I hate bears!

[Atchman2]

For the first time ever I have bought cell phone cameras. TNYeti has hogs on his property and since I like hunting them so much, I bought some cameras for there. What I didn't realize is that the bears that have ruined my other hunting property are also on his place.

I put two cameras out on my new metal stands. To get animals to stop on my cameras, I usually put an attractant out. In this case "Pig Oil". Well the bears seem to like it as much as the hogs. I normally bury it, so they have to dig a little to get to it. The bears easily beat down my camera mounts. I'm sure one of them is destroyed, but the other one is transmitting pictures of the ground.

The last image on my camera.

I can't tell you how much I hate them and how much money they have cost me over the last couple of years. The thing I do know is if there are a lot of bears around, you won't get many hogs to shoot.

 

[Shanman]

Lock boxes helped me tremendously but I got tired of carrying them in with me, I just put the cameras up around 12'. Haven't had any bear problems since. Sorry for your problem, they suck.

 

[Crappieaddict]

Lock boxes helped me tremendously but I got tired of carrying them in with me, I just put the cameras up around 12'. Haven't had any bear problems since. Sorry for your problem, they suck.

I concur.

 

[quackaholic]

I cant say that I hate them, but I can say there are too many of them. And the TWRA refuses to admit we have a problem of our own design. They will not revisit regs to address the issue of bear reserves. Those are unnecessary now as we have bears as far west as you can go.

 

[Carlos Viagra]

They've ruined a few of my cameras too.
One of my fav areas ended up getting so bad, I had to abandon hanging any cameras there.
That's too bad, because it was a gap in the bluff-line that a ton of critters used. I always liked seeing what was coming through.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I will take having hogs all day long over bears. Bears suck.

 

[Crappieaddict]

I will take having hogs all day long over bears. Bears suck.

I'm just the opposite. Not a fan of bears, but I hate hogs with a passion!

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I'm just the opposite. Not a fan of bears, but I hate hogs with a passion!

Oh don't get me wrong, I hate the pigs too. But I can deal with them legally and knock them back and have fun doing it. Can't do that legally with the bears is what I mean. I can't even trap hogs with bears around because they will just camp on the bait, destroy whatever they feel like, etc. Unfortunately my home farm is very close to a 120,000 acre bear reserve that should have bear hunting but it doesn't because the park superintendent loves them and wants it to be Gatlinburg like.

 

[TnYeti]

I will take having hogs all day long over bears. Bears suck.

Oh. throw up some other pics-like Hawgzilla! This place has NO shortage of critters. And, after relooking some pics, pretty sure the "wolf" was old, grizzled yote, in B&W-same markings from the color shot. Just saying.

My hawgs are fearless, and you and I know-they are everywhere. If TWRA does NOT complete my base exemption permit this week, I'm driving to Crossville and will not leave until they do!

I now have 7 people lined up for the 10 additional hunters on the hawgs.... if TWRA can take the info they requested.

 

[TnYeti]

I'm just the opposite. Not a fan of bears, but I hate hogs with a passion!

If you are bored-c'mon by-LOL, I have no time for them right now. @Atchman2 , is a hawg huntin' fool and I want all 10 slots filled and dropping them. "If" TWRA can pick up a darn phone! Ugh.

 

[Crappieaddict]

If you are bored-c'mon by-LOL, I have no time for them right now. @Atchman2 , is a hawg huntin' fool and I want all 10 slots filled and dropping them. "If" TWRA can pick up a darn phone! Ugh.

I am having a lull in hog activity….but, I know it's just temporary. I have the enhanced exemption, and it didn't take very long to get. My local warden is a guy with some common sense, and agrees with the bear problem. However, if I accidentally mistook a bear for a hog, no one would hear about it.

 

[Iroquois]

I have Bear pictures on almost all of my cameras in East Tennessee. They are definitely not endangered, far from it!

 

[sgtwebb1]

They're even down here in North Georgia just outside Ringgold.
My son gets them on his cameras all the time.
Good thing is we can kill 2 during deer season.
We're going to do that this fall.
Destructive bastages.

 

[quackaholic]

They're even down here in North Georgia just outside Ringgold.
My son gets them on his cameras all the time.
Good thing is we can kill 2 during deer season.
We're going to do that this fall.
Destructive bastages.

Good luck.

 

[Atchman2]

The other thing about bears, as one of you observed, is that they hang out near the hog traps. With the exemption on my friend's place, we can bait for hogs. That is a waste of time. The bears camp out where the feeder is. I can tell a hundred yards away if a bear has been around because you can smell them. They run off the hogs and the deer. His place is now a wasteland with only bears.. I used to get several hogs a year on my camera. Usually lone boars. I've seen one hog in the last six months on the camera.

 

[Shanman]

With the exception of Cherokee and the hound hunts, they need to let us take our 1 bear in any season, not just a week here and there.

 

[quackaholic]

With the exception of Cherokee and the hound hunts, they need to let us take our 1 bear in any season, not just a week here and there.

If Georgia can allow 2, then we should get at least 2. I know we have more bears than they do. All reserves should be open. At least to dog training to disperse some of the trash eating vermin. A draw for a hunt in the reserves would also be a good idea. At least remove all private land restrictions within the reserves.

 

[Pso94]

What part of the state are yall seeing most of them? Nashville just had one on camera last night.

 

[quackaholic]

GREENE COUNTY IS OVERRAN

 

[Shanman]

The Cumberland Plateau is the new GSMNP as far as the bears are concerned. I like the idea of the reserves being a quota party hunt for the houndsmen, make it legal to take one on the open hunts like the rest of CNF. You still should be able to take one the whole season of A/M/G statewide. They definitely won't get killed out but a major thinning is needed outside of the park. The over population of bears is a real problem from the plateau to the east, it's past time for a bear harvest change!

