DIY Black Bear

[joejeep92]

So, my dad has always wanted to hunt a bear, ideally a brown bear but I'll wait to do that until I'm out of school. As fathers day is coming up I have been trying to come up with good areas for a DIY black bear hunt for either next spring or this coming fall. He is from Arkansas and we spend a lot of time down there but the terrain is rough and success rates are not great for the area we would hunt. He also really enjoys the rocky mountains but we live far enough away where scouting would be difficult. Now, the big obstacle, due to some injuries in his younger days, he has back and shoulder problems that prevent long distance walking which is a big obstacle when it comes to typical spot and stalk hunting. Does anyone have any suggestions for good areas to DIY bear hunt in the lower 48?

[Kachad]

Howdy -

MN has good black bear hunting, but just like the Rockies, kind of difficult for you to scout.

I have not hunted Bear yet, but been around Bear Hunters and their stands a lot.

In MN, the primary method is stand hunting over bait. Baiting occurs over a moderate length of time, not just a couple days before the hunt. So, besides the scouting - there's this time investment which makes it difficult.

I have spent a lot of time in stand for deer, in bear country with fresh sign, but have only seen a bear once from stand. I'm sure the odds would increase if I was specifically hunting bear - but it's always surprised me that I haven't seen more bear on stand than I have.

I've seen a lot more bear in peoples back yards, busting up bird feeders and stuff like that. Maybe that's the key right there.

I hope you find an area closer to you where you guys could spend good quality time together scouting. Good luck!

[joejeep92]

Maybe I just need to find a friendly bird feeder to hunt over...Arkansas also does not allow bear hunting over bait on public land which makes it hard, but than again that is hunting.