jimpok61

Next year my boy and me will be trying our hands at bear hunting in the Adirondacks. I need basic pointers on where to look so we can begin educating ourselves. I'm trying to save some time so if any of you have expertise and know specific web sites I'd love to have you share that info with a pair of novices ready and willing for that next big challenge in our hunting lives. Thank you in advance for your time and help. Jim & Joe

farmcntry

Not sure where/what that is. But, if you have an address you can go to terraserver.com and get an aerial photo of the land and topo map as well.

jimpok61

Thanks farmcntry, I' talking Adirondack Mountains. Beside topography I really need info on how to hunt black bear. I know it's no animal to go after with a bow and not be fully informed as to what we're gonna be facing. Techniques, safety, equipment, all you need to know about black bear to have a safe and hopefully rewarding hunting experience.

Legacy357

best way to hunt bear here in pa is just driving for them with rifles. Other than that i have no idea how to hunt them with a bow unless you are over some bait....good luck.....ps if you really want a bear, head to canada

thelastboyscout

are you close by to where you want to hunt ?? because if you can't do frequent scouting of the area you're going to hunt bear in with a bow, you might as well be trying to hunt elephants because that's about how good your chances are of harvesting a bear. you need to do a ton of scouting to be able "hunt" these animals. like legacy said, most people put on huge drives for bear. you could hunt above a food plot, but if your stand isn't in a location that bears frequent, then you won't see one. plus bear hunting with a bow above a food plot?? i wouldn't try that, even if they are JUST black bear. knew someone once who was hunting deer above a food plot. mother and two 3/4 grown cubs came out of the woods, the mother sensed danger and gave the signal to find a tree, well they came up his tree and the mother saw that and he got attacked by all three of them. knocked him down out of the tree 30 or so feet!!! he had to play dead so they would quit scratching and knawing at him. i guess the story was published in outdoor life magazine. he was hunting somewhere in michigan. the point is you need to do a lot of homework and this board is where you'll find your answers. good luck!

jimpok61

Keep it coming fellow hunters. I realize that we need all the education on this suject that we can get. Sources, methods, baits, you name it we are serious about doing this and doing it safely. Thanks much for the help so far.

AKDoug

Hunting black bears out of a stand is as safe as anything. A bear has to use all four feet to climb. If you don't freak out there is no way they are going to get you in a stand. Especially if you poke them in the nose with a broadhead. I'm sure incidents do happen, but they are EXTREMELY rare.

I have had some success calling in bears with predator calls. Cabelas sells a call/video combo that is pretty good.

The only other way I know to hunt bears if you are in an unfamiliar area and don't have much time to scout is over bait.

davidmil

Bears cover a lot of ground. They'll find a food source, stick close and move on when something better comes along. You'd have to check on laws and regs as a lot of areas around the towns are "NO HUNTING". BUT, they always seemed to hang out near the dumps of Inlet and Old Forge. You can scout until you're blue in the face and about the time you figure you have a bear located.... he'll decide there's better food two mountains over. The best source of info would be locals. A bear sighting in the foothills and every one knows about it by noon. No baiting allowed in NY or you could help the cause with some tasty treats. Most bears(probably all) shot in the Adirondacks are targets of opportunity. We've shot a few over the years, but it was always during a deer drive or something.

muzzyman88

Black bears are a real challenge. As said, they cover lots of ground and can be pretty sneaky, especially when there are a lot of people in the woods. Its amazing how quiet and elusive a four or five hundred pound bear can be.

Do not get your hopes all up about taking a bear, especially with a bow. Chances of seeing one during season is slim, but you may luck out. Hunt hard and enjoy the time outdoors. If one lumbers in, thats a bonus. I took a bear with a gun two years ago after hunting for them for 10 years here in PA. The area where I hunt routinely takes a lot of bears, so they are there, but like I said, very elusive.

One piece of advise I will give you. Take a look at some topo maps of areas you plan to hunt. Look for the roughest terrain on the map, ex. steep ravines, deep hollows with streams and especially ravines and the like that have a lot of conifers. I have noticed bears really like these areas. They tend to hang around and frequent these areas during daylight hours.

Good luck.

btpatriot02

Well in my state you can hunt over a bait pile. and depending on the terrain and what season it will be. In canada you hunt the logging roads in spring Thats when you can get a chance of stalking them because thats mating season for them. Now where we hunt them its in the fall and we hunt over bait piles because for one thing up in the northern part of Mn is not all open land its thick and swampy areas and thats where they like to be and wuth that knid of conditions its very hard to try tp stalk them(not to say that it can't be done).but it is also hard to pattern them. Generally they will not use the same trails everyday.They are eating continually for the hibernating periods so they will travel many miles just to eat. ANd when they come in a pile alot of times they just won't come in rightaway. in my exp. they have always circled around about two to three times before coming in. Their eye sight isn't very good but their smell cannot be beat. They know your scent and they assc. with the food so let them eat for a bit and when they lay down to eat drill them and YES YOU CAN KILL THEM W/A BOW!! don't let anyone fool you. If your bow is set up for deer it can also take down a bear. On of my family members took one with a bow and it was 500# field dressed.And I have taken down a couple myself w/ a bow

(KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE)