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MT bear units with quotas

Unless it looks jaw dropping huge hold out. You'll be disappointed walking up to it. I saw a boar on Saturday night and then tonight a sow and 2 cubs in the same spot. The sow was a dinker compared to him. People are getting too giddy by just seeing a bear or over crazed on color and aren't thinking. Show some restraint and you'll be blessed with a real trophy that doesn't look like a cub when rugged.
 
Spent this Saturday (arguably the worst day of the season so far) down in 520. Saw plenty of sign, but no bears. Most of the day, we couldn't see more than 200 yards thanks to low clouds at our elevation. Shame to see it close up so quickly this year. We were saving a special spot for later in the season with hopes to reunite with a nice cinnamon I saw but couldn't get a shot at last year... Guess we'll be hunting other areas of the state now. The bear above looks like a 2nd year cub. To each his own, I guess.
 
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I think a lot of guys out bear hunting or just getting into bear hunting have the mentality of I just want to get one. Now I'm not a expert in the bear game by any means but, one thing I always share with guys that are just going out for really the first time and they always have the same golden question of "how do you know if its a big one?" My response is every time, YOU JUST KNOW, bears are obviously hard to judge but when a guys out there glassing the same face or hiking around looking for the mysterious bruins and you finally see one, if you gotta talk yourself into it, DON'T SHOOT! You'll know when your out there and you see a big ol boar, they walk around like they own the mountain! Hopefully a lot of the breeder sows didn't get wacked this year I think only like 1/3 of the boars got dumped this year. Good luck to all that get out!
 
I guess they could use that one to make one of those tiny backpacks for the kids schoolbooks. Poor little thing. :mad:
 
wouldn't be my choice on a bear to shoot but he's happy and its his tag.No different then shooting a raghorn or 2x2 muley.Some guys are happy with anything they can turn up and others want to hunt for a more mature animal.We are all hunters and hunt for different reasons and a trophy is in the eye of the beholder.Congrats to him if that's what makes him happy.Again, it wouldn't be my choice for hanging a tag on.I get why some are bothered because the area is now closed and guys were shooting dinks.But it was all legal correct?I don't know if you guys have cub laws in Mt.Look on the bright side, you'll get to go explore some new terrain to get your bears now
 
mixedbag said:
No different then shooting a raghorn or 2x2 muley.Some guys are happy with anything they can turn up and others want to hunt for a more mature animal.We are all hunters and hunt for different reasons and a trophy is in the eye of the beholder.Congrats to him if that's what makes him happy.
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Small bears have more of a resemblance to a lab puppy than a yearling deer or elk. I really love the photos. Hiding dink is harder to do than the "Oh man, why did I pull the trigger?" look on somebody's face.

Best bear areas in MT, closing before the first week of May, with more sows killed than males.. truly pathetic.
 
When you have one drainage with 5 sows wacked out of it by the same guy and his buddies you know there is a problem. Whatever moves dies around here by most. It scares me to think of the wounded that are left behind. A 2 year old bear and a spike or 2 point deer or bull are not the same come on. Let's face it. A select few spend their time money and bellys processing and chowing on their bear.
 
Same goes for bears as other game animals, just because it's legal doesn't make it right.
 
I agree that the law is the differentiating factor when it is a matter of opinions between two people on hunting ethics; however, when I see people who are not hard up for meat shooting animals similar to those in the picture above, I wince at all of the anti-hunters that are licking their lips and justifying their position because they found another person that is more keen on killing than hunting.

If you go out looking to kill the first legal animal that you catch a glimpse of (for reasons other than lack of meat in the freezer), I believe it says a lot about your character.
 
Is it possible that the quotas are leading to the shooting of small bears? For instance, people are afraid to pass on bears because the quota might be filled before they get another chance. So they end up taking the first bear that they see.
 
Southern Elk said:
Is it possible that the quotas are leading to the shooting of small bears? For instance, people are afraid to pass on bears because the quota might be filled before they get another chance. So they end up taking the first bear that they see.
Click to expand...

I think in 510 yes. A small quota of 5 bears. But 520 not so much. Look at the overall number of boars vs sows killed in other areas much, it's a much different ratio. This year i think It's a reflection of the vulnerability of the bears who had a shitty fall and early spring. The bears I saw this year were skinny and out early. Plus the jackasss driving around popping the easy ones off the road
 
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