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All encompassing calling black bears thread (like the old calling tactics and sounds but for bears)
- Thread starter Newpond0
- Start date
I will also switch calls during the calling sesssion just to change the pitch and try for the effect of an animal getting hoarse from all the screaming.
Some times I may finish off a series with a couple of cub sqauls like mom killed the critter and now is the time to eat. My hope would be a big boar will come in knowing he can run off the smaller bears.
Elkhunteresquire,
I've called in quit a few Bears through the years, most of them have been during Elk season. In fact this year on the last day of the NM bow hunt I was in an area where I had seen 5 good size bulls, I was using a Sceery hyper cow call and had these bulls pretty riled up. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I was trying to pull them out of a draw before it got too dark to shoot.
Anyway, I had blowin on that call off and on for about 15-20 minutes. I could hear some rakin going on but the bulls would not come out of the darker timber. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gifThis had been the problem most of the hunt,due to the hot days they had become pretty much nocternal. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
Next thing I know out of the corner of my eye I see movement over my right shoulder. I turn to take a good look at what was headed my way and I see a Cinnamon Black Bear (Approx.400lbs.)coming directly at me at about 50 yrds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Of course I have no intention of shootin this Bear so I shut up and didnt move hoping he would just wonder off. I had done this many times before and usually they would just wonder on past till they get wind of me then they would bolt off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Well, this time was different ,this guy had me pegged! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif He would take a few steps then sniff the air, then do it again. The light was fading so I figured he could'nt really see me so I just held my ground. Well, when he got about 20 yrds from me I figred this is way too close and I'm probably about to get in his comfort zone. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif So, I figured I'd better stand up and and try to put some distance between he and I. Soon as that Bear saw movement the hair on his neck stood up and at that point I thought I had gotten too close and I was just hopin my wheels had plenty of rubber cuz I was gettin ready to bolt into a large open meadow hoping he would'nt follow. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif At that point the Bear started to veer off and was attempting to catch my scent.Soon as he got a little further form me then he was I raisd my arms with bow in hand trying to make myself appear larger. I finally then moved back and he came towards me, I'd move back and he'd move towards me. I finally decided to throw some good size chunks of wood at him to see if he'd back off and sure enough after two or three came real close to him he finally let his hair down and began to veer off and soon put enough space between us to where I slowely back out and made tracks down the trial.
Let me tell you, the mile and a half walk back to the truck in the dark took forever. If i didnt look over my shoulder a thousand times I didnt look back once. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
That was'nt the closest I've been to a Bear but that was the closest I've been to a Big Bear especially with his hair raised. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
I know I wont ever let a Bear get that close to me before I let him know I'm there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
Cow calls of all types work great! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
i like to Find bear that are receptive to the call.
If they are finding lots of food on there owns then not much will work.
To early in the spring is tuff also till they push that plug out and get there stomach back in shape they will not be interested in meat. Just greens.
That’s why I say i like to call or hunt receptive bear.
Like the time of the year that the cow and deer or what ever you have in your area are dropping there young. Hunt around pastures. Follow the cows.
I feel that bear are never to much in a hurry no matter how hungry they are it fear or caution or are they just lazy I don’t know.but i like to spent alot of time on stand
I step back and look at what I got as a playing field and use every thing out there you I to help. Ask question of local landowners. Nobody knows more then them were the bears are on there land.
Windy days i hate. Really cold days are bad. And hot days are just as bad I feel. Find out the days people are seeing them moving. And if all ells I am getting a voice recording of the bear guy on Discovery tonight it works. they come in hungry
April 15th is our opener for spring bear,I saw a 2 year old blond and brown bear last fall that is colored like a alaskan brown bear,Ill be looking for him for the first three days of the season,I make a BIG circle to get up on top of a BIG shale slide on our place that has bears on it all year,they dig in the shale for bugs of some kind,I get up on top overlooking the shale and blow a distress call in the opposite direction like the animal is over the hill,quite a few times a bear has come out of the timber and come straight uphill towards the call.I took a 3 year old cinnamon this way year before last,my father has killed a couple BIG boars off the slide using the same call.Here is a pic of that little cinnamon about half way down the slide,its about 3/8 of a mile long.I come around the backside and setup in that opening right on top.
One sound can be added is a sound that is loud and agressive like a jack rabbit. Even though you don't have jack rabbits in the area the louder scream triggers the reponse of the bear.
If bears are in the area and they are looking for protein to add to their berry diet.
Calling will work well on the edges of larger swamps or wilderness areas where it is difficult to follow the dogs. That way you can avoid some conflicts with hound hunters.
I called in 5 bears in No. Cal on one trip. The success was because I had good information from a trapper that knew where and what the bears were eating. At the time it was tan oaks. The next year I came back later in the season, Thanksgiving, and called for 5 days with no success. It snowed the day before we arrived and I think changing weather slowed down their desire for meat. There were plenty of bears that we kicked out walking to stands.
Other hunters agree that better results are had earlier in the season.
I always made long stands but my first called bear was dead in 2 minutes on the first stand. Most showed up quickly but then again, the area was loaded with bears.
The call was a Crit'r call
Good hunting
Get a few of your buddies together,put on some hip boots and start driving those swamps! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif Works for our group.Three years ago we managed to take 7 bruins,the largest being a 700lb'der! I killed a 207lb sow.The swamp we killed the big boar in also produced a 510lb'der three years previous to that.Certainly grow them big here in PA. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
They were hunting...bears.
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FORKS, Wash. -- A man injured by a black bear had been chasing the animal on private timberland when the bear turned the tables on its pursuers, the investigating officer said Sunday.
Bear season doesn't open until later in the year, but the man was hunting the animal under a special permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Rainier Timber, which owns the land where the hunt was proceeding Saturday, about 6 miles east of the Olympic National Park boundary.
