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Just got my bear tag for Wisconsin zone D!

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bear tag
2K views 28 replies 18 participants last post by  M700 
#1 ·
So excited! I have been getting preference points for 10 years and just got my bear tag in the mail!!!!!!!! I am posting this on here because no one in my family has any idea how pumped I am. It must have been fate that the year I buy a big brother to My 44 rem mag that the stars aligned and I actually got the tag! My new 45-70 SBL has double duty this first year and I couldn't be happier. I got Zone D which is historically best bear zone in Wisconsin. I have never bear hunted. I have thought about going to Canada a few times, even have a passport to go just haven't pulled trigger on that trip yet. Now I can go in my home state. I think they put out more tags this year. I heard it in local sportsman paper. Wondering if anyone has experience with any guides in Zone D although I am tinkering with doing it all myself it would take a lot of pressure off to go with guide. Any opinions would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
That's great news! I'm not familiar with bear hunting in your area but can imagine how excited you are about getting a good area to hunt in. That 45-70 will do the job for sure! Good luck! And of course we'll need pictures if you take one. As you well know, pictures of successful bear hunts are posted under Mandatory Rules! :biggrin:
 
#10 ·
The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf

The original account of the 1992 bombshell news story that revealed reports of werewolf-like creatures in southeast Wisconsin. The small town of Elkhorn, Wisconsin made national headlines in the early 1990s with reports of a strange, hairy, wolf-hea…


West, what kind of hunting? Spot & Stalk, Over Bait, still hunting? Given the apparent scarcity of opportunities for this hunt, if you can find and afford a good guide, you will thank yourself later for hiring one.

T.S.
 
#7 ·
That is GREAT news. I can imagine how you feel when you sit back for years and then all of a sudden it happens and takes you totally by surprise. The best of luck with your new SBL and pics of the hunt is a must. Wish I could give you info on the guide possibility but I'm unfamiliar with the area. Maybe someone from that area can chime in. Or you can always scout the area before the opening day and go from there.
 
#9 ·
That is good news. Our cabin is in the northwest part of the state, in the Glidden area, Black bear capital of the state. I don't hunt bear myself but I have been seeing plenty of them walking thru our land. They could stand to be thinned out a bit. Do some searching on the net I'm sure you can find a good guide. I hope you get your bear.
 
#11 ·
As long as you've waited and excited as you are, I'd get a guide so you can learn and understand the nuances. Then, ten years from now, you can pretend like you're in the woods hunting bear - but know what you're doing - in your mind.

Seriously, congrats. What will you be putting through the pipe as bear getter?
 
#12 ·
Hell Westberry, got me excited! Since you asked, ;D I'd look into at least some assistance, if not full on guided hunt. You have waited a long time. I have never paid for a guided hunt, most my hunting has been fumbling around on my own, but I just love the hunt. I have however, been pointed by friends :flute: in the 'right' direction. Dang! ten years is a long time and seems you won't get that opportunity again. Yup! I say see if you can get some help with this first bear. Root'n for you pal.

John
 
#14 ·
Use to drive "Bray Road" every night at 10:00 pm. I worked the 3rd shift in Elkhorn. I live in Burlington, just east of there. I remember the TV bunk. I never saw a werewolf. Saw some stray cows in the road once in a while, quite a few deer, and turkeys in the morning on the way home, but alas, no werewolves. Can't remember how that got started anymore. I drove the whole lenght of the road, it was a shortcut to Elkhorn. Funny you should bring that up. I guess it is more known, than just locally.
barracudadave67
 
#16 ·
I'm not a bear hunter, but I AM a HUNTER ....and I can surely feel the joy you have!!! :congrats: .....Congratulations and GOOD LUCK!!

DR
 
#18 ·
I have seen big bear guide service website and on you tube. Seems like he has a ton of hunters he takes out. Makes me wonder If there could be any left in his area? Not judging he could be great , but if you take that many out how could you care that much about one guy? I could be wrong but it raised enough of my attention to steer clear of them.
 
#20 ·
I am up for suggestions on ammo. I just got the 45-70 as a gift this Christmas from My Dad. Haven't even put a scope on it yet. I have shot 1 box of ammo just to test drive her so I have not even compaired ammo yet. I am not a reloader so it would probably be stock ammo. Any help as to ammo would be appreciated. If i do get a scope it will be a straight 3 or 4 x. It has a nice ghost site on it though.
 
#23 ·
405gr and up cast bullet with a wide meplat would be my first and only choice. If you search the threads here you'll find that a 405gr cast with a wide meplat has taken even big dangerous animals in Africa. Your gonna love this rifle more and more the more you shoot it.
 
#26 ·
If you do not reload or haven't worked up a good load yet, don't mess around with any cheap ammo. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Get a reputable guide with references and call those hunters he has guided before. Don't be shy about asking questions. You need to know how far you may have to shoot so you can have your rifle zeroed to a MPBR to cover it.
The bullet is the single most important item you will need for this hunt or any hunt. If I might have to shoot 200 yards I'd opt for a 405 hard-cast bullet @ 1800-1900 fps MV zeroed @ 160-170yds. If I were going to be hunting from a stand over bait, I'd choose a 420gr hard-cast like Garrett's Hammerhead @ 1650 fps zeroed @ 100 yds. I don't believe this bullet will fail to go completely thru any land animal on this continent @ any angle

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Garrett loads this ammo to 3 different velocities 1350, 1650 and 1850 fps. I would choose the one that I need for the range I may have to shoot.
Good Luck on your hunt.
 
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