Some tips or advice on Black Bear

[TEE]

Hey all,

I've been passively trying to fill my black bear tag for a couple years now. Normally I grab a tag and walk around with it and then toss it on the Christmas tree. This is the first year I've really been trying to fill it.

I've been north of the K road in 515 mostly. I prefer to hunt on foot to get away from the trucks and rapid fire deer hunters. I'll watch a field or cutline for the light changes (morning an night) and still hunt the cutlines and quad trails like I would for deer. I'm seeing sign but no luck seeing a bear on foot.

I know someone that has seen one almost every day they were hunting but they're a truck road hunter that barely gets out of the truck and most certainly doesn't walk. I'm willing to truck hunt if that's the way but I would like some tips or tactics on foot. I don't have a quad and I don't bait. I'm rifle hunting but I have and could carry a bow, 40ish yard max distance for me.

Anyone have any tips for me? Anyone willing to mentor me? I'm not really picky on location but would like to find a berry eating bear rather than a trash eating bear.

[Dean2]

You need to find food sources, Bears are fattening up for winter. Barely, Oats, grain storage bins and beehives will all have far more bears than walking cut lines. Find farm fields close to good bear bush, you can get permission of you can wait on the travel corridors from bedding to food. If you want to hunt bears in the bush, berries are pretty much done so you need to find your local food sources.

[raab]

Get a good set of binos, and drive around in your truck checking all the cutlines/powerlines you can. Bears should still be out feeding on clover. So Id try the newer cutlines/powerlines first. Once you spot one from the road, plan to hunt that area. If time allows I'd probably put the stalk on right away, but if its getting late go back to the same spot the next morning. Most likely the bear will be back feeding in the same area. On the stalk make sure you pay attention to the wind. Bears are practically blind so they won't see you, but they'll smell you. Don't look at it as truck hunting, look at it as scouting for where you're going to hunt.

[huntinstuff]

Originally Posted by raab

Get a good set of binos, and drive around in your truck checking all the cutlines/powerlines you can. Bears should still be out feeding on clover. So Id try the newer cutlines/powerlines first. Once you spot one from the road, plan to hunt that area. If time allows I'd probably put the stalk on right away, but if its getting late go back to the same spot the next morning. Most likely the bear will be back feeding in the same area. On the stalk make sure you pay attention to the wind. Bears are practically blind so they won't see you, but they'll smell you. Don't look at it as truck hunting, look at it as scouting for where you're going to hunt.

X2

Spot then stalk

The guy in the truck is smart.

[Dean2]

x3. Unless you are sitting over bait you have to find the bear before you can hunt it. Whether checking cutlines or crop in the fields, you will see far more bear from the truck than you will trying to walk up on one. Once located then do a sit or sneak.

[NKP]

I'm in a similar boat as OP this year. Found an area with a bear with regular fresh scat, but haven't seen the bear in person since late August. What's the best time of day to observe? Same as deer?

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by NKP

I'm in a similar boat as OP this year. Found an area with a bear with regular fresh scat, but haven't seen the bear in person since late August. What's the best time of day to observe? Same as deer?

Bears will feed all day long this time of year as long as they can find an undisturbed shady spot. They are more active early and late, especially when it is this warm.

[-JR-]

You need to hunt bears in spring . This way you will not have to share the bush with deer hunters . Best is to road hunt them in your truck.
Plus the coat is much thicker, as it has all winter to get thick.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by -JR-

You need to hunt bears in spring . This way you will not have to share the bush with deer hunters . Best is to road hunt them in your truck.
Plus the coat is much thicker, as it has all winter to get thick.

The meat from spring bear is not near as good as fattened up fall bear. As far as coats go, fall bear hides are far superior. A bears hair does not grow while they are in hibernation. It actually degrades and starts to die off over winter and unless u get them before they start to rub off the stuff the loosened up over winter the hide will be way worse.