It appeared the hunters had been pursuing the bear for some time, said Fish and Wildlife Officer Brian Fairbanks.
"It's like, you have the fight-or-flight response. It ran for so long, and then decided, 'We're not going to run any more,'" Fairbanks said.
At that point, the hunter and the bear were in heavy brush, the officer said. "He didn't realize the bear was there, and when he got close enough the bear jumped out and grabbed him."
It was not a surprise attack, he said. "They knew it was there - they'd been chasing it. ... The guy got bit but he was the one who put himself in position to get bit."
A second hunter shot and killed the bear before summoning help.
The injured man underwent surgery Sunday on a broken arm, Fairbanks said.
"The bear had grabbed his arm and dragged him down an embankment," he said. "It required some surgery to put him together."
The man, whose name was not released, also suffered a broken wrist and two bite wounds on the upper thigh.
It was a legal hunt, Fairbanks said, with no violation of conditions of the permit.
Fairbanks is based in Forks, an Olympic Peninsula community on the southwest edge of Olympic National Park.
The bear did what bears do and the hunter did what hunters do. Man is still at the top of the food chain and he will remain there as long as he is prepared. In other words, carry enough gun.
i would go back. there's grubs and grass. find i high spot and watch daylight and dusk for sure. watch the wind. give hime a chace to show up a couple time's then try a predator call. Rick
If you are close enough to scout it lightly, I'd go back right away to see if he is leaving regular fresh sign in the clearcut. I don't think you will run him off by one walk through. If bears stay in a small area they walk the same paths and step in the same spots so that they wear out depressions in moss etc. where each foot steps. I've seen black bears do that a number of times. Such a repeat use trail would most likely be where he enters the clearcut.
On hot days, I've seen them lay in the mud or a depression where a spring seeps out of the ground.
I've never done any good hunting bears in early morning, though I recall watching one above timberline one morning before sun-up. I'd concentrate on afternoons and evening. Figure bears to be like teen age boys: sleep late and eat all the time. Like bearmanric, I'd watch the place and use a call. If he comes to the call, he will probably circle downwind when he gets close so always sit where you can see downwind. Good luck.
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I have an electronic caller, what call do you suggest I use? Fawn, rabbit, or what?
Somebody who has used electronic may have a better answer. I've only called bears with a low raspy jack rabbit hand call, that sounds just like a mule deer fawn that I heard cry out. It also sounds like what some are marketing as bear cub distress. And I called one up close with lip squeeks when I didn't have a call along. Fawn or rabbit or bear cub in distress all should work well. I'm not sure that the bear will know what is making the distress sound, just that it sounds small enough for him to eat and in some kind of trouble he can take advantage of. I've used intermittant calling, 15-30 seconds with a minute to up to three of silence. Most folks say that constant calling works better for bears. Could be.
I'd stay at least 30 minutes, longer if I'm sure a bear is around. If you don't see him you might call a bit and then just sit out the stand till dark in silence. Some animals don't come right away but when they get up to feed in the evening, may mosey over and check out where they heard an interesting sound an hour or so earlier.
Bears are reputed to be erratic to call. Sometimes they come and sometimes they don't. That usually means that we callers haven't figured out that species enough yet to call them consistently. Try it. You may teach us all something.
Don't sweat the sound too much, but put the effort and thought into your approach and set up. Its not uncommon to hear a bear, quietly flipping rocks over and stripping bark off of down logs to get bugs. I'm betting you tag your first bear this season.
Jim, If there wasn't any berries in the clearcut my guess is that the bear will likely move on. Who knows though, there could be something close by that the bear you saw was feeding on or it could be a natural place for bears to cross as they wander about looking for food. Bears are going to be loading up on ripe berries from here on out. If you can find some good berry patches that are secluded with cover close by you will find bears. Get a good vantage point, be patient, and watch those berry patches.
Okanagan is right on target with feeding bears making lots of noise. Either when they are rolling rocks for bugs or thrashing around in the berry patches munching down berries. You can often hear them before you see them.
Good luck. Hope you tag a nice one.
watch the edge's and bottums of clearcut's. Rick
Find the food source where bear are feeding and look for a lot of piles of scat.Pick a spot to sit and watch from late evening till dark.First couple hours of daylight in the morning can be productive as well.During the daylight hours,i hunt the thickest cover i can find.Bears like to lay in shady damp areas through the daytime,to cool there bodies down,they over heat in the hot sun of the day.Even in warm winter days,they will seek out these areas.
i'll be using stand's. just so i can see. going to put letter under it or contact game warden. want to see over old clear cut's . good luck on your hunt. Rick
We have done it several times trying to call in problem 'yotes. and everytime it was while we were usinga homemade tape of baby pigs squealling! sends them into a [beeep] feeding frenzy!LMAO! That reminds me I need to find that tape. We found it worked best in early spring and late fall! Best of luck! Gets your blood going when you have a big boar bearing down on you and you can't shoot them! No joke when they come in they come in hard and fast.
Don't know if this has been posted before or not, it's new to me so I thought I would share. This is some amazing footage. The video is long, but worth the watch, enjoy!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WG4MMC8Tvsc /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
I would either go with staying where you were, especially if it was a good vantage point with good views, or moving around and above.
I don't think calling from below is normally a good option. Even if the winds seem right where you are standing in the bottom of the canyon, chances are, they are swirling above you and scent is moving up the canyon. Except on rare ocassions, scent is moving up hill...
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But don't Bears have shorter front legs than back legs??? So when they try to run downhill they tend to barrel roll???
My freind that is funny, I laugh everytime I hear that, if you have ever seen a bear running down a hill or mountian they go 100 miles an hour just fine. at least they can out run a good pack of hounds on their worst day. Never have I seen one barrel over.