Black Bear Hunting Newb

[dak0ta]

Hello,

I'm interested in starting out black bear hunting this year. Where outside Vancouver do you go to find them? How is their population? What kind of caliber or slug am I looking at to make a clean kill? I have .30-30, 6.5x55, 8x57, and 12 Ga.

How difficult is field dressing etc. compared to deer?

What style of hunting is the best? Stalking, sitting in a stand waiting, calling?

Thanks for your help!

[Drillbit]

Any of your guns will work.

Similar to deer, little greasier.

Drive logging roads till you see them. Either shoot from there, or walk up to them and shoot them (if the wind is right). Easy to see lots, but big bears are a little harder to find.

[HarryToolips]

Don't know where around Van is good. I wouldn't be worried about their population, not enough hunters hunt em. Any of those calibers I would think would do. The .30-30 maybe? is a little under-powered. Any of those hunting methods would work, if your gonna call, use a rabbit in distress call or something. All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts.

[madrona sh]

8x57 would be a great black bear choice.

[SPEYMAN]

Bears are feeding mainly on grasses in the Spring.Clover patches on old roads,pipelines etc.The rut is May,June.That is when the boars are looking for a sow and tend to wander around.Please spend time observing bears and make sure there are no cubs present.Scouting for bear sign prior to and during the season will give you an indication of what is in the area.Afternoon hunting has been more productive than mornings.Bears like good weather.

[BlacktailStalker]

What speyman said. Fringe grasses around swamps and roadsides are the best til the buds and shoots really take off in late may or june. The big boars know exactly where to be when all the best veg is growing, find the best feed and you will find the big bears. It changes often and quickly. Their favourite is clover, if you can find it, because of the sugar content. Anything right down to and including a .243 is perfectly fine. Big bears hammer fawns and calves so if you find big bear sign don't be afraid to wail on a distress call in the area. One thing you can bet on is if you find good sign and good feed the bear is still around, they don't travel far once they find food when pickings are slim.

[Drillbit]

Bears are feeding mainly on grasses in the Spring.Clover patches on old roads,pipelines etc.The rut is May,June.That is when the boars are looking for a sow and tend to wander around.Please spend time observing bears and make sure there are no cubs present.Scouting for bear sign prior to and during the season will give you an indication of what is in the area.Afternoon hunting has been more productive than mornings.Bears like good weather.

Great advice.
Sunny afternoons are very productive......spend some time IDing. Cubs aside, try to learn to judge their size too.

[dak0ta]

Wow you guys are a great source of knowledge! Thanks!

How far are most of your encounters with the bears? 100-150 yards? And do they run away or do they stand there and look at you like deer? Are they afraid of us?

And what's the chance of them becoming aggressive?

[SPEYMAN]

Archers can stalk to bow range if done properly.Bears do not see well but have good hearing and excellent smell.

A pine needle fell in the forest,the eagle saw it,the deer heard it and the bear smelled it.

They are one of the top predators,act accorgingly.

[dak0ta]

Is it necessary to have a defensive shotgun loaded with slugs in case?

Also, in black bear territory, are you going to run into other larger species of bears or cougars etc.?

[BigfishCanada]

If your calling, be very careful. It works almost too good, had a few small ones that I didn't want charge full tilt and luckily I didn't have to shoot them.

Also if its wounded be very careful tracking, they will head for the thickets shit they can find and if they aren't dead the will charge when you get close. One last thing, don't get overconfident with your shot, I have taken one where I thought it was done and as I walk close to it it gets up and runs away.

[Wild one]

For black bear find green grass, water, and bear crap. If you find all of this the bears should show up late afternoon to last light

[MB_Boy]

Is it necessary to have a defensive shotgun loaded with slugs in case?

If you've already got a gun in your hand that you have shot the bear with.......don't worry about a backup "defensive shotgun" as what you are holding will suffice just fine.


Also, in black bear territory, are you going to run into other larger species of bears or cougars etc.?

Other species will definitely be out there and as for "larger species" of bears......being Mr. Grizz, it's gonna depend on the area you are in but they are found generally speaking throughout the province.

As far as "where" to go.....pretty much anyway leading out of Vancouver to the east or north will eventually take you into black bear country. You can head up highway 99 towards Squamish/Whistler, take a ferry to the Island/Sunshine Coast or head east out the Fraser Valley and you'll find bears; just make sure you look at the regs for the area. Also get yourself a back roads map book.....it'll help you as to where to go or where roads are to plan your hunt.

