Hello As the fall/winter Bear Season nears in my State of West Virginia.I was wondering sence baiting is not aloud and i know theres bear around.(Tracks,Defacation,and Pictures from my game cam) Will Calling be effective? If so how?
Posts: 174 | Location: West Virginia | Registered: 14 December 2002
Try a deer or goat bleat. If you have a chance, go to a mouse or lip squeak to get them in bow range. They'll respond to a call but your setup is critical. If legal, a visual teaser like a bird wing dangling along a path will draw them into range. Others probably know better but this worked in Virginia. Incidentally, most of the bears (about 5) came in while I was calling cats. Seems sometimes out of curiosity because I was calling between a grape vineyard and an orchard in the mountains. Same thing in North Carolina coast. Of course, when I tried calling bears, I didn't have as much luck. Good luck, J
Years ago I read a story in Outdoor Life about a hunter in Arizona who killed a big black bear while varmit calling for coyotes. Heck, what have you got to lose, give it a try and let the rest of us know how you did.
Posts: 426 | Location: Nevada | Registered: 14 July 2003
A woman who used to post here as "CritrChik" e-mailed me with the following information. As I understand it, she had a degree in wildlife biology and had worked for the fish and game department here in California. Based on my experience, the advise is excellent:
quote: Bears are not difficult to call, but it does require making a lot of stands. I call in the timber in Northern CA, both public and private lands. Lots of logging roads and generally pretty steep terrain. I usually get dropped off on top of a ridge and work my way down, calling in different locations as the cover and terrain features and visibility dictate. I use a Critr' Call by Rocky Mountain Wildlife Products. Open reed call and you can really vary the sounds and volume. Usually blow a series of fawn bleats off and on for about 10 minutes, usually spending about 15 minutes per stand. Virtually every bear I've called has responded in under 10 minutes, and you'll usually hear them before you see them. If you get a little one in it's fun to jump up and run after them barking like a hound. Most of them will tree, very entertaining. If I knew what area you were in I could check my links for aerial photos and any bear studies. Those help to understand terrain and plan out your best routes, and reading telemetry studies tells you a lot about cover preferences. It really puts in your mind where to look and what to call into.
Posts: 3844 | Location: Eastern Slope, Colorado, USA | Registered: 01 March 2001
