The only goal I have for the mountains is to be fortunate and healthy enough to make it up to look for my first bear , again ! And can’t wait
Welcome Guest!
2023 Goals
- Thread starter jbogg
- Start date
Joe Brandon
Senior Member
My goal this year is to be teachable and realize I know no where near as much as I thought I did. Imagine that! Literally starting over again. One of the bad things that came with tagging out one year was complacency. That took a few years of blindness and ignorance to see.
Shootthehooch
Member
Long term my goal is take take a bear from every wilderness area in GA. As far as this year goes, I plan on scouting new states like North Carolina and West Virginia.
I'm about to conduct a study of sorts to verify some unscientific opinions of mine regarding bear behavior within different density areas, areas of various hunting and/or hound pressure, and the actual size of their typical home range here in Georgia(I believe it is much smaller here than it is in other states)
Then by the end of next year I hope to be able to compare the data with our neighboring states and start working my way up the coast
I'm about to conduct a study of sorts to verify some unscientific opinions of mine regarding bear behavior within different density areas, areas of various hunting and/or hound pressure, and the actual size of their typical home range here in Georgia(I believe it is much smaller here than it is in other states)
Then by the end of next year I hope to be able to compare the data with our neighboring states and start working my way up the coast
jbogg
Senior Member
That is a very cool goal of targeting each wilderness area. That’s a lot of boot leather. Keep us posted on your findings regarding home ranges.
splatek
UAEC
Yeah really cool goal
How are you doing the study? With DNR, a university, or just going to try and do something yourself? I imagine the DNR had some data since they have collared bears all over the state. Should be easy to crunch the numbers if they shared the data. Good luck.
trad bow
wooden stick slinging driveler
I’m going to have another surgery on my shoulder soon. It’s stopping me from doing much of anything. So I’ll say this year will be rehabbing my shoulders and get rid of all this weight I’ve gained
I’m also getting my long hunter camping gear straightened out by setting up camps in my backyard and using my gear.
I’ve got two new flintlock rifles to get dailed in and shoot enough to hunt with this fall.
I’m also getting my long hunter camping gear straightened out by setting up camps in my backyard and using my gear.
I’ve got two new flintlock rifles to get dailed in and shoot enough to hunt with this fall.
jbogg
Senior Member
At a certain age it gets more challenging every year to do the physically demanding activity that we all enjoy. Good luck with the shoulder surgery, and I know you’ll be pulling that Trad Bow back in no time.
Last edited:
Shootthehooch
Member
As of now it will all be on my own. I'm trying to reach out to the DNR and see if I could get any cooperation or just try and figure out what they already know. That way I don't invest several years trying to do something that's already been done. I'm basically gonna try and follow different bears from different areas all year round and watch where they go in relation to their core winter range
splatek
UAEC
Good luck. If you need help with data analysis... hit me up. I am curious how you will identify specific bears without markings.
Shootthehooch
Member
I have better pictures on the memory card of my cameras but these are immediately available on my phone. I've got a few bears already selected that will be easier to identify because I am already familiar with the area. They all have unique characteristics. Little guy has a white chest, others you can separate by the color of their nose. I have to find their individual dens and follow them individually for the rest of the year
Attachments
trad bow
wooden stick slinging driveler
You do this and you’ll be a bear whisperer!! Excellent project.
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
I think that bears move according to necessity.
In the summer males move big time looking for females. Once they are done with the dating scene; it’s food, food, food. By AUG 1st it’s all about food.
I don’t think females move very far. Feeding opportunities are plentiful for a bear in NGA.
I say all that to say this. I agree with your assessment that a black bear’s core area is much smaller here (east of the Mississippi River) than out west. I also think we probably have a greater success rate of reproduction. We just have more resources.than out west. That why we have more critters.
It would be nice to see the data and reports that the tracking collar study is producing. We are paying for it after all..
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
One thing I think about as I look out over the terrain…
If I was able to pick up everything I see, turn it upside down and shake it, how much game would fall out?
If I was able to pick up everything I see, turn it upside down and shake it, how much game would fall out?
tree cutter 08
Senior Member
There's alot of data from the collars dnr has collected. They can tell you alot more than me but they will do some serious traveling. They are all different. This year is a prime example with the acorn failure.
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
Is this info published? Or did you ask?
Shootthehooch
Member
I agree with just about everything you said. All I am concerned about is the east coast. I think that most information that is available to us is a very generic blanket statement. They do move to necessity but every state has something different to offer them, **** just jumping north into NC you can see a drastic difference in terrain and vegetation.
Even here in North Georgia there are varying types of terrain and vegetation. The central part from Cohutta to Chattahoochee has softer, more rounded peaks whereas the Brasstown and Southern Nantahalas have much steeper, razorlike ridges. We've had massive wildfires, tornadoes, beetle kills and rocky exposures with a healthy mix of hard mast.
Now compare us to the northern hardwoods found in Pennsylvania where 100 years ago, bad logging practices raped all of the more valuable mast producing hardwoods and left NOTHING for seed except for scrap timber like beech, maple, cherry and hemlock. The very few areas with good timber are inundated with gypsy moths that strip all the foliage in mid summer to the extent of making look like the middle of winter. Look that up by the way, it's insane what gypsy moths do.
All this to say, bears are certainly bears at the end of the day but every state is a little different and they present their own variables that the bears act accordingly to. Our food availability and density allow bears to eat and breed without much travel. Other states where the density is spread out much thinner, and the food availability is tougher causes them to extend their home range much further
Now add in human aspects like urbanization, baiting, organized drives and hound hunting. The bears in areas with much more hunting related stress tend to travel in a path of greatest resistance to avoid predation whereas here in Georgia they tend to travel the path of least resistance.
What I am trying to do is take all things into consideration and come up with a summary of how bears act here in Georgia specifically. Then I want to do the same in Tennessee, the Carolinas, the Virginia's, up to the northeast and get rid of this overly generalized idea that they all act and live the same way
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
Sounds hardcore. Get on ‘em
tree cutter 08
Senior Member
I haven't seen it published, just real life tales from the guys that do the work. Some that will blow your mind as to how far they will travel.
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
I believe that. Some of them set it on cruise control and tear down the woods
splatek
UAEC
I was thinning about the collar data being the best bet. But they aren’t going to give that out to a hunter. It would be like a targeted strike.
You likely could get averages from DNR.
I’m not sure, but would like to see what you find, about bears being different.
My hypothesis would be they act different, therefore appear different due to local ecological niche variation
Like the southern app Brook trout, except bc trouts are water locked and separated by Known glaciation events they can’t just swim to the next state.
Bears on the other hand could, if motivated, walk from Georgia to Maine right along the app trail. Usually you’ll observe repeatable heritable difference in populations due to genetic drift associated with various physical obstacles, occasionally due to ring selection.
It’ll be interesting to see what you observe.
I am slightly skeptical of the visual analysis because their coats change across time. Not trying to be a naysayer I create experiments for a living.
You likely could get averages from DNR.
I’m not sure, but would like to see what you find, about bears being different.
My hypothesis would be they act different, therefore appear different due to local ecological niche variation
Like the southern app Brook trout, except bc trouts are water locked and separated by Known glaciation events they can’t just swim to the next state.
Bears on the other hand could, if motivated, walk from Georgia to Maine right along the app trail. Usually you’ll observe repeatable heritable difference in populations due to genetic drift associated with various physical obstacles, occasionally due to ring selection.
It’ll be interesting to see what you observe.
I am slightly skeptical of the visual analysis because their coats change across time. Not trying to be a naysayer I create experiments for a living.
