Well I'm getting pretty jazzed up now. I've got the 45 Colt SBH Bishunter shooting a tight group at 50yds with 350gr WFN hammers I cast. Got a bait barrel and some bait ready to go, got the atv ready to haul the junk out into the woods, got my license, 3 harvest tickets and bait station permit and the blessing from the wife! Headed out saturday to setup my first bear bait station. Hopefully I can get a shot at a blackie over the next few weeks. Anyone else doing any spring bear huntin in your neck of the woods?

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes and keep the Grizzlies off your butt.

Have a good time! I wish I was going!

Snyd, be safe and good luck! Keep us posted!

Good luck, take pictures. I have to live vicariously through you guys.

Good luck. Wish I was there!

Good Luck.
Except for Hogs, I am about out of business here till November Whitetails with my handgun.

Have a very enjoyable time.

Best of luck to you Snyd. You'll have a blast.
I had planned on baiting this year but after drawing 2 good tags for the fall I figured I better be concentrating on them & getting some stuff done around here. I'll get out & do some spot & stalk as soon as a little more snow goes away in the hills.
Pics my friend, pics!

Thanks guys. Ya that's right Vance, you got a tag for big brownies. I shot my first Griz last year. A small interior toklat with a real pretty hide, my first bear, shot him with a rifle. I should be getting the rug back this month. Here's a pic of that guy. If I get a blackie with my wheelgun it will be two firsts for me. First blackie and first handgun kill, with the exception of ptarmigan with a 22.

I remember that bear on the AK forum.
Absolutely beautiful coloring. I think I'd rather hace a 6' toklat than a plain 8' brown!
I hope you can get that 1st black with the handgun! I'm in the same boat with handguns as you, nothing but small game. Also still looking for my 1st bear.

That's a beautiful bear, Snyd! You should be proud!

I don't have the money for a spring bear hunt right now. Some of the Indian tribes in Maine are offering spring bear hunts on their reservations. The State of Maine stopped spring bear hunting around 1980 or so. The next closest area is Canada and they don't like handguns.

Good Luck, Post some Pic

Good luck with a nice black bear!!!

Beautiful bear, what was the hunt likke? Could you have made the shot with a handgun?

Here's a post of the story on another forum.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php?t=63434&highlight=first+griz

The bear was on the move in the open above treeline. When I first spotted him I figured I could get within about 150 with the way the terrain was. As I began my stalk he started moving. Actually towards us and our tent. I supposed if the bear would have kept coming and not turned he may have come in to handgun range, maybe not. I was actually moose hunting but I carry my 4" 45 Colt Redhawk as my OH$h1#!! gun and it was loaded up with some 360gr WFN's that would have done the trick. But, he got to under 200yds which I had determined my personal max would be to shoot a griz so I took the shot. He'd have had to been more like 25yds for me, before I'd have taken a shot with the redhawk with open sites.

But, today I setup the bait station and made a ground blind and I'm at 23yds from my bait. Now I just need to be there when a blackie shows up. Can't shoot griz off bait.

Thanks for the story, Snyd!

Got the bear bait out yesterday. I'll go check it in a few days. Here's the view out my "window" of my ground "blind". I nice little grove of trees and brush I fixed up a little. Rangefinder says 23yds to the bait barrel. Just on the other side of the bait it drops into a nice long valley running left to right. I can sneak up over the backside of the ridge into the blind totally out of site of the bait. Hopefully some blackies will get a whiff and come check things out. Now... hopefully the Grizzlies will stay away

Can't shoot them over bait.

Looking good Snyd!
What is your primary bait?
Can't wait to see your bear!
My 6 yr old boy & I had a couple hrs & went for a drive out some oil field roads "bear hunting" Friday evening. To my surprise a 6'er ran accross the road a couple hundred yds ahead of us & headed out in the brush. I took a short walk but never saw him again. The boy got a good look at him & was pumped. Talked to one guy checking his bait about 5 miles away & he hadn't been hit yet.

I've got that thing stuffed with popcorn drizzled with "honey water" and cheap syrup. The water is left over from boiling down beehive caps this winter to render down beeswax for my boolit lube. I poured some of that sweet sticky stuff on a stump and around the area as well. I've got a baitem907 Smelly Ball hanging on a rope between 2 trees about 12ft up. Also some anise spray in the brush, and some baitem907 blueberry scent balls on the trails through the brush. I'm trying to make a big stink about this!

Let me know what you think of the balls. I hung the maple one in 09 & didn't get the hits I had in 08 with an anise block bag I had used.
I think Jess has a good product, but that maple isn't the flavor for here. Wasn't very strong. Had a pint of the little anise gell balls spread around too but the anise sent still wasn't noticeable to my nose until right on the bait. I was also using popcorn with rassberry jello mix sprinkled on it as soon as it came out of the popper.
Next year I'll have one of their big anise balls to try.