bear hunting 101
05-03-2019, 08:05 AM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,026
Patience and luck. I know what your dilemma is living in PA. But there are things you can do to up your odds. You will probably get some more advice so I'll list what I can remember off the top of my head. From my experience bears aren't all that hard to kill with the right equipment. But they are tough critters.
1. As far as equipment a bow with a minimum of 45-50 # draw weight. (Use the heaviest bow you can draw easily and shoot accurately)
2. A strong cut on contact/sharp. broadhead would be my first choice. (if you're using a bow in this range stay away from a mechanical broadhead).
3. Scout the area you plan on hunting. Look for food sources. If you're hunting in the fall bears are trying to fatten up for the winter and will eat just about anything.
4. This sort of goes along with #3 but when bears are pressured from human activity they tend to head for the thickest nastiest stuff they can find. Look for trails going in and out of such places and set up a stand.
5. Where I hunt the mountains have shelves or step in them. They know that hunters in the area like to walk the tops of the mountains along existing paths. I've found that the game will travel on these flatter areas along the side usually the ones closest to the top.
6. Don't be fooled by a bear's eyesight. True they don't have the best eyes but they can see movement and IMO they are a smart animal.
7 Eliminate you scent as much as possible. A bear gets one whiff of you and he's gone, no ifs ands or buts.
Good luck
1. As far as equipment a bow with a minimum of 45-50 # draw weight. (Use the heaviest bow you can draw easily and shoot accurately)
2. A strong cut on contact/sharp. broadhead would be my first choice. (if you're using a bow in this range stay away from a mechanical broadhead).
3. Scout the area you plan on hunting. Look for food sources. If you're hunting in the fall bears are trying to fatten up for the winter and will eat just about anything.
4. This sort of goes along with #3 but when bears are pressured from human activity they tend to head for the thickest nastiest stuff they can find. Look for trails going in and out of such places and set up a stand.
5. Where I hunt the mountains have shelves or step in them. They know that hunters in the area like to walk the tops of the mountains along existing paths. I've found that the game will travel on these flatter areas along the side usually the ones closest to the top.
6. Don't be fooled by a bear's eyesight. True they don't have the best eyes but they can see movement and IMO they are a smart animal.
7 Eliminate you scent as much as possible. A bear gets one whiff of you and he's gone, no ifs ands or buts.
Good luck
05-07-2019, 05:53 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,364
most important thing in bear hunting is hunting where bears are LOL
sounds silly but its the truth
since bears have such a HUGE home range(average about 20 sq miles)
the best bet is hunting near the most current food source there feeding on, be it a corn field, acorn's, or fruit tree, or what ever current mask crop is ripe, and most appealing to them
after that scent control and how you access a area would be my top of the list
scouting area's in advance, and knowing what foods are there, and then working off when that food source is at its best and hunt them places
after this, bearing hunting NOT Over bait or dogs, is a LOT of luck, lower numbers and larger home ranges, make them a needle in a hay stack of sorts
but they all live or die by there noses to find food and avoid humans! both you can have some control over, but not all!
a good way to find bears if you live in any Ag area, is start talking to local farmers, and start putting feelers out, asking them about bear crop damage, and if they would be willing to HELP you , help them get bears out of there crops, by asking for permission to hunt there lands, a bear can eat a LOT of crops costing them $$< most farmers Don't value bears as much as BIG BUCKS, so many are more open to allowing you to hunt for them
many guys I know get business cards made up, and give to tons of farmers in off season and ask them to call if they have lots of bear damage in a yr and then work together to get access worked out come bear season!
few folks know bears as well as farmers who get a lot of bear damage! when money is on the table, people learn a lot more than the average person would on animals!
another tip is, tyo talk to the local game wardens, as they too get to hear complaints about bears, from problems one's to crop damage one's
and some times they can be great leads to places to hunt for them!
sounds silly but its the truth
since bears have such a HUGE home range(average about 20 sq miles)
the best bet is hunting near the most current food source there feeding on, be it a corn field, acorn's, or fruit tree, or what ever current mask crop is ripe, and most appealing to them
after that scent control and how you access a area would be my top of the list
scouting area's in advance, and knowing what foods are there, and then working off when that food source is at its best and hunt them places
after this, bearing hunting NOT Over bait or dogs, is a LOT of luck, lower numbers and larger home ranges, make them a needle in a hay stack of sorts
but they all live or die by there noses to find food and avoid humans! both you can have some control over, but not all!
a good way to find bears if you live in any Ag area, is start talking to local farmers, and start putting feelers out, asking them about bear crop damage, and if they would be willing to HELP you , help them get bears out of there crops, by asking for permission to hunt there lands, a bear can eat a LOT of crops costing them $$< most farmers Don't value bears as much as BIG BUCKS, so many are more open to allowing you to hunt for them
many guys I know get business cards made up, and give to tons of farmers in off season and ask them to call if they have lots of bear damage in a yr and then work together to get access worked out come bear season!
few folks know bears as well as farmers who get a lot of bear damage! when money is on the table, people learn a lot more than the average person would on animals!
another tip is, tyo talk to the local game wardens, as they too get to hear complaints about bears, from problems one's to crop damage one's
and some times they can be great leads to places to hunt for them!
