Black Bear ( Ursus americanus ) for Rug ?

[Jelvis]

--deleted-----

[BearSniper]

For the Island or southern mainlnd I've had luck in mid April and later.

Perhaps further up north, may be 2 weeks behind in temperatures

Good luck, hope you get a nice one.

Grassy areas are best as the tummies are still sore from winter :smile:

[mntman]

for reg 3 may will be good, watch the blocks and green grass, the skinning of the hide will be important, you have to think upside down

[Jelvis]

----------------------

[Phil]

I tried the smoked black bear jerky and would advise against it. It was the only part of the bear products I didn't like. Phil, no smoke:-P

[moosinaround]

I would think that th e grassy areas greening up first would be the target areas. Look for pumpkin heads, and glass for a while before deciding to take em. Bears, I find are hard to judge size on when you first see them, unless they are pretty close. I like to get out to areas less populated by humans so there is a lesser chance of the bear being in human garbage, specially if you are going to eat them!! We hunted in the Tumuch Bowron area last year for blackies, seen tons, and we took a little blackie as we were looking for a sausage bear, not a rug. Seen a Huge blackie on the side of the road, well worthy of a rug. It is a hoot to get out in may and shake the cob webs out!! It is an awesome time of the year to be in the outdoors, no bugs, not too hot, and usually not too many people!! Good luck!! Moosin

[Jelvis]

--------------------------

[Will]

Earlier the better...right outta the den they have nice thick hides and long and sharp claws too !

They do start rubbing later in spring but I have taken some late spring blackies with great coats so that's not always the golden rule ?

Region 3 huh ?
Cuts are a start but find some of those little quiet outta the way FSR's with lottsa greenery on the edges.....park and walk em.

Look for a head that seems too small for the body, not so much small ears but not big mickey mouse looking ones.....a BIG round a$$ and not too much air space under the belly.....of course a spring bear will be at it's lowest weight of the year, so consider that.
You will Know a BIG Bear when you see it :cool:

Here's a Reg 3 Bear I almost took a couple springs ago.....stalked in to about 15 meters but he's only about a 6 footer and the pack out would have been much more worthwhile had he been a tad bigger, so he walked:D
http://usera.imagecave.com/BCWILL/IMG_0332.JPG


Plenty of Bears in Reg 3...........look to your Muley grounds, some Good Bears out thataway:wink:

[Gateholio]

For spring, early is always better/...

Pluses of early:

Good fur

Mostly larger boars

Negatives to early:

Less action. You will see more bears later the season goes, but they arent' all quality.

Key to early bear hunting:

keep at it.

(Like most hunting)

To begin, drive around a bit, look for scat.

THEN, I like to find old FSR;s, park the truck and walk up and down the, glassing at every bend of the road.

Swamps are nice, too. Get in there and go SLOOOOOW like still hunting blacktails or whitetails.

Once the rut is on, keep checking those roads. Look for sign.

There is good bear hunting all over BC, just make sure it is what you want befroe you pull the trigger...

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Jelvis]

--------------------------

[pupper]

hey jelly, here is an article on field prep for your bear rug:
http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/a/Field_Preparation_for_A_Bear_Skin_Rug

[Will]

Where? In his and three other guys from the loops best blue ribbon big brush bustin bruiser buck area.
I figured there must be More to the Great Jelvis then merely snooping for stinky bear info..........why I said ?

I just couldn't place how this would relate to Muley Bucks ?
Now I know.......Best of Luck;-)

[Jelvis]

-----------------------

[sealevel]

Jelves around kamloops i would start looking when the season opens.Look right up along the snow line . Some of the biggest spring bears i have seen have been early season fairly high right up close to the snow on a southern exposure.

[horshur]

the rut is in june.....

[GrizGuy92]

IMO bears are just like me (teenagers). Don't come out early in the morning, poke around in the after noon for lunch, then come out again for dinner.
:biggrin:

[Gateholio]

the rut is in june.....

