# All I see is Bears



## thumper523 (Aug 24, 2014)

I am in a club in Twiggs County and it seems this year we have a whole lot of bears, everyone in club says that's all they have on trail cameras. We compare notes and it seems they are different ones. It's possible we have at least 15 different ones on 1000 acres. We need more than ONE day to thin them out, and not in December when they are not active. We hunt deer and turkey during their mating season, why not bears? Does anyone else see this problem?


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 24, 2014)

Yep y'all will have a problem one day. Bears eat fawns. Just visit the mountains and see what I mean. Sorta like otters in a trophy trout stream. Hard to have both.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 24, 2014)

How many y'all got with collars? Never seen a collard bear myself. Seems south of the mts there are more with collars. Dnr maybe turning trouble bears out around you.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 24, 2014)

Dnr is doing a study about the growing middle ga bear population. They are not problem bears.


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## 35 Whelen (Aug 24, 2014)

Bear season would be in June if you were going to hunt them during their mating season.


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## The mtn man (Aug 24, 2014)

That pic may answer a question I have heard some folks ask. Lol


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## thumper523 (Aug 25, 2014)

Just about every bear has at least a collar or ear rings. I've got a good sized sow with 2 cubs and she has neither. I've got a boar with ear rings that hates having his picture taken.


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## markland (Aug 25, 2014)

Posted these in another thread, but same issue.  Had the 402 acre lease for 3 years now, had 8 different bears on it the 1st year and last and this year so far have identified only 3 different bears.  Have had the same collared, tagged sow the last 3 years as well and this year she had 2 cubs but only have seen her and 1 cub on TC so far.


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## Resica (Aug 25, 2014)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Yep y'all will have a problem one day. Bears eat fawns. Just visit the mountains and see what I mean. Sorta like otters in a trophy trout stream. Hard to have both.



It's not hard to have both. We have many bears and deer also and we're a smaller state than you. Your lack of deer may be due more to habitat than bears.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 25, 2014)

Resica said:


> It's not hard to have both. We have many bears and deer also and we're a smaller state than you. Your lack of deer may be due more to habitat than bears.



Its not. It is from the bears. The mtns of PA had over 100 deer psm and the worst habitat Ive ever seen outside of a state park.  And we have way way more bears psm in north ga than PA. 

Deer lacking in the rest of the state is due to itchy trigger fingers.


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## tomcat58 (Aug 27, 2014)

the dnr don





the dnr do not want the bears to be killed i heard them crying at the fair about the number of females killed in twiggs county and then last year they bugged yall to death so you would not have any luck


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## bigelow (Aug 28, 2014)

That last pic is a big boy.


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## Rulo (Aug 29, 2014)

Resica said:


> It's not hard to have both. We have many bears and deer also and we're a smaller state than you. Your lack of deer may be due more to habitat than bears.



Are there large clear cuts and active timber harvesting up there where you all have both good populations of deer and bear?


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## markland (Aug 29, 2014)

Rulo said:


> Are there large clear cuts and active timber harvesting up there where you all have both good populations of deer and bear?



Yes, lot's of cutting going on this year and my hardwoods are slated to be cut this year, they already graded the road thru the existing clear cut.  I have a little over 1/2 of my lease in older, grown up cutover.


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## Resica (Sep 15, 2014)

Rulo said:


> Are there large clear cuts and active timber harvesting up there where you all have both good populations of deer and bear?



They cut timber up here for sure. Deer pop. is down from 10 years ago, but that's because of the management plan and the hunters.  Bear pop. is doing well. About 18,000.


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (Sep 15, 2014)

markland said:


> Posted these in another thread, but same issue.  Had the 402 acre lease for 3 years now, had 8 different bears on it the 1st year and last and this year so far have identified only 3 different bears.  Have had the same collared, tagged sow the last 3 years as well and this year she had 2 cubs but only have seen her and 1 cub on TC so far.




Ok, I am not a bear hunter BUT I do have a question in regards to the barbed wire fencing in the photos up above that is wrapped around the trees way up off the ground as such.  What is the reasoning for this?  I figured the only way for me to know is ask.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Sep 15, 2014)

EAGLE EYE 444 said:


> Ok, I am not a bear hunter BUT I do have a question in regards to the barbed wire fencing in the photos up above that is wrapped around the trees way up off the ground as such.  What is the reasoning for this?  I figured the only way for me to know is ask.





