bear hunting questions???

[nyelkman]

I am going bear hunting next weekend in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. You can' t hunt over bait and I am not really sure how to hunt bears. This is my first bear hunting experience, I will be using a bow and need to get them within 40 yards!! Does anyone have and hints or tips for hunting bears??? I have heard that you can call them in with a predator call.....anyone ever tried that???? I would really appreciate any help.

[Coastie]

I am not an expert by any means having killed only one Bear and that by sheer accident. The Bear walked directly under my climbing stand and was too good an opportunity to pass.
I have noticed several things here in North Ga. which may give you a few clues as to what to look for, the terrain is similar to what you will be hunting and the situation may be as well.
Look for food sources they are using this time of year, especially standing corn fields if there are any in the area, they will use this almost any time of day but especiall along about dusky dark. Concentrations of White Oak Acorns are another important source of food at this time, look for evidence of Bears using an area with a lot of White Oaks, trails, tracks & scats.
Even though " baiting" per se is also illegal here in Ga. you may still use a variety of attractants, several are available that are supposed to be very good. Bears have a first class sniffer so anything that smells like food will attract them from a long distance. Keep that in mind when it comes to scent control as well.
They like carrion, if there is a dead critter that you happen to find it may well be a good spot to set up. I know this is a long shot but it happens. Beyond that, go to where the Bears are, don' t even think of trying to " Track one down" they can travel tremendous distances in a short time. Males especially have a huge home territory so if you see one today he could well be 10 miloes or more away by tomorrow morning, on the other hand, if there is an important food source close by, he/she may hang around. Good luck!!!

[Reliabull MT Archer]

Good points,food source,scent control and attractant.
I use the Wayne Carlton open reed call along with an elk diaphram,you could use a turkey diaphram as well same call.The best way to call them is to spot them and stalk as close as you can and then call from the direction he is headed and make sure there are no obstacles in the way,ie.creeks etc.calling bears is really dangerous,especially in my neck of the woods where grizz roams.The bears are comming to eat and kill so be ready,bear spray is really helpfull and you will probably have the arrow fall of your rest from shaking when you see his ears laid back and hair standing up.as soon as I see him close I switch to the diaphram so I can have my hands free to draw my bow.
I called in a nice bear yesterday evening it was a rush.used to hunt with hounds and spot and stalked,glassed hillsides by known food sources.Now I like to call them in,if you try it you will see what I mean.Also if you have a climbing tree stand it would be a big help as you can see them comming a lot easier and your scent is less noticable not to mention less likely to get mauled.Hope this helps and good luck and hunting.
George

[Coastie]

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, make sure to hunt uphill from the truck if at all possible. Bears do not come with convenient handles for moving them. If you would like to practice moving a Bear, take a 30 gallon trash bag and fill it with jello, then try moving it across the room. Now imagine trying to move that same bag across several hundred yards (or more) of brush coverd forest, especially if you hunt by yourself.
There is an area not too far from where I live and hunt called the " Hell hole" a guy killed a nice Bear in there several years back. It took him and six friends 14 hours to get the Bear out of there.