Using a Jackrabbit call for Bear hunting?

[aaron600rr]

So I've recently got into black bear hunting and had success last fall in September. My jackrabbit predator call worked great—it either stopped a bear in its tracks or brought it back out of the woods for a second look.


This is my first time hunting bears in the spring, and not only is the jackrabbit call ineffective, it actually seems to be scaring the bears off.


Would a fawn distress call be a better option for spring, or should I just leave the call at home altogether?

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[htlt_surfboards]

Im interested to hear what some more experience people have to say as well. Im in a very similar boat as OP. I only started using a jack rabbit predator call two years ago and its been hit and miss.

About half the time it stops them and I've been able to use that to close some distance. The other half they don't care at all about it and keep walking or going about their business like its not even happening. Ive never had one come towards the sound.

Was thinking about trying the fawn distress call route this fall.

 

[mtnbound]

I have used predator calls for bears before and it worked. I have also had 2 lions and numerous coyotes come in. I have not had any success with wolves and predator calls. I have had them come into calf calls.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

If you have a cat, steak it out.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

If you have a cat, steak it out.

Is it legal to make steak out of a cat?

Also, would that count as hunting over bait?

Finally, if something does show up to eat the cat, do I have to shoot it?


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[akcabin]

Not sure but hopefully fly out to the cabin with my buddy n try. We can harvest 3 black n 2 brown per year. They've been hard on the moose. Particularly the calves. Boiligist buddy says that they smell like water break n after birth and pull calves out. I was thinking about some odors first. The bears have trails to the cabin. Might try popcorn. Read about it somewhere. Add red Kool aid for bait. Mix it up in big garbage bag. Make it outside.
Let that hang around n see what happens. Don't place bait near cabin though. Just make popcorn. Maybe the sound will make them curious also. Easy to pop some jiffy popcorn out over a hobo stove and have a snack when out in the bush.
Then try the rabbit squeals. Kinda curious to see how the rabbit population is doing. Might make a difference in reaction. If lots of rabbit they will become a primary target.
I was out with my beautiful wife. I go toss out the coffee grounds in my cup. Nice black bear standing outside of the cabin near the cook stove. Coffee perking. Beautiful wife n daughter made bratwurst sausages. Good stuff. Be nice to have some different types of meat around. We have bartered, legal here, game meat. Moose for halibut n rockbass. Blacktail deer. Salmon. We raise meat rabbits and barter those also so we have a better balance of protein and it gives us all an opportunity to help each other out and enjoy Alaskas bounty.
Lots of ways to use a bear. And I like trying out of the box a little. And have fun with it

 

[aaron600rr]

Im interested to hear what some more experience people have to say as well. Im in a very similar boat as OP. I only started using a jack rabbit predator call two years ago and its been hit and miss.

About half the time it stops them and I've been able to use that to close some distance. The other half they don't care at all about it and keep walking or going about their business like its not even happening. Ive never had one come towards the sound.

Was thinking about trying the fawn distress call route this fall.

I'm gonna use a fawn distress in a couple weeks to see if that gives me better results.

 

[Billinsd]

Wayne Carlton!! I can’t find the video where a big one came in and he turned around the tree and pepper sprayed him. He hooted and hollered and knocked his knees together!!

 

[PNWTrad]

I prefer to only use calls as locators. If you see the bear and you are using the call to lure them in, that is a low probability, regardless of what kind of call it is, because that bear is more than likely sniffing really hard, trying to identify the location of the struggling animal because they rely on their sense of smell way more than their ears.

A lot of people confuse calling an animal as a success because it stopped or that you got its attention but in many cases that bear is just trying to figure out why the hell a human smelling scent is squealing like a dying rabbit.

With that being said an aged bear is going to try to flank you half the time and use the wind to their advantage but in other cases they will just come charging in because they are the dominate predator. It comes down to what the bears in that area like. If they are feeding on bait piles, you do not get a lot of those flanking behaviors because they smell food. If you are spot and stalk hunting in the middle of fall in a berry heavy area calls are damned near useless because they could care less of a dying rabbit when they have a spot of blackberry.

For me personally, I like fawn distress calls in Spring to about late Summer, and from Summer to late season Winter, I only use rabbit distress calls. Bears have limited competition in spring/summer time and a scared fawn is a meal. Bears have slightly more competition in the winter, so a rabbit that is being pursued is enticing because that bear is going to scare off the coyotes or foxes going after the rabbit.

When you use calls... you should also mimic other circumstances. People for whatever reason do not get into bear calling like they do other animals. Shuffle leaves, break branches, tamp your feet down, call with the impression that the animal is moving using cupped hands and movement,

 

[timberjack86]

I called one up in Tennessee with a cottontail distress once. Now that was 1 time in a 100 attempts but it worked once. Too bad he seen me before I seen him because he freaked out and got in some heavy brush on me pacing back and forth Growling before finally walking off. This was during October.

 

[BAKPAKR]

These are a couple of the bears I have called in with a Johnny Stewart variable pitch call in the spring. I am not sure what sound it is supposed to reproduce.

 

[medvedyt]

the only problem using a predator call is the fact that in grizzly country you can attract grizzly ... with a tag in a pocket not a big issue ut without it might hard to explain the dlp if not tag ...

it is working great and we attracted our share of black and grizzly bears ...

 

[Steve300xcw]

I prefer to only use calls as locators. If you see the bear and you are using the call to lure them in, that is a low probability, regardless of what kind of call it is, because that bear is more than likely sniffing really hard, trying to identify the location of the struggling animal because they rely on their sense of smell way more than their ears.

A lot of people confuse calling an animal as a success because it stopped or that you got its attention but in many cases that bear is just trying to figure out why the hell a human smelling scent is squealing like a dying rabbit.

With that being said an aged bear is going to try to flank you half the time and use the wind to their advantage but in other cases they will just come charging in because they are the dominate predator. It comes down to what the bears in that area like. If they are feeding on bait piles, you do not get a lot of those flanking behaviors because they smell food. If you are spot and stalk hunting in the middle of fall in a berry heavy area calls are damned near useless because they could care less of a dying rabbit when they have a spot of blackberry.

Called one in a while back...Summer time. Watched it walking down a draw below the rimrock I was on and started lip squeaking at the thing just to see wtf.

Stopped and looked around a bit and wandered off. My fun was over, so back to shooting squirrels....That sumbitch circled around and about 30mins or so later it dropped down behind me. Heard it catch my scent, turned around and here's the bear I already forgot about, right around 20ish yards from me

I dont call bears unless I'm hunting them anymore