Bear Hunting Southern New England
05-31-2005, 12:00 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 561
Bear Hunting Southern New England
I am interested in trying my luck at getting a black bear in my home state of Massachusetts. They say there are some 2,000 animals out in the western or more central part of the state. Anyone here ever see bear in MA, or know of a state park where I could try hunting this Sept. Also there is no baiting here. So what would be the best tactic to take a bear.
Thanks
Jim
Thanks
Jim
05-31-2005, 12:23 PM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location:
Posts: 174
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
I dont know about the Mass. part....but can you use scent, or is that considered a bait too?
Scent will work very well if you can use it.
Also, will you be hunting them with a bow or rifle?
If you cant use scent, try still-hunting, or spot-stalk. If you still-hunt you can also use a dying rabbit call or a fawn ball once you spot a bear, and you might be able to call it in. Most the hunters in PA do Bear drives...that works as well.
Finally if you do enough scouting, you may be able to locate a really good hub of bear activity and stand hunt it. They eat lots of acorns in the fall, so they will be near the same places deer are, and they also need to be near a nice fresh water source (creek, river, lake) so that should narrow it down.
Good luck if you go....I'll be in NH bear hunting around the same time.
Scent will work very well if you can use it.
Also, will you be hunting them with a bow or rifle?
If you cant use scent, try still-hunting, or spot-stalk. If you still-hunt you can also use a dying rabbit call or a fawn ball once you spot a bear, and you might be able to call it in. Most the hunters in PA do Bear drives...that works as well.
Finally if you do enough scouting, you may be able to locate a really good hub of bear activity and stand hunt it. They eat lots of acorns in the fall, so they will be near the same places deer are, and they also need to be near a nice fresh water source (creek, river, lake) so that should narrow it down.
Good luck if you go....I'll be in NH bear hunting around the same time.
05-31-2005, 01:01 PM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 350
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
Hi neck....I also hunt bears in Mass in the western part of the state. My suggestion would be to find apple trees. They hit apples hard in the fall, and the apple drop coincides with the first season on them. Other than that it is pretty hard going. Spot and stalk is out of the question here. The woods are no good for that type of hunting. bait works great but don't get caught. I don't see the harm in helping out mother nature. What i mean is, there are quite a few abandoned farms in western mass with apple trees scattered about. Pick up all the apples and put them under one tree..the one closest to your stand. Good luck
06-01-2005, 08:25 AM
#4
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: www.huntingchat.net
Posts: 19
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
I have seen Bear less than 100 yds. from my house, and I live in central MA. just east of the Quabbin.
Another good "natural bait" to look for is blueberrys, I have seen Bears completely mash a high bush blueberry bush
so they could get every berry off it.
Another good "natural bait" to look for is blueberrys, I have seen Bears completely mash a high bush blueberry bush
so they could get every berry off it.
06-01-2005, 11:11 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 561
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
I would like to thank you guys for the replies. I really want to do this, and would love to see a bear. Do any of you know of any abandoned apple orchards out thata way. I am up on the North Shore in case your wondering. No bear here. Also I am thinking of buying a rifle for this. What caliber would you all reccomend.
Jim
Jim
06-01-2005, 01:15 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Lancaster pa
Posts: 3,015
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
I hunt bear here in Pa and found that you really don't need a big bore to take them down. Everyone in our camp either uses a .270 or 30-06. I personally use a .270 and have taken a 400+ pounder without him even taking a step. I think that the ammunition selection is a more critical point. I use the winchester cxp2s but you'll get a ton of opinions on this one. Good luck this fall, I hope it all works out.
06-02-2005, 07:35 PM
#7
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 350
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
Neck....bear is right, they are not as tough as many would lead you to believe. As an alternative, you may want to look into Maine. Alot more bear and alot less driving. 2.5 hours northwest and you are in some pretty good bear country. You could realisticaly run a few baits with not much trouble at all, and you are almost a shoe in for at least a sighting. The license is under a hundred bucks as well. As far as old orchards in the woods in western mass go, its hit or miss. you gotta burn some shoe leather to find the good ones. Peru is a good town to start. But nonetheless, in mass your chances are slim....trust me.
06-09-2005, 11:03 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Norway Maine USA
Posts: 115
RE: Bear Hunting Southern New England
For the time and effort you might want to hire a guide. Now since I am a guide that sounds very self serving but at $50 a trip for gas and bait, plus a lease. You would spend probably $700 or more to bear hunt doing it yourself. You can find a bear hunt up here for about $600 with any number of great outfitters. Your basicly paying someone to locate bears and run the bait. When you get up here you can usually go with the guide and see the sites and learn a bit about bears from your guide. Might make for a better trip than doing all that work and getting nothing. The are no garentees that you will kill a bear with a guide helping, or that you won't doing it your self. It just help your odds.
