Black bear hunting

[pmer]

I'd like to give it a try hunting for black bear. I saw an adult sized bear while out for a walk this evening. I was rounding a corner and saw it cross a road and the neighbor saw it in her yard a few weeks ago. Seems like there is a chance for one this year.
I could use some help on building a bait station, does anyone have some tips for a bait station?

[sixshot]

Lots of ways to do it but first check the hunting regulations to make sure what's legal. Some guys use pastries, meat scraps, anise oil, bacon grease, etc. Also you can do a Honey "burn", that is burn some honey & get the scent moving in the area, do this a few times & then check to see if there's any bear sign in the area.
You can also do a Honey bucket. Take some honey & put it in a coffee can & punch a few small holes in the bottom, when the weather warms up it will drip & when it cools down at night it should stop dripping & last quite a while. Put it so the bear can't reach your bucket. A bear hunts with it's nose, not it's eye sight, which is only fair compared to other animals. You have to over come their nose.

Dick

[725]

+1 ^^^. Pour molasses on a stump. Stale doughnuts, etc. Chain a barrel down and cut a restrictive hole in it and place bait within. Bear will have to work to get the bait out and thus give you a good long time to pick your shot.

[Tripplebeards]

I use hollow stump. I normally burry it so it sticks a few inches out of the ground. That way the bear dosent carry it off or chew it up. Ill put a rock as heavy as I can find over the hole with or without a 3/4" piece of plywood over it. This will keep raccoons out. For bait I go to the thrift store and buy old donuts, ding dongs, twinkies, ect, along with bread. I also use bread as a filler and mix it together. Dry the bread out first. Ill lay out a tarp in the hot sun and leave the bread lay on it till its crumbly. Then you can store it a lot longer in garage bags without it getting moldy. I also like to use cooking grease. If i run out of donuts ill buy some maple syrup or jelly, or use the old cooking grease to mix with the bread. They get it on their paws going back and forth. It creates a smell highway for them. I also like to mix spiriment, peppermint, and vinilla in a spray bottle. Ill sspray it around the site and on some little sapplings. Ive had little pine trees completely rooted and ate after spraying. Ill also bang my feeding pales together when baiting. Its like a dinner bell. They will eventually know that noise is associated with a fresh supply of donuts. Come season use a buddy to bait, bang buckets, and walk back out while your already in your stand. You'd be surprised how fast a bear will show up afterwards. Showing up to the bait just depends how much competition the bear have in your area. Places I hunt in wisonsin they might show up every night or once every three days. Canada bear show up 5 min after buckets have been banged together. No meat can be used in Wisconsin here.

[Tripplebeards]

Oh, if you don't own a game camera...which bear like to steal BTW. Get a pale of fine sand. Dump it around your bait and rake it smooth. That way you can see by the paw size how big of a bear is visiting your site. I ran trail camers last year without any provlems. My buddy baited while I set up the camera a good 10 yards away and higher than the bears eye level. I never touched any bait so the camera didn't smell like bear chow. I also tried to hide it around thick cover and branches so it was less conspicuous. I ended up with some nice photos and gave me an idea what times they were comming to my bait.

[pmer]

Thanks guys! When it was on road I new it would leave wet paw prints on the tar so I went down there to look but it was kinda inconclusive to look at the wet spots. I'd guess they were close to the size of my hand with my thumb tucked in and fingers bent at the first knuckle.

[Tripplebeards]

Sounds good size. I was always told that if the front pad measures approx the weight of the bear, whether it's true or not. But I've been told a 5" wide pad is going to be close to a 500 lbs plus animal. I shot a 7'6" black in Canada that had a 5.5" pad. The guide never weighed it but I. Guessing it was a good 500-600lbs. It had a 19 3/16" skull

[brewer12345]

I have a tangential question as my state does not allow baiting. I will be hunting for mulies and have a concurrent bear tag in the event I see one. I will be hunting deer with a 3006 using a 198 grain flat nose boolit that does about 1900 fps. Is that enough for black bears?

