Bear gone nocturnal

[akriverrat]

Ok so we got one bear comin into the stand and hes comin in round 3 am now. I know its cause hes well fed and found a dependable food source. So me workin 6 ten hour days im wonderin how to go bout this matter. I have a 45/70 guide gun with ghost ring sights I am pretty sure I can get a.kill shot off early mornin if its clear out. Or I can lighten up on the bait and try and "train" him to come in at more reasonable hours. Goin halibut fishin next sunday so should I suffer a night and take em at night or try and retrain the guy for two weeks from now?

[Bushwhack Jack]

Grab a thermos of coffee and sit in the stand from midnight until 6 AM. I have sat in the stand plenty of times in the middle of the night. I shot one about 5 years ago about 3 AM. There is no law against it, so I see no reason not to. If that is when he is coming than that is when you should be on stand. Make sure you have a safety harness just in case you fall asleep. Good luck.

[fishingyoda]

I would also be there when he's there. Definately get a harness I did some nappin in mine with out one friday night. It's kinda scary when you have the falling dreams 14 feet off the ground.

[kodiak kid]

Sorry I cannot see why any one would sit in a tree stand and not wear a harness weather day or night.

[Bushwhack Jack]

Sorry I cannot see why any one would sit in a tree stand and not wear a harness weather day or night.

Well, Kodiak kid. Back in the 80's, when I first started hunting out of a portable treestand, nobody used harnesses. In fact, I don't recall them even being on the market back then. It is kinda like seat belts. When I was a kid, hardly anybody wore them. As time went on, the treestand manufacturers got smarter and now everybody wears them. But it wasn't always the norm.

[BrentC]

Ok so we got one bear comin into the stand and hes comin in round 3 am now. I know its cause hes well fed and found a dependable food source. So me workin 6 ten hour days im wonderin how to go bout this matter. I have a 45/70 guide gun with ghost ring sights I am pretty sure I can get a.kill shot off early mornin if its clear out. Or I can lighten up on the bait and try and "train" him to come in at more reasonable hours. Goin halibut fishin next sunday so should I suffer a night and take em at night or try and retrain the guy for two weeks from now?

First thought, bears do what they want to do when they want to do it. Maybe you could train him, maybe not. IMO it would be easiest to modify your schedule by sitting him out and not trying to control the bear's behavior. Your best chance to get him is to be there at 3 AM when he comes in. It makes for a long day afterward, but you will have accomplished your mission of bagging your blackie. I've killed several bears early in the AM only to work the next day after the all nighter.

[northway]

Bears are funny. We had one that was a morning bear, about 8am it would show up! It never appeared in the evening! My stands are done for the year. Had a couple of friends hunt them this weekend and got a nice cinnamon and then decided that they would educate a couple of others buy "shooting" at them and scaring them off.