Bear hunting info

[Tnguy22]

New to the forums and like the title says I'm looking for some info from some experienced bear hunters. I'm currently in TN so thats where I'll be doing most of my hunts. Any tips on hunting fall time bears as well as gear to help get the job done?

 

[stumpknocker]

Well, a newbie answering a newbie here... but I’ll give my 0.02 to this very broad question.

I hunt NW S. Carolina so terrain should be similar to where you’re at. We only have ~1 wk stalking season in mid-Oct, I find there is still plenty of food options for the bears that time of year. Difficult to nail down consistent feeding areas and you just have to put your walking boots on.

If you are hunting mountains, find roads that transect the most variation in elevation and look for sign. Best bet is to go after some rain as prints will show up better in the dirt. After finding a few areas with sign, study the topography and go off trail focusing on water sources and saddles. Trail cams are key. When season comes, pick your best spot, plan for all-day sits, and cross your fingers.

In 2 years of doing this in SC I’ve seen several sows w/ cubs but never a boar in season. If you have a longer or later season, you may want to take a different approach.

 

[Tnguy22]

its definitely a broad question indeed and thank you for all the input.

is there a specific food source you know of or might think that Bears will key in on more than others in the fall months in the mountains?

probably be too hard for me to set up any trail cams as the closest place to me with bear hunting is 2.5 hours away and getting there as often as i'd like is hard when you have a 3 year old. Even though she loves to go out scouting with me.

 

[stumpknocker]

You're welcome, eastern bear hunting is a lot of fun.
I think it really depends on your area. We had a good acorn year last year and they seemed to key on oak-covered ridgetops. But there are many more of such places than there are bears; hence the importance of scouting.