X-2....I am curious about the wire as well....


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## Ramblin Wreck Red Neck (Sep 15, 2014)

Hammer Spank said:


> Its not. It is from the bears. The mtns of PA had over 100 deer psm and the worst habitat Ive ever seen outside of a state park.  And we have way way more bears psm in north ga than PA.
> 
> Deer lacking in the rest of the state is due to itchy trigger fingers.



Maybe bear (plus coyotes) are the problems in the mountain, but the current no cut policy on national forest lands does not allow successive growth which wildlife thrive on.  This isn't only a problem in north ga mtns but federal lands across the country.

*BUT Deer aren't lacking in the rest of GA*.  We supposedly have a herd of over 1 million, and the annual harvest is one of the largest (I think it may actually be the largest) in the country.

What is lacking in the state is an abundance of big Boone Crocket Bucks.  That is due to several factors and itchy trigger fingers not allowing young bucks to grow is certainly one, although we have a number of counties now that are QDMA.  I believe the other factors are the reduction in row crop agriculture and Bergman's rule.  This is my two cents worth and it is IMHO.

I am shocked that Ga has more bear than Pennsylvania.  I didn't realize we were getting that many.


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## Resica (Sep 16, 2014)

Ramblin Wreck Red Neck said:


> Maybe bear (plus coyotes) are the problems in the mountain, but the current no cut policy on national forest lands does not allow successive growth which wildlife thrive on.  This isn't only a problem in north ga mtns but federal lands across the country.
> 
> *BUT Deer aren't lacking in the rest of GA*.  We supposedly have a herd of over 1 million, and the annual harvest is one of the largest (I think it may actually be the largest) in the country.
> 
> ...


He was saying you have more bear per square mile in N.Ga. than Pa. does. You don't have as many bears as we do. Our population is around 18,000.


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## SkeeterZX225 (Sep 16, 2014)

Never saw many bears in middle Georgia until I started putting out feeders....last week 1076 pictures.......1000+ were of bears (atleast 2 different) 1 deer and the rest hogs....pull out the corn and the bears will leave. That is what I am doing....


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (Sep 18, 2014)

EAGLE EYE 444 said:


> Ok, I am not a bear hunter BUT I do have a question in regards to the barbed wire fencing in the photos up above that is wrapped around the trees way up off the ground as such.  What is the reasoning for this?  I figured the only way for me to know is ask.





7Mag Hunter said:


> X-2....I am curious about the wire as well....




I brought this back up as I hope that someone can answer this question for a couple of us non-bear hunting members.

Thanks.


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## chadf (Sep 18, 2014)

Guessing old 4 wheelers trail, kinda like spikes in a 2x4?

Idk, just my $.02


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## splinter17 (Sep 18, 2014)

it might be to catch a bit of bear fur for a UGA study. My co-worker was asked if they could put out something similar to this to try and get fur samples.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 18, 2014)

splinter17 said:


> it might be to catch a bit of bear fur for a UGA study. My co-worker was asked if they could put out something similar to this to try and get fur samples.



This may the case. I know DNR will set out barbed wire traps to capture bear hair. Somehow they collect the hair for DNA studies, if my memory serves me correctly.


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## markland (Sep 22, 2014)

The bear researchers have put out the barbed wire traps to catch the hair at different times. 
I put the wire up on the trees to try and prevent the bears from climbing up the tree and swatting at the feeders, but they usually just climb right thru or over it and it does not work out that well.


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## thumper523 (Sep 22, 2014)

I was going to put up the barb wire, but I was too late. Seems one of them climbed the tree and lowered it a little.


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## GAHUNTER60 (Sep 23, 2014)

Judging by the bear's posture in the OP's photo, the age-old question appears to have been answered: Yes, yes he does!

(Uh oh.  I just noticed when I went back over this thread that my exact same observation had already been expressed in another post.  Please forgive me, and I promise to do better in the future!)


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