I am from Ohio and I have been thinking about doing a spot and stalk style hunt in Montana this spring as a graduation present to myself. I was hoping to get a book that could help me put together a hunt. I have read a lot online but I would like to know if there is a "bible" on black bear hunting out there. I don't need a book on calibers and such, just a good book on how to find the bears. I found this book on Amazon and I thought it looked good but I was wondering if anyone else would want to comment on a good black bear book. Thanks in advance.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Bear-Hunting-Richard-Smith/...id=1218591703&sr=8-2

Buy the best spotting scope you can afford. Get high and glass and then glass some more. You'll find a bear to kill.

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Buy the best spotting scope you can afford.

Or a pair of Minox 13x56 binos on a tripod

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just a good book on how to find the bears.

If you're at a university then you should be able to access journal articles and studies via their computer network. Databases such as Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide.

Search and read. Learn all you can.

Then use the data from USGS, USFS, MT DFW&P, etc, etc. Aerial pics of the areas you ID, learn the plant communities, etc.

Lots of resources available that'll help, plus it's fun.

It aint that complicated find a dead carcass cow would be best and you will find a black bear,we have a lot of cattle killed by larkspur due to the wet spring.w/regards

Skinner, that is a good recommendation, I didn't think to use journal articles. Good and free!

Strawman-first off, congrats on your pending graduation.

Secondly, good books on bruins are tough to find, I know of a couple and will get the names of them to you.

I am a far gone chaser of Mato, I totally love anything to do with them, and have hunted and guided professionally for them here in Montana for quite some time now.

I became a student of the buggers in the spring of 82, and most years will look at between 40-50 of them.

I've done quite a bit of calling of them, and have called a bit over 60 of them in over the years.

In addition to that I've written a couple of articles on bruins and if you wish, pm me your addy and I'll send you some copies of the articles.

Bruins and coues deer are by far my fav and being as I have bruins right here it is the critter that I watch the most.

Finding an area where the bruins will be is first and formost and then it is all about having confidence in the area and keeping yourself sat long enough to do some effective glassing. Most people who attempt to hunt bruins fail misserably at glassing, this is an excellent state for the hunting and or watching of bruins if one works at it.

I use 7x42 Swaro's, my 15x56 Swaro's (with a couple of doublers) on a Slick 444 with a Jim White head on it and I carry a good spotter. In addition to that I utilize a glassing pad as well, this is just a piece of Latigo about the size of a large pizza. I use this to keep my buns out of the gravel, cactus, rocks, snow, wet and or whatever else would/could encourage me to move on.

At my favorite area to glass I can see into parts of 13 different canyons and I will sit for hours on end glassing this area as I know that they are there.

Bring along rain gear, bring along a decent and honest rifle but for darn sure get yourself the best glass that you can afford and learn how to use it effectively.

Bruins, I totally love them and would email you some pics of bruins I've taken and or guided for if you send me your email addy.

Or if someone likes I could email them to them and they could post them on here, just don't ask me to figure out how on earth to do so....grins

Later

Mark D

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Originally posted by wapiti7:
Get high and glass...

Interesting strategy.

Just don't forget the munchies....<g>

Mark D

quote:

Originally posted by gophershooter:
It aint that complicated find a dead carcass cow would be best and you will find a black bear,we have a lot of cattle killed by larkspur due to the wet spring.w/regards

This will work from time to time when you have a connection but for the most part you're stroking a big goat if this is your plan!

Mark D

Richard P Smith wrote a book called "Hunting Trophy Black Bear" that I find interesting and informative.

Quite a bit about how bears are made up and not just a this is how you hunt them kind of thing.

Mark D

Strawman, you have some pics in your email.

Mark D

Richard P. Smith wrote the book I had the link too above. This book is newer than his earlier book and has more pages but who knows the pages are necessary.