[725]

Easily enough. Black bears aren't hard to kill. Take your time and get a good shot placement.

[Tripplebeards]

Any boolit/bullet that will kill a deer will also harvest a black bear. Black bears are thin skinned game. Their front shoulder bones are a lot thicker than deer but brake just as a whitetails would. Bear have a lot of fat that likes to plug the bullet holes so a lot of time blood trails are non existent. The bigger the diameter the bullet the better and you definitely want a pass through for two bleeder holes.

[brewer12345]

Thanks guys. Figured as much. I will chiefly be hunting deer, so glad to hear that a deer load will work.

[glockfan]

the hype is setting a candy ''store'' as bait. i know that, around here some companies are selling scrapp candies in 45 gallons format. needless to say it work great.

then the 32 special with a 170 grainer super x ,or a 170 vital shok at 2000+ fps is taking care of the rest.

[zymguy]

I'd like to give it a try hunting for black bear. I saw an adult sized bear while out for a walk this evening. I was rounding a corner and saw it cross a road and the neighbor saw it in her yard a few weeks ago. Seems like there is a chance for one this year.
I could use some help on building a bait station, does anyone have some tips for a bait station?

in some areas the lotto (over for 2018) can be tough, but you can acrew points. also pay attention to the date they put the unclaimed lotto liscens back for sale, you want to be in the store at midnight if your in a popular zone

Good luck !!! there are too many bears, least up here.

[Tripplebeards]

Never had luck with candy. I was given 8, 55 gal drums from brachs candies years ago. Almost blew out my 10 ply tires on my 1/2 ton truck hauling it home. It was all the stuff that hit the floor and gets sweeped up. Mostly gummy worms and jelly like candy. The bear actually pulled the globs of candy that melted together out of the bait piles to get to my bread and donut mix. Had 16 baits at the time and the same results with all of them. The baits would be cleaned out with a pile of melted gummies laying next it. It was like they shunned it.

[white eagle]

Sounds good size. I was always told that if the front pad measures approx the weight of the bear, whether it's true or not. But I've been told a 5" wide pad is going to be close to a 500 lbs plus animal. I shot a 7'6" black in Canada that had a 5.5" pad. The guide never weighed it but I. Guessing it was a good 500-600lbs. It had a 19 3/16" skull


thats a nice bear Trip
I shot a bear in Winter ,WI with 6" pads that went 430#
18" skull

[glockfan]

Never had luck with candy. I was given 8, 55 gal drums from brachs candies years ago. Almost blew out my 10 ply tires on my 1/2 ton truck hauling it home. It was all the stuff that hit the floor and gets sweeped up. Mostly gummy worms and jelly like candy. The bear actually pulled the globs of candy that melted together out of the bait piles to get to my bread and donut mix. Had 16 baits at the time and the same results with all of them. The baits would be cleaned out with a pile of melted gummies laying next it. It was like they shunned it.

funny,it worked for me in 2015 last time i went to a black bear hunt ....i'm not the one who settled it up,but i figure that having different '''meals''' in the bait, yogi is picking what please him the most.....i know we had only candies ,seems like they were enjoying it from the camera pics we had .

[megasupermagnum]

I assume the OP knows the MN lottery already passed, I don't think I was drawn. I have been seeing more and more bears in the no-quota area. I've never in my lifetime seen a bear in Alexandria, and yet they are starting to turn up from time to time. I'm still thinking of giving it a try this year, but I'd be getting as close to the no-quota border as possible.

[Tripplebeards]

funny,it worked for me in 2015 last time i went to a black bear hunt ....i'm not the one who settled it up,but i figure that having different '''meals''' in the bait, yogi is picking what please him the most.....i know we had only candies ,seems like they were enjoying it from the camera pics we had .

I have a feeling it was because the candy melted and was all globed together. There were piles of it in basketball diameter chunks laying on the ground by every bait station. They liked it at first when we started using it but didn't want anything to do with it when it turned into huge sheets of goo.

