How can I go Bear hunting in this wether ...?

How can I go Bear hunting in this wether ...?
Rain for six days ....

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca...SAAEgI2YPD_BwE

Its a light rain and as far as I'm concerned its one of the best times to hunt because the bush is damp, therefore quiet. Bears will not be as spooked coming into a bait. There is a downside though. First the skeeters will be really bad and secondly, you have to make sure its a one shot on the spot kill because any blood trail will be immediately washed away. This just about eliminates archery.

Thanks for advise , I will need it .

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Originally Posted by sawbill

Its a light rain and as far as I'm concerned its one of the best times to hunt because the bush is damp, therefore quiet. Bears will not be as spooked coming into a bait. There is a downside though. First the skeeters will be really bad and secondly, you have to make sure its a one shot on the spot kill because any blood trail will be immediately washed away. This just about eliminates archery.

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Personally, I love hunting in the rain.
I still haven't mastered creeping through the woods. I try to cover as much as ground as possible ( walking ) and the rain covers my clumsy footsteps.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

This just about eliminates archery.

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I've got to argue this one, at least a little.

Bears are soft animals and they are not hard to kill. A double lung with an arrow often proves a quicker death than that of a double lung with a .308. Yes, with the rifle they tend just to roll about and not go very far but I have not had a bear hit by a well placed arrow make it more than 20 yards and that takes all of about three seconds.

Marginal hits with firearm or archery will lead to a track job and whatever blood falls is washed away is gone anyhow.

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Originally Posted by oaknut

I've got to argue this one, at least a little.

Bears are soft animals and they are not hard to kill. A double lung with an arrow often proves a quicker death than that of a double lung with a .308. Yes, with the rifle they tend just to roll about and not go very far but I have not had a bear hit by a well placed arrow make it more than 20 yards and that takes all of about three seconds.

Marginal hits with firearm or archery will lead to a track job and whatever blood falls is washed away is gone anyhow.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

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In my experience tracking well placed bow shots are easier than well placed rifle shots. I find blood pours our way better from a broadhead than the spray from a rifle hole.
I have also found over the years blood trails don't wash away quite as quick as one would think. Assuming your tracking in dense bush (bear country) the trail is still there for a good while after.

Well, bin there, done that way too many times. I've tracked close to a hundred bears for so-called competent archery hunters for too many years and too many late hours to agree with you guys. I know of many outfitters who do not want archery hunters for the simple reason they can't make that 'well placed shot' when it comes crunch time. You end up either tracking late into the morning hours or losing the animal completely.
And I can't believe you'd say a bear is an easy kill. The hardest north American animal to put down is generally believed to be a wild boar. Guess what. They're the same family.
I just won't get into the archery vs rifle argument. Aside from the usual keyboard enhanced exceptions its a no brainer what kills better, faster and more humanely. Ask any coroner.

I heart shot my bear last week with my crossbow! Amazing blood trail and he only went 30yards and dropped in sight.

Shot placement is key!!! :)

Take some bug spray...lol..no tracking needed with a well placed rifle shot...:joker:

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Originally Posted by sawbill

Well, bin there, done that way too many times. I've tracked close to a hundred bears for so-called competent archery hunters for too many years and too many late hours to agree with you guys. I know of many outfitters who do not want archery hunters for the simple reason they can't make that 'well placed shot' when it comes crunch time. You end up either tracking late into the morning hours or losing the animal completely.
And I can't believe you'd say a bear is an easy kill. The hardest north American animal to put down is generally believed to be a wild boar. Guess what. They're the same family.
I just won't get into the archery vs rifle argument. Aside from the usual keyboard enhanced exceptions its a no brainer what kills better, faster and more humanely. Ask any coroner.

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The outfitter I typically fall hunt with allows bow hunters but I hear what your saying on the bad shots. In the week I am there 70-80% of the clients who get a shot at a bear wound them and they aren't recovered. This is not an exaggeration!

That's an unusually high non-recovery/wounding rate for sure. Mine was substantially less than that but I just refused to give up on tracking and often went into the wee hours before starting over in the daylight. I also really pounded into the guys to not hurry a shot but recognized that crap happens. For me, archery can be an effective and efficient tool but it takes absolute total concentration and patience to make the right shot. You can get away with a lot less with rifle.

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Originally Posted by toddy

The outfitter I typically fall hunt with allows bow hunters but I hear what your saying on the bad shots. In the week I am there 70-80% of the clients who get a shot at a bear wound them and they aren't recovered. This is not an exaggeration!

