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Now that I live in bear country, I am thinking of getting a tag a trying for one here in a few weeks.

I have no experience with bear. I have seen two bears in my life and neither were in a hunting situation.

There is a piece of public ground less than 1/2 hour from my house that apparently has lots of bear. It is about 5000 acres but has terrible access. It has less than a mile of road frontage on a curvy back road with very little shoulder. From this frontage it is a 2 mile hike up to a ridgeline. Then the public land goes up and down the top of the ridge for several miles. All other road frontage is strictly private and no-tresspassing.

There is a parking area, but no trails leading out of it. It is at one end of the road frontage. At the other end there is no parking area, but there is an old farm lane that goes most of the way to the top.

I have never been scouting on this ground but drove out there today ...the deer opener...and there were only two trucks parked in the ditch near the farm lane end.

If I hunt this place it will be a long hike in, and a long drag out. I won't have any help with the drag. I bought a deer cart rated for 500#. Never used one before but if I could get a bear to the lane I could push it down with that thing.

Those of you have hunted for bears without dogs or bait, do you prefer to sill hunt or use a stand? Also, if I shoot a nice one I would like a rug. Is there any precaution I should be aware of field dressing so as not to ruin it?

Any other tips appreciated!

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Baiting appears to be the preferred method for harvesting bear at least where I have tried it. They like water from what I understand. I would still hunt the area looking for food sources unless you can find a friend with dogs? Try a search on how to skin a bear for the hide. I would try to locate a taxidermist first just in case you do connect on a bear you want to have rugged.

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Look for food sources, #1 thing on a bear's mind in the fall is calories. If you can find a good stand of oaks with acorns on them this year that maybe a good place to watch depending on what else there is nearby for them to eat.
If you shoot one skin and quarter him and pack out the pieces. Would suck to shoot a nice bear then drag the hair off one side Safariman style and ruin your rug.

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Deciding to shoot bear under those conditions is a pretty big decision. I buy a WV stamp every year, just in case, but I'm still not certain what I'll do if ever get a shot. My hunting area is much less challenging that what you describe, but I'm kinda old and kinda fluffy and I'd most likely be on my own as well. At least we can part a carcass out as long as we tag all the parts. I'm not sure if you can do that in VA. I am pretty sure that you're not allowed to bait.

Actually, I'm not all,that certain I want to shoot a bear at all. The couple I've seen sorta remind me of dogs. A big old cranky-looking boar might be different.


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Thanks for the tips. You can pack out a bear in VA if you have all the parts other than entrails. Sounds like a great idea.

Anybody know if you can stop a walking bear with your voice, like a deer?

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Originally Posted by TheKid
Look for food sources, #1 thing on a bear's mind in the fall is calories. If you can find a good stand of oaks with acorns on them this year that maybe a good place to watch depending on what else there is nearby for them to eat.
If you shoot one skin and quarter him and pack out the pieces. Would suck to shoot a nice bear then drag the hair off one side Safariman style and ruin your rug.


This^^^

You won't be able to load a 500 lb bear onto a cart by yourself - or even a 300 lber. I would call to see if quartering is legal, then buy a pack capable of carrying out a bear over several trips. More than likely a bear in that environment will weigh between 125-250 lbs. Be careful not to shoot the first black thing you see. Bears suffer significant ground shrinkage. I've seen guys carry them under their arm to the check station in PA. A 50 lb bear is a cub but legal in PA - check your laws before you go.

Food: acorns always a good bet. Beech and cherry are the other 2 main food sources - unless farms are around. Bear will eat corn and apples when available. You'll know if its been eating corn by the yellow piles of poop.

Sounds to me like your situation is good. You don't want a bunch of easy access.or everybody and their brother will be in there. Just plan how to get one out and have fun.


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Stopping a black bear with your voice may or may not work but it all depends on the individual bear, but most bears reaction to strange noises or things out of place is to get the hell out of dodge.
I think you have your work cut out ahead of you. Big bears are few and far between and from the sounds of the terrain you are looking to hunt it will be hard earned. Food sources are key, consider doing a honey burn if legal where you live.

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Except for the month of December, my fervent hope is that bears will flee the sound of a human voice, especially the terrified screams of an old fat man.


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No bait in WA
Hike back into clear icuts one hour before first light

Use quality glass

Many videos on Web how to skin out

Get meat hide cooled down ASAP .


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Hit high benches loaded with white acorns. Probably too late in the season at this point.

Plan on quartering it out, unless you can make the cart work. If there is any animal you shoot that will win as the biggest pain in the ass to drag out in the lower 48, a damn bear has to be in the top three!

Get that meat cold and be quick about it, if it skunks you won't eat it and they spoil quickly.

Keep shooting till he's on the ground and not moving, don't worry about the rug as the taxidermists in Montana that do em all are pretty good at stitching them up.

Better check your state regs and be cautious on what you shoot, they really do shrink when you get up to them on the ground!

They carry trichinosis and brucellosis so be damn sure you cook it thoroughly!

Have fun!

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Read, I like to hunt bears and would hunt that place. There's no getting around multiple trips out with a heavy pack if you score. I would hire someone to help me if I called, or look for volunteers ...

Two things sound really good -- lots of bears and difficult access. The more difficult the better. If baiting were legal I would make a small bait station and maintain it regularly. It's good exercise smile

Bears love it thick and will stay in the thick stuff almost all the time, thick enough to piss off a weasel. They also love it very, very steep if possible.

