Black bears are a real challenge. As said, they cover lots of ground and can be pretty sneaky, especially when there are a lot of people in the woods. Its amazing how quiet and elusive a four or five hundred pound bear can be.

Do not get your hopes all up about taking a bear, especially with a bow. Chances of seeing one during season is slim, but you may luck out. Hunt hard and enjoy the time outdoors. If one lumbers in, thats a bonus. I took a bear with a gun two years ago after hunting for them for 10 years here in PA. The area where I hunt routinely takes a lot of bears, so they are there, but like I said, very elusive.

One piece of advise I will give you. Take a look at some topo maps of areas you plan to hunt. Look for the roughest terrain on the map, ex. steep ravines, deep hollows with streams and especially ravines and the like that have a lot of conifers. I have noticed bears really like these areas. They tend to hang around and frequent these areas during daylight hours.

Good luck.