Calling Black Bears

N

nhcruffler

New member
Hello to all. Newbee hear with no experience. Thought I would give you folks a holla. I was watching the Outdoors Channel and saw this guy call in a Black Bear with a what sounded like a rabbit in distress call ( he was out in Washington State). Now I never even heard of calling bears in but hey, why not. They are opportunists. The thing is that here in New Hampshire we have bears but not many rabbits. Do you think it would work anyways ? Any suggestions, advice or related stories would be helpful. Thanks, NH
 
Try it. He might think "Wow am I lucky to have stumbled onto one of the very few injured bunnies around these parts." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif He doesn't know that there's a few left...He does know it's food and an easy meal. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Welcome to PM. If you are in an area with a good population of bears your chances of success are good. They will investigate many of the same sounds used for coyotes. Make a fawn distress sound which sounds like a drawn out rabbit distress. Calling continuously is recommended. An e-caller is handy if you want to save your breath.

Good hunting
 
Thanks for the replys. I will definitly give it a try this spring just to see if I can get any bruins to respond. I have not bagged a bear since Ive been in NH and I am ready to try anything leagal. We have a good bear pop in NH and quite a few around my house. Only thing is the guy that lives 1/2 mile down the road studies bears and has done some TBS specials. He also does gunsmithing, which comes in handy from time to time. I mostly try to drive and hour or two away to hunt bears so I don't upset the whole community. Actually it takes me 45 minutes just to get to the other side of the block. From there I feel comfortable hunting , just have to watch out for those collars. Though I v'e not been successful, I do ejoy driving into the White Mountains and camping / bear hunting for a week . I'll take your advice and let you know how it turned out. NH
 
Hello and welcome! I have called up a few bears over the last couple years and find it to be a blast! I'm getting anxious to go, season opens April 1. There are a few sounds that have worked great for me, calf elk sounds/distress, fawn distress bleats, and my favorite, bear cub distress. You have to be very careful when using the cub sounds! Hope this helps!
Ty
 
I have a big black that tore up a corner of a farmers oats field this past fall. He said nobody even came to hunt him. It seems like the perfect place. In the section there is a quarter of dense woods, Oats, and 2 quarters of alfalfa with a creek and beaver pond running through it all. Very easily accessible. Lots of deer and elk around as well. I know where he was coming out to eat oats in the fall, is it a no-brainer to concentrate on that area when he wakes up ? This is also a no baiting zone in Alberta, so I want to give the calling thing a try. I am familiar with the differnt calls to use, my main question is am I better off calling from the ground or in a tree stand. Personally I would prefer to be in a tree, just want to know if one way is better than the other ?
 
When using a cub in distress are you calling in all sows or boars or a combo?

If your 200 yards off the e-caller you should be able to get on the bear before he/she gets on you. Correct? When the bear comes in what is the typically scenaro? Ar they heading right to location of the call?

I will have a spring bear permit and very interested in understanding how this will pan out...

Thank you,
Jim
 
Tork, i call bears in Alberta, but I do not call the farm land. Unless you have an "oatmeal in distress" call you won't get him of the grain field. Calling works in the bush well away from any farm activity. Bears feeding in grain fields usually get active late in the day, Just sit on the field and you'll likely get a shot. They don't move far when the food is plentiful.

I use all the calls already mentioned, with the exception of electronics[illegal in Alberta]. I found call loud and steady. I have had bears come in and when I stopped calling they lose interest and seem to forget what they were doing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
It gives a hunter time to check for cubs or rubbed bears or size him up. Start calling again and they continue in. I have had them within bow range, but never had one charge in.
I have been charged by bears, just not when I was calling. Sometimes they do come in with a purpose, but not on "the fight" so far /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I usually don't cold call either. I find fresh sign and set up. Depending on the sign and the terrain, I will stay an hour. Bears aren't real problem solvers and seem to have trouble staying focussed, so calling for a while is sometimes required.
 
I have called in a few bears,and they just waddled in.They were out of season,so I just stopped calling.As soon as the calling stopped,they lost interest and left.
 
I plan on trying to call one next fall with my FX3. Going to get some fawn deer and calf moose in distress. Hopefully a cub distress too and set up close to a massive beaver dam at my hunt camp were I've seen them before.
 
I was using a domestic calf distress on an e-caller for two.I was trying to call calf killing yotes.Another,I was making cat sounds on a turkey diaphram call,trying to kill red fox around an old farm place.Both times the bear was not the target.
 
Spring Black bear starts in April! I can't wait... I will be calling down open timber "draws" and glassing. I'll be using primarily fawn distress and cub distress. I'll let you know how it goes! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Using cub distress sounds you can call either sex...a sow will come for maternal reasons and a boar will come for a meal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Ty
 
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Ty, I have 4 better ways than a call to put a bear in the bag.You have heard them all.HaHa. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I use a both a jackrabbit call and a cottontail rabbit call, both mouth calls. I call for an hour on a set then move on to another set. They just walked in slow and easy. Expect to make alot of sets before one comes in, it takes time. But you will get one to come in after awhile. It's a very exciting way to hunt them. Good luck!
 
Quote:
Ty, I have 4 better ways than a call to put a bear in the bag.You have heard them all.HaHa. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif




I am new here so spill your guts...
 
TheHunt,I went on my first bear hunt when I was 8 yrs old.That was in northern Maine.I lived there and hunted bears with the old boys every year until I was 17.After a term in the Marines I moved to MN and guided archery bear hunters,over bait,and archery deer hunters.There are alot of ways to harvest a bear,depending on where you are hunting ,some are legal,some are not.I'm not willing to share information that could get you into trouble where you hunt.I don't know the laws in WA.The very best way to hunt bears is with hounds.You get to see the bear,and decide if its what you are wanting to harvest.The second best way is over bait.Alot of people will say that either of these ways isn't sporting,but when calling or spot and stalk,you may have to make a quick decision to shot or not.Most hunters haven't been around enough bears to decide in a split second whether or not they want "that bear."Ty lives in OR,and we both know what the law is here.He knew what I meant.I hunt other states where the laws are different.
 
Quote:
Hello to all. Newbee hear with no experience. Thought I would give you folks a holla. I was watching the Outdoors Channel and saw this guy call in a Black Bear with a what sounded like a rabbit in distress call ( he was out in Washington State). Now I never even heard of calling bears in but hey, why not. They are opportunists. The thing is that here in New Hampshire we have bears but not many rabbits. Do you think it would work anyways ? Any suggestions, advice or related stories would be helpful. Thanks, NH



Calling can work without rabbits. I feel that most animals will come to any distress sound. Some bears run in and others will saunter or walk with purpose. Some growl, pop their teeth and break branches on their way in and others will silently stalk with drool running down their chin.

If calling in the thick stuff try to get up in a tree or on a stump. If calling from the ground and you are afraid of them getting too close either get some bear spray or don't call.
Here is a link to some good info on calling bears.

Bear Calling

A few of the bears I have called in.

Dry sow w/ rabbit distress. 150# gutted.

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Boar 225# gutted came into a cow/calf call.

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380# gutted boar came into fawn distress.

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130# gutted boar with fawn distress.

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230# gutted came in to a calf/cow elk call.

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