You don't have to call from natural food sources. You can call from an ywhere you think bears will be. Which is almost anywhere since they move around so much.

Natural food sources if where you can sneak up on them.

Got it, I'm a bit worried on using predator call such as a fawn in distress. There's a lot of coyotes and wolves and I might end up luring in a pack of unexpected guest. Might be overwhelmed even with a fully loaded 30-30

You'll bring in all the predators. Lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes etc.

Just shoo away the ones you don't want. I always have a small game licence that's good all year here. If a coyote comes in....bang! The rest are safe.

The more experienced guys are saying no go on the tracking. I still hope to give it a try someday in the snow. I regularly shoot whitetail this way.... total different game I'm sure. In my area I could sit a long time before ever seeing a bear. Most people get together in groups and drive them and do pretty good. I still hope to try tracking one if I can ever cut across a track when I have snow.
-Jake

Hard to do when PA only has a 3 or 4 day bear season.

You might have a chance in the snow, but remember to not be right on the track. Stay downwind of them, as you would tracking an elk or deer. Just close enough to still see the track or circle out 40 yards or so and back every now and then to make sure you are still parallel. Remember you are more likely to find the animal bedded away from the track, so don't stare at the track but keep eyes up and ahead (parallel and downwind) Bears will hook back around, down wind, so they can see their back trail and let their nose warn them of approaching danger. I've never tracked one, but it has been done by others. Apparently seeing the bear is a rare occasion. Getting a shot is rarer yet. Either way, you can learn a lot about an animal by tracking for several hours--shot or no shot in the end.

Bear crap on the horse trail. Wonder how fresh that is? Right around the corner the bear. Yep I tracked a bear.

x2 on tracking a bear without snow on the ground!

How's the wrist coming along? By now I hope you're up to using the compound bow again.

I'm back to 100%. I'm done deer hunting for the season so I'll have to wait for turkey season to hunt with my compound.