be thinking straight can I have your permission to marry your daughter? Without hesitation I answered Heck Yes! Welcome to the family and gave him a high five.
Then we continued to pull the cart the rest of the way and up a makeshift ramp onto the trailer, secured it with a couple ratchet straps and headed to Walhalla Shores.
The next day I took the bear to be officially processed at Shaffers Sport Shop in Cadillac, the friendly owner checks the weight (290 lbs field dressed), takes out a tooth and registers pertinent information for the DNR. There were 4 bears there all at once and he had his hands full. The area is a tourist destination and many onlookers stopped by for a peek at the bears. My wife Ruth Ann and my daughter Jandin and daughter in law Clare met me there from their Traverse City weekend to see the bear and get some pictures. I then headed south to the processors, then further south to the taxidermist where I would have a full mount done.







What I learned

I learned that having help was a huge asset.
Beginners can be stifled at different times.
I got help on what area to bait and how to pick a good location to set up the bait.
I got help on how to set up the bait pile
I got pumped up with constant feedback from my helpers and their trail-cam
I got help baiting, very other day Bryan and Jandin would take more bait out
I got help video taping 
I got help gutting and dragging
I even got a place to stay from my help

I also learned that if you have a lot of bear visiting your bait youll have a better chance to see a bear
I also learned that when hunting bear you dont need special potions or to think too hard about when to hunt. The trail cam showed large bear concistently showing up early evening. So if you get there a couple of hours early and nap, that should work. Those marathon sits are too tough on the buns!

So I would sum it up by saying if you find a good location and dont allow the bait to run out and stay well concealed the odds are good that Mr. Black Bear will come to visit. Also bear hunting is a costly adventure. Here is a quick run down of my costs:

2 ladderstands from Dunhams---$180.00.
Bait (bread from Whites) ---$17.00
Gas for 4 trips ---$100.00
Food for me and my baiters---$55.00
Batteries, gloves and boots---$63.00
Bear license fees---$17.00
Pictures---$15.00
meat processor---$75.00
Taxidermist---$900.00


----------



## Timberwork (Jun 18, 2010)

E-mail sent:

What is the estimated bear population in the Baldwin BMU? Im curious on why there are so few tags issued each year.

Thank you,

Response:

We do not estimate bear populations at the BMU level. We generate estimates at the ecoregional level- such as the northern lower peninsula. Hunter effort trends and other data are used to monitor the bear population at the BMU level.

Licenses are issued based on ecoregional population goals as well as by examining a variety of factors such as hunter effort, hunter success, nuisance complaints, the input from stakeholders and other agencies. License numbers are issued to maintain bears at the desired levels. The number of licenses issued in the Baldwin area are based on all of these factors. While relatively few licenses may be issued in Baldwin, the success rates are higher in that area than most other BMUs.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Adam Bump
Bear and Furbearer Specialist
DNRE- Wildlife Division
[email protected] 


Im still saying there are WAY to many bear in the Baldwin bmu to only issue 50 tags? Im thinking 500 tags 200+ dead bears a year and you still wouldn't notice a difference.


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Timberwork,

Thanks very much for posting Mr. Bumps response. If that's Mr. Bumps method for doing a bear population census no wonder he cannot explain where half the state's bear went.


----------



## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks for posting the response. I could comment...:lol::lol::lol::help:


----------



## mark49331 (Sep 26, 2009)

Timberwork said:


> It really sucks, I know of some huge bears, and I cant hunt them, I only have 7 points, 8 points after this draw. So I have atleast 2-3 more years to wait.
> 
> 50 tags seems a little light? There has to be a few thousand bear in the Baldwin unit.


I doubt that there are a few thousand in the Baldwin unit[maybe I'm wrong] but if there is even one thousand in this 10 county area 50 tags/60 last year/and 70 a couple years ago is still very low given the DNR's own admission that Blackbears in the lower penninsula including baldwin area are reproducing at younger ages and having more cubs per litter hence we would have a noticable increase in the population which people in these area's are saying we DO have.........Same boat here Timber I have 7 points now/8 after this draw.
Its pretty sad that in 07 my buddy drew with 7 points and then 08 you had to have 8-a few with 7 also drew and in 09 you had to have 9 and a few with 8 also drew.......
At this rate we might not be drawing in 2 to 3 years it might take another 5 years with all the hunters now switching from other units they were originally going to hunt to hunt the only MANAGED/OVER-MANAGED BMU in the state...........at this point just keep racking up points !!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

This is just a thought.. A considerable number of folks that apply for a bear tag each year are deer hunters.. And a considerable number of deer hunters as evidenced in the deer hunting forum and just through random conversations complain at the lack of trophy animals frequenting our woods.. So these folks call for rule changes MAR, EAB etc etc

So in the Baldwin unit we essentially have what could be described as a trophy unit that essentially gives one with a tag the opportunity to shoot a world class animal, what so many folks that hunt deer yearn for.. This trophy potential for the unit could be a result of the tag structure and thus allowing a larger percentage of the bear population to grow older.. Yet folks want to get their slice of the pie and increase the number of tags which over time "may" decrease the success ratio and trophy potential of the unit and thus eliminating the good thing we presently have..


----------



## griffondog (Dec 27, 2005)

The last data I've seen on the Lower pennisula bear population is only around 2000 bears. 

If we don't get off our wallets and get the DNR some funding for research so we know whats going on it's only going to get worse. We need field staff on the ground in the woods. Not paper pushers looking at computer models setting our harvest numbers and setting seasons.

