What do you think of this

[chevy]

I was just wondering if you guys agree on being able to shoot 2 bears in spring or in fall i honestly think that 2 bears is a good idea but i also think that you should only be able to shoot 1 in the spring and one in the fall, that way it spreads it out, just my thought

[moose hunter]

Well either way you are going to shoot two bears thats that, but it can also be a convinience for some people to shoot 2 in spring or two in fall , maybe they have a family that eats alot of meat and that bear meat gets them to the fall for moose season.

[dana]

When I was a kid the baglimit on bears was 5. Why they dropped it down to 2 I don't know. Probably political BS. There are now more bears in this province than ever before and less hunters. I personally would like to see them bump it back up to 5. Who cares if they are taken in Spring or Fall. Throwing restrictions on them will just mean less guys hunting, therefore the bear numbers will grew even furthur through the roof. Why would we want that. Do you know how many get destroyed every year by CO's? It would be a safe bet that that # probably exceeds the amount hunters kill.

[hunter1947]

I would ratter see them taken out in the spring ,that way it helps the does out with there new ones. A few less bear ,a few more fawns ,that's my opinion.

[StoneChaser]

Poor idea... buy two tags and shoot one in the fall if ya like... I'll keep whacking my two in the spring.

Hides are awesome, and there is nothing else to hunt...besides, nice to cull a few calf killing boars before the moose calves are hitting the ground heavy.

[Marc]

We have tonnes of bears here on the Island. Has this ever been brought up to the BCWF about trying to increase the bear bag limits? Last year my wife and I went through two bears. A spring and a fall bear and I take all 4 quarters, back straps, tenderloin and neck muscle. The only thing I don't bother with is the ribs. Both bears were not monsters but the 5 1/2 to 6 feet make better eating.

I'm not trying to stir the pot here but did the guides and outfitters get more tags since they droped the limit down to two?

[Gateholio]

I dont' think the outfitters have a quota on black bear.

I agree that the bag liit shoudl be increased.Hardly any hunters chase bears, so those that enjoy it shoudl be able to pursue them ALOT.8)

Marc, maybe bring it up at your club. If anywhere bear limits shoudl be increased, it's the Island.:-D

[mapguy]

who can possibly eat 2 bears unless there small 2 yr old cubs
i was raised if you don't eat it don't shoot it

[Gateholio]

who can possibly eat 2 bears unless there small 2 yr old cubs
i was raised if you don't eat it don't shoot it

You will not be required to purchase any more tags than you wish.

[Krico]

Why not shoot 2 in the spring, or 2 in the fall? Most bear hunters I know chase them in the spring, and only pursue them in fall if presented with the opportunity while chasing other game(unless they have a grizzly tag). Black bears are a very un-utilized big game species in B.C. As Dana said, further restrictions will only mean less bears harvested, which is the last thing the COs want.

[bigwhiteys]

I'm not trying to stir the pot here but did the guides and outfitters get more tags since they droped the limit down to two

No outfitter quota on Black Bears...

Carl

[dana]

Map guy,
I don't know how much meat you think is on a bear, but really, it ain't much. I'm too cheap to go the sausage route, so I cut my bears mainly into roasts. I debone and trim as much fat and gristle as I can. I cut large family sized roasts. It don't take long to eat them all up when you have carnivorous kids. ;)

Marc,
Since there is no quota on Black Bears in BC, outfitters can sell as many hunts as they want. Many 7 day hunt packages are for 2 bears. It is amazing how many bears the non-resident hunters take per year. It is also amazing how few bears resident hunters harvest. It is one species where residents are dropping the ball on. They are a blast to hunt, not overly difficult and you get out hunting at a time of year when there isn't much else open to hunt.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

who can possibly eat 2 bears unless there small 2 yr old cubs
i was raised if you don't eat it don't shoot it
Like Dana said.........there's surprizingly little meat on a massive bear let alone an average one. They heavy boned and very muscular in the front end which means a lot of grissle.

Butcher one and find out for yourself................

Used to be allowed 5 black bears and you didn't have to take ANY meat...and that was back in the day where hunter numbers were waaaay higher!!

SSS

[bigwhiteys]

Since there is no quota on Black Bears in BC, outfitters can sell as many hunts as they want. Many 7 day hunt packages are for 2 bears. It is amazing how many bears the non-resident hunters take per year. It is also amazing how few bears resident hunters harvest. It is one species where residents are dropping the ball on. They are a blast to hunt, not overly difficult and you get out hunting at a time of year when there isn't much else open to hunt.

True... I don't know how many are doing two bear hunts all inclusive as most I see are selling a 2nd animal, on a trophy fee basis. That's quick cash from an excited hunter caught up in moment if they didn't book two bears originally.

I am surprised at the lack of resident bear hunters. The outfitters on the Island here are dropping a few hundred big bears each year.

Some say increase the bag limit and we'll have more bear hunters... I say drop the meat requirement on them and you'd increase the black bear hunter #'s overnight. If they want to try the meat fine, if not they don't have to.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[dana]

Carl,
I think the meat requirement is fine as is. It appeases the non-hunting crowd. You drop that requirement that I think you'll see anti-hunting groups swaying more people their dirrection. The fact is, the 4 quarters are all you have to bring home. Once home, you can do as you please. It doesn't take long to skin and debone a bear in the bush. Once home, it don't take much to cut and wrap. Like I said, it doesn't equate a lot of meat. If the taste isn't desirable, it can be a good way to supplement your dog food bill. ;) I personally think it is more the taxi bill that keeps resident hunters from dropping more bears. For some reason, there is this misconception that if you kill a bear, you need to do something with the hide. Most residents treat bears as a once in a lifetime creature. They kill one, get it tanned or rugged, pay a hefty taxi bill, and then they never kill another bear again.

