I was just relaxing a bit after a hard day of work and watched a hunting show. Mathews TV, the hunt being bear. They let the dogs loose and a whole troop of people, women children etc take off for a nice family hike to the treed bear. I was a bit surprised at my reaction when they got there. You got a scared shitless bear in a tree a bunch of people milling around and the kid and a adult looking for a clear shooting lane. It was very anti climatic. We can't use dogs here for bear and I never really thought much about it but it seemed little different than using dogs to funnel a buck into a small pen and then shooting it. I had thought about using dogs for a cat hunt next year but I think I'll stick to trying to do it the hard way. Like I said I was really surprised I found it such a turn off. I'm sure others disagree and if they enjoy it that's fine but I'll stick to spot and stalk. I imagine it's fun to work the dogs but not much of a hunt IMO.

I guess untill one trys it one should not judge a hunt from what one sees on a TV show.

I have hunted bears all three ways bait, spot and stalk and hounds. I have had easy hunts and hard hunts on them all. I seen bears shot with in the first few min of bait hunting, the same for spot and stalk oh there a bear lets shoot it bang its dead and I seen bears treed with in min of dumping the dogs out.

But on the other hand I seen sitting for hrs and hrs over a bait with bugs so thick one could hardly breath waiting for the rt bear. I've seen hrs and hrs of glassing and having your stalk blown at the last couple of min because of a wind change. I had had bears run all day chew up a couple of dogs and still get away.

Over all I find hunting with hounds a lot funner and harder then hunting over bait. Spot and stalk is a great way to hunt bears in areas that you can do it. It is a lot of fun also. But here in the north woods one would go for years and never see a bear to shoot with out hounds or bait.

I would suggest instead of watching it on TV you get togather with some hound men and give it a try it can be a real blast. If you want to come all to way to wis I'll galdly set you up for a hound hunt go along. You well not be able to get a kill tag that takes 5 to 6 years. But you could be in on any where to 3 to 4 chases in a few days depending on weather the bears ect. You might even get to be there when a bear or two are shot. Then I'll let you drag them out through some of the thickest and nasty swamp and brush we have if we can't get a vehicle close to it.

After all is said and done I think you well have a differatn opinon unless like any hunting the first one is jump and tree with in 50 feet of a logging rd and is shot in the first 10 min or so. That what makes hunting so much fun it is differant each hunt. If they were all easy then we would stop hunting.

Why does hunting have to be a test of man-hood? Wether one uses hounds or dogs to hunt anything from quail to bear, it is a tradition that is as old as hunting, man and dog versus prey., Who dertermines the ethics involved? And why? If two men can choose to have sex with one another, then I should be able to choose which method I prefer to hunt, so long as it is legal.

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Who dertermines the ethics involved

I didn't condem it as unethical, I just don't see it as what I find enjoyable in a hunt.

pdog, I'm sure you have some points, especially in thick areas. In such areas I'd probably choose to hunt over a bait station. In many ways I'm sure I'm a product of what I've grown accustomed to in my traditional hunting grounds and I am stuck in my ways.

dempsey - I did a bear hunt with dogs in May of this year with an outfitter in Utah. It turned out to be one of the most exciting hunts I've ever been on. It was also one of the toughest. Going into it I really wasn't sure what to expect.

We cut the dogs loose on tracks several times during the 7 day hunt and not even one of the bears went up a tree. We covered a lot of tough (and I mean really tough) miles that week until we finally caught up with a bear on day 7. It was a very physically demanding and rewarding hunt.

Doug

We see a lot of black bears and our border collies hate them and will run them off or tree them in a heartbeat.w/regards

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I had thought about using dogs for a cat hunt next year but I think I'll stick to trying to do it the hard way.

Good luck, your gonna need it.

I was born in Wyoming and lived there a great for about 14 of my non-Navy years. I also lived in Montana while in high school, and New Mexico while in high school (went to 4 different high schools in 3 states).

In Montana spot and stalk is the only legal method.

In Wyoming baiting is allowed.

In Idaho, Utah, California, and New Mexico bears are hunted with dogs.

I like the bear dog hunts for two reasons. First they are kind of like catch and release fishing. If the bear isn't something that should be taken it can be set free.

Secondly, problem bears can be targeted.