[Grizzly303]

In Spring, we find they're active 10-2 & then 6-10. 2-6pm is a dead zone, they nap in the bush. Have never found them to be early risers.
Have found Fall to be the same but those hours would shift so more like around noon & 5-8

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by Dean2

The meat from spring bear is not near as good as fattened up fall bear. As far as coats go, fall bear hides are far superior. A bears hair does not grow while they are in hibernation. It actually degrades and starts to die off over winter and unless u get them before they start to rub off the stuff the loosened up over winter the hide will be way worse.

I have shoot 3 fall bears and 8 spring bears . I must be lucky then as the spring bears all have thicker coats and i never hunt past May long weekend.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by -JR-

I have shoot 3 fall bears and 8 spring bears . I must be lucky then as the spring bears all have thicker coats and i never hunt past May long weekend.

You and the others might find this interesting. There is lots of good info about bears on the Web. Knowing their life cycles, habits etc will help others in finding bears, though you obviously have that part figured out just fine.



https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/na...ls/bears/about


https://bear.org/bear-facts/black-bears/hibernation/

[Smoky buck]

Find potential food and then look for a good amount of bear crap. This will show it is a routine feeding area. Find a good ambush point to view the feeding area and wait for the bear to return.

Covering ground looking for sign and feeding areas is all you need to do because bears are habitual

Out in the bush this time of year rose hips are a common feed option. Never hunted bears on crops but this is another common option. Find food, big timber(evergreens are best), and water and odds are good you will find bear sign

Bear hunting is only going to get tougher this time of year. Spring and September are my preference

[TEE]

Thanks for the tips everyone I’ll try again this weekend but I’m running out of days

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by TEE

Hey all,

I've been passively trying to fill my black bear tag for a couple years now. Normally I grab a tag and walk around with it and then toss it on the Christmas tree. This is the first year I've really been trying to fill it.

I've been north of the K road in 515 mostly. I prefer to hunt on foot to get away from the trucks and rapid fire deer hunters. I'll watch a field or cutline for the light changes (morning an night) and still hunt the cutlines and quad trails like I would for deer. I'm seeing sign but no luck seeing a bear on foot.

I know someone that has seen one almost every day they were hunting but they're a truck road hunter that barely gets out of the truck and most certainly doesn't walk. I'm willing to truck hunt if that's the way but I would like some tips or tactics on foot. I don't have a quad and I don't bait. I'm rifle hunting but I have and could carry a bow, 40ish yard max distance for me.

Anyone have any tips for me? Anyone willing to mentor me? I'm not really picky on location but would like to find a berry eating bear rather than a trash eating bear.

If you weren't so far east of me I'd say come on up, we need to get rid of a few Bears.

The best I can do for you is tell you Dean2 knows bears. And my advice would be to find a field of Oats bordering good Bear habitat.

Get permission, then walk the edge of that field, along the bush line. If bear are feeding in that field there will be ample evidence of their presence.

There will be several clearly visible trails into the field and patches of oats flattened right to the ground, where the wind wouldn't normally knock down the crop.

Bear damage also looks different then wind damage. For one the crop is flattened in a more or less random way where wind damage results in the stalks being bent down in a particular direction or in a swirled pattern.
Plus wind doesn't usually flatten the grain right to the ground.

Bears flatten it to the ground because they roll on it like it's a carpet or something.

Also the size of the effected area is much smaller with Bear damage. Usually around ten feet or less across. And there will be some sort of trail leading into and often away from the damage if done by Bears.


Also look for piles of partially digested grain along the field edge and along the trails. I often wonder why Bears eat grain because most of it seems to pass through them unscathed.

The last thing is, Bear damage will mostly be within a hundred yards of good cover where wind damage will be in exposed areas usually well away from forest cover.

Once you've found where they are feeding, you can set up a hide and wait for them to come out. Stalking the field edges late in the day can get results but Bears have keen senses and getting within range can be difficult on foot.

The only other thing I can offer is to wish you luck, you have your work cut out for you this late in the season.

Although the Bears won't be dening yet they will be hanging close to their chosen den site. That means far fewer bears in fields then there would have been even a week ago.

Best of luck. And if you don't connect this year, and are willing to drive a ways, give me a call next fall. I'd be happy to show you some good Bear territory and show you what to look for and where to find it.

