BEAR hunting advice needed.

bill c68

bill c68

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Prince Edward Island
I may go on a New Brunswick Bear Hunt this weekend. I am not prepared and do not have a baited site. The area I am going to has no hunting pressure this time of year and has a good population of bears.

What do you suggest? try toget the area baited right away? (2 days before the hunt) or try a "honey burn" (or syrup or molasses etc.) or just drive on some of the back roads in the evening and try to catch one eating clover in a field?

This will be my second bear hunt, my first was a guided hunt we saw 11 bears in about an hour and a half just driving around catching them eating clover. This was not in the same area I will be going on the weekend.

Any other suggestions?
 
Take some Oil of Anise and some water mixed in a spray bottle. Spray the best area you can find (clover, grass etc) in the morning and come back to it about 3pm and sit until dark.

If you want to, take some old Coca cola (about 4 litres ) and pour it on the ground near where you spray the Anise Oil........

That's the fastest way I know of to increase your chances.....good luck my friend.

Anise can be bought thru Watkins or some health food stores....it smells like black liquorice.
 
Fresh coca cola works just as good....I just save the stale stuff so I guess I shoulda clarified that.....new stuff works as good. I just have a habit of mixing the new fresh stuff with older aged "spirits" and never get to the bait site.....lol
 
anise oil is a good suggestion. It does work here in NB. another tip would be to set up a bait site using cakes, donuts, bread, etc. with maybe a sardine garnish. Smother the whole thing in old deep fryer grease from a restaurant. Try to scout out known bear travel areas near water and thick cover, but adjacent to feeding areas where succulent green vegetation is available for nibbling. If you find a trail, tracks or scat, the idea is to lay a scent trail using the anise oil or the grease which will advertise the location of the bait and lead local bears to it. One bear walking from your bait with greasy paws will certainly provide a scent trail for the next bear to follow. Human scent control is paramount, as bears have noses as good or better than deer.
They don't mind human odor if they have learned that it is no threat, but initially the human scent may spook a wary bear. Cover scents are the way to go. Your timeline is pretty short for establishing a bait as this may take a while. The only other option is to try and find a naturally occuring food source which is being exploited and stake it out.
Good luck! Remember that the only guarantee of failure is not trying!;)
 
My cover scent may very well be "Deep Woods Off"
If I had more time I would have set up a bait as you described, I think I will go for a Honey Burn and hope for the best. Bear sign (and lots of it) has been spotted only 100 or so yds from wear I plan to set up. I will be setting up in a alfalfa/grass field, should be lots to nibble on, it is surrounded by a stream, some heavy cover and hardwood 2 sides, a dirt road on another side and some young woods behind me.


Now the next question....

180 gr 30-06 (Win Model 70)
OR
240 gr .44 Magnum (Ruger Carbine)
 
30-06. Make sure you know a bear's vitals as they are not exactly the same place as a deer's. Lack of blood does not mean a miss. We recovered a bear last week which had been shot with a 45-70 and did not leave any blood trail til virtually the place where he collapsed.

Sounds like your habitat and sign is promising. A honey or maple syrup burn can be effective, so might be worth a try. Changing things in an area where a bear has a comfort zone without time to let the bear accept those changes can be risky. If the bears are already there and your timeline is short, there would be worse strategies than just watching that field in the evening without doctoring it a whole lot. Spraying some anise oil certainly won't hurt. Bring a fawn bleat call. The fawns have dropped and around those greenfields the does have them tucked in and the bears know it. A few choice blats could bring him out when he wouldn't otherwise come out in shooting light.
Once again good luck!
 
How different is the location of a Bear's vitals? I have only shot one, it was a double lung shot.
Click to expand...

little more forward. Their lungs don't streach back as far as on a deer quite, maybe about 1/3 of the way back the chest instead of almost 1/2 if you see what i mean. the heart is a little forward too. Think 'armpit'.
 
Foxer said:
little more forward. Their lungs don't streach back as far as on a deer quite, maybe about 1/3 of the way back the chest instead of almost 1/2 if you see what i mean. the heart is a little forward too. Think 'armpit'.
Click to expand...
So... a shot just behind the shoulder? or in the shoulder?
 
here - read this. It'll show you exactly what i mean as far as organs:
http://www.theidahosportsman.com/bear anatomy.pdf
and yeah - just sort of beside-below the shoulder. Some guys like to break the shoulder, but i don't think you need to hit bone, just get a good lung shot preferably where you'll also stand a good chance of disrupting the heart.

ALWAYS REMEMBER - bears are FANTASTIC fakers. once you shoot - get ready to shoot again and if it so much as twitches dont' hesitate. They can lay still for minutes and jump up to run off.
 
Foxer said:
here - read this. It'll show you exactly what i mean as far as organs:
http://www.theidahosportsman.com/bear anatomy.pdf
and yeah - just sort of beside-below the shoulder. Some guys like to break the shoulder, but i don't think you need to hit bone, just get a good lung shot preferably where you'll also stand a good chance of disrupting the heart.

ALWAYS REMEMBER - bears are FANTASTIC fakers. once you shoot - get ready to shoot again and if it so much as twitches dont' hesitate. They can lay still for minutes and jump up to run off.
Click to expand...


Cool, this is one reason I was thinking of using the .44 mag, a little more damage. of course the 30-06 will penetrate better.
 
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