Bear Hunting. Need Advice!

[fuzziebutt]

The most important thing to remember is to be able to outrun at least one other person hunting with you.

 

[thekid]

You shoot a bear the same place you shoot a deer. And a 270 is good to use for bear.

 

[Royd]

When tracking a bear, do you know how to tell the difference between a Black bear and a Grizzly.....Black bear scat is full of nuts and berries.. Grizzly bear scat is full of little bells and pepper spray.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

It is difficult to tell some male and females apart. Just take some time and look for cubs.
Most hunters hunt over bait in a treestand. If you can see a V shape indentation in the bears head, it is a mature bear. It will appear to have short ears, short legs and a hanging belly. You want to shoot them further back than a deer because a bears leg is farther forward on the body. You can look for a bears anatomy for clarification. My DH uses a bow but he said the 270 with a 130 grain bullet is excellent. Just like a deer, you can eat just about all of eat, cook it just like you would pork. Late season bears have great fur and make great rugs but the DH had a full body mount done. Also, a bear that is around a garbage dump site isn't fit to eat. Good luck.

 

[chickendude]

Here is a link for the shot placement for a bear. Good luck.
http://www.inberg.ca/hunting_essentials/black_bear_anatomy.htm

 

[Cold Canadian]

Being in a Canadian province that has it's share of bear , I've shoot enough over the years to hopefully give a little advice . First and most important is that you never trust a bear ! If it runs away it more then likly will circle around to see what you are , there eye sight is not good .Now there hearing is another thing as is there sense of smell .A five hundred pound bear can walk through a pine forest and not make a sound .Males compared to females ? A truly large male will look like it has no neck ! head and then shoulder , they will appear low to the ground as well , although a large female can look that way as well .Females appear more lean , or lanky ? and they will not have a large a head as a male in most cases .Depending on what time of year you will be hunting you could find yourself hunting the mateing season ( spring ) .In that case you will more then likly run across a boar and sow and then the size etc will be very visable .If you are hunting in the fall ? well take your time and watch the bear ! you might get a dry female coming in and in some areas they are legal when they don't have any cubs .If you have a sow and cubs come in , sit still and enjoy the scene . Meat , well I personally don't eat it , but I've heard great reports on the taste of a "" FALL "" bear , most people won't eat the meat from a spring bear because it's rather tough after the long hibration .Most people will compare it to a sweet version of pork , but the sweet part would have a great part to do with what they eat in the fall , around here they have a huge variety of berries .The pelt ? In spring they are beautiful and full , but as the sring season goes it will start to rub , so watch and try to look at both sides ......in fall well it's almost as good as in spring , the longer you wait the better it will be .Once again I live in a province that has a huge bear population and I have shoot more then my fair share of them , I even have one book bear , so enjoy the hunt , respect the animal , and get er done !

 

[chickened]

A bear my son got this year. We hunted over a good natural food source. We got 3 in 4 days.

 

[kstaven]

Quote:
The second way is climb a tree.

If he follows you up he is a black bear.

If he knocks it down he's a grizzly.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Wow! How did you get such an awesome oppertunity? Don't most states require non-residents to draw a tag? I'm hoping once I get into a better financial state I will be able to go bowhunting for blacks.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

If you reload, you may want to try some heavier bullets than what you use for deer.

Something like a Barnes TSX would be great
Bears have thicker hides, more fat, and heavier bone than deer

You don't want a light weight bullet that won't penetrate enough for a quick kill