There are blackies all over this province.....give it time, put in your time and pay attention to some of the earlier tips and eventually you'll find them.

[buck nash]

Bears hearing and eyesight is actually pretty good. At least as good as yours or mine. Their sense of smell is incredibly good though and like dogs they tend to believe their nose before their eyes.

May and june are the best times to see bears. And as has already been said they like the fresh greens like clover, grass, skunk cabbage and horsetail shoots. The most obvious thing to look for is shit on the rds but another good sign to watch for is grass thats been chewed. It'll look like someone has mowed it if its a good patch.

If I'm in a new area I'll drive the roads looking for shit and chewed grass. When I find it I'll glass that area. I'm looking for the bears with the binos but I'm also looking for more sign like trails and knocked over weeds etc.

Depends on the bear but sometimes they'll run far when they notice you and other times they'll run a short distance then stop to stare at you to see if you're a threat. Sometimes they'll just stand on the road while you stop, get out, load your gun and shoot them. Bigger bears tend to be more warry (thats how they lived long enough to get big)

Pick an area, bears are abundant here in BC. Squamish has lots and the fraser canyon is crawling with them.

Don't need to worry too much about them being dangerous as long as you use common sense. Obviously be cautious approaching a bear. Give him enough time to be sure he's dead and put another one in him if you're in doubt.

Finally make good and sure it's not a sow with cubs. This is so important not only cause you'll feel like shit if it happens but also gives us all a bad name when someone finds orphaned cubs next to their mom's gut pile.

[Southpaw45]

Thank you for the creation of this thread. Im in the same boat as Dakota so all of this info is great. Keep it coming :)

[BiG Boar]

Don't know where around Van is good. I wouldn't be worried about their population, not enough hunters hunt em. Any of those calibers I would think would do. The .30-30 maybe? is a little under-powered. Any of those hunting methods would work, if your gonna call, use a rabbit in distress call or something. All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts.Don't take this guys advice, unless you want a fine.

[Ozone]

Remember that while calling is ok, baiting or shooting over a gutpile is illegal. Also well you do have to take the meat home with you, what you do with it after that is up to you. Feel free to come to the Island and take 2 home with you.

[TheProvider]

Any of those calibres will work. If you play the wind you should have no issues getting to within 75yrds. Black bears are great to practice your stalking skills. Google a picture of a black bears vitals. They are a bit more forward than other animals. Also you are responsible for taking the hide and meat with you. Makes great chops, roasts and sausage. My favorite meat

[bashintin]

If I read the regulations correct you don't have to remove the hide of a black bear. If its nice a d you want a rug why not though

[buck nash]

Don't know where around Van is good. I wouldn't be worried about their population, not enough hunters hunt em. Any of those calibers I would think would do. The .30-30 maybe? is a little under-powered. Any of those hunting methods would work, if your gonna call, use a rabbit in distress call or something. All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts.

There's lots of meat besides the quarters. Backstraps and tenderloins are pretty big on bears and are the best parts. The neck actually yields a lot of meat as well and is great for burger or kept whole and done as a pot roast. If you only take the quarters you'll be leaving about a 1/4 of the edible meat behind.

And you do not have to take the hide.

[hotshot]

Have you hunted deer? If so, use the same rifle (as your rifle list looks fine) because you'll be more confident shooting a rifle thats proven itself.

As for the hunting itself, plenty of b bears around and good advice already, but personally I don't do the road hunt method. For a memorable hunt here's my black bear strategy:

1. choose a hunting/hiking partner that wants the bear as much as you do
2. check regs/ gmaps/ trailmaps/ and backroads maps for a mountain with NO road access to the alpine
3. grab gear/ backpack/ buddy w/backpack and drive to trail head for alpine access
4. hike
5. drink water...hike (should be a long hike to avoid other hunters/hikers)
6. once in alpine, glass and stalk
7. shoot, field dress, HIKE!

Enjoy your hunt. My most memorable hunts have involved 10km + hikes (round trip) into the alpine.

[warnniklz]

I usually go for a week. Right around May long seems to be good (however I'm not near the lower mainland anymore). But going for a week usually means driving the same road about 14 times. I try to run over every pile of bear shiat I see. Then you can get at least a 24 hour reading on when and where they're moving.

