Predator Calls for Bears

[Deleted member 28227]

Has anyone had any success using predator calls for spring bears in mountains. I've been using a dying rabbit call to no effect, I used it a couple of times last year to try and get a bear to close the distance with me and he wasn't even phased by the call, just sat there eating grass or continued to slowly walk away.

Thoughts? Am I using the wrong call?

 

[old man]

Haven't tried myself yet, but I would think a deer bleat or calf elk call would work better. try Carlton's calls I have videos of him calling in hundreds of bears.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Just bought a fawn call going to give it a call this week.

 

[sbhooper]

Any predator call will work, but you have to be extremely patient. Bears usually come in very slowly and will stop when the call quits. However many minutes that you take a break, add it to the time on stand. I called in one bear in New Mexico and blew it by moving too soon. He was coming right in to me.

I went to a seminar one time years ago, given by the Meza Varmint Callers of Phoenix. The guy that started the club was a real bear calling guru and had called in over 60 bears. It was a great seminar, but I have not spent much time trying to call in a bear. I left NM before I ever got one called in.

I would not do it in griz country, or it may get a little too exciting.

 

[Chad1754]

Fall of 2014 I called in a chocolate phase black bear with a raspy sounding Rabbit distress hand call. Never saw the bear, started calling for about 45 seconds to a minute, sat and glassed a couple minutes. Started calling again and 50 yards below me walked a nice chocolate phase boar. I also had a buddy that called in a sow the year before with a raspy rabbit call. I know for a fact it works, I think it is like anything else and depends on the mood of the bear. Good luck and keep after it.

 

[6mm Remington]

I've tried but haven't had any luck yet. From what I have read and seen on videos when you call them you have to be on the call constantly. It showed this guy calling in a bear he could see, which was ideal, and when ever he would stop calling the bear would just wander and start feeding. Kinda like a squirrel, forgot what he was doing. As soon as he started calling again, the bear would continue on his path towards the caller.

I'm recovering from surgery for a partially torn maniscus but hopefully towards the end of May I'll get the go ahead from the doctor to get out.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I called the big boar in my avatar in with a Pronghorn fawn distress call. I am a few hundred miles from the nearest pronghorn but the bear came charging in..

 

[sra61]

We used the Carlton call back in the 90's in Idaho. It worked good on bears that we knew were there mostly. We called blind on lots of occasions and had no success, but on bears that we could see, or had seen, and knew they were around it worked good. We even would call to bears that were downwind and could see they were winding us and when we would blow that call they would come in anyway! As soon as we stopped calling they would react to our scent. It definitely seemed like as soon as we stopped calling they would lose interest, but if we kept squalling they would come right in. I think the Carlton call sounds more like an elk calf screaming. The bears definitely hit those calves hard where we were on the N. Fork of the Clearwater. Here's a pic of a boar that was following a sow looking to breed her. The sow and boar both came in, running down the trail we had parked our butt's on, and he stuck his head through a bush at 7 yards, at which point the dude asked if he should shoot! I told him if he didn't I was going to! I have enough belief in the effectiveness of that call that I would never even consider using that sucker where I thought there might be a griz anywhere near!