I personally don't hunt bears just like I don't hunt ducks or geese. I don't mind that other people hunt them but it isn't anything I care to do. For what it is worth I enjoy an occasional meal of bear meat but don't want a freezer full of it. I would rather have that space occupied by deer or elk.

Johnny,

I agree with you, but I take it to an extreme. Please don't anybody get offended with what i'm about to say. You all can hunt anyway that suits you. I don't judge. This is what I like to do.

My dad taught me how to hunt when I was 8 years old. That was 1950. I've hunted every year since. Long time. I guess I like it. :)

Anyway, my dad was a still hunter. That's what he taught me. It's the only way i've hunted. I still find it a challenge to this day. I have no idea where the game is. I scout a lot, but I still don't know where they are. Only that they were/are in a certain area. I almost always hunt timber. Over the years i've learned to sneak along as quiet as a cat. Always looking for the slightest sign of deer or elk. What I really like about still hunting is it works all day. I'm not locked into dawn and dusk like other methods.

So, that's how I hunt. I can't see baiting, dogs, tree stands, or glassing and long shots as a method of hunting. I don't see the challenge, and it looks boring to me.

Obviously, it appeals to a lot of hunters, because those are more popular methods than still hunting. That's ok. I just wonder if they have as much fun as I do?

I hunt bears cuz I want to. I'm gonna probably jerky all the meat and have a nice bear rug. For one hunter to question another shame on ya.

Most areas that have a good population of black bears are in areas of very heavy vegetation where it's impossible to hunt them other than baiting like the OP mentioned, or running them with dogs. The other way is spot/stalk out west where there is high country to glass them when they area feeding in the open. I've only done a baited stand type hunt once on a flyin hunt that I won up in Manitoba on another website in 2009. It was a lot of fun and, although there were a lot of bears in the area, the Spring was late that year and we didn't take but one bear out of that particular camp in the 3 weeks the outfitter operated it that year. This Spring I got a message from Monty that everything meshed and a lot of the hunters filled their tags. I used to night hunt coons with dogs when I was a kid back in the 50s and I would love to go after a bear with dogs sometime, as well as a cougar, because the chase is the thrill of that type of hunting and not the actual kill. In fact, that is basically what I consider every type of hunting that I do and if I squeeze the trigger and take home some meat, then all the better, but not a necessity!

Well that's kind of what I thought but there doesn't appear to be much of a chase or thrill in what I saw. Also, someone asked about eating them and how did I know they didn't. I suppose they could have but they said they killed 34 bears. Maybe they gave the meat away. They were laying on the bears at the end of the show displaying some of their kills, and it made me think the meat would be bad by then. I thought they displayed no hunt, no skill, nothing except that they put out a rat trap and shot a bear for no reason at all other than ratings on their tv show.

I've hunted bears over bait and it isn't as easy as you would think. I live in Minnesota and about the only practical way to hunt them in the big woods is over bait. I hunted over 4 different bait sites in 4 evenings and did not see a legal bear. I saw 3 cubs on the last night at last light. I assume the sow was just back in the woods a little ways, which would've been illegal and unethical to shoot anyway. In 4 days of hunting with an outfitter who has been doing this for close to 30 years I saw 3 cubs. I suspose some of blame could be put on the guides and outfitter. However, my point is that hunting bears over bait is not as easy as is looks on these TV shows on the outdoor networks. Heck they make shooting huge bucks and bulls look easy. The issue may be with the show and how it portrayed hunting over bait, but thats whole other subject.

Go on foot, and you won't even see the cubs. I still don't see the hard part? Aren't you just sitting there waiting?

Have you never sat in a blind or tree stand over a water hole, game trail. hot spot etc,, for deer, elk or other game animals. its the same thing, your just sitting there and waiting and its not hard it just takes time.

No, I keep moving, but that doesn't matter. As I said in my above post. I don't care how anybody else hunts. I'm just trying to understand how sitting and waiting is hard.

Unless you're talking about it being boring. Sort of like waiting in a doctors office. I don't wait well, and that would be hard.

I guess I mean it's not physically hard, and I don't see how it takes any skill. It's just....well........boring. I've read some guys say they read a book in a stand. WTH?

For me it is not hard it just takes time, but as soon as something comes in the wait pays off, and it could be more difficult for an impatient person you just gotta find a way to pass time. as you said Some hunters read books i have herad of people listening to music etc.. But you are right it's not physically hard to do but for some hunters that is there way of hunting. Now by saying that you keep moving are you refering to, spot and stalk or just walking through the woods trying to jump something?