[dak0ta]

You guys are awesome mentors. Looking forward to it and hopefully just in time for summer BBQ season too :)

I've only hunted deer with 12 ga slugs, but I'm most familiar with my iron sighted Husky in 8x57. My Marlin 336 has glass on it so we'll see which one I shoot better with.

[hunter1947]

As for skinning a bear and cleaning it to me its almost the same as a deer the only thing I find different cleaning is the bear has thicker hide then that of a deer ,,as for hunting bear I would cover as many slashes as you can do lots of glassing as well ,,bear like older slashes 4 years and older lots of new goodies in these slashes for bears to eat.

Something to keep in mind If you ever find skunk cabbage that has just come out in there yellow flower the bears love to eat it to no end ,,O ya I found the best time to hunt bears is 10am right on till late evening ..

[dak0ta]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are 'slashes'? and 'glassing'?

In your guys experience, have you ever 'dropped' a bear after shooting it, or do they tend to run off and you need to track them?

[Drillbit]

Logging blocks are slashes
Glassing is looking over an area with Binoculars

Dropped pretty much all on the spot, even a grizzly. The only ones for me that run a bit (50 yards or so) are the one shot already running.

[ncaufield]

A pine needle fell in the forest,the eagle saw it,the deer heard it and the bear smelled it.

Awesome quote! So true.

[nuadixion]

Remember that while calling is ok, baiting or shooting over a gutpile is illegal. Also well you do have to take the meat home with you, what you do with it after that is up to you. Feel free to come to the Island and take 2 home with you.

What about shooting over a dead fawn?
Last year I came by a half eaten dead elk fawn with LOTS of bear crap near by....stench like you would not imagine.....that was main reason I did not want to shoot anything there....but also thought about the legality of it......would that be ok?

[Ozone]

What about shooting over a dead fawn?
Last year I came by a half eaten dead elk fawn with LOTS of bear crap near by....stench like you would not imagine.....that was main reason I did not want to shoot anything there....but also thought about the legality of it......would that be ok?

I would say if you knew the fawn was there it would be deemed illegal, but on the same note if your in a orchard with apples falling, its fine. The rules are inturpeted by COs and well one will tell you one thing, the next will tell you something else.

[ianwuzhere]

any will work!
good luck- harvest as many as u can :)

[sarg]

i'm hoping to plug a bear this year with my 30/30 open sight :) good luck

[BiG Boar]

I would say if you knew the fawn was there it would be deemed illegal, but on the same note if your in a orchard with apples falling, its fine. The rules are inturpeted by COs and well one will tell you one thing, the next will tell you something else.

Or how about: Would you shoot a bear standing on a salmon stream in the fall, dead salmon all around?

[Ozone]

No, it would taste like crap, lol

[nuadixion]

No, it would taste like crap, lol
Apparently it does not...so I was told by old hunter......I am definitely going to try this coming fall.
As for the dead fawn....i simply followed voltures.....so I knew there must be something dead......

[buck nash]

What about shooting over a dead fawn?
Last year I came by a half eaten dead elk fawn with LOTS of bear crap near by....stench like you would not imagine.....that was main reason I did not want to shoot anything there....but also thought about the legality of it......would that be ok?


A half eaten fawn would be a nutural food source. You are allowed to exploit other natural food sources like a salmon stream, berry patch or clover field etc. You can hunt over orchards and obviously you would know there's apples there so why not a dead fawn.

As long as you didn't put it there you are not baiting.

If it's a gut pile from something you shot earlier.?.? You put it there, therefore it's baiting. At least that's how I read it.

[coquitlam]

Spring bear hunting is ALOT of fun. Quite often you will see them in the distance and can put a stock on them watching not only your wind but movement. If there heads down move all you want but when it comes up ,don`t move your baby finger. Bear sausage is awsome as my family and non hunting friends remind me when it`s time to get bear sausage. Don`t leave any behind. The 2 points that I would like to leave you is
-They shrink in size from the binos to when you walk up to them. When your hearts beating and your excited they are huge. But in reality they usually are smaller than what was estimted.
-I like to when gutting them, I cut a line from the butt to the chin and skin back the hide at least 8" on eack side of the line and then knock away any loose hairs first before opening the gut, to help with a clean field dressing

[BCKyle]

New to Black Bear hunting as well and appreciating this thread! Soaking it up. And making plans already.

