|
There are no guarantees in hunting, but bear hunting over bait is often as close
as it gets. Many states and Canadian provinces allow hunting bears over bait. If
you haven't traveled away from home on a hunting trip, bear hunting is a great choice
for your first out-of-state hunting adventure.
Many hunters want to travel to chase whitetails and elk. Here at bearhunting.com
we have traveled to hunt both species and can testify that hunting them is enjoyable.
The problem is the opportunity for success on a guided elk or deer hunt is less
than 50% in most cases.
Most experienced bear hunting outfitters, however, experience close to 100% success
when hunting over bait. In Canada bears are plentiful. There is lots of wilderness
so hunters often end up hunting in the backcountry far away from the hustle and
bustle of the city. They also get to experience and
If hunting with a gun make sure it is sighted in for close range shots.
see lots of things in the Canadian wilderness that they wouldn't see at home. Wolves,
moose and other critters live in Canada and seeing them while bear hunting is a
distinct possibility.
Most guided bear hunts are relatively inexpensive compared to many big game species.
Many outfitters offer bear hunts that cost anywhere from $800 - $3000 dollars and
last up to seven days. Elk and deer hunts can cost two to five times as much and
hunters may go home empty-handed.
There are many ways to hunt bears but the most popular is over bait. Hunting over
bait is not as easy as you may think. Big old bears often wait until dark to venture
into bait piles to avoid being shot by hunters. Poor weather conditions can limit
bear movements. On my first Canadian bear hunt, it was very cold even though it
was the middle of May. Bears were not coming into the bait; they were sleeping.
In seven days of hunting, we did not see bear on every sit. We ended up harvesting
bears and went home happy but we did spent countless hours in a tree stands without
seeing a bear.
Doug with his first black bear. Congratulations!
Hunting bears, especially when over bait, is perfect for bowhunters. Bait piles
are often less than 30 yards away. In many cases, bait piles are positioned so that
when the bears approach the bait, they are broadside. With a well-placed arrow,
bears will typically expire within 50-100 yards.
Gun hunters should sight their guns in for close range shooting before leaving home.
Many hunters make the mistake of bringing their high-powered deer rifle to bear
camp that is sighted in out to several hundred yards. When looking at a bear through
a high-powered scope when it is only thirty yards away, often all they will see
is a big black blob which will make it hard to choose a spot to aim. While bear
hunting, one rifle hunter missed a bear at point blank range because his scope had
too much magnification and he had a hard time finding the bear in the scope. If
hunting over bait, a low-powered scope or iron sights should get the job done.
When shooting a bear, many hunters aim at the black blob and shoot. Bears don't
have a defined shoulder blade that sticks out like deer. Determining where their
spine is and where their belly stops is difficult because they have so much black
hair above their back and below their belly. Many outfitters tell hunters to cut
the bear in four equal pieces in their mind by placing their crosshairs dead center
on the animal. Then aim slightly forward and a little low and the animal will be
hit in the center of the chest cavity. When hunting bears over bait you should try
to remain as scent-free as possible. Most experienced bear hunters wear scent-eliminating
clothes like Scent Blocker or used odor eliminating sprays. Bear have a keen sense
of smell and if they detect human odor, they often avoid a bait pile until after
dark.
Bowhunting for bears can be a lot of fun and the success rate is really high.
Many bear hunters also bring attractants with them. An outfitter provides the bait
but in some cases, more is required to entice them in. Burning bacon grease is a
popular method of attracting bears. When the wind is right, the smell of burning
bacon can be smelled from a long ways off. Many companies make bear attractants
that can be sprayed on trees or on the ground that smell like blueberries or pie.
Like humans, bears have a sweet tooth and often come into a bait pile if they smell
lots of sweet treats.
Some hunters prefer not to hunt over bait. Some outfitters opt to hunt bears with
dogs. Hunting behind a pack of howling hounds can be fun. When using hounds, the
outfitter will let the dogs loose on a fresh bear track. The dogs follow the track
until they bump into the bear at which point the bear will climb up into a tree
or be held up in a rock pile or other type of obstacle. After the bear is caught
by the dogs the hunter comes in and shoots the bear. Like hunting over bait, this
style of hunting may sound easy but it isn't. Running behind a pack of hounds through
the woods can be exhausting but often bears get away or after a long trail hunters
discover the bear is small and don't shoot it. Bear hunting with hounds can be physically
demanding.
If you are up for a challenge, you can spot and stalk bears or drive them like some
hunters do deer drives. In some states like Pennsylvania, the only way you can hunt
bears is to put on an old-fashioned drive with a few friends or spot and stalk.
In Alaska and in western states spot and stalk hunting is extremely popular. Hunters
will get on top of a mountain or some type of vantage point and glass for hours
until they see a black bear and slowly move in, making sure the wind is in their
face until they are within gun or bow range of the bear. This style of hunting can
be extremely difficult and rewarding.
Crossbows are also allowed for bear hunting in many states and provinces. Check the local regulations before bear hunting.
Another increasingly popular way to hunt black bears is with predator calls. Mouth
calls like a rabbit in distress or a crying bear cub can attract bears. Legal electronic
calls can be very productive. When using a wireless caller, a speaker can be in
front of you so when the bear focuses its' attention, it is not focused on where
you are which results in safer hunting and provides better shot opportunities. Many
hunters who hunt bears with predator calls hunt with a partner have a back-up gun
incase a bear approaches from behind the hunter. It is possible to use predator
calls while hunting over bait. A friend of mine called in a bear with a distress
call while sitting in a treestand over bait. The bear snuck in right under his stand.
Unlike calling in coyotes or fox, when calling bears, most experienced hunters suggest
calling almost non-stop for 15-20 minutes. Calling for 30 seconds to a minute doesn't
work well because when the noise disappears, the bears quickly lose interest.
The least discussed method of black bear hunting is trapping them in foothold traps
like they used to do years ago. Trapping of bears can only be done in Maine because
their state is the only one that still allows it. When trapping bears, an extremely
large trap is used to keep the bear from getting away. Many trappers place the foothold
traps near bait piles or on game trails where bears regularly walk. Upon checking
the trap, if a bear is in it, the hunter or trapper kills the animal. Maine has
lots of large bears and many of them only travel at night. Trapping bears is a great
way to catch a big one. I have heard of bears being trapped that exceeded 500 pounds.
Good sized black bear captured on a trail camera.
Judging the age and size of bears is difficult because they don't have antlers like
many of the critters we chase. The body of a black bear is often relatively small
but since they are covered in thick black hair, they look much bigger than they
are. Even experienced hunters often misjudge the size of black bears. There are
a few rules you can follow to determine if the bear you are looking at is small,
average, or large. If you are hunting over bait, the head of a large bear will often
be even or slightly higher than the top of a 55-gallon drum standing upright. A
small bear will appear small when standing next to the drum. Many outfitters hang
bait six feet off the ground. If a bear can reach up and grab it, it's a decent
size bear. The head of a small bear will appear large on its body and the head of
a big bear will appear small because its' body is so large. The ears on a small
bear appear large and close together. On a small bear, the head will appear large
on its boy. The head of a small bear appears large and close together where they
are small and far apart on a large bear. A large bear often has a large crease going
down the center of it’s' head.
Black bear hunting can be lots of fun. It can be inexpensive and the chances of
being successful on your first trip are very high. If you haven't tried black bear
hunting, go ahead and book the trip. The experience of hunting in the wilderness
far from home and hunting a big meat eater like a bear is an experience of a lifetime.
|