First Bear Hunt Advice?

[Fishislife1]

Hey guys just wondering if you can help me out. I am going on a black bear hunt next Friday. I know good piece of land where I tag out on a whitetail every season. I am about to purchase a quad to help me go deeper into the back country so I have a better chance. I hunt deer mostly every season, but am completely new to bear hunting. I am also going to bring with a friend, but he is pretty much completely new to hunting. Hoping you guys can help me out with some good advice. Is the foothills a good spot for active black bear? what should I use for bait? is the .30-06 a good caliber for black bear?

Thanks guys.

[wildwoods]

When I first read this I assumed you were going spot and stalking. Then I read "bait". Are you planning on setting up a bait site Friday? Make sure to read the regs as baiting is closed in a lot of locations due to grizzly populations. A few details and the help will roll in.

[35 whelen]

I understand you're a new Hunter but you should know the limitations of your gun for one if you have to ask on a public forum if your gun is the right caliber you better start doing some more research and reading there's so much information out there nowadays I don't know why people have to ask on forms do some homework

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[Fishislife1]

Sorry i wasn’t detailed enough I agree. I am mostly going to scout and see what’s out there next weekend. I’m still debating on wheather to start baiting that weekend or not. I live 3 hours from the spot I have picked out so it’s not too bad to set up and come the following week after. I have checked the regulations and I am good to go.

[Fishislife1]

I also did do a lot of deseadch about my .30-06 and I’m getting a lot of bad and good research on what calibre to use. I know a friend of mine did take out a good black bear with the exact gun I have. I am just trying to get some experienced information from what other people have to say about it also.

[35 whelen]

A 30-0 6 will kill anything in North America just got to put it in the right place good luck if you've never killed a bear before I would also suggest looking at their body parts as they're definitely different than a deer look at their vitals and keep shooting until his legs are in the air

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[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

A 30-0 6 will kill anything in North America just got to put it in the right place good luck if you've never killed a bear before I would also suggest looking at their body parts as they're definitely different than a deer look at their vitals and keep shooting until his legs are in the air

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Love this post.

[Bushmaster]

Make sure you can outrun your friend !! And take extra underwear! And good luck and enjoy.

[Tactical Lever]

If you are baiting, just about anything, sweet, savoury, or rotten! More important to have a good smell to it to bring them in. Some guys use a bucket of well ripened meat byproduct to stink up the place then a barrel of expired bakery goods for the bears to sift through. There's sweet sprays and stuff to pour at Cabelas also.

Look for places that have clover, berry patches, or water with beaver dams. They seem to be a favourite snack, or just a good place to hang out. Watch the ground for bear poop. Bear don't leave much for tracks, but if you see poop, you're likely to see bear.

30-06 is probably overkill for a regular size black bear. There is a guy on CanadianGunNutz and HuntingBC that puts them away with a .223. They tend to suffer from ground shrinkage and a couple hundred pound black bear isn't a real big animal when you get up close to it. I'd say stick with the 30-06, but go with heavy for caliber bullets.

Spot and stalk can be productive, and going for a drive to look for them. As long as they don't catch you moving, they seem to have a hard time identifying you as a person. If the wind is right, and you are quiet, sometimes you can walk right up to them.

[Fishislife1]

Originally Posted by Tactical Lever

If you are baiting, just about anything, sweet, savoury, or rotten! More important to have a good smell to it to bring them in. Some guys use a bucket of well ripened meat byproduct to stink up the place then a barrel of expired bakery goods for the bears to sift through. There's sweet sprays and stuff to pour at Cabelas also.

Look for places that have clover, berry patches, or water with beaver dams. They seem to be a favourite snack, or just a good place to hang out. Watch the ground for bear poop. Bear don't leave much for tracks, but if you see poop, you're likely to see bear.

30-06 is probably overkill for a regular size black bear. There is a guy on CanadianGunNutz and HuntingBC that puts them away with a .223. They tend to suffer from ground shrinkage and a couple hundred pound black bear isn't a real big animal when you get up close to it. I'd say stick with the 30-06, but go with heavy for caliber bullets.

