First bear hunt

[fowler1416]

going on my first black bear hunt in a couple months. are there any good tips or resources for determining male vs female? shooter vs non shooter? This will be in Canada.

 

[7PRC Pharmacy]

type into YouTube “field judging black bears” and you will find plenty of info

 

[StuckoYota99]

If you're hunting over bait it may be a bit easier to judge. But HouseCL is right check out YouTube and search it up on forums. Doug Boze is a good resource too.

Look at the ears compared to the head. Small ears - bigger bear
Big ears - small bear.

Dominant older bears walk around like they own the place. Smaller younger bears are skittish and constantly look around for threats.
Younger bears have long gangly legs like puppies. Older bears legs look shorter and their bellies are closer to the ground.

Be patient and take your time.

 

[medvedyt]

as written be patient take the time and on a bait wait as the youngers (aka smaller) will come first when the bigger one will come do not make any noise the other ones will leave on a rush then you will know he is the boss of the place. always remember bears look bigger than they are really are and take some areas to check the size like a barrel or big piece of wood and if you can and have the time shoot another one just in case. do not rush to look for it wait and take your time again.

 

[mike.adams.467]

You will probably think the first bear you see is big, if you haven't seen one in the wild before. These guys give you sage advice. Watch a bunch of videos and do research, or you may be disappointed after you pull the trigger.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

where in canada are you going

 

[fowler1416]

Northern SK.

 

[danhuntingmi]

Field Judging Black Bears - DVD - Richard P Smith

Field Judging Black Bears - DVD - Richard P Smith

richardpsmith.com

 

[bushwhacker1975]

Northern SK.

Never been out there my buddy has gone to alberta 2x. Be careful i know his outfitter out there says 5-6 bears a night but when u get there it's sows with yearlings or one bear coming and going. I'm sure not all are like that. New Brunswick has sone giants and where i go i dont realky care to see yearlings i'd rather see nothing while waiting for the big guy. I feel like not seeing something for two -3 days means he's just guarding that bait. I've had night where i thought were perfect but nothing don't give up tho and trust your guide

 

[Maxhunter]

Ground shrinkage is pretty common for bear hunting especially first time hunters. I look at the bait barrel and if they can fit into it there to small. Also look at the ears smaller bears have big ones. Here’s a small bear and a really big one.

 

[Startleflinch]

That is a huge bear there on the right

 

[fowler1416]

Aren't they all smaller this time of year, or have they ben out and eating enough put some good weight on?

 

[bushwhacker1975]

From my past hunts yearlings are kicked out around beginning of june and you see them and they kind of look lost. But when you have a giant come in you will know. But don't let anyone put down your bear, be happy with what you harvested. I've shot many bears and to this day they still trick me. A couple years ago i was sitting on a bait and it had the biggest bear i've ever seen on camera. i waited till day three to see first bear and im fine with that i knew and trusted my guide that this monster was there. A big bear didn't get big by being dumb. if your not seeing little ones running around its most likely becsuse the big guy is near and guarding. On that hunt i ended up shooting 150 pounder who i thought 100% was big guy but i was wrong lol. Excitement got me snd my eyes saw bigger. All i can say is trust your guide they are or at least should be in tune with the bait site. I've had it good snd bad but remember it is still hunting and patience and listening to your guide is your job.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Be careful i know his outfitter out there says 5-6 bears a night but when u get there it's sows with yearlings

outfitter math . He didn’t say 5-6 shooter bears. I had the same thing happen the first time I went with a guide. Now I understand their language.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

There is times yes you can have a crazy night and see a pile but i find one can come and go multiple times and people think it's a new one each time. Seeing the one bear you want to harvest vs a sow with yearlings id take the wait for the one every time