Thanks for your help!
certainly nothing wrong with archery hunting bear.... the pros and cons of spot and stalk bear hunting in the spring.... bear are custom made for bow hunting, you can get away with a lot as long as you keep the wind good.... cons, bear in the spring don't stay put! they are constantly moving, and spotting one way off, they are really good at vanishing before you get there. it's very doable if you keep that in mind and keep that knowledge in your strategy.
Not to mention that using a bow during gun season means a visible bear might get shot by a rifle hunter right out from under you while you’re making a stalk. Last year that happened to me (hunting with a rifle, not bow). My advice, if you’ve never killed a bear or even any big game animal, start with whatever weapon gives you the best odds of success. Lots of guys get all cranked up watching hunting shows thinking it will be easy. Check your expectations. I live in one of the best black bear states in the country and I’m doing pretty well if I can put one on the ground every other year with a rifle
i don't disagree, i pack my rifle more days than my bow, but besides them being vanishing artists, they are custom made for archery hunting. i can only think of one bear i killed that i wouldn't have had a good chance of killing the same bear with my bow. i also don't want to shoot a bear with my rifle beyond 300yds, so i'm not shooting cross canyon.... it seems by the time i get on the same side within range i'll shoot, it's not unrealistic to finish the stalk within bow range.
you hunting high elevation over east? coast bear usually carry a good amount of fat in the spring. i have heard that in most regions (lack fat) but on the coast i haven't seen that, they have all had thick fat layers that i have seen. i have seen bear skinned in SE AK that had basically zero fat early spring
My last 3 spring bears had zero fat and I could see the ocean on all 3 pack outs. I, for one, appreciate the heck out of that! Considering I’ve skinned enough fatty bears to realize I don’t like using my havalon in a jar of petroleum jelly!
That's exactly it; they gotta work for their grass out here!
I agree with you 100%. I want to do a archery elk hunt out of state . But I feel until I have a great success rate on my own turf ,it would just be a waste . A lot of new hunters move around to much trying to replicate what they see on tv. Every year we see guys show up the trail head that claim there gonna hunt it for 3-4 days but when we get back they are packing up after day one to head somewhere else. Leaving elk to find elk , smh ! Find a spot that has animals go through the trial and error phase and figure out the animal then start moving and then it will get easier to locate them anywhere you go. Figure them out near home . Then spend the money for a more memorable hunt out of state .
Oh I see.
I missed the spring part. The best spring bears are the ones that have been eating piles of frosting and doughnuts for a month instead of slumming on maggot infested winterkill.