I bear hunt in NH and NB Canada as well as hunt here. I know a great deal about bears and bear hunting and I use guides when away from home.
If you choose to try it yourself, here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago (might help a little)
Bear n down on another season
By the time this article reaches your home or newsstand, it will once again be time to begin the task of locating and baiting black bears. With one of the healthiest bear populations in the nation ,Maine is a sort of Mecca for bruin hunting enthusiast. Although more than half of the people that hunt bears in the state are from “away,” there is an ever increasing number of residents that are finding this quarry a challenging pursuit.
A look at the past season
According to the Research and Management report, published by the IF&W, last year was another banner year for bear hunting here in the state. The total harvest was anound 4,000 and that exceeded the previous year by 13%. Over the past decade the bear harvest has increased every year, from 1,825 to the present 4,000. The department attributes this success to an ample supply of beechnuts and berry fields. Although it should be noted that even in years that have had scarce food supplies, the bear harvest has still increased. One reason biologist cite for this is a bear’s foraging habits. Most bears are killed during the first two weeks of the baiting season. However, bears do the bulk of their weight gain in October. Meaning that the effects of the mass crops are not felt by the bear population until after the majority of hunting is over.
With the steady increase in the harvest, you might begin to wonder what will the future of bear hunting be? Last year about 10,000 permit were purchased for the fall baiting season. About 35% of those hunters were successful. This is an incredible success rate; second only to Moose and road hunting for grouse. According to IF&W biologists, this success level does not pose a problem to bear management. The desired population level for the state is 21,000 and the current population is estimated at over 23,000 animals. The early season harvest is once again expected to be high. Over the past several year the state has had abundant food supplies in the month of October and this has lead to heavier females higher birth rates. However, this season is expected to yield a low October food source and late season bear numbers are projected to be down. In short, less bears are likely to be taken during the gun season on deer because the bears will den up early if the food becomes short in supply.
Getting started
My recommendation for a first time bear hunter, or someone that lives out of the state is to hire a guide.
If this is your first year hunting bear, go with an experience guide and watch what they do. If you live out of the state, you may not have the time to devote to scouting and maintaining a bait site. Whether it is with me, or any number of the reputable guides in this state, I encourage you to take the class before you take the test. If you go with a guide, ask questions and be clear that you are trying to learn so that you may attempt this on you own someday. If the guide is offended, find a different guide.
Alright, you are now experienced and know the ways of baiting (or you read last year’s column). Now you need to find some bears to feed {and I don’t mean that 400lb color phase down in Grey). The first place you need to start looking is on the map. Get some topo maps of the area you intend on hunting. There are two types of areas you need to concentrate on . The first is mass crops. Bears stay near where the food is. If you have a large area covered with beechnuts, you probably have a bear near by. Look for crops like corn and berry fields. Blue berry field can be a bit tricky. If there are lots of blue berries and they are easily accesible it may be difficult to get a bear to hit your bait. It is like trying to get a tuna to hit my one mackerel down 20 fathoms, when he is busting through a school of 5,000 herring on the surface. If you are in area where some of the field has been recently cleared or burned, set up in the adjacent woods. Your bait is more likely to be the best choice on the menu. The second little tip for mass crops is to, as the fly fisherman say, “match the hatch.” If you are off a blue berry field, don’t use raspberry jelly.
Spread some blue berry jam on the trees of your bait site at different heights. This will do two things. One it will give you and an idea how large the bears are that are coming into your site. Secondly, it may give the hunter a better shot on the animal when the season begins. As the bear stretches for the jam, the shoulder will come forward and expose the vitals.
The second high percentage spot for locating bears is in low lying areas. Look for a stream or bog at the bases of a mountain. These are areas that bear like to live. Mossy areas offer the bear a place to stay cool during the summer and fall. The food sources are not usually as abundant in these areas and baiting has a good chance of luring out larger bears. Find the transition zone where the marsh or thick vegetation changes to hard woods or more open terrain. This is where to set your bait. If the site is too exposed, you are out of the bear’s comfort zone and not likely to have the bait hit during daylight hours. Locating bears in these areas can be a bit more challenging than the food crops. The bear are feeding less and as a result leaving less tell tale scat. I look for dried up puddles that may have a print in them. Also, check the edge of the bog or any wetland area that may leave a print. Tracks are you best indicator of bears in this type of terrain.
Chris Cobbett is a Registered Maine Guide and staff writer. Chris is part owner of the Outdoor Adventure Co. Chris is Pro-staff for Top Gun Game Calls, MDM Muzzle loaders, Muzzy, Lumenok, and the Northwoods TV show. He resides in Norway with his wife Miranda and four-year old son Dylan. [email protected]
I bear hunt in NH and NB Canada as well as hunt here. I know a great deal about bears and bear hunting and I use guides when away from home.