[pmer]

I assume the OP knows the MN lottery already passed, I don't think I was drawn. I have been seeing more and more bears in the no-quota area. I've never in my lifetime seen a bear in Alexandria, and yet they are starting to turn up from time to time. I'm still thinking of giving it a try this year, but I'd be getting as close to the no-quota border as possible.

I'm in a no quota area so I should be good to go for licensing.

[Tripplebeards]

thats a nice bear Trip
I shot a bear in Winter ,WI with 6" pads that went 430#
18" skull


Awesome, big bear! The last time I hunted in Winter was the day after the dreaded 9/11. I remember it like it was yesterday. At the time The twin towers got hit I wasn't watching the news or owned a cell phone so I had no clue what was going on till I turned on the car radio driving up north. Every gas station from the southern Wisconsin Minnesota boarder all the way to Winter was packed with crazies lined up at the gas pumps a good block and a half in every direction. Glad I had a full tank...and my 300 RUM. I shot a 250 lb sow in the Forrest the next morning treed by the group's trusty hounds around 6-6:30am. I shot a 350lb 7'2" boar 7 years ago in Rib Lake on private land sitting over bait. I have 8 points now. I put in for preference only this year. Before I draw I need to find another place to try up north. Winter is awesome but the group I hunted hounds with broke up and with everyone running dogs end up running them off of my sitting stands and turns them nocturnal. I need to find someone with private property. If someone has property up north and want to get rid of a few bear myself and one of reponsible friends both have 8 points. I have been friends with him since we met in cub scouts when I was 7....40 years ago.

[Tripplebeards]

I can remember the first time I drawn for zone a/a1 it took four years...that was 9/11. The second time... 9 years! Now I'm going on eight years again! I was told years ago there were tons of PETA members buying licenses and putting in for the draw preventing hunters from getting drawn. Well, after getting drawn, buying bait, and burning gas for a 3 1/2 plus hour drive each way once a week starting in July to bait it's cheaper to pay a guide in Canada to sit over bait.

[megasupermagnum]

I can remember the first time I drawn for zone a/a1 it took four years...that was 9/11. The second time... 9 years! Now I'm going on eight years again! I was told years ago there were tons of PETA members buying licenses and putting in for the draw preventing hunters from getting drawn. Well, after getting drawn, buying bait, and burning gas for a 3 1/2 plus hour drive each way once a week starting in July to bait it's cheaper to pay a guide in Canada to sit over bait.

It's that bad? This was the first time I ever applied for a bear permit, so I wasn't too surprised to not get it. I don't think I've ever NOT been drawn for a turkey A season in the 10 years I've hunted them, and I figured bear hunting was even less popular.

[Tripplebeards]

Not in Wisconsin. It takes forever to get drawn. Doesn't help when they publicize...or use to...that Winter, Wisconsin is black bear capital of the United States. We have alot of out of state hunters from Tennessee that come run their dogs in the public forests as well. In the late 80's there were a lot of years I didn't get a turkey permit. Now there are 1000's of left over available permits over the counter. I did hear in MN it's easier to get drawn ranging from 0-3 years.

[glockfan]

Well, after getting drawn, buying bait, and burning gas for a 3 1/2 plus hour drive each way once a week starting in July to bait it's cheaper to pay a guide in Canada to sit over bait.

google CLOVA.it's a city known to be the black bear capital in northern quebec.

[RU shooter]

I'm jealous of you guys that can use bait or Dogs for bear . Here in Pa neither is allowed. We do have a very good population and have some rather large bears that get taken every year BUT they are like ghosts when the season starts. My dad has been bear hunting all his life and only once has he caught a fleeting glimpse of black fur in season . It's one of those right place at the right time and lots of luck things !

[Tripplebeards]

I'm jealous of you guys that can use bait or Dogs for bear . Here in Pa neither is allowed. We do have a very good population and have some rather large bears that get taken every year BUT they are like ghosts when the season starts. My dad has been bear hunting all his life and only once has he caught a fleeting glimpse of black fur in season . It's one of those right place at the right time and lots of luck things !