I would bait a place with lots of oak trees nearby, a long way from people, and with thick cover very close. One thing to remember is that you need to be as quiet as possible coming in. You can't walk through the thicket and then hunt it. Try to approach from the other side of a ridge, and try to put your stand as far as possible away from the bait. The bear will probably come with the break of day or end of it.

I've learned these things more from failure than success. If you don't want to bait, working the oaks is the best option if they are bearing during the hunt. Bears will stand under an oak and shake it like an apple tree machine if the tree is small enough. But you need a ridge full of oaks, because they don't fruit all at once and the critter will be making the rounds searching for those that offer the easiest meal. Bear paw patches will not show hoof marks like deer paws do. Also, if a bear spends any time in an area it will crap there. Every time. Deer love acorns as well. A place really thick in oak fruit will have lots of deer as well as bear, turkey and everything else around, so it is in effect good scouting for both deer and bear. As a last note, if there are such a thing as prevailing winds, use them to your advantage. Without wind, air will gently rise up a ridge as the sun comes out and fall down it as the sun goes in. Better to be lateral from the bait if possible. You may have to trim a shooting lane. Or two. Do this early in the scouting process and in phases.

Good luck. Bears are stealthy, have superb senses of smell and hearing and are a great, great animal that any hunter would be proud of. It is much more difficult to bag a good bear than a good deer. In the fall they are the slaves of their stomachs, and it is pretty much their only weakness in areas where spot and stalk is a no-go (I'm assuming you don't have dogs.)

Will look for your pics here ...



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Lots of good info there. Thanks.

A bear would be a target of opportunity for me rather than the main object of interest due to their relative scarcity in my area. If I fill my venison freezer quota quickly however, there's a public area not too far off with lots of bears and also some outsized bucks, according to the management guy I talked to. There's 6000 acres of ML-only deer hunting located in a CWD control area, which keeps hunter numbers very low. Any deer killed has to be boned out before leaving the county, a major pain for an out-of-towner, but worth the trouble for a really nice deer. A bear-big buck combo hunt might be a winner.


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This will be out of place a bit... because, like the old "best rabbit recipe joke" the first step is killing the rabbit...

Virtually all descriptions for skinning bears start with cuts from heels to bunghole down the back of each leg. And that is flat wrong...

On the inside of each thigh there is a large patch of hide with very nice hair. Problem is that cutting tight from heel to bung leaves the big flap of fur on the inside curve of the belly... taxis trim them off to make the rug look good!

So, the heel cuts should go heel to back of knee, and THEN a straight cut from back of knee to about the front edge of hind leg. It is CRITICAL the cuts be the same on each side, but not critical they be in exactly the same place on each bear.

The flap between the legs, going forward can be left unsplit or split in the middle.

What it produces is a large flap that can be stretched into a graceful curve either side of the bunghole... or a large flap BEHIND the tail.

In the Anchorage Cabela's there are two large brown bear rugs above the NICS clearance counters. One has the flaps cut as graceful curves while the other has a large circular flap at least a foot behind the tail... both options for those that have skinned a bear or two...


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Art, I got a funny for you. Remember when you drew the diagram of above method on a paper scrap at your house? Well, it's been sitting on my desk at work by the phone, where I have given it due consideration. One should know that my office has several vegetarians, non-hunters, etc.

I was talking to an office friend the other day and I noticed her staring past me at my desk. She got a funny look on her face and sort of excused herself. I turned around and, sure enough, there's that drawing of a dead bear nutz up with a dotted line around his legs and important parts. Plus a cross on his chest.

I folded the paper up and put it under the phone.


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Good to see good advice passed around!


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Sitka, So I have skinned 4 bears and yes, that hind leg cut has been per the incorrect diagrams I reviewed. So the bear is laying on its back, rear paw is stretched out and I do the cut from the paw to the knee. Then I need to take a line that would basically hit the belly cut about 8-12 inches up from the bunghole depending on the size of the bear. Is that correct? That skin flap has always bothered me.

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Talus /Sitka, can one of you guys scan and PM or email me said nutz up drawing of making correct cuts on a hide? Thanks. Been cutting them differently also.


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Originally Posted by Sakoluvr
Talus /Sitka, can one of you guys scan and PM or email me said nutz up drawing of making correct cuts on a hide? Thanks. Been cutting them differently also.


A picture or three of a bear to draw the lines on would be a good idea... I will take pictures of the Cabelas rugs to show the difference once they are cut properly.

The cuts are not the usual but I have shown this to a bunch of taxis over the years and all of them prefer it.


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[Linked Image]

The cut between the hind legs should come caudally about through the sheath?


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Originally Posted by ironbender
[Linked Image]

The cut between the hind legs should come caudally about through the sheath?


That is a horrible diagram! Always lay the bear flat on its back with the legs in the same relative positions! Hide moves around quite a lot on a bear depending on which direction the legs go. Cutting them in what seems to be the same place can be a big mistake!

I run the cuts from behind the knees to about the front of the sheath.

Black and brown bears are a bit different from each other. An average black bear pecker will be longer by quite a bit than a very large brown bear pecker.

I found one line drawing that shows to cut to a point 5 inches in front of the bung... 5 inches is not nearly enough for really big bear and too much for the typical Canadian cub...

The best advice is probably looking at the hair in the area and thinking about how the taxi is likely to treat it if it hangs off either side.


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