How to hunt nocturnal Bear in VA

[Bueltcm]

Have an area on my property that I consistently see bear, but they are all at night. Usually 9pm, sometimes later. They appear to be traveling along the north side of this creek on a well defined game trail.

Two questions:
1. How far/fast do they typically travel (ie how close do you think he’s bedded?) this is about 150-200yds to the edge of my property. They must be bedded on my neighbor’s.

2. Anything that you know of to entice a bear to come out in the daylight if you cannot bait?

Calvin

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pathfinder27]

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to bears but my good friend is a Wildlife Biologist for the state of Mass. We've bear hunted together a couple of times and he told me that a sow will cover up to about 9-10 miles on average. A boar will cover around 10 females depending on population size. That means a boar could have a 90 mile home range.
Here in VA they tend to turn nocturnal and not do a lot of day time movement once pressure from deer season kicks in, kind of like a mature buck. They're smart animals and they're weary. That doesn't mean they won't move in the day time but it's likely only for food at this point. I'd try to find a decent bedding area with food nearby that provides refuge. But then again, I'm kind of a novice myself. I've found a lot of bears just not killed a lot for whatever that's worth.

 

[Billy Goat]

Anise oil can work well. If they aren't up moving not a lot you can do about it.

Which side of the Blue Ridge are you on?

I generally find that they don't pattern anything like a deer, they roam. If they are in an area they will be there for a few days and roam on, unless you have a really good food source such as a corn field. The ones I get patterned are normally screwed up in chase season on public ground. If you find them on private you normally need to move on them quickly as they don't stay in an area any too long, again unless it's a large crop field and they aren't getting harrassed.


Are they on their way to anything particular?

Catch them in the morning. Just because they aren't on camera in the morning doesn't mean they aren't coming back same way, might be a little different path.

 

[Bueltcm]

Anise oil can work well. If they aren't up moving not a lot you can do about it.

Which side of the Blue Ridge are you on?

I generally find that they don't pattern anything like a deer, they roam. If they are in an area they will be there for a few days and roam on, unless you have a really good food source such as a corn field. The ones I get patterned are normally screwed up in chase season on public ground. If you find them on private you normally need to move on them quickly as they don't stay in an area any too long, again unless it's a large crop field and they aren't getting harrassed.


Are they on their way to anything particular?

Catch them in the morning. Just because they aren't on camera in the morning doesn't mean they aren't coming back same way, might be a little different path.

I’m on the valley side, near Crimora. I’m on a smaller plot of private. Can’t really tell what they are headed to. it’s about a 1 mi of woods to the river from my property, not many fields.

Appreciate the insight!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Billy Goat]

I’m on the valley side, near Crimora. I’m on a smaller plot of private. Can’t really tell what they are headed to. it’s about a 1 mi of woods to the river from my property, not many fields.

Appreciate the insight!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hahaha.


Your close. Really close.


Dogs shouldn't be much of a problem, keep after them.