Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Bear hunting in California?

Have any of you tired your hand at black bear hunting in California?

There are a bunch of nice black bears hidden or nor hidden sometimes. Sometimes you can see three or more bears a day by hiking in the mountains like Shasta or Tahoe mountain ranges.

I am thinking about buying a tag to carry next year I go hunting.
It is only 43 dollars for the tag. That is not a bad price.

So have any of you gentleman hunted bear in California?

Winnie1300

I have. I lived in Los Angeles for nearly 36 years, and hunted all over the State.

I killed a 250 pound Black bear north of the Eel River in Shasta County, and a 400 pound Black bear in Tulare County. Both bears were killed while I was hunting with a guide who had bear dogs.

My wife and I also owned a vacation home on the western slope of the Sierra in southern Tulare County. Our property was bounded on the west and north by the Sequoia Nat'l. Forest. There were lots of Black bears up there! Still are, from what I hear from some friends who still live up there.

The meat from the two I killed was excellent. The rendered lard was outstanding for baking pie crusts, biscuits, pancakes, etc.

That $43.00 price for a resident Black bear tag is somewhat higher than when I hunted them. It was $6.00 for the two I killed.

Good luck.

L.W.

The first big game animal I ever shot was a black bear. We were deer hunting above Lake Shasta.

I always carry a bear tag during deer season, just this past year two of my friends bagged bears that way.

I am running into more hunters out here that actually like bear meat better than deer, bears in the 200-300 pound range are great eating but I wouldnt turn down vension for it!!

I've killed several with this one being my best, it squared 7 ft 5 in without stretching.
I have a friend with hounds and we get together most years.



My son's 6 1/2 footer



Bears treed but passed.







California has some huge black bears, I know of a few that friends have killed that squared over 8 foot.
I've seen some bruisers while deer hunting in the back country too.
The season was open, but in California by law you must bring out all the meat and that was simply not an option when you are in over six miles and have to backpack it out.
Not impossible, but I wasn't in the mood at the time...

I think most of the bears in California come from deer hunters who pick up the tag for the extra $40. I have seen some big bears but have never actually pulled the trigger for a variety of reasons. If I was hunting any of the wilderness areas I would definitly not pull the trigger on the first one you say, there are plenty in the 300lb range.

For you guys that give weights for your bears; how is that determined?

Do you actually have a scale, using heart-girths to estimate or just reckoning?

As I said in my post, I was hunting both times with professional bear guides. They carried a scale in their packs. After the kill they'd hook the scale to a tree branch and weigh the bear. Then we'd gut the bear.

Don't know how others weigh them.

L.W.

Thanks, L.W.

I base my weights on experience with a couple thousand domestic hogs, I would never try to claim my estimates are within x%. I understand hair can throw off a guess but 300lbs of meat on the hoof looks like 300lb of meat. I would never try to estimate how a hide would measure or pretend to know the difference between a pretty good bear and a BC bear.

I dont hunt bear myself and pass on any thing I see to those looking for them. I estimate the largest black bear I have ever seen in California had to be close to 400lb, it was major work to get him rolled over for skinning. I honestly dont know how they deal with the huge browns when they are trying to keep a hide intact.

Yep. Remember that tip I gave you about carrying a predator call while hunting deer? It brings in bruins, besides.

Funny you ask, because I have been asking that same question for years. Seems every bear shot around where I live is 400lbs, haha.

The World record Pope & Young archery black bear was taken in Northern California's Mendocino County in 1993.

23 3/16" skull.

I saw 2 black bears (one large cinnamon colored) while hiking in Sequoia. There are a ton of bears up there and we also saw many trucks with bear dogs in the area.

Yep, there are some big bruisers there in the Sierra, and some really huge ones in the San Bernadino Mountains, too. My wife and I owned a vacation home on the western slope of the Sierra at about 6,000 feet altitude, southern Tulare County, from 1969 until we sold it in 2000, after we moved to Idaho. It was not at all unusual to see Black bears around our tiny community.

If I lived in California (again) and wanted a good sized Black bear, I'd contract with a noted California bear guide and go bust one... if I were in good shape. Hunting Black bears behind dogs in the Sierra, can be a real chore!

L.W.

I knew there were some big bears but not that big.

Heck I just saw a cinnamon bear about 150 200 pounds go up a sky slope this morning. I was thinking what a good rug or wall hanging the fur would be.

I think I will pick up a tag and have a option of hunting one as well as deer.

My next question is if I was going to use the Ruger 30-06 what grain bullet should I pack along for bears? I have 150 Barnes TTSX but I think a heavy weight would be more better suited for the situation.

Some real whoppers show up in the Sierra subdivisions every year.

http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20100224/NEWS/100229969

CA has a lot of bears.. Best areas are burns that are from 5-8000' elevations if you can find these burns that are 3-5 years old and loaded with elderberrys, choke cherries, and goose berries there should be bears nearby..

You're 150 gr. TTSX's will be fine..Black bears are not the steel reinforced armored tanks that some folks make them out to be..