Next fall i will be old enough to start bear hunting in my state. I would like to know whether it is better to spot and stalk bears, or to sit and let them come to me. I hunt in the Adirondacks, in New Yorkmostly. i havent seen a bear in a few years. i have gone deer hunting with my brother for the last 2 years and i have only seen sign once. if anyone is familiar with the area, ihunt around 7th and 8th lake, since i have a camp on 6th. i think most bears have gone further north. also what is the best time to hunt them i would assume as early as i could wake up, but you know what they say about assuming. and finally is a 12gauge slug a good choice for bears, i hunt mostly in dense cover, so range isn't much of a worry.

i think if you haven't seen one in a while,you may want to start some bait sites after you locate some sign in an area..good luck!

If its legal, I say ditto. Spot and stalk is very difficult, at best, in dense cover.

Here in WV it is illegal to bait, but thats o.k. to me huntin over bait is more like fishin than huntin, but to each his own.
Anyway, I have never been to NY but, if your in the mountains, you can Use this to your advantage.
I usually just walk on trails and keep my ears open, most bears, aren't really all that worried about keeping quite.
Plus, If you are above him, you can keep from smelling you. Sometimes he will walk right up to you, if you are quite enough and he don't know you are there.
I killeda 450# era few yearsago like this.
Good Luck

It is illegal to bait in New York. I would find some grassy meadows or some berry patches and concentrate my efforts there. You might want to see if honey or bacon burns are legal. Speak with the DEC and find out your options. Good luck.

if you have some people i would try to do some bear drives. our hunting group has killed 11 bear in 12 seasons. this is the first year i was able to have time off for bear season and i guess i got a little beginners luck a 222lb boar

I'm still new to the sport of bear hunting, but have been making some progress. My first year I didn't even see one, and last year I saw two, but they were out of bow range. Here in Mass it's illegal to bait too, so I have approached bear hunting like it is deer hunting. I scouted a bit, and found a few areas with sign, then set up either a tree stand or ground blind in the area. I attempted to further up the ante by using some commercially available bacon scent in a spray bottle, and by burning incense sticks that smell like anise. The bears visited the area while I wasn't there, and the anise seemed to hold the attention of some does,so I know I need to refine my tactics a bit. Anyway, perhaps this method might work better for you. Good luck.

Callingis the only way I hunt bears. Either predator distress or calf/fawn bleats.