Spot and stalk can be productive, and going for a drive to look for them. As long as they don't catch you moving, they seem to have a hard time identifying you as a person. If the wind is right, and you are quiet, sometimes you can walk right up to them.

Thanks a lot for your help i will keep it all in mind for my hunt.

[Fishislife1]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Make sure you can outrun your friend !! And take extra underwear! And good luck and enjoy.

I can definitely run faster then him.

[West O'5]

30-06 is plenty of gun for black bears,in fact,pretty much any rifle that's good for WT will anchor a bear from .243 on up.As always,bullet placement is far more important than the headstamp on a cartridge.
As mentioned,you'd best brush up on the regs in regards to baiting,much of the foothills (300s) and all of the 400s baiting is prohibited due to grizzlies,as well as there's additional rules and prohibitions,ie,distance from dwellings,no dead livestock for bait,bait sites require signage identifying the hunter and to warn other forest users of active bear bait etc etc..
You "might" get REALLY lucky and have a bear hit a new bait right away next weekend but I wouldn't count on it,it usually takes awhile to establish a new bait site.Your chances would be much better the following weekend,and that's if they don't clean you out in between and lose interest when they return to no food,it's much better if you're able to bait at least twice/week and 3x for a good active site.
Also,meat is not really on the menu so much this time of year,they are just getting moving good and prefer(NEED) fresh greens and other crop based food to get their digestive system back in order after hibernation.
That said....a good stink bait like rotten meat,fish,sun ripened beaver carcass etc will draw attention from a longggggg distance even if they don't eat it.Lure them in with a good stink bait,and keep them coming in for the edible goodies like cereal crops,oats,etc,sweetened up with molasses,juice crystals,restaurant fryer grease etc etc.
I'd suggest for this weekend just set up a good bait site Friday along a creek/river/pond/lakeshore etc.,waterways are magnets and travel routes for most any and all game,and then spend most of the weekend concentrating your efforts glassing fields and cutblocks,south facing slopes,anywhere that's starting to green up first,that's where bears will be this time of year.Check your bait Sunday afternoon,and if it's been hit great,you got lucky,sit it Sunday night,but don't be discouraged if it hasn't been hit right away.If you're in a good area with any amount of bears around,and have a good stink bait to lure them in,they should be on it by the following weekend almost guaranteed,then you can freshen it up next Friday and sit on it.
Good luck.🤙

[Big Grey Wolf]

The go to gun for brown/grizzly bears for many years in Alaska was a 30-06 so your good to go on blacks.

[Kurt.Hanger]

Sounds like you’re completely new to bear hunting, regardless if you decide to bait or spot & stalk or what caliber of rifle you decide to use my advice to you is spend some time researching on how to properly skin a bear so the hide isn’t fu#ked when you take it to your taxidermist and then he has to try to repair your mistakes on a crappy job of skining it out. Also I’m Sure you’re aware and prepared to pay upwards of $1800 and up for a quality bear rug rug? If you happen to shoot a bear do yourself a favour and don’t waste the meat, if cooked properly it can be some of the best tasting wild game you’ll put on your table.

[35 whelen]

https://youtu.be/nbnp82DWMCE yes definitely research skinning a bear I skinned my first one holding an outdoor life how to do book, turned out pretty good actually still have that book 35 years on I was looking at it last year and they're still blood in the pages from when I was getting it LOL

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[35 whelen]

Not sure how the gutless method got on there but it's there anyway

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[.257Weatherby]

Don’t shoot the first bear you see either.
Rob

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by .257Weatherby

Don’t shoot the first bear you see either.
Rob

Why not? If he's a slammer go for it! First bear I saw last year was 18" and 6'- not a monster, but the best one I saw in season.
OP:
It pays to study the bear though to make sure it's not a wet sow or a grizz.
Take this quiz: http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=128138

[35 whelen]

Shoot the first boar you see you have two tags in most places

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