Bear Hunting Setup – What Matters Most?

[Ariolas]

Hi all,

I’ve been reading through a lot of bear hunting threads and wanted to hear directly from members here. When preparing for a bear hunt, what do you prioritize most in your setup?

• Rifle/caliber choice?
• Optics?
• Scent control?
• Calling vs baiting experiences?

Curious what has actually made the biggest difference for you in real hunts.
Thanks in advance for sharing your insight.

 

[graniteghost]

Honestly, I’d say focus on e-scouting a lot of different areas for backup plans. You’ll probably end up needing to hop around and look at different habitats and areas to find the best green up. All of that stuff comes secondary to actually finding the bears and understanding their habits. Of your choices listed, it really depends on the type of hunt. For spot and stalk, I’d focus on optics the most

 

[solostalker]

spend less time researching gear and more time researching/scouting the area you plan to hunt. The rifle you have will work fine, bears aren't all that hard to spot so use whatever optics you already have, don't waste money scent control and just play the wind right, I don't bait or call usually so can't speak to that.

Best advice is to have lots of options when going to an area. be mobile and move to new areas if you aren't finding bears. The biggest factor that has made a difference in my success is staying consistent and not throwing in the towel. Bear hunting can be discouraging when you're not seeing bears and you need to be patient and dedicated.

 

[peterk123]

What matters most is finding the bear

 

[limpet]

Where are you planning on hunting? Western mountains? East coast? 30 minutes from your front door or a 2 day drive? If you’re close don’t get too twisted about gear and spend as much time as you can in the woods. You’ll learn way more with your feet in the ground not just about resources but what you can and can’t get away with around bears. If you’re a long way from where you hunt I’d focus on e scouting and learning the plants that bears eat in that area and when they eat them. It does no good to find huckleberries if you hunt in the spring and the same goes for spring onions and dandelions if you hunt the fall but it’s good to note both for later use. Also learning what they’ll be on when you’re there will help narrow in on areas.

Whatever rifle you have will likely work. Just get proficient with it.


They’re usually black blobs that move around a lot. A tripod with binos will find most bears pretty easily if you’re out west. Can’t help you back east.


You can’t fool their nose. Use the wind or you’ll be sniffed out.

I can’t bait but I’ve called in a spring bear with a fawn call in 2023. I’ve done probably 30 sets and that’s the only one that’s worked so it’s not a sure thing everywhere.

 

[MtnSquach]

Like most of the others have said don’t worry about your gear as much as your research and planning. Any rifle or bow you are confident with will do the job. Last year was my first spring bear hunt and I learned a lot. I did a ton of e-scouting and watched every spring bear video online I could find. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just learn as much as you can from the online resources available. After you make a plan, make a plan B, then a plan C, and then a plan D. Be prepared to change plans/locations as needed. I put a ton of work into bait sites and didn’t get a single bear on camera (not to say it won’t work for you and your hunting style/setup). The best info I can give you is get 1/2 mile+ off the nearest road and glass, glass and glass some more. For spring bear make sure your on a mountain glassing until the sun goes down. 100% of the bears I found I glassed up within 1.5-2 hours before sunset. Fall bear might be a different story. I located multiple bears in the same areas. And play the wind, keep your distance until the wind is right and you can make your move.

 

[270-300]

For me i find bears during my september antelope hunt. Since i already know where they are in a few areas its a simple process. Scent and calling isnt an issue with a bear. Just glass them on the ridges at dawn or dusk. In my case i know the creek they walk along so i just sit in the bushes with a rifle. Make sure you set up a gun with a scope that goes 3x or less.

 

[270-300]

Like most of the others have said don’t worry about your gear as much as your research and planning. Any rifle or bow you are confident with will do the job. Last year was my first spring bear hunt and I learned a lot. I did a ton of e-scouting and watched every spring bear video online I could find. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just learn as much as you can from the online resources available. After you make a plan, make a plan B, then a plan C, and then a plan D. Be prepared to change plans/locations as needed. I put a ton of work into bait sites and didn’t get a single bear on camera (not to say it won’t work for you and your hunting style/setup). The best info I can give you is get 1/2 mile+ off the nearest road and glass, glass and glass some more. For spring bear make sure your on a mountain glassing until the sun goes down. 100% of the bears I found I glassed up within 1.5-2 hours before sunset. Fall bear might be a different story. I located multiple bears in the same areas. And play the wind, keep your distance until the wind is right and you can make your move.

Im not bashing your advice. But you know your in real bear country when you have to drive off road to go around bears, and when the dumpsters ar the gas station are rifled through daily by bears.

 

[MtnSquach]

Im not bashing your advice. But you know your in real bear country when you have to drive off road to go around bears, and when the dumpsters ar the gas station are rifled through daily by bears.

I can drop you a pin if you want to shoot a bear from the comfort of your truck. Just figured the OP wanted to learn about finding and hunting bears.

 

[270-300]

I can drop you a pin if you want to shoot a bear from the comfort of your truck. Just figured the OP wanted to learn about finding and hunting bears.

I dont think shooting bears from vehicles relates to what I was saying. I was simply stating the notion I commonly see on here of how many miles from roads one must travel to see elk or bears might be true some places, but here they are often a nuisance on the roads.

 

[MtnSquach]

I dont think shooting bears from vehicles relates to what I was saying. I was simply stating the notion I commonly see on here of how many miles from roads one must travel to see elk or bears might be true some places, but here they are often a nuisance on the roads.

I must be hunting the wrong areas? I have never had the opportunity to shoot a bear or elk from the road. However, I don’t do much road hunting. Any advice on areas I can hunt from the road and be successful? It would definitely be a lot easier than all the animals I have had to pack out.

 

[Ron.C]

• Rifle/caliber choice? Doesn't matter. Any deer rifle/bow will work just fine for the biggest black bears. Shot placement is key.
• Optics? Not that critical, you are not counting tines or looking for a full curl. That said, if you are going to shoot one from a distance, better make sure its a lone bear and not a sow with cub(s).
• Scent control? Not worth spending a dime on. If you are upwind, they will smell you.
• Calling vs baiting experiences? IMHO, if you are hunting over bait, stay quiet/still and let the bait do the work. If you are hunting open country, calling can work but is very hit/miss. If you chose to call, keep your head on a swivel.

I hunt allot of bears on Vancouver Island. As easy as it is to find bears here and fill bear tags, you need to be sure the bears are alone and without cubs. Can't tell you the amount of times I've seen bears up close or at a distance and didn't see the cubs for several minutes. Need to be patient and make sure.

 

[eli425]

Be ready for High Angle Shots? Where I hunt theres plenty of steep canyons. You're either shooting up or down. If you're not geared up for it, can be a difficult shot to make. Caught me by surprise first time out there. Now I just run a tripod to help with that.