# Why third season has such low success



## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

For instance, Newberry 39 percent first season, 33 percent second season, 13 percent success for third season. For Carney and gwinn difference is even more severe.


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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

I think that as well as fewer bears hunters who have less points invested aren't as committed to hunting for their bear.. 

Bowhunting deer in late Oct first week of November we see bear pretty much most years we hunted in the UP. We also saw lots of dog hunters that last few hunting days of October.. Always roading the dogs without the dogs striking where we had seen bear a quarter of a mile in from the road..

It just takes more time and it cuts into guys deer hunting so I think that they don't want to trade one for the other..


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Also, the smaller bears tend to head for the dens in early October.


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## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

In addition to the reasons posted, some of the 3rd season licenses are sold to deer hunters who pick one up just in case a bear shows up at their deer bait.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

I thought about the point of third season hunters not being as committed.

I also thought about the combined impact of hunting pressure both bait and hound over the last several weeks. Much like deer. Im sure many of these bears have been bumped around by other hunters, went nocturnal, got smartened, or just got more alert. All this on top of the fact that there are more third season hunters than first and second combined.

On a related note if you do have a guide you might be hunting the same bait sites that first and second season hunters have been into and even killed and dragged out bear on. That might make the big bear more cautious around that site.

Another lesser issue I thought of is bear getting habituated on the baits of others unless you as a third season hunter start baiting at the same time. Then again, there are probably a lot of bait stations going dormant as first and second season hunters pull chalks.

But then since there are more third season hunters there are more baits to compete with.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

There are less bears later in the season plus more bears in hibernation.


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## MAP1 (Oct 3, 2010)

Bears Appetite decreases late season


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Another reason for the bait hunters. Cover is greatly reduced and bears which are smart are more likely to visit baits after dark if at all.


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## youp50 (Jan 14, 2011)

Nostromo said:


> Another reason for the bait hunters. Cover is greatly reduced and bears which are smart are more likely to visit baits after dark if at all.


Bears close to den sights and metabolism is slowing, bold young bears are dead, timid surviving bears nocturnal all are contributing factors.

That being said, the third season offers the best option to hunt bears, every year. Pick a zone in the UP. Pick a partner. Pick a camp sight. Bring your bow and buy a deer tag. Corn and apples for bait. Bait on the edge of evergreen. Try to find places far from the road. Hunt deer and watch your trail cams for bears. No three bait limit for deer. Year after year, you will find good bait sights.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

I think you're all right. I'll probably end up in third or at best second season this year or next. Nice being back in mi where i have the option to hunt in state for bear some years instead of going out of state every time. 

Funny that our deer tag is now the incidental tag to our hunt!


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## TommyV (Jun 20, 2014)

My son and I alternate putting in for a bear tag and one of us gets a tag every year for Newberry third season. In 2018 we bow hunted for deer in the morning and bear hunted in the afternoon. He shot his first deer on the second morning. No luck on the bear stand though.


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

MAP1 said:


> Bears Appetite decreases late season


 Every year the bears stop hitting my moose scraps and beavers for apples.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

Callinalldeer said:


> Every year the bears stop hitting my moose scraps and beavers for apples.


There's a guy who writes for bear hunter mag who has videos where he uses beef scraps but these appear to be more fat than meat.

I could be wrong but in the fall the bear's dietary needs shift from proteins found in young plants, insects, and fish and towards carbs, sugars, and fats found in hard and soft mast. I read a radio tagging study from pws ak basically showing that bear would move from full salmon streams as soon as the blueberry came online.


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

shaffe48b said:


> There's a guy who writes for bear hunter mag who has videos where he uses beef scraps but these appear to be more fat than meat.
> 
> I could be wrong but in the fall the bear's dietary needs shift from proteins found in young plants, insects, and fish and towards carbs, sugars, and fats found in hard and soft mast. I read a radio tagging study from pws ak basically showing that bear would move from full salmon streams as soon as the blueberry came online.


I've watched baits with both in early fall. I would say it was 50/50 on preference in Canada. In the states I've had very little luck using meat and I've pretty much stopped using it. Having said that. Acorns will chill out a bait quicker than a careless hunter. It's mostly a source of protean so I left to assume there are reasons bears do things that escape simple observation. 

One of the reasons they are such a great game species.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

Nostromo said:


> Acorns will chill out a bait quicker than a careless hunter.


It's probably all relative. According to healthline.com, 28 grams of acorns contain 2 gr protein, 9 gr fat, 15 gr carb, 4 gr fiber...which adds up to 30 not 28 because hipsters who eat acorn can't add.

Same way probably with meat. Fish must be somewhat lean probably explains why bear will eat just the brains in the fall supposedly. But beef and im sure maybe beaver has plenty of fat content. 

So it was probably innacurate for me to put all meat in the same category. I'm just talking about natural food mostly.

Also I think when we as fat Americans hear the word carbs we think of something far more processed and intense than nature intended and usually has available. Ironically we think of nuts as a health food and would never eat an acorn, hipsters aside


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## Rauff's ridge (Aug 13, 2020)

shaffe48b said:


> For instance, Newberry 39 percent first season, 33 percent second season, 13 percent success for third season. For Carney and gwinn difference is even more severe.


I’ve always had higher success in the 3rd hunt. Yes the bear have been run and bounced into over and over but when you guide over bait them tired bears that run all day wanna go to a quiet place to eat. I’ve had clients kill 4 bear of the same bait 4 days in a row all during the 3rd hunt and was all filmed and put on YouTube. Just gotta know the area and success will be there.


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## pepper992 (Oct 16, 2012)

in my experience, it has several factors, 1. bears are more bait shy by the third hunt, they tend to be more nocturnal by late sept. early oct. 2. less bait hunters and more dog hunters on 3rd hunt, 3. bears will protect their baits and keep other bears away to get fat themselves, thus resulting in less bear on that bait. I have a friend that lives in Eckerman and hunts 3rd every chance he can get it. and in 15 years he has only not gotten a bear once. but he does hunt every day till he kills one..


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