[itsy bitsy xj]

Thanks to everyone for the great advise. I'm hoping tto get my first black bear this spring

[jtred]

I've decided to give bear hunting a try also. I always see a few each year but have never taken one because of the mixed reviews on how bear tastes. The only way I'm ever going to really know is give it a go myself. I'm not looking for a trophy bear since I won't be making a rug or mount so all I need to get in my sights is a nice healthy looking bear. This thread has been great by the way, lots of good information. I'm mainly going to be hiking the open areas facing south/southwesterly on mountains in our area, doing spot and stalk with some calling mixed in. For shorter hunts there are numerous cutblocks, powerlines, and a few pipelines within 15 min of our home so I'll likely hit those up for shorter hikes. I may even do a weekend or two backpacking into the alpine once(if!) the snow disappears towards the end of the season. Does anybody on here do their own bear hams? Any good brine recipes/smoking hints that aren't top secret/I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you. I won't be doing any bear hunting until either turkey season is over or I take one, whichever happens first so I'll be sure to be watching how things are greening up. Anyhow best of luck to all the spring hunters and be safe.

[skibum]

Bear Meat Cooked in Bear Fat

http://themeateater.com/videos/bear-meat-cooked-in-bear-fat/

[nuadixion]

Bear Meat Cooked in Bear Fat

http://themeateater.com/videos/bear-meat-cooked-in-bear-fat/

That was AWSOME! I was always a big fan of bear fat, but never thought of eating fresh bear like that.

[log_roller]

iv taken countless bears with my 30 30 never a problem

[hunter1947]

In the past I have taken the fat off of a bear melted it down in a pan then put it on my boots works very good for water proofing the boats :)..

[BCKyle]

In the past I have taken the fat off of a bear melted it down in a pan then put it on my boots works very good for water proofing the boats :)..

I used bear fat a buddy of mine had for that purpose once, seemed to work well. He was telling me he learned it from an old timer and that the way to do it was render it down further and further, with the oil from different stages of the rendering being used for different things. There was cooking fat, lamp oil and boot grease that I remember but I can't remember which stages were which other than for boots he would use the browned bottom-of-the-pot stuff.

The real crusty old-timers wouldn't want to throw out much.

[Steelwheels]

water proofing the boats :)..

Fiberglass works well on old wood boats... Now your Nikes.. I would recommend Snowseal...

[hunter fisher]

Bears hearing and eyesight is actually pretty good. At least as good as yours or mine. Their sense of smell is incredibly good though and like dogs they tend to believe their nose before their eyes.

May and june are the best times to see bears. And as has already been said they like the fresh greens like clover, grass, skunk cabbage and horsetail shoots. The most obvious thing to look for is shit on the rds but another good sign to watch for is grass thats been chewed. It'll look like someone has mowed it if its a good patch.

If I'm in a new area I'll drive the roads looking for shit and chewed grass. When I find it I'll glass that area. I'm looking for the bears with the binos but I'm also looking for more sign like trails and knocked over weeds etc.

Depends on the bear but sometimes they'll run far when they notice you and other times they'll run a short distance then stop to stare at you to see if you're a threat. Sometimes they'll just stand on the road while you stop, get out, load your gun and shoot them. Bigger bears tend to be more warry (thats how they lived long enough to get big)

Pick an area, bears are abundant here in BC. Squamish has lots and the fraser canyon is crawling with them.

Don't need to worry too much about them being dangerous as long as you use common sense. Obviously be cautious approaching a bear. Give him enough time to be sure he's dead and put another one in him if you're in doubt.

Finally make good and sure it's not a sow with cubs. This is so important not only cause you'll feel like shit if it happens but also gives us all a bad name when someone finds orphaned cubs next to their mom's gut pile.




very well said

[FVWeldor]

"All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts."

If you want to be labeled as a poacher. Pretty sure grizz is the only one you dont have to take ALL of the meat. Literally just sat in on a core course yesterday and they covered that. You kill it, you bring it home. What you chose to turn into dog food after that is up to you.

[Fella]

Edible portions, quarters, straps and tenders. Don't waste the neck meat though, makes for good roasts or burger.

[.308SLAYER]

Lol heated urself hard

[NorBC]

I thought the stupidity and bullsh1t on this site would stop once a member got something on the ground at the start of the season.... Guess I was wrong.

