I’ll let you know how much of this works later this fall. So far, my partner and I are 0 for 2 on BWCA bear hunts.
1. Put aside as much time as you can. We’re convinced our chance of success has been hurt by having to cut trips short because of weather.
2. Have a plan for holding onto your meat. ;-)
Bear fence specs3. I rely on this for scent dispersal, using sardine oil, ground anise and Jägermeister:
ScentBlaster 4. My partner uses a homegrown burn recipe. The current version features “corn syrup, raspberry candy oil and anise extract. Mixed in a 4oz. Nalgene bottle. Added a clump of crisco first to avoid sticking. Burned low and slow for 15 minutes, boiled nicely and never browned, poured out clean and the residue dissolves in water!”
5. I use a tree stand. My partner hunts from the ground.
6. We go in October to avoid crowds and heat. I’ve brought blocks of frozen water in a top-grade 58-quart cooler plus a DIY cooler made from a Rubbermaid tote. It was 82° when I launched last Sept. 30, and it snowed on us on the way out.
7. We both use traditional bows, in the low to mid-50 range.
If you can get to any of the 3D shoots in the Duluth area, let me know by email. I would enjoy shooting and chewing this over with you. Including if wheels are involved. :-)