 

[Shanman]

Besides, if the population dips to much, they could always close the reservations back down. The framework is in place for the reserves and would be as simple as releasing a statement.

 

[Huntaholic]

The hate runs deep in here I see.

 

[Huntaholic]

Every single one of yall posting in here are in the open hunting zone. Quit your bitching and start killing a few of them. It aint that hard. They LOVE used fry grease, old bread, etc...... just sayin!!!!!

 

[Huntaholic]

And lets be honest: the REAL reason yall hate them so much is because they tear your feeders down.
Its a lot of work, but my buddy in Florida used to put a stainless steel pipe in the ground in concrete, attach an arm to hang your feeder on, and a boat winch to raise and lower it. They cant climb that steel pole so your feeder is safe from destruction.

 

[BPhunter]

For the first time ever I have bought cell phone cameras. TNYeti has hogs on his property and since I like hunting them so much, I bought some cameras for there. What I didn't realize is that the bears that have ruined my other hunting property are also on his place.

I put two cameras out on my new metal stands. To get animals to stop on my cameras, I usually put an attractant out. In this case "Pig Oil". Well the bears seem to like it as much as the hogs. I normally bury it, so they have to dig a little to get to it. The bears easily beat down my camera mounts. I'm sure one of them is destroyed, but the other one is transmitting pictures of the ground.

View attachment 324546
The last image on my camera.

I can't tell you how much I hate them and how much money they have cost me over the last couple of years. The thing I do know is if there are a lot of bears around, you won't get many hogs to shoot.

hey, bear meat is really good and more of it than hogs. Best of both worlds.

 

[quackaholic]

And lets be honest: the REAL reason yall hate them so much is because they tear your feeders down.
Its a lot of work, but my buddy in Florida used to put a stainless steel pipe in the ground in concrete, attach an arm to hang your feeder on, and a boat winch to raise and lower it. They cant climb that steel pole so your feeder is safe from destruction.

They also tear up chicken coops, turn over trash cans. Break down fences and gates. Kill fawns and tear up trail cams. Not to mention make deer vacate the area. Don't belive it? Walk in any direction in the Andrew Johnson bear reserve lookin for deer sign. You know the area people used to flock to for hunting because it was the only huntable population of deer in east TN. You will be hard pressed to find deer sign. And if you do hunt there. You have to hunt daylight until dark for sometimes 20 days before seeing a deer much less a shooter. Don't get me wrong, there still are good bucks there, but few have that kind of time.
But I can see you haven't had that issue yet.

 

[Huntaholic]

They also tear up chicken coops, turn over trash cans. Break down fences and gates. Kill fawns and tear up trail cams. Not to mention make deer vacate the area. Don't belive it? Walk in any direction in the Andrew Johnson bear reserve lookin for deer sign. You know the area people used to flock to for hunting because it was the only huntable population of deer in east TN. You will be hard pressed to find deer sign. And if you do hunt there. You have to hunt daylight until dark for sometimes 20 days before seeing a deer much less a shooter. Don't get me wrong, there still are good bucks there, but few have that kind of time.
But I can see you haven't had that issue yet.

Id venture to guess Ive seen more bears up close and personal that any 10 people combined on this forum but yeah, youre right, they havent became an issue for me here at home YET. Im only about 12 miles from the "open" hunting area though and IF and when I start having problems I hope the open area has extended a few miles west by then.

 

[BPhunter]

They also tear up chicken coops, turn over trash cans. Break down fences and gates. Kill fawns and tear up trail cams. Not to mention make deer vacate the area. Don't belive it? Walk in any direction in the Andrew Johnson bear reserve lookin for deer sign. You know the area people used to flock to for hunting because it was the only huntable population of deer in east TN. You will be hard pressed to find deer sign. And if you do hunt there. You have to hunt daylight until dark for sometimes 20 days before seeing a deer much less a shooter. Don't get me wrong, there still are good bucks there, but few have that kind of time.
But I can see you haven't had that issue yet.

If you live in the wilderness, then you already know what is there, and truthfully it was their domain before us. I live in the wilderness, have chickens and have made provisions for this situation. Don't consider it a problem. Once in a while will get a tag for freezer meat. Time and again they are here and pass through. Enjoyable to watch, but, respect.

 

[quackaholic]

Id venture to guess Ive seen more bears up close and personal that any 10 people combined on this forum but yeah, youre right, they havent became an issue for me here at home YET. Im only about 12 miles from the "open" hunting area though and IF and when I start having problems I hope the open area has extended a few miles west by then.

Got 40 acres in the bear reserve that I hunt. Any given year I will have at least 6 and as many as 9 bears on that property in the months of July thru September which is usually the only time I run cams. I will see only 1 or 2 per season as they have either moved on to a property to eat at someone's feeder or just find new places to bother. They do have a keen nose so maybe they are just good at avoiding me. Either way they are safe and they know it. Got lucky a couple of years ago and caught one on the opposite side of the road and she was no more.

 

[BPhunter]

Got 40 acres in the bear reserve that I hunt. Any given year I will have at least 6 and as many as 9 bears on that property in the months of July thru September which is usually the only time I run cams. I will see only 1 or 2 per season as they have either moved on to a property to eat at someone's feeder or just find new places to bother. They do have a keen nose so maybe they are just good at avoiding me. Either way they are safe and they know it. Got lucky a couple of years ago and caught one on the opposite side of the road and she was no more.

I seriously hope no one wastes that meat.