Yup, and that is when you will see the most bears, but they are also lesser in fur quality (in general)

Not to say you can't get a nice fur bear in June- I have. But in general, earlier the better.:D

[hunter1947]

The best time to hammer a black bear with a good fur on him is in April as soon as he leaves his dean. As for the time of day when hunting for the big boy would be around 10am to 1pm. some of my friends I know that I have taken out have connected on good size one during this time period ,I'm talking in the mid 6 foot length.

[Jelvis]

-------------------------

[hunter11]

I heard that you have to wait till you here a loud groan. But if he or she is far away it's pretty damn hard to hear that.:mrgreen: IMO I would wait a half hour or so; then check. There heart beat slows down so it does take time for them to fully die.

[Gateholio]

Black bears are known to attack, Out of Hunger, making them the most dangerous of all bears. They say bears attack with speed and ferocity, approach a downed bear from the rear and coupe de grace behind neck, good idea or bad? How do you know he's dead and when to approach a downed BlacK Bear any experienced with downed bears I mean black bears?
Ursus americanus

After having a dead bear wake up on me once, I do the following routine, almost without fail:

I approach from the rear, live round in chamber, safety off, finger off trigger.

I keep my muzzle trained on the bear as I give him a few shoves in the rump with my boot. If they are still alive, they are going to respond to that!;)

Mostly I hear some sloshing noises. That is a good sign8-)

[Jelvis]

--------------------------

[Rob]

If our weather continues as it is we may see an early season for bear. As far as approaching a bear your unsure is still alive or not, stop about 20 -30 yds from it and toss a stone or stick at.(Having gun ready of course).Rob

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[hunter11]

No worries Jel. I'll be out there this spring getting my bears. Cheers.

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Gateholio]

I don't poke with a stick because I want both hands on rifle, and I don't throw rocks because I dont' want to have him get up and take off while am standing 20 feet away throwing rocks:biggrin:

If he moves after a butt kicking, he will get another shot and then another:cool:

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Gateholio]

How close am I when I say an adult boar blackie weighs between 200 and 400 pounds?

I'd say you are rigth on the money...Some go bigger.;-)

[Jelvis]

---------------------------

[Will]

Black bears are known to attack, Out of Hunger, making them the most dangerous of all bears. They say bears attack with speed and ferocity
I've had a few Bears that I would say wanted me for lunch or at least were curious enough to stalk me for sometime..........one I did shoot.

The typical predatory behavior of a Black Bear will be almost a steady, methodical approach they are not stealthy creatures and it shows in how they stalk.
Thier stalk is deliberate, silent and will be blatantly obvious when you witness this behavior...head down, ears back, very focused eyes....we've seen a few take fawns and it's always the same approach.

Of course there have been plenty full out explosive attacks on humans by Blackies too so consider that ! The Nothern BC attack at Liard Hot springs comes to mind.......

If you are at all worried about approaching the downed bear in the least.......Put another Bullet in him...taxidermist have lots of thread and an extra hole in the rug means nothing...Bullets are cheap:wink:

Just don't aim for the melon.....you might want that later :oops:

[Mr. Dean]

Jelly big bear butt kicker...

My advice;
- Big gun
- Big bullets
- Big time dead bruin


I don't trust'em.
During my hunt last fall, we had 2 that made our hair stand on end. One came home. :mrgreen:
And then I had one try and exersice his right too the deer I shot a few years ago... They can be persistant.

Its a gas of a hunt.
Enjoy yours!

[hunter1947]

The bears that we have shot in thicker slashes ,we wait for about 15 min then go in on him with extreme caution ,guns loaded and ready. When we get close enough to see the bear we will through big rocks at it and see if there is any movement if not we get closer to him and then when we are close enough to see if he is motionless one of us will pock him with the end of the barrel to see if he moves ,usly by waiting that time frame and throwing a few racks at him will do the job.

