Eastern black bears

[AssawomanGunsmith]

So, after many years I drew a Maryland black bear tag. No baiting, no dogs allowed. I've not been to this part of the state in awhile so I will taking some scouting trips, season is Oct 20-25. Anyone have any tips other than finding white oaks and watching the wind?

 

[pwrwgn57]

Swampy areas or thick cover.
Are there any farms nearby? They could be hitting cornfields or other crops.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Swampy areas or thick cover.
Are there any farms nearby? They could be hitting cornfields or other crops.

Some of the public land has at fields near by. In my area of the state by that time all the corn is harvested by then but not sure about out there. All my experience thus far has been baiting bears

 

[EastTNHunter]

Just because corn is harvested it does not mean that spillage does not occur. Harvested fields are usually deer magnets for a long time after the harvest, but I cannot speak to bears

 

[ChaosOneZero]

In the areas of PA I’ve hunted, historically, once the corn is picked the bears move long to other food sources.

 

[mdhunter]

A guy that works for me drew a MD bear tag this year as well. PM me and I will at least get you two together. He is also from the eastern shore and will be hunting a ways from home.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I'd be scouting those oaks hard, to see where the best crop is. (And any fields that still have corn). Proximity to a nasty thick swampy area would be a plus.

 

[Smtn10pt]

Find where they are eating and spend your time there. Food next to thick cover is a bonus. They may be living in standing corn fields.

 

[Schutzhund]

Western MD I'm assuming? Any thick Laurel in there for them to bed in? Maybe try to find a funnel between Laurel and food/water.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Western MD I'm assuming? Any thick Laurel in there for them to bed in? Maybe try to find a funnel between Laurel and food/water.

Yes, tag is good for the western four counties.

 

[Schutzhund]

Good luck, should be fun hunting them. Sika deer archery started today. We are ramping up for some bugling here on the eastern shore soon.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Good luck, should be fun hunting them. Sika deer archery started today. We are ramping up for some bugling here on the eastern shore soon.

I’m on the Eastern Shore, mostly hunt sika on Assateague (VA side)

 

[Schutzhund]

Nice. I put a lot of time into Blackwater for sika.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Nice. I put a lot of time into Blackwater for sika.

I would like to hunt it but as a lifelong MD resident who moved a few miles south and is now a VA resident that $200 stamp hurts

 

[dgc1963]

I hunt Pa archery for bear and have taken a few, IMO its all about food they can be hammering corn then once acorns drop they disappear from corn fields and will be all over the oaks then back to corn after
One thing I do it to not set up right on a corn field even tho it can work but I've found many bear leave the field right before sun up and get to it right after dark so I find good bear trails and set up cameras and move them once I find travel patters so I'm a few hundred yrds off the fields

 

[jakenbake]

Really depends on what you're looking to do. I hunted that tag a few years back and focused on Washington and Frederick counties just trying to avoid folks. When I talked to the biologist he encouraged me to focus on hickories for the most part, with poke a close second. I hunted the whole season and didn't see a bear, but I found a ton of sign, scat, etc. Had seen a sow and a cub from the road on private when I was scouting the week prior. They're there, it's just a really tough hunt. From what I understand, folks in Garrett are especially successful using drives in mountain laurel thickets, although technically everyone involved in the drive needs to be either a permittee or sub-permittee. Being solo, that was never in the cards for me.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Really depends on what you're looking to do. I hunted that tag a few years back and focused on Washington and Frederick counties just trying to avoid folks. When I talked to the biologist he encouraged me to focus on hickories for the most part, with poke a close second. I hunted the whole season and didn't see a bear, but I found a ton of sign, scat, etc. Had seen a sow and a cub from the road on private when I was scouting the week prior. They're there, it's just a really tough hunt. From what I understand, folks in Garrett are especially successful using drives in mountain laurel thickets, although technically everyone involved in the drive needs to be either a permittee or sub-permittee. Being solo, that was never in the cards for me.

I will be solo as well. I'm heading back this weekend to do some more scouting. I found some sign a couple weeks ago but was not as fresh I would have liked to find.

 

[jakenbake]

I will be solo as well. I'm heading back this weekend to do some more scouting. I found some sign a couple weeks ago but was not as fresh I would have liked to find.

Good luck! Given the way they set the rules up, I'm firmly in the camp of "any bear is a trophy" for that hunt.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

Good luck! Given the way they set the rules up, I'm firmly in the camp of "any bear is a trophy" for that hunt.

Same here. No bait and no dogs, I going by Clay Newcomb's "Sheep hunt of the South" mentality

 

[jakenbake]

@AssawomanGunsmith how'd it go for you? Acorns everywhere, figure could have had it go either way.