Tips For Bear Hunting Without Dogs?

nwwoodsman · Jul 7, 2011

Looking forward to the general bear season. Can't use dogs, can't bait 'em in Oregun which makes the odds slim to none. I've only come across 7 or 8 black bears and those were by accident outside of the season. Hunting here around Vernonia, where I've been seeing more and more sign but haven't been able to spot the bear/s that's making it. Anyone have any pointers on finding bears LEGALLY?

hsullyc · Jul 7, 2011

Predator calls some times work.

raisersedge · Jul 8, 2011

Killing bears is easier than killing a deer or an elk in Oregon. Spot and stalk is the way to go. I have tagged out every year now for the last 12. Optics are the key, with a good dose of patience. Find where they are feeding and wait for them to show. Glassing is the the hard part looking over the same cut for 3 or 4 hours can really take it out of a guy. I bring a good chair and a book. I read a page and glass the cut. Make sure the wind is right if it cant be felt or is swirling you are wasting your time. Camo is a good thing but not necessary, just soft muted tones with minimal movement. Remember you do not have to shoot the first bear you see wait for the right one. It is not uncommon to see several bears at a food source in one evening. Carry a good light I carry 3 an led stinger a good red lens hat light and a good small led hand held. I also carry several small ones on a key chain that lock on for marking roads and trails for myself or my friends who inevitably show up at a kill. If you glass like you do for deer you will be unsuccessful, you need to look for signs of the bear and not the bear itself mostly movement of a bush or limb. Bears do not stand as tall as most people think and the average bear can hide fairly well in a blackcap patch.

dcgameslayer · Jul 8, 2011

Find where there is a lot of logging and glass, glass and glass some more while looking the units over look for torn stumps,berrys bushes and bear paths through the brush. I like to glass units that are away from roads with a creek in the bottom and I also have had better luck in the evenings. One more thing is take your time to judge the bear don,t look at the body size as much as the location and size of the ears smaller and farther apart the bigger the bear. Good Luck

Woody · Jul 8, 2011

you need to do some serious scouting. check the roads, logging or forest service, and look for scat. once you find fresh or close to fresh thats when you get to the top and glass that area till the sun goes down! Find a good food source with a great watering hole around and sooner or later they will come around, if you found signs of them living in that area.