Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Why do people hunt bears?

I have carried literal tons of bait to bears and have never personally shot a bear over bait. I have helped many (never in the function of official guide) especially kids, shoot bears and love to watch them do their thing. The ability to selectively shoot a better bear is part of it, but the good part is watching them act like bears.

That's it, all this bear talk has got me going. I'm gonna load up the jet boat and find me a "kelp" bear on the Big Su just as soon as it pukes this spring. My boy really wants to whack one so why not I guess.

Last I checked the Big Su Kelp crop was a bit weak.

Wait a minute, what's that? I thought all bears in Alaska were kelp rats! Should be a good cold ride up to Indian with the skiff if nothing else.

Um, because they are really delicious & challenging to hunt with a crossbow !











& also make great jalapeno cheddar smokies !

Oremi: Well to answer the question I do understand - in your postings header - I like to eat Bear meat.
Just bought a Bear tag for here in Montana last week.
Wish me luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Uh, no.......



^^^^ quote from 357 mag rifle for bear.

it smells like a skunk to me !

? maybe trolling to get others arguing ? it is curious he has NOT been back since the OP.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ THIS ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

this applies to all truly wild animals. i can't say for bears, but i know for sure that
whitetail deer roam when they want to, pee and poop when they want to, lay down
when and where they take a notion to whether it's 3 am or 3 pm. none of the animals
i've ever encountered go by man's clock or timetables. i don't imagine bear do either.
i think this idea that animals behave as we want them to comes from the age of plentiful
game cameras and the notion that they capture an image of everything in front of them all the time
without fail.

if bear were tearing up my property and possessions and livestock i'd be shooting all i could
regardless how many a$$es it chapped, and use whatever method it took to make it happen

Bears are people too, in little fur coats.

I have this arrangement with the bears...I won’t hunt or mess with them and they leave me, and my kill site alone until I’m done packing out...Should this agreement change, it won’t be on my accord. 😎

Because every bear wants to be a rug.

I use to subscribe to that myself.

Then Mr. Bear fug’d up and broke the agreement....And, it was rug on. 🐻 ☠️ 😎

because they look like ..

Bears are as challenging a quarry as any big game animal, sometimes more than other species. They can be intelligent, stealthy, downright difficult to hunt.

They also happen to taste real good!

I've happily enjoyed the spot and stalk bear hunting here in Washington (no hounds or bait allowed) and even called one in with a mouth-blown predator call. That was pretty cool.

For me, there's just enough of an edge to bear hunting, to make it even more exciting than deer or elk hunting. I thoroughly enjoy!

Bought a bear license once, years ago, didn't see one that year and in fact and didn't see one while hunting (elk) until last year. Stopped buying (Colorado) Preference Points after acquiring 8 of them.

Don't care if other hunt them, or how as long as it is legal. Not sure if i'll ever use my preference points, but if I do it will probably be after I retire in a year or two.

Have the perfect bear rifle. A bunch of them, in fact. I enjoy them more than I would a rug.

I purchase a bear tag each year in MT. I have yet to take a bear. The way I reason it out in my head is that I have yet to find the right bear. Have had multiple opportunities. Have been on hunts where the hunt buddy took a bear. Have had hunt buddies encourage me to take a certain bear only to pass on the opportunity. Am I anti bear hunting? NO! Will I take a bear some day? Cannot answer that. Will I continue to buy a tag each year? Yes!
It is within each of us to answer these questions ourselves. To those who bear Hunt I say hopefully you can reason it out in your own minds whether To do so or not. MTG

Stalk, glass, bait, just shoot them. They are very hard on the fawns in the spring in Wisconsin and all over. I think I have a bear tag coming this year . I will shoot a smaller bear , like 125 gutted or so. Heck, I am not sure I want to shoot a 400lb bear. I am afraid I will burn a tag , drag and pay a butcher just to have it taste terrible.

Yep

Maybe stick to buying your meat in the store where no animals were harmed.

No actually my buddy got me hooked on spot and stalk. Then I got hooked on baiting. I really enjoy seeing bears. Have had many chances at some decent bears. But I have been very selective. Only killed one over bait. Haven't killed any yet spot and stalk. I need to get to 40 yards with my bow. Only made it to 55 yards so far. I thought about zinging it but decided not to.