I retire from the Canoe club in 5 years. My heart of hearts wants to be back in Alaska, where you can hunt bears with dogs. But if my life takes me roaming to Wyoming again full time I will have a pack of lion and bear hounds and hunt bears in Idaho and Utah and lions in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Reminds me of that old Chris Ledoux bear hunting song.

Spot and stalk hunting for black bears is near impossible in Wisconsin and other places like it. The woods and swamps are so thick you can't see 50 yards and bears can cover 20+ miles in a day. If it weren't for dogs and bait there wouldn't be many bears taken in Wisconsin. I guess the anti-hunters would like that.

Bear hunting with dogs has become a tradition and social event in this state.

Dempsey,

I returned about 5 weeks ago from my first Black Bear hunt and it took place in British Columbia (no over bait allowed). I had the same attitude as you, as I did not think hunting over dogs would be much fun. The first several days was spot and stalk, coming very close a couple of times and even setting above a 5.5 footer for 30 minutes just watching - That was very cool.

As it turned out in B.C. spot and stalk work well in the evenings as the bears would come out into clear cuts to feed. In the mornings they were moving but stayed in the heavy timber. I did not see any bears at all doing the spot and stalk in the AM. So I finally gave in and ran dogs in the morning. The first couple of times I was with dogs who were still training. It wasn't alot of fun as you don't see the bear and spent the day chasing dogs.

However, when I did get with a seasoned guide and dogs were we stayed right on top of them for 3-4 hours behind a Grizzly that was eventually shot by the only member of the hunt who had the license.

I had three opportunities to shoot a bear by spot and stalk, passing on two due to size and taking too long to set up on the third. The last morning we had a short chase with excellent dogs and I got my first bear of 6' 8" and 350-400 lbs - quite the bruiser. And I couldn't be more pleased with the hunt.

Every time a bear was treed, it was quite a challenge climbing down or up the mountain to the location and then dragging the shot bear back to the road, "if" it was decided to harvest that particular bear.

What I didn't like about dogs was running those that weren't seasoned and just chasing dogs. Also you don't know what the dogs are on. It may be a smallish bear or a grizzly and you can spend alot of time on a bear that is unshootable.

What I did enjoy about the dogs, is when with seasoned and well trained dogs it is extremely exciting. The owner/guide can tell you when they have seen the bear (by the different howl), can tell you if it is treed, and the dogs have a ball during the chase.

One black that was surrounded by the pack, decided to fight back. No dogs harmed, but talk about some excitement! If you want to not hunt over dogs, more power to you, but if you do decide, "Do your homework, get several good references, and hold on for the ride", you will enjoy it.

Fred

Neat stuff, who was the outfitter on that hunt Fred?

Back around `74 I went by to see an old Marine Corps buddy who was working at the "Nantahala Outdoor Center" near Bryson City, NC. I remember it being cold because there was some snow scattered about. We eventually got around to talking Hunting and he said there should be a real crew of Bear Hunters stop by in a couple of hours.

Time passed and in walked some guys who looked like they could have been in the old Deliverance movie. Driving a very muddy and beat-up old black truck with all kinds of Hounds.

My buddy asked how the Bear Hunt went and they were all down in the mouth. As they were running one, the Hounds got side-tracked by some of the Wild Russian Boars which inhabit the Smokies. One dog was killed and 3-4 wounded in the fray.

Said they were all running as hard as they could go, but just couldn't get there quick enough.

D99,

It was Joe Conroy of Sheep Creek Outfitters in Cranbrook, B.C. www.sheepcreek.com

The guides were all very knowledgeable and worked hard for you, accommodations were good, the cuisine was excellent, Trout fishing on Copper Lake (the main camp) was good, and we saw Bear! Four Blacks (two of them brown) and one Grizzly was taken between the four hunters. As a group we passed on four other smallish/young bear and "I" didn't get set up on a 6' Black before he winded us - entirely my error.

A reminder, it was my first Bear hunt so I don't have another bear hunt to compare it with, but I have had an excellent hunt in South Africa and this one was every bit as exciting.

Depending on the terrain - horses, ATV's, diesel trucks, walk and stalk, and dogs are available.

I give Joe at Sheep Creek high marks.

Best, Fred

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Originally posted by remington33:

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I had thought about using dogs for a cat hunt next year but I think I'll stick to trying to do it the hard way.

Good luck, your gonna need it.

Yes indeed I will. Not impossible by any stretch though.