If you choose to try it yourself, here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago (might help a little)
Bear n down on another season
By the time this article reaches your home or newsstand, it will once again be time to begin the task of locating and baiting black bears. With one of the healthiest bear populations in the nation ,Maine is a sort of Mecca for bruin hunting enthusiast. Although more than half of the people that hunt bears in the state are from “away,” there is an ever increasing number of residents that are finding this quarry a challenging pursuit.
A look at the past season
According to the Research and Management report, published by the IF&W, last year was another banner year for bear hunting here in the state. The total harvest was anound 4,000 and that exceeded the previous year by 13%. Over the past decade the bear harvest has increased every year, from 1,825 to the present 4,000. The department attributes this success to an ample supply of beechnuts and berry fields. Although it should be noted that even in years that have had scarce food supplies, the bear harvest has still increased. One reason biologist cite for this is a bear’s foraging habits. Most bears are killed during the first two weeks of the baiting season. However, bears do the bulk of their weight gain in October. Meaning that the effects of the mass crops are not felt by the bear population until after the majority of hunting is over.
With the steady increase in the harvest, you might begin to wonder what will the future of bear hunting be? Last year about 10,000 permit were purchased for the fall baiting season. About 35% of those hunters were successful. This is an incredible success rate; second only to Moose and road hunting for grouse. According to IF&W biologists, this success level does not pose a problem to bear management. The desired population level for the state is 21,000 and the current population is estimated at over 23,000 animals. The early season harvest is once again expected to be high. Over the past several year the state has had abundant food supplies in the month of October and this has lead to heavier females higher birth rates. However, this season is expected to yield a low October food source and late season bear numbers are projected to be down. In short, less bears are likely to be taken during the gun season on deer because the bears will den up early if the food becomes short in supply.
Getting started
My recommendation for a first time bear hunter, or someone that lives out of the state is to hire a guide.
If this is your first year hunting bear, go with an experience guide and watch what they do. If you live out of the state, you may not have the time to devote to scouting and maintaining a bait site. Whether it is with me, or any number of the reputable guides in this state, I encourage you to take the class before you take the test. If you go with a guide, ask questions and be clear that you are trying to learn so that you may attempt this on you own someday. If the guide is offended, find a different guide.
Alright, you are now experienced and know the ways of baiting (or you read last year’s column). Now you need to find some bears to feed {and I don’t mean that 400lb color phase down in Grey). The first place you need to start looking is on the map. Get some topo maps of the area you intend on hunting. There are two types of areas you need to concentrate on . The first is mass crops. Bears stay near where the food is. If you have a large area covered with beechnuts, you probably have a bear near by. Look for crops like corn and berry fields. Blue berry field can be a bit tricky. If there are lots of blue berries and they are easily accesible it may be difficult to get a bear to hit your bait. It is like trying to get a tuna to hit my one mackerel down 20 fathoms, when he is busting through a school of 5,000 herring on the surface. If you are in area where some of the field has been recently cleared or burned, set up in the adjacent woods. Your bait is more likely to be the best choice on the menu. The second little tip for mass crops is to, as the fly fisherman say, “match the hatch.” If you are off a blue berry field, don’t use raspberry jelly.
Spread some blue berry jam on the trees of your bait site at different heights. This will do two things. One it will give you and an idea how large the bears are that are coming into your site. Secondly, it may give the hunter a better shot on the animal when the season begins. As the bear stretches for the jam, the shoulder will come forward and expose the vitals.
The second high percentage spot for locating bears is in low lying areas. Look for a stream or bog at the bases of a mountain. These are areas that bear like to live. Mossy areas offer the bear a place to stay cool during the summer and fall. The food sources are not usually as abundant in these areas and baiting has a good chance of luring out larger bears. Find the transition zone where the marsh or thick vegetation changes to hard woods or more open terrain. This is where to set your bait. If the site is too exposed, you are out of the bear’s comfort zone and not likely to have the bait hit during daylight hours. Locating bears in these areas can be a bit more challenging than the food crops. The bear are feeding less and as a result leaving less tell tale scat. I look for dried up puddles that may have a print in them. Also, check the edge of the bog or any wetland area that may leave a print. Tracks are you best indicator of bears in this type of terrain.
Chris Cobbett is a Registered Maine Guide and staff writer. Chris is part owner of the Outdoor Adventure Co. Chris is Pro-staff for Top Gun Game Calls, MDM Muzzle loaders, Muzzy, Lumenok, and the Northwoods TV show. He resides in Norway with his wife Miranda and four-year old son Dylan. [email protected]
