HILL CITY, Minn. _ Cooper Parker wasn't even on his bear stand yet, and already he was feeling the anticipation of Minnesota's opening day of bear season on Thursday, Sept. 1.
"I'm trying to stay mellow," said Parker of Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Parker and his buddy, Marshall Henricks of Redfield, Iowa, had come north to hunt bears for the first time with Grand Rapids guides Justin and Alice Wiese. The couple operates Wheezy Outdoors, a guiding service for anglers and bear hunters.
Justin Wiese wasn't doing much to calm Parker's jitters. He was telling his gaggle of opening day hunters at midday how eager bears had been to visit the baits he and Alice had been tending near Hill City since mid-August.
"We have 15 out of 15 baits being hit," Wiese said. "All of the berries have dried up."
When natural foods become scarce, bears are more apt to turn to the baits that hunters place in the woods.
The Wieses have six hunters in camp this fall. By early afternoon on Thursday, four of them had been delivered to their stands among the maples and popples. After ushering the hunters to their stands, the Wieses refreshed the bait sites with sunflower seeds, licorice, popcorn, peanuts, Rice Krispie bars and gummy bears.
"They get fed pretty good," Justin said. "We spoil 'em."
All of the stands were on public land and signed as required. Most of them were in remote locations that required a few miles of driving down logging roads, plus another few miles on side-by-side ATVs followed by short walks through the woods. The Wieses began exploring the Hill City area, about 20 miles south of Grand Rapids, shortly after moving to the area. It was lightly traveled, and there were plenty of creeks or small lakes, something the Wieses like to see near bait sites. After a bear eats for a while, it usually wants water, Justin said.
