Native American tribes had lengthy revered and revered the black bear earlier than any Europeans ever got here to this continent. It was an animal that, to many indigenous folks, represented braveness, energy, and safety. It’s simple to know why they have been held in such excessive esteem. More often than not, they forage peacefully and attempt to keep away from battle. When provoked, nevertheless, they’ll elicit terror. Black bears are featured prominently within the mythology of just about all of the North American tribes.
Apart from the religious connection, for a lot of, the Black Bear additionally represented a useful resource for clothes, bedding, meals, fats, bone instruments, and jewellery. Out of all of the tribes, the Ute Indians’ respect for the black bear is famous. I used to be first instructed this by an area recreation warden Bob Holder who additionally holds black bears in excessive regard after working with them for over 40 years. The Ute Indians carry out a bear dance that was first documented within the fifteenth century by the Spanish Conquistadors.
Harsh Classes
My respect for black bears dates again to the primary time I ever hunted one with a bow. It’s embarrassing to confess, however I had a moderately intimidating first expertise that was my very own fault, fully. My buddy Blye and I have been serving to an clothes shop arrange bear baits and get camp prepared in change for looking ourselves. When it was our flip, we every picked a bait website and went in to hunt.
When the primary bear got here into the bait, he was aggressive. He approached the bait huffing and deliberately stepping on branches to announce his presence. He would pop his tooth sometimes and look into the comb at what I assume was one other bear that I couldn’t see. I waited till I had angle, drew my bow again, and took the shot. My arrow went by the bear quick, and he reacted by growling loudly and biting at his aspect earlier than leaping into the thick brush.
Finest I might inform, it was proper on the border of being a lung shot or one within the liver. Between the thick disguise on the bear and my pleasure, I wasn’t certain. The bear disappeared nearly instantly and I didn’t hear the tell-tale loss of life moan. The clothes shop had instructed us to deliver a gun once we went in alone to hunt for security due to the quantity of bears within the space. I had introduced a single-shot 12 gauge loaded with buckshot to place within the tree with me simply in case. After I shot the bear, I left my gun hanging within the tree and determined to climb down and simply stroll over and take a look at my arrow so I might higher discern the place the arrow had hit based mostly on the blood. In hindsight, I ought to have waited some time or simply snuck out of the realm to present it a while earlier than returning with my buddy to path up the bear.
As an alternative, I used to be excited and determined to look instantly. I lowered my bow and climbed down to have a look. I had my bow in hand and an arrow nocked as I walked to my arrow. The comb across the bait website was thick, and I had no approach of realizing the bear was only some yards away. I had leaned over to select up my arrow that was caught within the filth after I heard what seemed like somebody attempting to stifle a cough actually shut. I used to be startled and stood up shortly when a really offended wounded bear ran at me from only some yards away. I used to be working to my stand, only some yards away, and threw my bow on the bear. I made it to the stand and was going up the screw-in steps as shortly as I might after I realized the bear was proper behind me.
I reached up and grabbed my shotgun with one hand. I cocked it and swung it down whereas cocking the hammer with my thumb and shot it one-handed. The recoil from the shotgun wrenched the gun out of my hand and it went flying to the bottom. My shot was not good, however all of the pellets hit the bear within the entrance leg, knocking him off the tree. The bear luckily died on the base of the tree, leaving me slightly shook up however with a wholesome respect for black bears.
Since that shut name over 30 years in the past, I’ve come to appreciate that my expertise was the exception and a uncommon prevalence. Often, black bears are solely aggressive when they’re wounded, defending a meals supply, or if it’s a sow defending her cubs. I’ll warning that there have been events of black bears attacking folks and consuming them. Extra folks have been killed by black bears than grizzly bears, however that’s just because black bear populations are a lot bigger and so they inhabit extra locations, subsequently black bear and human encounters are far more frequent.