In my opinion if changes are not made in the near future on funding for the DNR were in deep trouble. 

Griff


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Griff,

I'm in total agreement with you on the need for funding some quality bear management instead of the creative stuff going on currently. 

Several months ago I emailed NRC Commissioner J.R. Richardson asking if the NRC could support adopting a bear baiting permit system similar to Idaho's. A bear baiting permit is $12.00 in Idaho. You get 3 bear bait tags complete with an ID number. The permits could easily be printed out same as bobcat tags. I also provided suggestions such as...only the permit holder is allowed to set-up and actively hunt at the bait site. I stated in my email, with support from the NRC we would seek support from sportsmen's groups then pursue legislation. Naturally, we would pursue language earmarking the revenue soley for bear management & enforcement of bear regs. Mr. Richardson emailed back saying he would look into it...never heard from him on it after that. Most all folks who bear hunt bait. Seemed like a reasonable way to increase revenue.


As for Mr. Bump's creative method of guessing how many bears there are in the newly invented "ecoregions," why do we even have BMU's when MDNRE is unable to determine how many bears there are in them? You cannot manage at the BMU
level if you do not know how many bears there are. Obviously, the folks living in the Baldwin BMU have a right to question the tag allocation.


----------



## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

I know very little about the Baldwin unit. That is a fact. I do understand the Baraga BMU very well. Imagine the frustration of almost always getting a tag and watching the population plummet since 2006! The chances of a decent bear in my neck of the woods....almost none! The tiny bear harvested by hunters weighed in the round at 100 pounds or less makes one ill. You very well may need an increase in tags...but remember it takes years to grow a bear and years to get one to reproduce. I really doubt if Baldwin bear are unique in their reproductive potential. Only one problem bear can cause lots of damage. Bear unlike deer will not overpopulate. The studies done over the past few decades prove that. Ask the MDNRE about the very bad bear on Drummond Island last spring......Why? Drummond has the least amount of bear per square mile of any BMU in the state.....One bear caused thousands in damage....and guess how it was dealt with:yikes:


----------



## GVDocHoliday (Sep 5, 2003)

Exactly. Bear do not over populate...they are very territorial and prefer large unfragmented landscapes, but they do adapt.

This is why bear are now being found in southern Newaygo and northern Kent Counties. Males will travel a hundred miles to establish a new home territory...especially juveniles...and these are your typical nuisance bears. 2-3 year old males who have been kicked out of their home-range by the dominate male in the area. 

The bear population in North west lower MI is healthy and disease free. Could the population withstand another 50 tags issued? Probably. However there are really only a few areas in the entire NW lower MI that has a good population of bears that get nearly 90% of the hunting pressure. Double the human presence and double the bait stations and you'll see the harvest numbers plummet from what they are now. So in th DNR's mind...we can double the number of tags, but also at the same time lower the number of bears killed totally throwing a wrench in the management plan. 

There comes an apex where too much of a good thing is counter productive. Now if they were to split the Baldwin Unit into 3 units...well that may something to focus on. Because just increasing the tags will just increase pressure in a very small area of the Baldwin unit.


----------



## griffondog (Dec 27, 2005)

Rooster

I'm not just worried about bear. My concerns are about all game species in this state. When all the research being done now is funded outside the Dnr we have a problem. We need upland bird studies done, furbearer work. Take any game animal and I'm sure funding for habitat and research projects are hurting.

Now I'm going to stick up for the biologists we do have working now. I haven't met one yet who I didn't think cared about what he's doing and wanted to do the best job possible. They do the best they can with the funding they have and data. How would you like to have to tell a person you have no data for there area on a game population. You can only manage a game species numbers on a statewide model. That must suck! I went to school to be a biologist and instead of doing research I sit in a office all day using old computer models. Adam takes the heat but he's doing what he can with the funding he has and the date. Plus he has to sell the company position.

Griff


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

I appreciate your position on the subject Griff. I also agree on the need for revenue to manage all the other game species in this state. Unfortunately, none of the biologists have stepped up to the plate and admitted they do not have the funding to adequately manage. If they had...our efforts would have taken a totally different track. We would have focused on our state representatives and worked on getting support for MDNRE funding with sportsmens groups across the state. Instead we had to wade through data, make FOIA requests and prove bear numbers are way down. MDNRE biologists are still in denial in spite of the fact we now know the estimated statewide bear population (excluding cubs) is at about 9,074 bears.

If I was responsible for managing the state's black bear and did not have the funding to do my job I would clearly state the facts even if it cost me my job. Unfortunately there are not many men around who 
take a strong stand on anything these days.


----------



## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I have to agree with griffon. I know a few DNR bios' and quite a few other personel. They all give us their absolute best. Often they dont agree with the party line.

In this area I believe management is working fine. Population is near correct and stable.


----------



## tallbear (May 18, 2005)

Rooster Cogburn said:


> Unfortunately, none of the biologists have stepped up to the plate and admitted they do not have the funding to adequately manage.



That statement tells me you know nothing of what you're talking about. You need to quit making things up to "make to sound" like you know what you're talking about.


----------



## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Let me know specifically what area/areas you are challenging me on and I will email you the documentation.


----------



## tallbear (May 18, 2005)

Rooster Cogburn said:


> Let me know specifically what area/areas you are challenging me on and I will email you the documentation.



Please re-read post #38. It would be the highlighter area (quote) just above my statement.


----------

