First Bear Hunt

[Just.Norris]

Hey guys, looking for some advice on going on my first black bear hunt. I’m from Indiana, and have been on a half dozen elk hunts out west all diy otc tags. Would it be worth my time finding a reputable outfitter for my first bear hunt to get my feet wet? If so, any recommendations? Scouting is always the hardest when going out as e scouting and looking at harvest numbers only takes you so far. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Sent a PM to you ....

 

[bdg848]

I have been on half as many western hunts as you but the mountain hunts (muley and black bear) have been busts for me. I'm going back for black bear again and I think I will be going with an outfitter at least until I have more experience...even if that means I have to skip a year to save up. By the time I spend the money on tags, food, 1500 miles worth of gas, etc. it's only a grand or two more to use an outfitter and up my odds of success....

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

This is Rokslide and the general answer will be to spend weeks each year for years figuring it out. The mantra "work longer and dumber" tends to be a theme around here from time to time.

My advice: Ignore them.

Hire an outfitter and do a non-baited hunt. Tell them up front that you want to learn how to hunt black bear as well as field judge them. Thoroughly vet the outfitter and especially the guide before signing the contract. Quite a few bear guides are doing it as a side-side gig and do not know crap (literally and figuratively) about bear; being a legit rockstar for elk does not automatically make a person a legit rockstar on bear.

Also, do not be against using hounds on your first hunt. It can be a great way to significantly reduce your learning curve. You have the potential to see more bear and sign. Depending on the temperatures, it can be hounds in the AM and spot/stalk in the PM.

Learning to hunt bears, especially big bears, is a blast.

 

[Just.Norris]

I have been on half as many western hunts as you but the mountain hunts (muley and black bear) have been busts for me. I'm going back for black bear again and I think I will be going with an outfitter at least until I have more experience...even if that means I have to skip a year to save up. By the time I spend the money on tags, food, 1500 miles worth of gas, etc. it's only a grand or two more to use an outfitter and up my odds of success....

I’ve discussed the same thing with the Mrs., with the amount I’ve spent on 6 otc hunts I probably could have gone on 3 guided and have gained more knowledge and have more opportunities. I’ve made some great memories and I love learning on my own for sure, but it’d have been nice to tackle the learning curve earlier. Quality hunts over quantity hunts maybe?

 

[Just.Norris]

This is Rokslide and the general answer will be to spend weeks each year for years figuring it out. The mantra "work longer and dumber" tends to be a theme around here from time to time.

My advice: Ignore them.

Hire an outfitter and do a non-baited hunt. Tell them up front that you want to learn how to hunt black bear as well as field judge them. Thoroughly vet the outfitter and especially the guide before signing the contract. Quite a few bear guides are doing it as a side-side gig and do not know crap (literally and figuratively) about bear; being a legit rockstar for elk does not automatically make a person a legit rockstar on bear.

Also, do not be against using hounds on your first hunt. It can be a great way to significantly reduce your learning curve. You have the potential to see more bear and sign. Depending on the temperatures, it can be hounds in the AM and spot/stalk in the PM.

Learning to hunt bears, especially big bears, is a blast.

Thank you for the sound advice! Really appreciate it!

 

[MHWASH]

Depends on where you’ve elk hunted, you could go back to those same spots because you already know the area.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I’ve discussed the same thing with the Mrs., with the amount I’ve spent on 6 otc hunts I probably could have gone on 3 guided and have gained more knowledge and have more opportunities. I’ve made some great memories and I love learning on my own for sure, but it’d have been nice to tackle the learning curve earlier. Quality hunts over quantity hunts maybe?

You can learn more in 5 days with a true bear guide than multiple DIY hunts over the years.

 

[bdg848]

I’ve discussed the same thing with the Mrs., with the amount I’ve spent on 6 otc hunts I probably could have gone on 3 guided and have gained more knowledge and have more opportunities. I’ve made some great memories and I love learning on my own for sure, but it’d have been nice to tackle the learning curve earlier. Quality hunts over quantity hunts maybe?

You can also do a cheap, easy diy hunt in the 'off' years just to stay active. A pronghorn hunt is a good one to do DIY and fairly inexpensive, really inexpensive if you don't care about a wall hanger and just want to go shoot a couple does.