Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada New Brunswick Black Bear Hunt Question

Hey all, I am going to New Brunswick for my 1st spring black bear hunt towards end of may. I just have a few questions. What's the weather like that time of year, how are the bugs, what should I bring ? I am going with an outfitter. Any helpful tips would be much appreciated.

Lots of bugs -- black fly season -- call your outfitter -- he can tell you what to bring.
Welcome to NB!

NB has some good bear hunts. Really big ones aren't that common, but they have lots of bears condensed in a small province that's mostly wooded, so if a guide does his baiting right you should see lots of bears and be able to pick a good one. That's assuming weather doesn't go fickle on you, or something else doesn't go wrong.

As for bugs, a ThermaCell should do the trick for you, but also take some spray as a back up. The number of bugs can vary depending on several things: timing of the hatches, how much standing water is in the area, and wind. If you hit it between hatches, and it's breezy, you'll wonder why people worry about bugs. If a hatch is going strong and the air is still, they might carry you away.

Steve.

You want BIG black bears then the west coast of British Columbia is the place to go. And baiting isn't allowed by law so you will have a REAL fair chase hunt. ;-)

I did a hunt there a few years ago, saw a few bears, and one really nice one, didn't get a shot at him, though. I did take an average one on the last evening of the hunt, it was a fun deal. Except for the bugs. I've never seen so many in my life, and even though I was wearing a bug suit, one evening my sleeve must have pulled away from my glove and I had a red welt on my wrist about an inch across and the whole way around my wrist. I couldn't believe it. Bring a thermacell! And wear a bug suit. My outfitter wasn't too keen about spray because of the scent, but I think some don't care so much about that. Have a great time, you should see plenty of bears!

Bring a head net or bug jacket and a thermacell. You can use spray around camp but I wouldn't use it on stand. Bring a hat with a brim all around it to keep the net away from your face and neck so they can't bite through it. As someone else said, check with your outfitter too. Good Luck!

The Thermacell is a "Don't Leave Home Without It" item, as the black flies will carry you away. Mesh gloves over light cotton gloves, with extra long cuffs. The bug underwear from Cabela's is not essential, but it's light and cooler than thicker options. On a bad week, don't tell anyone you have it, or they will kill you in the woods and steal it off your body.

The weather is generally cool, but not cold. One hunt I made, it rained every day, so be sure to pack light rain wear to the stand.

Other than that, the woods are beautiful and quiet, and on a couple hunts I saw moose deer, and I never had a bearless hunt, where I didn't at least see one or several. (I hunt with a bow for baited bears, and not every bear on the bait offers a shot).

It's not the blackflies that will carry you off. After the blackflies are done devouring you, the mosquitos will carry off the scraps left over. I use a bug suit. No spray. Opinion is still out on Thermocell. Some swear that the bears could smell it but it didn't frighten them off, Don't forget that hat under the headnet. If the net touches your skin the mosquitos will probe through it. If your ready for the bugs, the hardest part will be sitting STILL. If you don't you will be lucky to see a bear. Go and have fun. I will be in New Brunswick the first week of June. If I don't take another bear, I'll still eat too much.

The hunting here is quite different than you would find in BC or out west in general. While there are lots of bears here in NB, the woods are thick and sightings rare. I've lived here since 1985 and have only seen seen 4 bears live in the the woods while driving and/or hunting. I do no hunt bear, but do know that hunting over bait is the only way to hunt them here. You're typical spot & stalk (REAL fair chase) hunt simply would not work here under any circumstances.

Baiting animals for hunt comes in many forms. We call ducks, geese, & moose. We use scent for deer. We give distress calls for preditors. All forms of baiting. Food baiting bear is no different.

Well if you have to hunt over a bait barrel full of rancid meat and old doughnuts, then you have too. We on the other hand have an over abundance of black bears of all age classes and it's not uncommon to see a half a dozen or more in a day.


It's not even uncommon to have them wandering right around our home in the country.

Personally I couldn't bring myself to shoot bears over a bait drum...I just strikes such a negative cord in my moral compass...how could I eat an animal that has been feeding on such a disgusting mess?? Each to their own, if it's all you can do in order to harvest a black bear then I won't try to stop you. ;-)

So is this a moral issue with you or a repulsion to the thought of taking a bear eating "rancid meat and old doughnuts"?



.

It's really of little importance, so long as it's legal and the fellows doing it can sleep at night it's all good. It's not for me is all. ;-)

Agree

As others have said, the Thermacell is your friend!
Which part of NB are you visiting?