Any seious bear hunters out there with experience calling in black bears? Would like to know if it works or is just a marketing gimmick to sell calls.

First off, welcome to the best boards on the net!
Wayne Carlton has a video of bear calling. It sure seems to work, but mostly on bears that are spotted first, then called in to a position for a shot. check out the video if you get the chance.

Nice to see another fellow NY bear hunter on the forum - that makes a total of 4 of us - (check the northeast regional forum). I have a friend that worked with radio collared bear while at Univ. of NH, he said that they used to call in bears with rabbit distress calls and fawn bleats. It can work depending on the time of the year, the bear, and the availability of food.<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

We don't usually do it but it can be done with a predator call. On a video we have there is a black bear taken using a call, it actually ran right thru the slash towards the hunters, and was shot at very close range.

I still need to be convinced, I've tried 3 times to call black bears in when there was fresh sign with no luck, I'm able to call coyotes and bobcats but so far no luck on bears,good to see somebody from Remsen, hunted out of Syracuse for 30 years in Old FORGE and Santanoni usahunter

tried it once on a blackie, the bugger sat right down...a nice looking bear too big ole head on him! Figured it to be a boar. Turned up the heat and he just walked away...hopefully I can try it again someday.

There is also a video out with some guys on Kodiak calling in deer....I mean bears LOL! The big ole brown furry type

I would say it could work but I guess it depends on how hungry the bear is & how hard he is willing to work for his food!

Any chance of some specifics RNZ? I'm pretty certain calling won't work during an Adirondack winter but not so sure about the other three seasons. Also, how do you tell a hungry bear from a not so hungry bear? Never mind, I think I know the answer to that one. Did your friend publish a paper or anything regarding his black bear work in NH? I sure would appreciate some details.

Well as far as the dying rabbit calls go, two or three guys would take 15 min. turns calling. You have to blow loudly and pretty continuously. Five 3 second blows then take a big breath and then repeat that pattern for 15 minutes until the next guy relieved you. Beyond 15 minutes and he says you'll get pretty light headed. If you're alone wait 15 minutes, then start up again for another 15 minutes, and repeat that pattern. In NH this worked Spring - Fall. My friend and his brother used this technique to call in an Adirondack black bear in October during the regular bear season near Piseco lake. So it is possible to call in a NYS bear.
No he did not publish a paper, he was only a student/assistant at the time working towards his degree, but he was out there with the prof. all the time. He would crawl into dens in the winter, worked with tranquilized animals, and tracked/observed them at other times of the year which gives him tons of up close and personal experience and knowledge about bear behavior besides all of the scientific knowledge gained in class. He was also a bear hunter before even entering college.
As far as the fawn bleats go, he said that these worked best in the spring when the fawns were just born. He said the bears came a runnin' to this call, unlike the rabbit calls which they generally approached more cautiously. He said that fawn calls could work in the fall if it is a year with low nut/berry production. Bears are opportunists, and fawns make an easy meal. If the bears are hungry, meaning easier preferred foods such as beech nuts and acorns are not plentiful, they will respond to animal calls. I didn't ask him what pattern he used for the fawn bleats because at that time I figured it was a spring only tactic.
However, since then I talked with another Adk bear hunter who shot a deer in Oct, and the next day he went back to that same spot and found a bear eating the gut pile. This tells me that bears still have a taste for deer even in the fall, meaning a fawn call could work. So the next time I see my friend I'll ask for more specifics on the fawn bleat.
I hope this was specific enough for you.

Oh yeah, even if the fawn bleats aren't the trick for fall hunting, he did mention that using that call in the spring is a great way to scout, sight, and count the bears in the area you intend to hunt in the fall, making it a useful call nontheless. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I hope to retire soon so I should have plenty of time to put your suggestions to a test. I'll let you folks know how I make out.