Phil from Maine

I also feel it is perfectly ok. And lot less bear is killed here by hunting with
hounds. The only time I felt frustrated is when setting waiting for a deer
during archery season to have hounds run by you. But, that is ok with me
as they have a right to hunt too. I was once driving in to go archery
hunting and saw a big buckrun across a dirt road on the way in. Wouldn't
you know it a big bear came right out behind it. It stopped in the road for
about half a minute, and then continued on the chase. Others went in and
tried baiting it and had no luck, as, the bear preffered meat over sweets.
So, I asked a freind if he would run his hounds through there. He said no
way, forget it that bear will not tree. He continued on and told me how
this big bear had already killed 2 of his hounds on him. And as stated
above they cost them way to much time and money to have this stuff
happen to them. And of corse there is times they chase them for miles
and miles and never get to see the bear at all. So I would have to say
that the bear still has a better chance at getting away than hunting over bait.

Champlain Islander

I personally don't bear hunt but that is just my opinion. I hunt the deer family and upland game. Something about shooting a bear doesn't appeal to me. I see them regularly in both bow and rifle seasons and always pass on them. Baiting here is illegal and hound hunting is legal. I guess the rational is that it is too easy to kill them over bait. The hounds are pretty effective at treeing them and gives a hunter a much better chance then trying to still hunt them. I have friends who hunt with dogs and they usually tree several each season. Most of the time the dogs are pulled off and the bear is allowed to run another day. The guys focus on the chase not the kill. The only bears that are usually shot are boars. I don't think it is unethical to hunt with them and respect the guys for their focus on the chase and their selectivity of the kill. Bears are a really fascinating animal and every time I see one I am in awe

stack62

Guys watch out for these kinds of posts. Sounds like morePETA bait to me. I can hear it now. The majority of hunters on a leading forum feel hunting with dogs is unethical.

GoatSlayer

I agree with Howler... I have huntedbear to birds with dogs. Granddad was a houndsman from @$LL. Can't remember any hunt that was easy for bear or lion. Running behind a pack of hounds is thrilling to say the least. Stillhound hunt bear and cats and 1 out of 10 chases might end at the tree. Nothing easy about that. I also agree with Stack62 sounds like somebody wanting to cause problems with hunters and make judgements on the ethics of hunting with hounds and/or baiting bear.

Goatslayer....

Smithbros.1

People who hunt with hounds put more work into them than anyone that doesn't hunt with hounds can even comprehend. I have never hunted for bear with hounds & probably never will......But these are hunters rights to hunt with hounds, Just like you wouldn't want a bow hunter telling you rifle hunting is uneithical.
Here in Michigan a few years back they had a ballot proposal to get rid of running beardogs....Yep thenthe anti's got in & added several more attachments......WE SHOT THEM DOWN SOUNDLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![:-]

Just because you don't agree with it.....lets not fight & take other hunters rights away from them.
Take care J

Champlain Islander

Since you responded to me Stack I guess I'll return the favor. I can only guess you didn't read the whole thread or to make matters worse you didn't or couldn't understand. Choosing to not hunt a particular type of game certainly doesn't make a person a peta member. I explained that I chose to not hunt bears and I made it clear that I didn't have a problem with others hunting them by any means. For your information I don't hunt ducks either and I am a member of DU. I just never started to hunt them when I was young because the season clashed with bow hunting. I hunt all types of big game in two or three states and various far away places. I enjoy severalweeks of upland bird, rabbit, turkey and squirrel hunting every year. So before you preach to the choir you better get your facts straight.

gitrbayed

i'm a bear hunter i use hounds! i won't do it anyother way! it's more than a sport for me it's a traditoin that has been passed down through my family for generations! for me it's all in raising dogs from pups and watching them turn into awsome bear and hog baying dogs.
if you want a challenging hunt come and try to make it through the mountains behind hounds, you can sat a treestand all day. but how many can go where the game goes which is where the hounds take you, if you've got what it takes to follow them there. a lot of people just guess on where the game is coming from people who prsue game with dogs find out where it goes, it takes more than just turning dogs loose, you've got to have knowledge of the game to know where to turn them loose. myself i don't release a dog without first seeing the track! and will find the biggest track i can, i won't turn on anything i think will be less than 150lbs.

gahoghntr

well I use dogs for hogs and deer, so you know my opinion

waynejohnson

Well I hunt bear by bait here in wisconsin minnesota canada and michigan. I wouldnt mind hound hunters if they would have more respect then the ones i have came across. I prefer minnesota for bear hunting because there you cant hunt with the aid of hounds. When I hunt wisconsin there always seems to be a dog hunter who will raid my bait stations and run my bears off. I know this do to them telling me, them leaving notes, them leaving video tapes. dog hunters around northern wi allways drive the roads looking for bait hunters spots so they can either place a small bucket full of bait close to our bait so they can steal bears from our baits then run their dogs there.

bearhuntr

I've never hunted bears with hounds, but this post makes me want to! Been wanting to shoot one with my 454 Casull with those 370 grain hard cast bullets, anyways.