Ways
Since that first bear hunt, I’ve managed to take black bears with a myriad of weapons, together with recurve, compound, handgun, and rifle. My favourite methods to hunt black bears are calling them in with a predator name or spot-and-stalk, though I’ve hunted them over waterholes, at bait websites, and with hounds. My deep respect for these superb animals continues to develop the extra I’m round them.
Calling
For calling them, I exploit a mouth name as a result of, within the locations I’ve hunted, an digital name is prohibited. I’ve discovered that calling loudly, aggressively, and continuous, or so long as I can earlier than I want a break, appears to yield the perfect outcomes. In the event you can emulate a doe fawn bleat or an elk calf with a diaphragm or name, that may work nice, however I’ve known as most of my bears in utilizing a rabbit name, simply squealing loudly and continuous. When calling black bears, it’s greatest to have two folks and watch out as bears are coming in to eat one thing or coming in out of curiosity. I wish to be arrange the place I’ve slightly room to see the bear coming and have loads of time to react. I additionally advise a heavier gun. For instance, though I’ve used a bow, I normally use a Rossi lever motion chambered in 45-70 loaded with Hornady 325-grain FTX bullets.
Pursuit
Spot-and-stalking can also be a enjoyable and efficient strategy to harvest bears. I’ve a number of luck utilizing this methodology within the western states as a result of you should utilize optics within the extra open nation to seek out bears after which attempt to slip into vary. This methodology is rather a lot harder in lots of different states or Canadian provinces the place the thick cowl could make it tough to identify bears except they’re in meadows or alongside logging roads. For this methodology, I exploit good optics to assist me cowl lots of floor from one location and I wait till a bear is ready the place I can slip in with the wind in my favor and the solar at my again, ideally. If I’m in a spot the place the quilt is just too thick to glass successfully, I’ll attempt to goal meals sources like elderberries, plum thickets, acorns, and even agriculture fields with crops planted like corn or oats.
Water
Apart from baiting, in areas the place water is scarce, I discover looking water is an excellent efficient strategy to harvest bears within the fall. If baiting is the best if the climate is correct, I’d say looking water holes is my quantity two simplest strategy to hunt bears. Tracks round waterholes are a useless giveaway to what number of bears are round and the scale of the bears. With regards to focusing on massive boars, I’m in search of a bear’s entrance pad to be a minimum of 4 ½ inches huge.
Out of Proportion
Oftentimes folks grossly overestimate bear weight and measurement. In the event you measured all of the bears that folks declare are 200-300-pound bears, you’d discover that the majority are half that measurement. The most important black bears are discovered within the jap United States. If one have been to take the common weight of a mature black bear boar it could be between 200 and 300 kilos, and for a sow, 130-200 kilos. That may range based mostly on meals sources and placement. Bears are at their heaviest within the fall earlier than hibernation and may lose roughly 30% of their weight in hibernation. So, a 300-pound bear within the fall might come out of hibernation within the spring weighing 210. Black bears additionally are available a number of shade variations. I’ve seen pink, brown, cinnamon, and blonde bears and all sorts of delicate variations in between.
A Normal Retailer with Enamel
Bears additionally typically get a nasty rap for not being nice desk fare. That’s hogwash. They’re scrumptious when dealt with and cooked correctly. I’ve had whitetail deer at mates’ homes that tasted gamey and difficult. I’m certain you’ve got, as nicely. Bear is identical, if dealt with and cooked accurately, it’s superb. I’ll say that fall is the perfect time of yr for harvesting a bear that’s scrumptious with a number of fats. In the event you just like the fats, shoot ‘em within the fall. In the event you prefer it slightly leaner, go for a spring bear.
Both approach, whether or not it’s required by legislation or to not take the meat, take it, get pleasure from it, and by doing so give the superb black bear the respect it deserves and make the most of every little thing you may. Apart from the good meat, stunning disguise, spectacular claws, and cranium, the fats may be rendered right down to make superb cooking grease and may even be used to assist waterproof your boots.
There are all sorts of strategies for looking bears and all are thrilling due to completely different causes. My recommendation can be to attempt as many as you may to see the problem in all of them and benefit from the time spent within the woods.