Hang a bird feeder by your tree stand...for the birds. And the bear will come.lol

Can you do food plots? Like berries or raspberries?

[Tripplebeards]

google CLOVA.it's a city known to be the black bear capital in northern quebec.

Thanks, I've hunted in swan river twice. Awesome bear population!

[Tripplebeards]

I borrowed this book to a buddy. It's a good read.

https://www.amazon.com/Yourself-Black-Bear-Baiting-Hunting/dp/1886422508

Check and see if your local library has it.

[zymguy]

Ive never participated but i have friends who will go to the campsites that were known to have trouble bears, If you can draw a bwcaw tag your odds are very good, The regulations are a little diffrent in the wilderness. If anyone is interested in a Boundry waters hunt I recomend you call Canadian Waters outfiting and ask for Gary

[bdicki]

google CLOVA.it's a city known to be the black bear capital in northern quebec.
I've been to Relay 22 an hour north of LaTuque 5 times spring hunting over bait with a bow. 5 bears biggest one 19 6/16.
We used stink bait, two rolls of toilet paper soaked in anise oil put in panty hose and thrown like a bolo as high as possible into a tree, donuts soaked in watered down molasses in 5 gallon pails wired to the barrage, we used to bring meat scraps but were stopped at the border and told no go. Sprinkled Jello on the ground for the bears to track down the trail to attract other bears. Tree stands are 6 feet high so you would get both lungs with a bow shot, we did this on our own, just used the guide for a meal and lodging in order to get the bears out of Canada. Had a couple of bears climb the stand and smell my boots, both times it was after I had killed a bear and was armed only with a video camera.

[Jeff Michel]

Just my opinion, I've only taken two. It appears to me that black bears aren't anymore difficult to harvest than a deer, reasonable caliber/bullet placement and you have a big skinning job. I had six different bears show up on my trail cams this past hunting season. A sow and three cubs and two adults. I walked up on one that was snoozing under a rock ledge during antlerless season in October. I was carrying a 38-40, so I let him slide. I like better odds I guess. I haven't taken the time to up load the pictures from my cameras, but here's one from this past spring.

295598

[badguybuster]

If you are legally allowed to bait.....go to SAMS Club and buy big buckets of Ketchup. Its all you need, bear will dig giant holes in the ground to get at it

[TurnipEaterDown]

Peanut butter cake frosting also works well. The smell of peanut butter is very strong and will carry for miles (for the nose of a bear).

[Markopolo]

I use old salmon! Who got extra ketchup in Alaska bush!!!!

[missionary5155]

Marco... Ya mean tamaders dont grow on every bush up there??

[white eagle]

Just got done with a bear hunt this past fall
one of the guides I went with used gummy bears with some scent in a spray bottle
and another used a premixed bear bait that he had paid for
both used hollow stumps about 24" in height
I don't think it matters what you use just be consistent and keep it full when they get there
they will keep on coming back as long as they don't get spooked or it runs dry
good luck

[Jedman]

Back in the early 1980’s I use to bow hunt bears in Ontario Canada and had a friend who lived there do the baiting starting in mid April. He had a good connection with a donut shop in town where he got all of there old baked goods and frying oil for free also fat and meat scraps from a butcher shop. When the bear came out of hibernation they eat grass and such for a few days and once their hunger kicks in they seem to smell food for miles.
Once myself and my hunter friends got up to Canada we took over the baiting and it was a lot of fun driving around in the Bush, we seen Wolves , bear , beavers , moose , and , cross fox none of these animals I have ever seen in OH except a few beaver. Sometimes a bear would hit a bait site and only take a little others would wipe out everything. Ontario stopped spring baiting and we quit going by the mid 1980”s then about 15 years later I hunted a few times in Quebec but it was never as good.

