Calling in Bears!!

[b4rifle]

Does anyone use calls for bears or know anyone that does? I have watched it on a few videos, but everything seems to work on those videos. I am just wondering if it works in the North East or if it is worth trying? A few people I have talked to said that they will come right in to a fawn distress. They all have used the technique out west.

[b4rifle]

Anybody? Anybody? A little Help?

[MK-M-GOBL]

I personaly have never tried it but heard from Al (THO Game Calls) and other people, that it does works. I believe next year while bow hunting, I might have to give it a try. A few of my hunting spots have some real nice bears running around ;D

[troutpro]

What a way to make me jealous, talk about hunting bears. Maybe I will be able to go up with my dad to the Adirondaks this fall and try archery for bear. On our Fx3 we have pig in distress, my dad said that is suppose to work good.

[browning204]

Yes I was also present when Al from THO told mk-m-gobl about his calls calling in bears, bobcats and stuff like that. Bears are also predators and a distress sound should get them curious..

[b4rifle]

Nice, can't wait to try for bruins in Sept. If anyone has any more tips, keep them coming.

[fivepak]

I have bear cub distress on my Foxpro. Haven't tried it yet, though.

[okanagan]

b4rifle said:

Does anyone use calls for bears or know anyone that does? I have watched it on a few videos, but everything seems to work on those videos. I am just wondering if it works in the North East or if it is worth trying? A few people I have talked to said that they will come right in to a fawn distress. They all have used the technique out west.

Never tried it east of Saskatchewan, and that seems way east to us in the far west. Have called a number of blacks and a few grizzlies with mainly an old Weems Wild Call jack rabbit voice. Quite low and raspy. It sounds like the Primos bear cub distress hand call. I'd be amazed if bears anywhere wouldn't come to a call, but I've only called them in BC. Sask. and WA State. Called three bears into two stands one late spring evening in Saskatchewan. One was a big cub and I suspect the other one that came to that stand was his mother.

Browning204 invited me over here a few months ago and I marked it then and just wandered back again. I'd sure try calling if I were in your territory. I've called mine with intermittent calls, 15 to 30 seconds of call interspersed with one to three minutes of silence. Most people claim that constant calling works better. Could be. I'd stay 30 minutes, more if you are sure a bear is near.

Bears have a reputation for being erratic to call. Sometimes they respond and sometimes they don't. When an animal is erratic that usually just means the caller (we callers) haven't figured out that species enough to call it consistently.

I've called some in cold, just in areas where there is lots of fresh bear sign. Others I have seen first. I called one to within about 18 feet with lip squeaks only because I didn't have any other call along. One huge boar in a heavy huckleberry patch would not leave the loads of berries and come to the call but he was fairly easy stalk.

Bears are nose dominant and most will circle downwind of you when they get close. Always set up so that you can see downwind. Some scattered bushes or broken cover downwind lets the bear feel less exposed and more likely to circle there, and gives you enough view of him to shoot. Anything that sounds like a big rabbit, fawn, deer or bear cub in distress should work. A problem with called bears is that it is often hard to see them well enough in brush etc. to judge their size before you shoot.

Good luck!

[b4rifle]

Thanks for the info.

[jay]

b4-

I worked for a bear guide in Maine some years back and I would often sit on bait stands to look over what was coming in and take pics and stuff. I was sitting on bait sites mind you, but I did call a few bears in playing the "bunny blues" or fawn wailing.

I will say that in the real thick stuff around the bait site what usually happened was the bear just appeared silently until it got close and then came really busting in.

I have also "accidently" called in bear down in PA a few times, once using the "can" to try and turn a buck towards my treestand, I heard a noise under my tree after wondering why the deer ran away from the call and there was a rather large boar standing up looking right at me. Another time a buddy and I had our turkey decoys busted up by a real brute which I am sure had been attracted by the calls and the final time had been trying to call in coyotes on a farm. About 200 yards out a bear popped out of a small island of trees in the middle of a field to look for what had the coyotes howling.

If I were to try and call in bears in New England, I would get well back from any road. Set up in or very near the thickest stuff you can find from the downwid side. I'd probably also use a tree stand to get slightly better visibility. And I would call internittently right up until the last second of legal light. Good luck, I'd love to see you succeed.