Free Lunch program

by **caperoll/Scott** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 1]

Last Fall one of the guys asked if anyone had a problem leaving a Deer or Elk on the mountain over night. I replied to that stating I have left deer and elk on the hill several times with no problems of Bears or other animals eating the meet. Well guess what. Opening day of Deer season a friend and I went hunting in the head waters of the Salmon River, we were two and a half miles in from the truck , that what the GPS said. Well we shot two nice Deer, by the time we got the two deer off the really step part of the hill down into the bowl it was getting late in the day and we decided to hang one deer, pack one out and come back the next morning and get the other deer. We had the deer quartered and hung in tree. I left one of my sweaty shirt on one of the quarters to help prevent any animals from hitting the meat. Well the next morning when we arrived at the tree that had the deer quaters hanging in it we found that only one quarter as still in the tree, the quarter that had the shirt on it. The other three quartes had been pulled out of the tree. One quarter was half eaten laying on the ground under the tree, an other quarter had been dragged off about twenty yards and chewed on and the other quarter was just gone. It was a long walk out with only one quarter of that deer. I know where I'm spring bear hunting, Any one else have the misfortune of Bears.

by **pointysticks** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 2]

bummer.

how close were the gut piles? i wonder if peeing around the perimeter would have helped.

we had a marmot-like thing come into camp to try to eat our elk. we left a coleman lantern going all night, and it seemed to work.

by **FemoralArchery** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 3]

We had a bear come in to camp and it got into all kinds of stuff. Actually, we saw it in camp a few times, but it hadn't ever bothered anything before. It chewed up my dads shoes that had blood on them from the bull they killed the day before. That bear is no longer a problem.

by **Swede** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 4]

I have never had the problem of bears bothering my meat, but I recognize there is always a first time. I doubt that urinating around your kill site would have prevented the bears mischief. I have to extrapolate a little on what I have observed to make that conclusion. I urinate out of my tree stand whenever I have the urge. I have had bears come around now and again. I even relieved myself on one. That bear left right away, but wasn't bothered by the urine that was already at the base of the tree. The bear was sniffing at the ladder I used to go up the tree, when it started to rain pee. Based on my experience, I would say urine at the kill site will have no effect, but if you hang around and pee on the bear, then your meat will be safe.

by **WapitiTalk1** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 5]

Swede wrote:The bear was sniffing at the ladder I used to go up the tree, when it started to rain pee. Based on my experience, I would say urine at the kill site will have no effect, but if you hang around and pee on the bear, then your meat will be safe.

Now "that's" funny right there, I don't care who you are :lol:

I had coyotes pretty much de-gut a little muley buck I got a bad hit on years ago, but really, no issues with bears (knock on wood). I hit the little buck low and back right at dark. Came back in the morning to track it and found it about 200 yards from where I hit it and as mentioned, the yotes did a pretty darn good job of gutting it for me. Was able to keep all but one front quarter if I remember correctly.

by **ElkNut1** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 6]

Leaving critters over-night is always a risk! We've left them over-night with no issues & in other instances had several issues! On a nice velvet buck my son too foxes ate up a hindquarter & misc other small parts, we salvaged the rest! On another instance we took an elk early am & returned later that day & found 3 bears on it, 2-cubs & the sow, they had meat & meat bags scattered for a 100yds. On another occasion we left 2 hind-quarters over-night in a tree because we were so deep in but managed 1/2 the elk out, on return we found a bear had helped himself! (grin) Here's photos of it! One of how we left them & the other the next morning!

ElkNut1

by **Herb** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 7]

The only time we lost meat, we hung it with an attempt to keep it "bear safe."

I've left quarters on logs more than a few times in the same area with no issues. It's always a risk, never know until you get back to it.

Take care of the meat, hope for the best, what else can you do??

by **easeup** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 8]

my biggest bull got left out over night just gutted and skinned; still lying on the ground. well it was dark and snowing like crazy.
I was in new country and a just a litle unsure I could find the way back to the tent in the blizzard.
next morning I got back over to the kill site about 10am to find half of it eaten by coyotes. by the number of tracks in the snow there must have been 500 of them!