[greenhorn]

I'm not sure why someone would want to wait for the fall to take a second bear. About the only reason I can come up with would be related to the mating season. If bear numbers were low in a region, maybe it would make sense to limit a hunter to one bear in the spring, and then a second in the fall after they've mated. But, you could probably achieve the same results by limiting the hunts to boars only.

Some hunters, and pretty much all of the non hunters I know, are pretty turned off by bear meat. I hear alot of the same thing: "you eat bear meat, what does it taste like?". Alot of people are convinced that bears eat only garbage, or are scavengers/carnivores... therefore the meat shouldn't be eaten. Some of the hunters I know that are "down" on bear meat are from Alberta of further east, these individuals seem to think they are dirty animals.

This negative attitude to bear meat was surprising to me, especially since the guys who introduced me to hunting were really into eating the meat.

Have you guys noticed the same thing? Is the fear/disdain for bear meat warranted for some reason in the past?

[Stone Sheep Steve]

And......if you love hunting bears and love eating the meat you can sell a good salted hide from a big bear for $300-450. Instead of incuring costs by tanning/rugging/mounting you can help pay for your hunting habits. Beats leaving it for the maggots and beetles and makes good skinning/fleshing practice. All good!!

SSS

[RiverOtter]

SSS, who's paying $300 - $450 for large bears, unless by large you mean 7'+. The best I've been getting is $200 - $250 for 6' - 6 1/2'(squared) bears in the round. I used to skin and cape, until I found out that the buyer paid the same money skinned or not.

Bear hides buy my licence and tags every year and part of the fuel I use to hunt. A bag limit increase is long over due IMO and would go a long way to curb the amount of rural bear problems that occur yearly.

RO

[mcrae]

I like to shoot a bear in the fall because of the berries they are damn tasty when they have been in huckleberries for a month. I usually take one in the spring to get my family through till the fall when we get a variety of meat in the frezzer. I have never kept a hide its strictly a meat hunt for me but I have also never shot a true monster and when I do I will get a nice rug done or something..... I love bear hunting and would love to see a higher bag limit.

[Fisher-Dude]

There's no reason to spread the harvest out, and further restrictions of any type will just beat down hunters numbers again. We have more blackies in BC than we've had in a long time, and it makes no sense from a conservation concern to limit any harvests. I say open 'em up more, it saves our COs from getting news cameras shoved in their face when they deal with a cute fuzzy teddy bear in someone's compost pile :mad: .

I'm also in favour of youth/new hunters getting a cheap bear tag ($5.00?), as Dana says they are fairly easy to hunt and could be a great recruiting species.

[dana]

Fisherdude,
As a recruitment hunt, I think black bears can really get the kids excited about hunting. There is no need for the early rising a couple hours before sunrise and the hunt all day philosophy. You can hunt at your kid's pace. And there is a ton of bears out there. Tons of opportunity to put a stalk on, and practice all the other techniques. This evening my son and I spotted a 5'-5'2" black feeding a hundred yards in front of us. Wind was in our favor. We stalked that bear to 25 yards. Everytime his head came up, we froze. Everytime his head went back to feeding we slowly moved. Finally I felt the wind on my neck and his head came up and we were Busted and he turned and bailed. I knew he wasn't a shooter from the moment I first saw him, but putting the stalk on him with my son was a way for him to learn. It is also a good thing when kid's learn to pass on animals. It ain't always about the kill. Cody was stooked that we got that close. That is what bear hunting can do for a kid. Just can't wait till we do a stalk like that on a 7 foot monster. :)

[Elkhound]

I love bear hunting too.....I wish they increased the limit. I also think that bear hunting in BC is not difficult so it is a nice way to get beginners into hunting as a successful hunt is always best

[rollingrock]

I think it's harder to hunt bears in fall. Spring bear's meat and hide are better too.

But with this hot weather for the last whole week, I don't know if I should get out to find a bigger and fatter monster? They've probably rubbed the shite out of themselves.

[Dirty]

Why not increase the number to 3, then you could shoot 2 in the spring and save a tag for the fall. That would seem sensible to me, and then wait a year or two and increase it to 2 and 2 if necessary. I could see a lot of people complaining (antis) if they increased the bag limit by 2 bears in one year.

[Mr. Dean]

Fisherdude,
As a recruitment hunt, I think black bears can really get the kids excited about hunting. There is no need for the early rising a couple hours before sunrise and the hunt all day philosophy. You can hunt at your kid's pace. And there is a ton of bears out there. Tons of opportunity to put a stalk on, and practice all the other techniques. This evening my son and I spotted a 5'-5'2" black feeding a hundred yards in front of us. Wind was in our favor. We stalked that bear to 25 yards. Everytime his head came up, we froze. Everytime his head went back to feeding we slowly moved. Finally I felt the wind on my neck and his head came up and we were Busted and he turned and bailed. I knew he wasn't a shooter from the moment I first saw him, but putting the stalk on him with my son was a way for him to learn. It is also a good thing when kid's learn to pass on animals. It ain't always about the kill. Cody was stooked that we got that close. That is what bear hunting can do for a kid. Just can't wait till we do a stalk like that on a 7 foot monster. :)

I hear a hammer hitting the head of a nail... PING - Dana's dead on w/ this post.

Spring Bear presents PERFECT opprotunity to get young'ns and/or newbs out for an almost 100% successful hunt AND harvest, pending on the picky factor.

But to convince the older resi's that Bears NEED to be utilized better/more IS the problem. Far to many people view them as nothing more than large rats that feed only on junk/garbage. And who eats RATS.

I DO!


I'm limiting myself to one Bear. I hate having more meat than I need in the freezer. So an increase in the bag limit wouldn't get me out hunting more of them.