Black Bear Hunting Guide >> Black Bear Hunting Tips

The black bear is a species of bear which can only be found in North America, from the regions of Mexico bordering the United States all the way to Alaska. Such a wide natural range, coupled by laws that offered a degree of protection to black bears, have led to a tremendous growth of the number of populations all across the U.S. and Canada. However, black bear hunting has changed significantly over the last 10 years and it now requires a little more planning and preparation than before. Also, several states from the west of the range have forbidden the use of hounds as well as bait in hunting, while quite a lot of states have eliminated the spring hunting season totally due to more and more intense anti-hunting groups pressures. As a consequence, in the western states black bear population numbers increase at a fast rate, costing considerable amounts of money to protect them as needed.

These prohibitions also have a good influence on the hunting experience because, with only the fall season available, hunters have more chances of finding bears wherever they choose to hunt as well as increased odds of finding truly huge specimens of black bear. A slight disadvantage brought by the changes in hunting laws is that of hunters being forced to adapt their methods and spend more time and effort on such aspects as preparation in order to be successful. During the late summer and early fall, the black bears develop an activity pattern in which they usually feed between 18 and 20 hours a day with brief and rare resting breaks, giving sportsmen supplementary time available to be able to hunt on a 24 hour period. This way, more opportunities appear and bears become more accessible to a hunter that is willing to change his ways to correspond to current circumstances and conditions.

Undoubtedly the method which enjoys the highest popularity in the fall season is the “spot and stalk” method. This can be explainable if we know that there are many ideal areas and places to apply this method all across the animal’s western range, mostly in costal areas where bears are feeding on salty grass or following streams in order to hunt for salmon and spawn fish. Other excellent areas where this method can be used are forests that grow huckleberry and blackberry thickets, which have succulent fruits that lure hordes of black bears especially at the beginning of the fall. The basic principle of the “spot and stalk” technique is simple enough: you must see the bear before it can see you. Luckily, it is believed that bears in general have very poor long range vision, compensating however with acute hearing and a keen sense of smell. Consequently, keeping the wind by your side is vital to any hunting attempt you may have.

In conclusion, black bear hunting is still a popular practice in North America in spite of the changes brought to the sport in the last years under the heavy pressure of militants and independent organizations. With just one hunting season available each year, passionate hunters are on a black bear search frenzy with every season’s start.