Bear Hunting

[Doc]

So, since bear baiting is not allowed, just how do you guys go specifically after bears? My understanding is that they have such a large range that trail-watching is useless. They are thinly scattered over such a large area that still-hunting isn't all that effective. And we don't exactly have the right kind of land for spot and stalk hunting. And in fact, my understanding is that most bears are taken almost accidently by deer hunters.

So if a guy decides to go hunting for bears specifically, how would you all recommend he go about it in NYS?

[sits in trees]

just about any bear taken in NY state is killed by someone who is hunting deer, or a baiter. those are the facts plain n simple. when i say baiter it could be a guy hunting a dump or a bird feeder or near a garbage dumpster, or simple the guy who sits out over a pile of donuts. they catch em every year...

[Dom]

Ive never was able to travel to go bear hunt now that it is open in my area im wondering the same thing ive seen some close by but was not able to shoot when watching some vids they seem to allways use bait how ever thats not legal from what im told atleast in NY is there any reasn we cannot use Is ny the only state that baiting is not ok

[Doc]

We only had one bear in our area that I definitely knew about. He dragged our trash can up through the woods strewing trash all the way and bent the pipe that held up the bird feeder over and wrecked that. He/she came back a couple of nights in a row and raised havoc at a neighbors place. And then, poof ..... left and never came back. That was two years ago.

What all that means is that first of all, that was the only bear encounter that we ever had, so nobody around here knows anything about bear hunting. Second, there has been no further bear sign around ..... no tracks, no scat, no sightings, no nothing. Third, It's kind ofobvious that these guys really do some traveling so patterning them doesn't sound real likely.

So, without bait, it sounds like something that I will never have a chance to do locally even though we now have a season on them.

I do think there are some situations that might work out. Like I related in another thread, I did see some bear activity down in PA at a corn field that looked like the bears had a regular thing going there, complete with well worn trails and everything. So bear hunting in farm country may have some potential if there is a good population of bears.

[adirondackbushwhack]

I hunt bear but haven't had a chance to go out this year due to car trouble. It's fixed now and I am going in the morning. The only way to get bear is to locate their feed. They'll hang in an area where they find the feed they are looking for and I identify those areas by their scat. The scat also tells me what they are eating. Anyway I did find a nice oak stand many years back and the bear just love acorns, especially in this area of the dacks where acorns are in really short suppy. Anyway this spot holds bear most of the time and it's not unussual for several bears to be feeding on the acorns there at the same time. Last years bear I got was feeding on berries in a spot that I had located a buck and was scouting for him. I found lots of bear scat there and still hunted into the wind along the feed and got lucky. The wind is the number one spoiler for bear, they have great noses and will vanish when they wind ya. So anyway I have to spend a lot of boot leather for bear but without locating what they are feeding on your chances are mighty slim of lucking into one.

[Larry]

I hunted bear once and caught pneumonia and almost got arrested me hunting bear is not something you want to see in the woods

[growalot]

We have bear at camp in the Alfred area...I've been close but not sealed the deal bow hunting them a few days a year....we are lucky enough to have a very active honey tree next to camp...so the ppl we share a drive with and the mail and Ups guys let us know whats up with bear ...deer and turkey....always be good to the local delivery ppl ....I use scent and do a burn which is great because they are usually in the swampy/hill area behind us or in the white pine grove next to us....which is where the wind carries..we also have a lrg #... hundreds of wild apples that grow on the place along with very thick cover of buck thorn...patches of skunk cabbage wht and red oak and very nice hickory

[bkln]

I spent the weekend in Adirondacks, Schroon Lake area, lots of tracks, scat but nothing was moving at all, it was too damn hot! 75 degrees in the woods on Sept 24, that was brutal I was executed by mosquitos and I still smell like deet...

[DeerStalker22]

Ya my bear was completly by accident, I was walking to my stand at my camp when I walked up on him digging up roots, I have noticed that they loved recently logged areas with lots of black berry bushes and a mixture or hard woods and swamps

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have been told that you can do a honey burn as long as the can contains 3 oz or less of the honey. I plan on giving that a try this year after I fill the first deer tag.

[DeerStalker22]

WNY, its 1.5 oz of a lure or attractant

[WNYBuckHunter]

Thank, I havent been able to find where the DEC says specifically the amount that can be used.

[DeerStalker22]

ya its very tricky but i looked it up sometime last week, DEC makes it very hard to find any infromation on their site, and i couldnt find it in the book, i just went through the whole website to find it.

[growalot]

Well I called all over the state and they even had me contact one poor Capt that was just walking out the door on his western elk hunt vacation...this is what was explained to me ...Yes it is just ....and read this carefully in the rules.... 1.5 FLUID ozs...the Capt who happened to be out of reg 9. told me this is the deal....once you take say honey or bacon grease and soak stips of cloth or wood chips(this works well with the bacon grease) the scent is no longer in liquid form so a larger amount can be used...for how would they ever have the capacity to measure it? also with the grease...not baiting because the material is burning and thus not readily available for consumption as a food source...it's fire and smoke...I use a small throw away grill so that the grate holds the cloth and or chips....I have dry bacon soaked chips all ready to go and the legs hold it up off the ground a bit...I clear a big circle to dirt light it up make sure its going well and climb into stand...this tends to bring in yotes as well ...my problem is not seeing good sized or single bear...and close enough for me to feel good about the shot with my bow

[Single_shot]

The most used method of hunting bear in Pa is to get groups of guys together and drive the swamps and thick ugly stuff.It's effective if you like to hunt that way. I shot my only bear back in 1979 on my way back to camp because I was frozen cold.He was a pushed bear anyway,because there were guys hunting down in the area he came from. Just got lucky to be there at the right time.

[the blur]

The national parks where I hunt have bear, but they don't allow taking bear. It states WHITE TAIL DEER ONLY. no bear.

[blkbearklr]

food source is the best way to get on a bear. Find the food you find the bear, the one thing good about a bear and its food is they will stay there and keep returning until that food supply has diminshed and then they will move to a new location.

Joe

[Dom]

bet they will be near salmon river

[upstaterifle]

Does anyone ever take Bear in account when they are working on food plots? I always hear talk about brassica, buckwheat, beech trees, turnips, etc but I have never really heard anyone say something about a good rasberry plot.

[G-Man]

I know they love corn and turnips, i replanted a field of corn this year in spring after 2 bear decided to call it home last fall.. They are back but no longer traveling together(last year i believe their mother just kicked them out at 2 yr olds) and they wern't eligable to shoot in a group... though they were in range numerous times. i believe they are 3 now. and i can't wait for opening day....i'm more excited for bear than deer this year!!

[bigbuckhunter]

Bears in my area stick to the brush. Depending on the size of the bear is if they will travel to more open area. a smarter bear will stay in close brish where only about 10 yrd shot is possible a young nieve bear will travel anywhere a deer does, my bear was taken at my buck stand wi=hcich is in close brush surrounded by berries