best calls for lions or bears

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daveyboy

New member
Hello folks I just found this forum and its great.I was just wondering if some of the folks who have used a hand call to call in a bear or lion would say which ones have been most successful for them.It seems like some people are saying a real coarse call like the killer by rich cronk works real well,thanks for any info, take care daveyboy
 
I’ve had best results on cats using a CritR-Call standard. Response from bears has been spotty. I have one of Rich’s new bear calls that I will be trying out this fall.
 
Bob thanks for the response,from reading the forums it seems like you've had pretty good success with cats so you probably spend a lot of time in the field,thats what I intend to do.I hike a lot so I plan on backpacking into some wilderness areas here in Az.I think its got to be one big rush to be calling in something big enough to take a taste.Do you have eyes in the back of your head or do you call with a partner.Thanks again for the reply, all the help I can get is greatly appreciated.take care daveyboy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
A call that has produced for me is the old weems call.
The version that I have is made by Bill Austen. I boaught mine from the calling all coyotes site. David
 
David, I,m taking notice of everyones favorite calls, after all you can't beat experience and a lot of you have the results to prove it.thanks for your reply,I was just up in the 4peaks area northeast of phoenix and there was some prickly pear fruit ripening up so it looks like the bears might have a little more of that to eat this year,but that area is usually pretty hunter saturated so you need to be willing to walk a ways from the roads,I've called in a bear up there but when I saw him and stopped calling he shagged butt out of there,this forum has let me know to keep calling and they usually will keep coming,thanks one and all for your help,take care davey boy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
daveyboy, I hunt with 3 partners. Their names are Casey, Kelly, and Sadie. Airedale terriers! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Bob at least you know whose going to take the shot when the time comes,I've heard airedales are pretty tenacious dogs,I've had a friend who had 1 and he was a good dog,I've got a bluetick but she just eats a lot of dogfood and keeps the neighbors awake :rolleyes: good hunting take care daveyboy
 
Howdy, I've called in most of my bears with two calls, the Circe three in one (using the med and long rang calls) and the Jones Javelina call, which is a very easy to blow and coarse call. I have used the Carlton call, but it wears me out long before my hour is up. Good luck and post a photo sometime of that bluetick. I have two blueticks, a plott and a redbone. Fred
 
fred thanks for the tips on the calls,seeing in I,m in az.with lots of javalinas around that call does seem like a good choice,also while running the dogs along the gila river the bluetick and rhodesian ridgeback mix got tangled up with about 6 or 7 javalina one of them stuck her tusk in the blueticks shoulder when I ran in to break up the battle, the ridgeback is right behind 4 or 5 of the escaping pigs one of them sees me and runs at me thats when the bluetick jumped on it and got gored,shes alright though,these dogs arent cowards I can tell you that take care daveyboy
 
Hello Daveyboy I was just wondering what you use your dogs to chase down on the gila river? I fish and hunt the lower part of the gila near estrella park.
 
hey wv boy,there are coon down there, but having said that my dogs are just pets that I have rescued from bad situations and I take them down there to exercise them, my uncle has a place just south of the gila off airport rd,so when I visit him I bring the dogs and let em run.take care daveyboy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
what do they sound like when used for bear ?
can you use a mouth call like you would use for cyotes.
What about some where like Maine what would you use for a call?
 
Yes, call similar to coyotes only I call almost non-stop and for at least an hour. I would use the same calls, javelina would be good up in Maine. Doesn't matter that you have no javelinas, they seems to really like a good coarse call. If your leery about using a javelina call use a grown snowshoe rabbit or deer distress call. Good luck, I hunted Maine many moons ago, awesome country up that way. Fred
 
Daveyboy,
I've called up just a few bears over the years in Washington, Kalifornia, and here in Nevada, where they are protected.
The most succesfull calls I have used have been an old Weems Wildcall and a Circe long range.
Have you ever bum shot a deer or seen one bum shot where they hump up and go BAAA.That has been the most succesful sound for me.And if you get one coming in don't stop calling or they seem to lose interest and wander off.
Hope this helps.......Walt
 
walt thanks for your input,everyone's info is being filed away to be put to future use,you guys are great in trying to give help to novices who are just wanting to experience the feeling you get when you call in something that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,now thats adrenaline.I believe I read in the past that 1 guy was calling by himself and had a lion sneak up behind him and smack him,that tells me unless I'm in a tree calling I'm calling with a partner,take care and thanks everyone for taking the time to try to help. daveyboy
 
Do a search on google for Johnny Stewart's calls. They used to have sound waves to all their calls and the way they were supposed to be used. I would recommend calling with a partner. I still occassionally don't follow my own rules, but only do it in perfect set-ups. When I first started calling I called in a smaller bear. First thing I heard was pine needles being crunched behind me. Pine needles don't make allot of sound, so I knew it was close. I turned sloooowly and was face to face with smaller bear about 15 feet behind me. I spoke softly, it stood there, I rose up slowly and spoke softly, it took a step forward and laid it's ears back. I didn't wait to see what else it had on it's mind so I pepper sprayed it. I would reccommend carrying pepper spray for those rare times you run into an animal you don't want to harvest but that doesn't seem to want to leave. Good luck. Fred
 
fred,thanks for the johnny stewart link and the bear spray is a great idea that I aready am using since when I go fishing on the black river for bass on the indian reservation here. the bears are really thick and every trip I usually have encounters with them,one big cinnamon color came into our camp and we were only 100' away fishing you guessed right, my bear spray was laying right by the bear, I had taken it off and laid it down,we had to go get a fellow camper to come in his jeep and literally just about push the bear out of camp,lesson learned fast.take care dave /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Hey Daveyboy, you really shook a memory loose with that last post.

Me and a few friends were trout fishing on the Black river when a bear climbed down from a tree across the river from us. It wasn't too happy that we were there and we were happy enough to vacate her premises. You're right about that area, I've seen more bears in that area than any other place in AZ.
 
I like to take Bearmanric and say "is this a good place to call? then when he says it is, ask him where he will sit, where I should, sit, and wait fer a bear. LOL
fawns, bleats, goats, lots a predator distress sounds, bear cubs.
Be careful of cover scents in washington, anything, anything, that can in any way be construed as a lure, bait, attractant, is not legal.
good luck
Carl
 
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