8 Days in Clarksville with pics

[knurren]

8 Days in Clarksville bear hunting and I got skunked.  Literally and figuratively... skunk is one of the cover scents I used while bear hunting over bait.  Don't spray the skunk on your clothes, spray it around the stand in places you won't step in on your way out.  I did my best and that's all I could do.  Somehow in spite of the scent control measures and still hunting in as quiet and patient as I could in to the stand, I must have been winded or busted some how because I didn't see a single bear in the 6 days I sat on stand.  Perhaps it is the set up or something else that is beyond my control.  Regardless... here are the pictures I got.  Didn't get pics of the big bulls that were in full rut this weekend but got some good bear photos.



He's maybe 125lbs dressed.  A shooter none-the-less


These cubs came in later and they're all looking in the same direction for a reason.  There is a big boy coming in about to kick them off the bait. 


Here he is


I'm guessing he is over 200lbs.  His gut isn't far from the ground.


Here is a 2 day old track we found on Saturday.  It looks like it was left Wednesday night or Thursday morning when we got that rain.  It didn't get rained in a lot, but enough to give us an idea of what time it was put there.  The pad was as wide as my palm and thumb put together... this bear is likely over 400lbs.  It would have been a good one to settle my bow pin on, but he is probably nocturnal and will be a hard one to get.  They get big for a reason.

[turkey nuts]

nice pics john ..sorry to hear about the lack of sucess..good luck with your moose client ....and also filling your deer tags 

[knurren]

nice pics john ..sorry to hear about the lack of sucess..good luck with your moose client ....and also filling your deer tags 

Thanks, Bob.  I'm not sure how many deer tags you have; I have 4 with the M tag and all the archery tags.  I'm going to need a little luck to fill them, good luck to you too

[jibbs]

Thanks, Bob.  I'm not sure how many deer tags you have; I have 4 with the M tag and all the archery tags.  I'm going to need a little luck to fill them, good luck to you too

cool looking pictures john.....good luck this season....jibbs

[bassranger]

Maybe it was the skunk scent

[knurren]

Maybe it was the skunk scent

Yeah, it's tough to know exactly why the set up wasn't right.  The skunk was used a couple of nights but the hickory bacon scent was used a few other nights so I don't know.  They either patterned me, didn't like my silhouette in the stand (big guy skinny tree), or they were still able to wind me in spite of the measures I took to prevent that.  When I put together my sites next year, I'm going to do a few things differently to see if I can get them to come in like they did for my camera (when I wasn't on stand).

Come to think of it, everytime someone went into that site (including when I set up the camera) a cover scent was used.  So I don't think that cover scent is what kept those bears away.  I don't know how many nights a big nocturnal one may have run off the smaller bears or if there was another site that out-baited this one.  So when these photos were taken, there was hickory bacon sprayed to mask any residual human odor.

[bassranger]

Yeah its tough to say. Sometimes they just move on never to be seen again. Last year my Dads site was getting hit every night for 4 days straight he sat there on the 5th night and every night after that and not one bear came in, guess thats the way it goes sometimes.

[Adrock]

Cool pics man.  Good luck with all the hunting adventures this season.  Thats great you use bacon as a cover scent, just another reason bacon is great!

[nofishin]

i hunt bears a lot and hunt NH quite a bit.  i wouldn't use the skunk cover scent.  If it is the same person or persons baiting the bait all season don't use cover scent at all.  maybe one week prior to the season use the hickory or beaver castor but that is only if they are not hitting all the time.  bears are funny.  best not to rock the boat.  sometimes simple is best.  don't over think it

[bassranger]

Can't bait until opening day in NH anyways.

[nofishin]

i forgot you are right.  my NH sites are set up the same though.  opening day we set the bait with granola and grease.  nothing else.  sometimes we use some ultimate bear lure but we avoid anything really stinky