Black Bears - No Bait / No Dogs

[WV Hunter]

I plan to try and fill my bear tag this year but I think I may be a little too optimistic with 3 1/2 weeks before the season begins. In WV we are not allowed to bait bears and I don't have access to any bear dogs. I spoke with the DNR and he gave me a lead to an area that he said "has bear behind every tree". So I asked for a tip on locating a good spot to concentrate on and he actually told me to use donuts. He reminds me it's illegal to bait bears and mumbles something about how you may as well since we let em hunt with dogs here.

I did a little driving around the area and it is very thick and pretty steep. It surrounds a rather large active mountain top removal mine where they will give you permission to hunt. I spoke with a guard on the property and he mentioned several areas where he picks black berries and sees alot of bear scat. Of course some bears come down to the mine site and hit the dumpsters as well so I know bear are there.

I'm not going to do anything illegal and bait bears no matter what the DNR guy says. Does anybody have advice for trying to hunt bears in steep thick forest without the aid of bait or dogs? Should I do a lot of hiking or find a food source (black berries / acorns) and sit it out and wait?

 

[Dinkshooter]

Try a predator call.

 

[Dinkshooter]

If you covered yourself in bacon grease, would that be considered baiting?

 

[WV Hunter]

If you covered yourself in bacon grease, would that be considered baiting?

That's a great idea! If I cover myself with bacon grease and eat a couple dozen donuts while sitting in 1 spot for several hours I should have no problems killing a bear. And I wouldn't break any laws.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Powdered, glazed, choco, fill the back pack up. Win-win situation. One for me, one for the bears.

Although, you better get more advice than from someone who has bear hunted once and shot a halfway cub.

 

[WV Hunter]

Powdered, glazed, choco, fill the back pack up. Win-win situation. One for me, one for the bears.

Although, you better get more advice than from someone who has bear hunted once and shot a halfway cub.

Nope, I think you got this figured out.

 

[----]

I do quite a bit of bear hunting on berry bushes in the fall.

I don't know how much my MT experience will translate to your side of the country though.

I just find the most sign I can and still hunt. Once a bear finds a patch he likes, he doesn't leave unless forced to. Bears are really concentrated and very approachable while eating berries. Once you get on them you can see 5-10 bears in a day.

I've had bears munching on berries 20-30 yards away, while I was standing in plain view talking out loud. It's ridiculous how content they are when they're stuffing their faces.

A couple things to watch for hunting bears like this-
It's really hard to almost impossible to track a wounded bear in a berry patch, make a CNS shot if at all possible, or at least take out the shoulders.
It's really hard to judge a bear when he's forty yards away and all you can see is the top of his head and bits and pieces of him through the brush, also hard to make sure there's no cubs.

I shot my bear at 20-30 yards last year and all I could see was his neck and head. Put the shot in the neck, he flopped 20 yards down the creek, and it took me two hours to find him, even though I heard the death moan.

I guess what I'm trying to say is hunting bears on berry patches is usually high success, but kind of risky.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I saw a nice one in Arkansas this past weekend and since it has been so dry I spotted him in a waterhole about 50 yards off the Forest road. Season opens the middle of this month. I may just sit on a waterhole. John

 

[highmountian]

If you are riffle hunting I would find a spot to glass across a canyon so you can look into the thick cover! Bear are very lazy and slow moving so just find a good advantage point sit and wait. I have killed lots of bears this way. Glass glass glass, you will see them moving around at all time of the day. They love to fill there bellies so they are always moving around to eat. The steeper, rockier and bushier, the better!

 

[2rocky]

Here in Northern California, folks have still hunted along logging roads and found the bears as they fed in berries. I doubt you will have the luxury of glassing openings cross canyon like many areas out west.

Predator calls are also pretty good but those bears are Silent coming in. You might have some close action in thick cover.

Google predator calling bears. There are articles out there..

 

[WV Hunter]

Thanks everybody. Looks like I have some options that might present an opportunity. I wish we could glass but it is thick and steep everywhere around here. You may be able to watch a 30 yard area from a distance if your lucky.

 

[pa mt man]

Post up on one of these. My friend told me it was a gate to let bears in and out and keep the deer out.

 

[pa mt man]

Some other pics from 2008 bear hunt in Pa.
No bears. But a lot of fun.

 

[noharleyyet]

Pa Mt, I take it that's is not bear meat on the cooker...grin. BTW, like the subtle panel numbering for your prefab hunt quarters.

No bears. But a lot of fun.

....you bet, nothing like woods comfort and fellowship.

 

[DaveHawk]

No Bate in Va either but I have a chicken cope to hunt behind. Darn bears are hitting it and getting the chickens and the feed.