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Those are some very sad numbers

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Originally Posted by Candice_h

Those are some very sad numbers

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Actually, the numbers are shocking and not defensible. Hunters can and should be better.

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Originally Posted by toddy

The outfitter I typically fall hunt with allows bow hunters but I hear what your saying on the bad shots. In the week I am there 70-80% of the clients who get a shot at a bear wound them and they aren't recovered. This is not an exaggeration!

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I'd like to hear more on this. Do you know why? I'd guess a large percentage of those are dead bears, not wounded, but just not recovered due to poor or nonexistant blood trails. I've seen the way a bear's fat can plug up a hole and stop the blood trail. And the hair just soaks it up. Also, if you dont get a pass thru, and you're relying on the blood trail from a single hole on the entrance(typically high up), it's going to be a sparse blood trail if you get one at all. Part of the reason to avoid quartering shots.

Or... are too many guys listening to this nonsense of "the middle of the middle"

Guys not practicing enough would be my guess.


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You can wail all day long at a pie plate propped against a stump and nail it every time dead center but when a bear sneaks quietly into the bait stand, that practice and the confidence associated with it can go right out the window. Seen it happen to quite a few seasoned guys. Happened to me on a deer one time when my leg started to dance, then the other one, then my arms. Within 30 seconds I was a mess. Made a lousy shot with the .280 but luckily still ended up with a deer. Not my finest hour.

Buck Fever can set in anytime, have seen it with bear hunters, moose and deer.one fellow emptied his 30/30 lever action into the ground ten feet from him, and still to this day says he slowed the big buck down for the next in line to kill it, even though we showed him where all his bullets hit into the snow covered ground in front of him.

We had a senior member not fire a shot at a nice buck we pushed by him on Manitoulin Island several years ago. We had snow and when I walked up to him I could clearly see that the buck had past by him not 30 yards away. When I asked him why he did not shoot he said "what are you talking about I fired 3 times" Long story short there were 3 not fired cartridges on the ground. We figured he ejected the cartridges somehow without pulling the trigger. Crazy stuff for sure!

Sam, when you think about it most hunters that go with an outfitter are American and they spend a lot of time in their own stomping grounds chasing deer. Bears however are a different story for them and too often they're so wired up by the time they climb into a bear stand that their composure goes right out the window.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

Sam, when you think about it most hunters that go with an outfitter are American and they spend a lot of time in their own stomping grounds chasing deer. Bears however are a different story for them and too often they're so wired up by the time they climb into a bear stand that their composure goes right out the window.

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I understand what you’re saying, but it’s a black eye on hunting. I’m not sure what the solution is but if the hunting community doesn’t do something about this then the non-hunting crowd (not just the antis but the fence-sitters as well) will. Unfortunately, outfitters would rather turn a blind eye to the problem than take meaningful steps to correct it.

I shot my bear this spring cold front rain....it dont bother them unless there is strong wind. If not you are good to go

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Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

I'd like to hear more on this. Do you know why? I'd guess a large percentage of those are dead bears, not wounded, but just not recovered due to poor or nonexistant blood trails. I've seen the way a bear's fat can plug up a hole and stop the blood trail. And the hair just soaks it up. Also, if you dont get a pass thru, and you're relying on the blood trail from a single hole on the entrance(typically high up), it's going to be a sparse blood trail if you get one at all. Part of the reason to avoid quartering shots.

Or... are too many guys listening to this nonsense of "the middle of the middle"

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Coincidence maybe, but they are all American. There is a combination of things. Guys that are used to shooting deer (refusing to accept that a bears anatomy is different), unprepared, out of practice. They also put way to much pressure on themselves to get the bear. They paid the money, traveled a day or two to get to camp and they want their bear. None of them have seen a bear let alone hunted them but they are all experts based on the internet. Shots into shoulders, gut shot bears, grazing the stomach or just clipping the top of the back. Their bad shots are all over and never consistent. I'd say a big thing is they take a low light (still legal) shot they shouldn't. Example - I helped track one night and the guy wasn't quite sure where he hit the animal, but claimed the bear was facing east and was perfect broadside. There was a lot of blood so we pushed on. Bear piled up 30 yards away it was a good heart shot. Here is the kicker. The bear was actually facing west broadside. So had the bear of actually been facing the direction he thought it was it would have been another strait gut shot no vitals. Too dark, shouldn't have shot.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

Well, bin there, done that way too many times. I've tracked close to a hundred bears for so-called competent archery hunters for too many years and too many late hours to agree with you guys. I know of many outfitters who do not want archery hunters for the simple reason they can't make that 'well placed shot' when it comes crunch time. You end up either tracking late into the morning hours or losing the animal completely.
And I can't believe you'd say a bear is an easy kill. The hardest north American animal to put down is generally believed to be a wild boar. Guess what. They're the same family.
I just won't get into the archery vs rifle argument. Aside from the usual keyboard enhanced exceptions its a no brainer what kills better, faster and more humanely. Ask any coroner.

