I'm going to Quebec next week for a spring bear hunt over bait.

I am thinking about taking my predator calls along to see if the bears respond to "rabbit in distress" calls.

Has anyone ever tried this?

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NRA and GOA Life Member
Do your part to protect our 2nd Amendment rights and preserve our hunting heritage!

Look at what lives in the area. Mouse squeekers work. I called them in with goat bleats and woodpecker calls in VA. Most of the bears responded when I was calling something else. Good luck. They will respond but the ones I had didn't come in crashing. They still test wind, etc....

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Never do something once you're not willing to do the rest of your life!
www.jeffsdogworks.com

GRIZ.come to a call preaty good but moast of the time it is when you do not want them around a deer bleat works realy well on bouth blacks and griz have a good hunt:Coyote Slayer

I called in my first Black Bear in the fall in Arizona a few years ago. It came straight in to a rabbit in distress call. It was pretty cool. I am taking a group to BC Saturday for a Bear hunt and you can bet my call will be in my bag. Good luck.

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Greg Rodriguez
Mombasa Trading Company
www.mbogo.net
(281) 494-4151

I bought a how to call bears tape and call about 11 years ago but before I could use it a guy was eaten, literally, by a big brown bear on admiralty island using some sort of deer/bear call so I decided i'd not go that route. i guess he had been calling and was ambushed by the bear as he was walking back to the boat, so I'd be careful using one. I'd make sure I was walking back to the truck/cabin/boat/plane ect via a big open area.

Around 15 years ago,my dad was calling for coyotes and bobcats on a winter day.He had bear tag in his pocket,but wasn't really looking for a bear.

On his way to his favorite calling spot,he came across some enormous tracks,but didn't think much of it.

He called some,killed a couple yotes and a bobcat,and had taken a break from calling and was eating a sandwich and drinking a Coke,when he happened to glance behind him.

About 100 yards to his rear,a 600 pound black bear was stalking him,down on his haunches.

Luckily,he was packing a 243 loaded with Siearra 100 grain BTSPs (a bad batch which acted like FMJs on deer),instead of his usual 22/250,or worse yet,22 Hornet.

He punched the bear right through the shoulders.The sucker started roaring so loud that at about 100 yards it still almost deafened him,and walked around in circles.When it turned to face him,he shot him in the chest,and the bear promptly rolled over dead,luckilly.

SO,yes a bear will come in to a call,at least a black bear anyway.If they can hear the call and can't smell you,they'll come a runnin',just like a coyote.

BTW-The bear ended up going over 7 feet nose to tail,and the skull went Boone&Crockett.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

I would think you would have the best luck in the Fall when the bear are gorging themselves in preparation for hibernation. The times I've hunted them in the Spring they seemed intent on getting their digestive system restarted by eating plants etc but I wouldn't try and out guess a bear.

Thanks, guys, for all the responses! I'll definitely take my calls along and see how they work.

Since we will be the first group of the season hunting baited stands in a National Park that hasn't been hunted in 40 years, I'll give it a day or two to see what's coming to the baits.

If we aren't seeing many bears, I'll try calling. Or, if a big bear hangs back in the woods and is reluctant to come in, I may try some calling to bring him into range.

I'll let you know how it went when we get back a week from Sunday!

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Life member of the NRA and GOA. Do you part to protect our Second Amendment rights and our hunting heritage!

Allen Day may answer this thread but seems like in his report here on his B.C. grizz hunt his guide brought his grizz in at a run by using an elk calf call.

I have been trying for quite some time using a deer bleat at 15 minute intervals but have yet to have a bear ( that I saw) respond. I talked with a fellow at the local gunshop who has killed bears regularly using calls. He recommeded using a cutbank or roadway slipout as a background- and to guard your backside when calling. The bank acts to project the sound of your call and if a bear circles around you it will be exposed to your view.
I think the anticipation of that prospect offers enough of an adrenaline rush to make it worth the risks.

For what it is worth I am a far gone bear maniac. And to answer your question, yes calling does work. I've called in somewhere near 60 of them to date.

From time to time we get this going about calling bears. I think if you look back a month or so we chatted about it here, or perhaps it was over on huntamerica .com

It does work, I've done it enough to know.

So far this spring I've been out 4 times and have looked at 6 bears.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

[This message has been edited by Mark R Dobrenski (edited 05-17-2002).]

Got home yesterday from the Quebec bear hunt. We had a great time!

We had 8 hunters in our party and everyone shot a bear, except me. My wife shot a 250 pound bear on the first afternoon. It was the first time she had ever shot anything, and I think I've created a monster. We leave for South Africa in 11 days and she's busy making the list of animals she wants to shoot when we get there. Looks like the days of 1 hunter, 1 observer are gone; it's gonna be 2 hunters from now on. And double the trophy fees!!!

We saw lots of bears. I could have shot several in the 200 - 300 pound range, but since we already had one bear tagged, I decided to hold out for a real monster. They were around, but I never had a good shot at a 300+ bear so elected not to shoot.

Two of the bears taken were well over 300 pounds, three others were 200 - 250 and two were under 200 pounds.

We had two days of cold weather and light snow at the start of the hunt, then two days of very high winds that kept the bears from moving around. All in all, I'd say we had a very successful hunt for just 5 days in less than perfect weather conditions.

I got some great video of bears coming in to the baits and chowing down on the doughnuts and meat scraps.

I did try the predator calls several times when the bears didn't seem inclined to come to the baits, but if they responded, I didn't see them. We saw some moose and heard wolves howling at sunset, listened to the loons calling and caught some fish. Best of all I've turned my wife into a hunting partner. I'd say that was a great trip!