Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Best state for black bear hunting

Berettaman, I'm outside of Buffalo. Only difference I've noticed is all the things the government requires us to buy/pay a tax for are unavailable. Im new to MN and I've met some fine folks, but how a man can run on a platform of raising taxes and win is beyond me. I guess thank god for St. Paul, Minneapolis, Deluth and the Iron Range.

Bear success rates in MN are pretty good as we can bait. I know one guy on the 'fire who had his entire camp fill out with 2 each in a no quota zone a couple years back. Nice ones too.

I didn't think that record counted?
I heard a "Bigfoot" killed it!

We have had a bear season for 2 years now. First year we killed i think 2o bears statewide in a month. Last year we killed 20+ in the first day. They are scatted somewhat but for $100 you can give them a shot in the SE part of the state.

When the state started the season they made all the lifetime license holders, who are exempt from state fee's, non-exempt from the bear tag fee. MOney money money. No reward for shelling out the cash in one whack for the lifetime license. They kinda went back on their selling point of never buy an in-state tag again.

Joseph

There are a lot more than 14,000 bears in Wisconsin. The dnr said there were 9,000 5 years ago. Three years ago they said 14,000. Last year they claim 26,000. Hard to get a license though. I've been waiting 5 years.

I've hunted them in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico and Alaska. IMO, Alaska stands alone. For numbers and for size it's pretty hard to beat it..

ihookem,
I got a C zone tag. My buddy had 5 points, I have 6.
Will be hunting in langlade co.

Many of the hunting rag "experts" think the next world record is coming from PA. I don't doubt it a bit. We've got some MONSTER bears here.

But as far as % success goes..........I wouldn't plan a hunt in PA if I were a non-resident. Unless you are a member of a good and established "bear gang" you don't stand much of a chance of success.

Yep...Ive hunted them in Montana, Idaho and Washington, plus Alaska.

Alaska stands alone indeed...

In refernce to the world record calculation, I always thought with Bear, it was weight, too. I saw a picture of the one in NC and it was like a huge barrel.
I imagine B&C does take skull measurents on bear. What would it consider a B&C wild boar if weight is not a consideration?

Ona side note, I caught a nice largemouth bass last night. It had a really big head on it. I should have measured it and I might have had the new world record. It didn't weigh much but it sure had a big head!

I think it will come out of New Jersey. They gave them a few years to get bigger.

PA has quite a number of black bears, and kills 3,000 in 3 days for their 3 day bear hunt. quite a few in and over 600 lbs taken each year there. No so much how many bears live in the place, as how many are taken..

Guessing a 250 pound Minnesota doe would more desirable than a 170 class 175 pound buck from Texas.

Went to the PA site, and the new record, weight wise, for a black bear killed there is 879 lbs..thats about 200 lbs more than a normal grizzly.. but they did note it would have to have the skull dry for 6 months (I think) before being measured.

SE AK 10-20 years ago. SE AK needs a rest, to let some more bears grow older/bigger. The non-resident pressure has put a hurt on the bear populations in SE AK.

What "PA site" might this be?

Where would you guys suggest a poor, poor Texan who has never even seen a wild Black Bear go to bag one???

All the little ones been killed?

More on that record-breaking Pa. black bear � Woods and Waters
More on that record-breaking Pa. black bear. November 24, 2010 by John McCoy ...

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/johnmccoy/2010/11/24/more-on-that-record-breaking-pa-black-bear

Not competing with Alaska here...

but in SW Oregon here, we have a lot of Forest Service land..
for instance the county I live in is larger than Rhode Island, has a population of less than 100,000 people with 35,000 living in the main town...

75 % of the county is federal land...

bear tags are an after thought by many deer and elk hunters as they are only $10/11 for a resident....

few people really actively go out just to bear hunt... but there is certainly no shortage of them... you don't necessarily see them much, but you sure see sign of them...

just in my suburban semi rural neighborhood here there are 5 or 6 of them living with one square mile...a neighbor has one that has been residing in the black berry bushes at his house for 5 years of more...

I never see it, but I sure pick up his feces in the yard, especially in the summer, yet he doesn't get into my garbage cans, so there is plenty of food for him...

I shot one in self defense half a mile from the house during deer season a couple of years ago.. it was about 125 lbs.. but someone took a 500 lb one the same day, within several hundred yards...

the one I took was coming up the hillside, in the brush... I was waiting and thinking it might have been a buck, so I was at the ready... this area has a lot of joggers running thru it, no official trails tho.. and they kick up game all the time...

it popped out on the off side of a big pine... I had the rifle ready to go if it was a buck...35 yds or so...

when it cleared the tree, it caught my scent, I could see the hair go up on the bag of its neck... it just roared and charged.. after about the 5th pace I knew it was not a warning charge....I am sure it was scared and felt cornered... so it was going to fight its way out real quick...

so after the 5th pace and no stopping, I pulled the trigger on the 260... it turned 180 degrees and then went ass over teakettle down the hill side, which was steep enough that it rolled at least 60 to 75 yds... I went down to it in the brush, and it was kicking its last and then expired..

just glad I had that rifle at the ready...
if not, I am sure my fanny would have been mauled...

125 lbs might not be a big bear, but a pissed off 125 lb bear still can be a hand full...