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spoken like a true northerner!

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Originally Posted by toddy

Coincidence maybe, but they are all American. There is a combination of things. Guys that are used to shooting deer (refusing to accept that a bears anatomy is different), unprepared, out of practice. They also put way to much pressure on themselves to get the bear. They paid the money, traveled a day or two to get to camp and they want their bear. None of them have seen a bear let alone hunted them but they are all experts based on the internet. Shots into shoulders, gut shot bears, grazing the stomach or just clipping the top of the back. Their bad shots are all over and never consistent. I'd say a big thing is they take a low light (still legal) shot they shouldn't. Example - I helped track one night and the guy wasn't quite sure where he hit the animal, but claimed the bear was facing east and was perfect broadside. There was a lot of blood so we pushed on. Bear piled up 30 yards away it was a good heart shot. Here is the kicker. The bear was actually facing west broadside. So had the bear of actually been facing the direction he thought it was it would have been another strait gut shot no vitals. Too dark, shouldn't have shot.

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I'd say the outfitter has a big roll in that recovery percentage too. This topic got me curious so I reached out to a large Canadian outfitter that caters strictly to archery(vertical). His numbers were the inverse of what you've mentioned. 80-90% recovery. We chatted about shot placement and some of the bad advise that's floating around out there. I didn't ask if they utilize dogs for tracking. That would boost recovery numbers quite a bit i'd imagine.

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Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

I'd say the outfitter has a big roll in that recovery percentage too. This topic got me curious so I reached out to a large Canadian outfitter that caters strictly to archery(vertical). His numbers were the inverse of what you've mentioned. 80-90% recovery. We chatted about shot placement and some of the bad advise that's floating around out there. I didn't ask if they utilize dogs for tracking. That would boost recovery numbers quite a bit i'd imagine.

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So how does that conversation play out? Umm "high, I'm calling because some guy on the internet said the bear outfitter he uses has a low recovery rate with their archery clients. What's your recovery rate and why?" lol

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Originally Posted by toddy

So how does that conversation play out? Umm "high, I'm calling because some guy on the internet said the bear outfitter he uses has a low recovery rate with their archery clients. What's your recovery rate and why?" lol

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lol. Not some random outfit. We chat occasionally. Point is, I wouldn't consider the numbers from your outfitter to be the norm.

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Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

lol. Not some random outfit. We chat occasionally. Point is, I wouldn't consider the numbers from your outfitter to be the norm.

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I don't think I claimed they were normal. I quite frankly think its insanely terrible.
Keep in mind I am there for one week out of the 6-7 weeks they operate in the fall. The remainder of the season hopefully unfolds differently. I generally don't keep tabs on it once I have left.

I am back from Bear hunting .... the bugs eat me alive ....
I never going to go this late Bear hunting again ....

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

I am back from Bear hunting .... the bugs eat me alive ....
I never going to go this late Bear hunting again ....

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Did you see anything, how was the actual hunt (besides the bugs) good I hope

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

I am back from Bear hunting .... the bugs eat me alive ....
I never going to go this late Bear hunting again ....

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Thermacell and DEET = problem solved.

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

I am back from Bear hunting .... the bugs eat me alive ....
I never going to go this late Bear hunting again ....

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An old Finlander once said to me that the best game warden ever was blackflies and skeeters. They keep people out of the bush. I learned long ago to not hit the bush in June.

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Originally Posted by Species8472

Thermacell and DEET = problem solved.

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Bingo. The best bear action seems to be in June. Just have to be prepared. I usually wear a bug jacket walking in, and then take it off once I get settled and the thermocell starts working.

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Originally Posted by fratri

Did you see anything, how was the actual hunt (besides the bugs) good I hope

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It was a solo hunt , and just wandering around , not to stay home because of Covid -19,
camped in the pick up , wandered from one lake camp site to other , up far north
Home made 400 l cooler box in the back 60kg of ice in it good for two week.
Just enjoyed had some windy and cold days ( no bugs)