[MichelD]

Didn't read this closely enough and realize this post was 3 years old.

[stevo911_]

If you use 30-30, from what I've heard the leverevolution can fragment too much. Winchester Power Points do the trick and don't fragment (only tested on a couple bears so far, but all have worked well). The 336's are nice for quick follup shots and in tight quarters (or if one decides to charge you, you can pump out a few rounds way faster than a bolt action).


and then I noticed this is a super old thread....

[hparrott]

Don't know where around Van is good. I wouldn't be worried about their population, not enough hunters hunt em. Any of those calibers I would think would do. The .30-30 maybe? is a little under-powered. Any of those hunting methods would work, if your gonna call, use a rabbit in distress call or something. All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts.

There have been a lot of comments about this already, but it bothered me enough to follow suit. Just cutting of the quarters and leaving the rest should be a hunting ban if you actually do that. I don't believe I can give HarryToolips benefit of the doubt when it comes to whether he was referencing the gutless method. Not after he wrote, "all there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters..." There are a lot of people, including myself, who enjoy bear meat. If you don't want the whole animal, at the very least share it with someone who does. Or, go hunt wolves instead.

[RackStar]

This site is pure entertainment. So much bickering like a bunch of bloody women

[scotty30-06]

Lots of bickering but lots of great points

[Steeleco]

Maybe in 7 days the much quoted poster will be back with a new TUDE, for how long to be determined!!

[Daybreak]

I have met HT and he would never knowingly step out of the lines. This thread was dredged up from over 3 years ago and it is possible that at that time he had little experience dealing with bears and was not speaking from first hand practice or experience. I know that now, with a wife and a baby HT, he wouldn't waste a thing.

[Gateholio]

Don't know where around Van is good. I wouldn't be worried about their population, not enough hunters hunt em. Any of those calibers I would think would do. The .30-30 maybe? is a little under-powered. Any of those hunting methods would work, if your gonna call, use a rabbit in distress call or something. All there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters, so just cut the quarters off, don't even have to touch the guts.


If you want to be labeled as a poacher. Pretty sure grizz is the only one you dont have to take ALL of the meat. Literally just sat in on a core course yesterday and they covered that. You kill it, you bring it home. What you chose to turn into dog food after that is up to you.


Don't take this guys advice, unless you want a fine.


There's lots of meat besides the quarters. Backstraps and tenderloins are pretty big on bears and are the best parts. The neck actually yields a lot of meat as well and is great for burger or kept whole and done as a pot roast. If you only take the quarters you'll be leaving about a 1/4 of the edible meat behind.

And you do not have to take the hide.


There have been a lot of comments about this already, but it bothered me enough to follow suit. Just cutting of the quarters and leaving the rest should be a hunting ban if you actually do that. I don't believe I can give HarryToolips benefit of the doubt when it comes to whether he was referencing the gutless method. Not after he wrote, "all there is to eat on a black bear in my opinion is the quarters..." There are a lot of people, including myself, who enjoy bear meat. If you don't want the whole animal, at the very least share it with someone who does. Or, go hunt wolves instead.


At the risk of stating the obvious, ALL meat on a bear is contained "on the quarters"

On long necked creatures like the deer family, you could argue that the neck is a separate cut, but on short necked animals like cows, pigs and bears, the neck is really part of the quarters. If you were to skin and gut a bear like a pig, then cut it into quarters, you would have all the meat.


If you were to cut off the quarters of a bear and leave the guts, then you have neck, shoulders, loins and hams. Only meat you are missing out on is the tenderloins. For those you have to make a small slit in the rear of the gut sack and reach into pull them out.

[rides bike to work]

If you find a valley with a creek in the bottom with a roa paralleling that creek that's where you will find the poop once you find the poop you can just cruise up and down the road till you catch one on the road. Last may we pick two valleys with creeks and poop and would walk one then drive one then drive the other one then walk the other one. We saw 9 bears in 2 days

[Rotorwash]

6.5 creedmoor and 123gr sst does the job fairly well

[whitespringer]

Double lung shot on a blackie with 6.5 swed. Didn't go 10 yards. great caliber with little recoil. My 2 cents...

[Rotorwash]

What bullet do you shoot in that swede?

[whitespringer]

What bullet do you shoot in that swede?


Sellier Ballot 140 grain soft point. Cheap and effective

[Rotorwash]

Nice! I've always wanted one. One day I guess