Jedman

[megasupermagnum]

Just my opinion, I've only taken two. It appears to me that black bears aren't anymore difficult to harvest than a deer, reasonable caliber/bullet placement and you have a big skinning job. I had six different bears show up on my trail cams this past hunting season. A sow and three cubs and two adults. I walked up on one that was snoozing under a rock ledge during antlerless season in October. I was carrying a 38-40, so I let him slide. I like better odds I guess. I haven't taken the time to up load the pictures from my cameras, but here's one from this past spring.

295598

I've now got two bears under my belt. It depends greatly on where you are. I can assure you that you will fail miserably in Minnesota if you don't use bait. You will never spot and stalk a bear. Contrast this to deer, I can throw a dart on a map ANYWHERE in the midwest and come home with a deer. I'm not kidding, there's so many now, I could drive out to a city I've never even been in, sit down, and 30 minutes later I can have a deer on the ground. No bait, no stalking, not tricks. Just sit, and a deer will be within a hundred yards of you pretty quickly. Bear on the other hand are so nomadic you could be in prime bear area and not see one for weeks.

I'm thinking of doing a canoe trip to the BWCA bear hunting next year, but no bait is allowed there. The bear population is extremely high there, yet hunter success is dismal. For example, I've only hunted the no-quota area, which is traditionally not strong bear habitat, and the state has no interest in keeping bear numbers up. In 2020, 4262 tags were bought of no-quota, and 993 were harvested, but keep in mind they sell unlimited of these, and it is likely a lot of locals buy them just incase one wanders through. Also in 2020, 50 licensees were available and bought for the BWCA area 22. The only guys who are buying these are serious hunters, dedicating a week or more to this hunt. Of those 50 hunters, 7 bears were harvested. Compare that to an area like 51 which is probably the most popular, and allows baiting. Only 900 tags are listed as available in 2020, but somehow 1000 were sold. Of those, 511 bears were harvested. So best case Ontario, bear is a 50% success (in an area that takes 6-7 years to draw), and it's more like 10%-15% without bait for the most serious hunters. Casual hunters would never kill a bear without bait. Deer hunters, with no bait, young, old, kids, first timers, the most casual hunters you get, are always right around 32% success.

Myself, I killed a bear last year, and this year, but it was anything but simple. Tons of hours spent on bait, tons of miles. The first bear I sat through a hail storm, had to sleep through the worst thunderstorm I've witnessed, froze my butt off. I forgot my thermacell the first day, and that is a deadly mistake in the swamps of MN. I shot him either day 3 or 4. I've never sat that long without seeing a deer before. The second bear was shot first afternoon, but it also cost a month of my time, and about 2600 miles in the truck to get to that point. Plus the drought made bear hunting phenomenal since natural foods were so scarce. All I ever do for deer is cut some shooting lanes, and sit down. Weather is usually decent in November, maybe a little cold, but I'll take that over sitting through mosquitoes.

[Jeff Michel]

Bears in West Virginia can be a real nuisance. One broke into a house this year not far from my place. I didn't see it but my neighbor Dick went down to do what he could for them, said that the destruction wasn't just amazing, it was total. Baiting for them is illegal and you can use dogs only in certain counties, so hunting them is by guess and by gosh. I've been pretty lucky as far as bear problems go, I had one a couple years ago, tear all the branches off of a juniper tree next to the cabin. Higher than I could reach, at bit over eight feet. I try not to leave anything around that might draw them in and other than a couple deer feeders wrecked, I can't complain.The current limit is two per year, but one per county. Some counties are closed. I usually get a tag every year but bear and deer seasons are concurrent most of the time so if I bump into one, it's a bonus.

[badguybuster]

I bear hunt here in WV primarily via spot n stalk. I look for fresh sign and start walking. Works well for me

[BadgerShooter]

One little trick that worked for me when we dropped in a new bait was to spray my boots with liquid smoke and walk some big loops through the woods back to the bait. Shot a nice Wisconsin black bear the next day. (by Radisson - just West of Winter) Our other baits had crapped out - found out the DNR had ran bear traps in near our baits and relocated the local bear.