A visitor under my stand...

Macchina · Oct 17, 2015

It's bow season right now and the weather has been great to be in a stand. I managed to get up north a bit early last weekend so I sat in a stand I hadn't visited since last year... I heard a "dog" walking up behind me and thought it must be a bird hunter... Turns out this black bear was running up to my doe bleat and stuck around for a few minutes after catching my scent. I have run into black bears around here in the past but never spent this long in the company of one. He was a big one, probably near 300 pounds. He ended up wandering off in the exact direction of my car: which made the walk back in the dark pretty exciting.

mete · Oct 17, 2015

Somewhere out there is a video of a bear climbing up ladder and finally seeing closeup, a hunter !! The young ones a very curious. Black Bear populations are growing and intead of theold days when a sow might have two cubs . Now as many as 5 cubs can be seen as I have in the Catskill mtns of NY.

Macchina · Oct 17, 2015

The next night I shot a 6-point which only ran 200 yards but left a very tough trail (high lung shot). During the hour we were tracking it we had a pack of coyotes also closing in. They hovered within 100 yards while I field dressed the deer. A very exciting weekend.

Swampdog · Oct 19, 2015

Hey Macchina, does that buck have some piebald in it? I notice the "white" streaks on its forelegs.... Congrats on a nice buck, good job blood trailing!

22-rimfire · Oct 19, 2015

Are the deer in the rut yet?

dipbait · Oct 19, 2015

I love to see a bears . I have to travel hundreds of miles to see one .

Macchina · Oct 20, 2015

22-rimfire said:
Are the deer in the rut yet?

They're still in bachelor groups right now but responding to social grunts. I saw this guys with a 4-point and blind called him in.

JTR357 · Oct 20, 2015

mete said:
Somewhere out there is a video of a bear climbing up ladder and finally seeing closeup, a hunter !! The young ones a very curious. Black Bear populations are growing and intead of theold days when a sow might have two cubs . Now as many as 5 cubs can be seen as I have in the Catskill mtns of NY.

[video=youtube;8jRTrRxamxQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTrRxamxQ[/video]

GC · Oct 21, 2015

dipbait said:
I love to see a bears . I have to travel hundreds of miles to see one .

Missouri has a slowly growing population of black bears in the Ozark region. Basically south of I-70. I think population estimates right now are at 250 -300 animals. Missouri is involved in a long term study right now with their Ozark bears. There is information on the MDC website.

Sulaco · Nov 6, 2015

Macchima where are you hunting?

Definitely some piebald in that buck.

My buddy killed a midget doe last season that was all piebald. We try to cull the out any time we see them.

barrabas74 · Nov 12, 2015

Sulaco said:
Macchima where are you hunting?

Definitely some piebald in that buck.

My buddy killed a midget doe last season that was all piebald. We try to cull the out any time we see them.

We have several piebald's on and around my property including some good bucks. Why may I ask do you try to cull them out? I find them very interesting to look at and because of the low population of predators in my area there #'s are good. We also have albino's. I will kill one every now and then but I like the gene being carried on. I was curious as to why you would want to eliminate it unless they tend to grow smaller antlers or have other genetic features that might inhibit your goal to grow larger bucks?

Sulaco · Nov 12, 2015

barrabas74 said:
We have several piebald's on and around my property including some good bucks. Why may I ask do you try to cull them out? I find them very interesting to look at and because of the low population of predators in my area there #'s are good. We also have albino's. I will kill one every now and then but I like the gene being carried on. I was curious as to why you would want to eliminate it unless they tend to grow smaller antlers or have other genetic features that might inhibit your goal to grow larger bucks?

Genetic defects abound. Stunted growth, both body size and antler size, and they typically have short legs. We've found they tend to get disease and other malady's easier than more typical Whitetail within our subspecies.

barrabas74 · Nov 20, 2015

Sulaco said:
Genetic defects abound. Stunted growth, both body size and antler size, and they typically have short legs. We've found they tend to get disease and other malady's easier than more typical Whitetail within our subspecies.

Thank you for explaining your position. I never knew the genetic defect caused other issues as well. I have noticed the does appear to be shorter but that is all.

flytyer · Nov 20, 2015

I was curious as to where you are hunting as well. and what "up north" means (changes to everyone all over the world, always peaks my curiosity)
beautiful healthy bear, looks young yet, and wouldn't be considered large here.

Macchina · Dec 6, 2015

I was hunting in Northern Michigan. We have a decent amount of Black Bears just 50 miles north of where I am (in the tip of the Lower Peninsula) but I usually only see them up there. I never heard of a piebald deer, but this one definitely had stunted points... Time to read up on the subject.

mete · Dec 8, 2015

The now closed Seneca Army Depot in NY had all white deer but these were NOT albino. Many want to preserve the deer but I question that .

bore · Dec 15, 2015

Next season get a blackbear tag

And get ready for some coyotes as well. Sounds like a great area you're in