Who knows, you might even be able to bag your Bear right in my yard. I had one looking in the window at me a few weeks ago and last week I put a friend on a nice Bear less then a mile from home. But he was under gunned and didn't seal the deal.

It sure wasn't for opportunity. We saw two Bears within minutes of my house that day.

[Osky]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Find potential food and then look for a good amount of bear crap. This will show it is a routine feeding area. Find a good ambush point to view the feeding area and wait for the bear to return.

Covering ground looking for sign and feeding areas is all you need to do because bears are habitual

Out in the bush this time of year rose hips are a common feed option. Never hunted bears on crops but this is another common option. Find food, big timber(evergreens are best), and water and odds are good you will find bear sign

Bear hunting is only going to get tougher this time of year. Spring and September are my preference

A lot of this. Down here the woodland bears are heavily napping now, food sources scarce in this areas. They wake and move from time to time but tough to hunt.
I have a good friend more into crop country. Totally different ball game. Those bears stay up until the snows and then some if crops are standing. Bears will stay in standing corn for days, their downfall is water. They have to have it daily. We circle the field edges to find where they are coming in and out to water. They will pound down a very noticeable trail. When the wind is right set up there, put up a honey burner but use anise oil instead. Let it blow into the crop from a trail they are comfortable on. Works in the evening very well.
Bears here like oily sunflower seeds, corn, and soybeans. Pretty much in that order.
With power line cuts thru bush and that type of thing we find the crossing points and set up the burners on those locations, upwind side of course.
Be patient, move easy and eyes everywhere. Spot and stalk is great.
Lastly I say again the importance of water. It may be in the middle of a crop field, who knows but the bears do in the dry fall period.
Osky

[TEE]

Thanks for help everyone! I would agree that I don't have the time this season for scouting and permission. I must admit I'm not good at asking permission and tend to stick to public land. Maybe I'll work harder on it for next year.

I'm going to head out this weekend, and I was thinking of going up to the same area which is just thy of 3 hours away from Edm and just cruising the cutblocks. I was only there to my supplemental WT's and those are filled. It's also supposed to rain up there and the roads turn to gumbo quick. If anyone would suggest any public land other than that I'd certainly go for a drive.

I did get close to one on a drainage in the Smokey Lake area one year. That was on a small patch of private land and that land owner has since changed.

I've also thought of floating the Pembina. I've floated it from Provincial Park to Sangudo. I've seen a few bears on the river but I'm uneasy hunting the river. I've read lots on public land and high water mark and seems like too much grey area for me to get into. I made a private land mistake once and I'm and very much not interested in making that kind of mistake again.

Thanks for the offer Keg, I may hit you up for it next season.

And thanks again to everyone else for the advice so far.

[ghfalls]

I’ve got a 50 pound beaver I gotta get rid of. Just took it out of my freezer. You can have it if you want. Tie it to a tree with some wire about 15-20 wraps around and come back a couple days later. In the spring this seems to last a few days before they get it all. Not sure about fall though. I’m near calahoo. Could meet you on west end even tomorrow if you want it.

[TEE]

Originally Posted by ghfalls

I’ve got a 50 pound beaver I gotta get rid of. Just took it out of my freezer. You can have it if you want. Tie it to a tree with some wire about 15-20 wraps around and come back a couple days later. In the spring this seems to last a few days before they get it all. Not sure about fall though. I’m near calahoo. Could meet you on west end even tomorrow if you want it.

It’s a tempting offer but I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m not sure I can commit the time to watching it and I’d feel irresponsible with leaving it tied to a tree. Maybe it’s fine? It is a bit of a foreign idea to me.

[raab]

Originally Posted by TEE

Thanks for help everyone! I would agree that I don't have the time this season for scouting and permission. I must admit I'm not good at asking permission and tend to stick to public land. Maybe I'll work harder on it for next year.

I'm going to head out this weekend, and I was thinking of going up to the same area which is just thy of 3 hours away from Edm and just cruising the cutblocks. I was only there to my supplemental WT's and those are filled. It's also supposed to rain up there and the roads turn to gumbo quick. If anyone would suggest any public land other than that I'd certainly go for a drive.

I did get close to one on a drainage in the Smokey Lake area one year. That was on a small patch of private land and that land owner has since changed.

