Bear hunting advice?

[Dr.Rob]

I'm thinking about making a dedicated bear hunt this year in lieu of deer and elk. (I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with CWD)

I feel my bear hunting skills are lacking. We can't use bait (which to me is sort of like cheating anyway.. hey lookie yogi someone left a picanic basket.. BANG).

Any suggestions for good reading materials on bear hunting in Colorado?

 

[sm]

quote:"... hey lookie yogi someone left a picanic basket.. BANG)..."

I don't know didley about bear hunting

I do recognize a great line when I read one

 

[Leadbutt]

Dr. get ahold of the Bear Hunting Mag,it is slam full of info
763-780-3168
[email protected]

 

[badgerrr]

I would recommend hunting low. Find out-of-the-way creeks and such. Bears are related to Raccoon, I understand, and share many of their predispositions.

I've shot 3, and all of them were within 200 yards of water.

 

[inGobwetrust]

You don't fish without bait, do you? Hunting bear over bait isn't quite the walk in the park that some think it is. The bear never seems to come to the bait when you hope or think they will. When they do come, they come very quitely and it's almost always near dark. Look away for a second and you may miss them. Make a slight sound (like flipping off your safety) and they're gone. The sound of your own heart beating when you see it will be like thunder and the sights or crosshairs are dancing all over the place.

I don't mean to sound overly dramatic but that's the way it was for me my first time. I shot a 225 lb blackie in Northern NH and it was fantastic! The range was about 40 yards and the visibility was tough as it was rapidly getting dark. I looked away for a second and when I looked back there was a bear! I fought like crazy to keep my adrenelin-filled system in check and slowly raised my 444 when the bruin was looking the other way. The good thing about using a lever-action was that I can move it from half-cock to full-cock more silently than my bolt guns.

One shot through the shoulder did the trick and I have a nice rug now to show for it. The meat was excellent, I thought. Also made really good sausage.

Maybe you can find a water or food source to stand watch over in your area. Ask around and find out if any bears have been seen frequently and scout that area GENTLY. You might find a natural bait sight left by mother nature like berry bushes or beech nuts. That would probably work just as well as a man-made sight if you're lucky.

There's also a company that makes scents specificly for bear hunting. Check out http://www.bearscents.com/
That might be legal where baiting is not. Easy enough to find out, I guess.

Good luck!