[Archer]

We have always eased in with rifles ready, and once we spot them, toss a few sticks, and if theres no response, hang back for a few minutes and watch for movement. I've read several stories and even heard first-hand accounts of bears playing dead and holding their breath when they hear someone approaching. As with some others here, we like to poke the open eye with the rifle barrel.
As far as the death moan goes, it seems a bit inconsistent to me. I've been in on probably about 10 bear kills and can only recall one that let out the death moan. It was an eerie sound, and we could hear it loud and clear from 250 yards across a canyon. From what I've heard, bears don't try to make that noise, rather it is just the last bit of air escaping the lungs (usually only heard from lung-shot bears). Then again, I'm no expert, I'm just going off what I've read and seen through my personal experience.
I can't wait for spring, as black bear is my favorite game to pursue. My lady would confirm the fact that I've got a full blown year-round case of bear fever.

[Jelvis]

------------------------------

[hunter1947]

Archer I like the idea of easing in on a downed Ursus americanus that could be playing possom, like you guys are saying throw some object to hit the black marauder. Holding our breath and he might be doing the same, hello. I might poke a deer in the eye to see if it responds but and a big but, not a Ursus. Spring is very close right now the days are longer the sun is higher the moon is shining, bright at night. The time is near to hunt the black Ursus, Friday night fever for black bear. Now I must learn to judge size in the field, anyone know how? A gorgeous pelt for the wall and great tasting meat for the freezer. Jelly Bear Beans
You tell him to stand there ,then measure him up ,if he is over 6 feet you shot him ,its as simple as that ,:wink: LOL :lol:.

[CanuckShooter]

You use your scope to judge the size, your stadia [sp] lines are a certain distance apart at a known distance so you can measure him with your scope, 4 footer or 6 footer is abig difference. j25cents

[Jelvis]

---------------------------

[Archer]

I always like to look at the neck of a bear. Seems to me that most boars have abnormally thick necks, almost like a wedge out to the tip of the nose. Between a thick neck and a wide head (lots of space between the ear tips), you can usually tell a mature boar from the rest. Also, behavior can tell you a lot. If you can watch from a distance, often times you will see a mature boar trash a small tree, or straddle them and walk over them. Interesting to watch, and it seems to me that only big guys do this. Also, big boars have a swagger that other bears don't. They walk and move like they know that they are at the top of the totem pole.
One other thing that I've noticed big boars doing is knuckle dragging. When they step over a log, they will sometimes drag their knuckles over the top of it, which is why often times boars will have bald patches on the tops of their front paws. Bear hunting videos can help you with learning to judge them. I have a collection of 42 dvds, and I'll bet half are strictly bear hunting. Some are baiting, some stalking, and some calling, and they are all in constant rotation in the dvd player.
Hope this info helps.:D

[Jelvis]

--------------------------

[Jelvis]

-----------------------------

[Mr. Dean]

Jell-Roll.
The one I brought home last year did respond to a call.

I wanted the wife in for a good look at him. By the time she got up to me, the bear was tired of an audience and sauntered off for the timber. I wailed on a fawn distress and sure enough, he very cautiously worked his way back up directly towards us, neck straight out with his head low towards the ground.

[hunter1947]

When you see a good size bear you will know it ,it stands out big time especially when he is over 6 feet in length ,look for the big brown nose ,most the bears that I have seen that are of any size have this ,the older the more brown he has behind the nose.

[Mr. Dean]

Sift this old thread... Theres a wealth of info in it about big bear behaviour.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=10788

[Jelvis]

----------------------

[Archer]

Unfortunately for me, I have no bear hunting partners on this side of the Rockies, so I will be breaking rule #1 (don't hunt alone) this spring. I may try a fawn distress call, coupled with my fawn decoy, if the right situation arises. It is grizzly country where I'll be hunting, so caution will be the name of the game. I will be strictly bowhunting, but bringing a rifle just in case. A partner would help to put my mind at ease, but I'm not going to let common sense get in the way of a potentially thrilling hunt.

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Jelvis]

-----------------------

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[Jelvis]

-------------------------deleted