I've also thought of floating the Pembina. I've floated it from Provincial Park to Sangudo. I've seen a few bears on the river but I'm uneasy hunting the river. I've read lots on public land and high water mark and seems like too much grey area for me to get into. I made a private land mistake once and I'm and very much not interested in making that kind of mistake again.

Thanks for the offer Keg, I may hit you up for it next season.

And thanks again to everyone else for the advice so far.

Are you in Edmonton? Or what part of the province?

[TEE]

Edmonton

[raab]

I'd go to the area you know. If you can't drive around much, get to a power line with a high spot you can see a long way on. Sit down and glass all day. Hopefully you can spot a bear. If you do then you know where you have to be the next day.

[KegRiver]

I saw a bruiser feeding in wheat stubble yesterday.
And no where near a dening area.

Mind you those big guys don't usually den up.
They make a nest under a deadfall and spend the winter where ever they happen to be when the snows hit.

[35 whelen]

I see black bears every year in November up by my place the bigger ones usually Den up last if they'd end up at all

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[TEE]

Hey all,

Thanks for your help, especially Dean2. I ended up finding some access up near slave lake where bears have been into a landowners oats and she wanted the bears outta there. Managed to connect with this fella just before sunset. Not too big and exactly what I was hoping for. I decided that if I was going to kill a bear, I would eat it. Since I didn't know what I was getting into, I wanted a "smaller" commitment. The hide was in terrible shape, but I got it skinned and tried out some of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper over a fire. I was very surprised with how good the meat tasted. Incredible!

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by TEE

Hey all,

Thanks for your help, especially Dean2. I ended up finding some access up near slave lake where bears have been into a landowners oats and she wanted the bears outta there. Managed to connect with this fella just before sunset. Not too big and exactly what I was hoping for. I decided that if I was going to kill a bear, I would eat it. Since I didn't know what I was getting into, I wanted a "smaller" commitment. The hide was in terrible shape, but I got it skinned and tried out some of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper over a fire. I was very surprised with how good the meat tasted. Incredible!

Congratulations! You were running pretty close to the wire at this time of year. Well done!

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by TEE

Hey all,

Thanks for your help, especially Dean2. I ended up finding some access up near slave lake where bears have been into a landowners oats and she wanted the bears outta there. Managed to connect with this fella just before sunset. Not too big and exactly what I was hoping for. I decided that if I was going to kill a bear, I would eat it. Since I didn't know what I was getting into, I wanted a "smaller" commitment. The hide was in terrible shape, but I got it skinned and tried out some of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper over a fire. I was very surprised with how good the meat tasted. Incredible!

Very glad to hear it worked out so well. Not only do you have grain finished meat but you helped out a farmer and he will remember that. Would not hurt to take him a box of chocolates and a thank you card, stop by and say thanks. You could offer him a roast but he will likely decline so don't be offended, not many country folk think bear is good eats.

One tip, make sure the meat is well cooked, a little pink is fine but no deep red. Meat has to reach at least 137 F in all parts. That or freeze it at -5 or colder for more than 20 days.

[raab]

Originally Posted by TEE

Hey all,

Thanks for your help, especially Dean2. I ended up finding some access up near slave lake where bears have been into a landowners oats and she wanted the bears outta there. Managed to connect with this fella just before sunset. Not too big and exactly what I was hoping for. I decided that if I was going to kill a bear, I would eat it. Since I didn't know what I was getting into, I wanted a "smaller" commitment. The hide was in terrible shape, but I got it skinned and tried out some of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper over a fire. I was very surprised with how good the meat tasted. Incredible!

Awesome! Glad you connected, and like the meat.

[Smoky buck]

Congrats on the bear

[Osky]

Congrats on your first bear. Careful, it gets addicting.
You mention the poor hide. I took one 3 years ago in October in our crop/farming area we tracked for 2 1/2 days with a quick last minute shot based purely on size. It was a bear causing years worth of heavy crop damage but had a hide nearly no better than a hog has.
That black bear squared one inch under 8’. Other than massive fat reserves I do not know how it didn’t freeze over winter.

Osky