Bear bait hunting season set for Wednesday start
The state’s black bear hunting season opens Wednesday.
The Department of Natural Resources issued 4,660 harvest permits this year, an increase of 255 permits from the 2007 hunt.
Most bear hunters use either dogs to chase their quarry or draw bears to a specific location by maintaining bear bait.
Because these two styles of hunting don’t easily co-exist, an annual trade-off was created to alternately favor hound trainers and bait hunters by restricting the first week of the season to one or the other.
This year, hunters using baits go first. Dog hunters begin Sept. 10.
Hunters with dogs should note that 16 hounds have been killed by wolves in northern Wisconsin during the dog training period this year. Hunters with dogs are encouraged to check the list of caution areas for bear dogs on the DNR Web site, www.dnr.wi.gov.
In 2008, a record 86,113 bear applications were received. Of these, 35,895 requested a harvest permit. The remaining 50,218 applied for a preference point, moving them one year closer to the total that will guarantee them a tag.