After The Shot: Recovering Your Bear

Months of baiting and preparation
can come down to a few seconds
when a bear finally steps in.
Making a good shot is important, but
knowing what to do afterward can be just
as critical. From reading the bear’s reaction
to getting several hundred pounds of
dead weight out of the woods, recovering
a bear presents challenges different from
recovering a deer.
Shot Placement Shot placement on a
bear can be deceiving. Looking through
your sight or scope, especially in low light,
you’re often looking at one big black mass.
Thick fur makes it difficult to distinguish the
shoulder and determine where the vitals sit.
The bottom of a bear can also be
misleading because you’re seeing fur and
fat, not just the actual chest cavity. Instead
of using the bottom of the bear as your
reference point, identify the shoulder and
visualize where the lungs sit underneath
all that hair. A broadside double-lung shot
gives you a larger target and is generally a
better goal than trying to specifically hit the
heart.
Once you shoot, watch the bear’s reaction
and mentally mark where it was standing, its
direction of travel and the last place you saw
it. You may also hear the well-known “death
moan” as a bear expires. If you hear it, it can
help determine where the bear went down,
but don’t rely on it. Not every bear will make
one.
Tracking A good hit on a bear doesn’t
always produce the blood trail you might
expect to see from a deer. Thick fur and
fat can hold and absorb blood, leaving
surprisingly little on the ground.
If blood becomes sparse, slow down. Look
for tracks, turned leaves, broken vegetation
and disturbed ground. Always mark your
last confirmed blood so you have a point to
return to if you lose the trail.
Recovery Before you climb into your
stand, ask yourself: What am I going to do if
I shoot a 400-pound bear tonight?
A big bear is considerably harder to
move than a deer. They’re bulky, heavy and
difficult to get a good grip on, especially
in swamps, thick cover or rough terrain.
Know how you’ll access your bear and what
equipment and help you’ll have available.
After dark with a bear on the ground isn’t
the time to figure it out.
Meat Care Once your bear is recovered
and the pictures are taken, don’t waste time.
A bear’s heavy hide and thick layer of fat are
excellent insulation. They trap body heat
and can prevent the meat from cooling even
when the outside temperature feels cool.
Leaving the hide on too long can result in
spoiled meat.
Get the bear skinned, processed and
cooling as quickly as possible. During
processing, trim excess fat from the meat.
Bear fat can also be saved and rendered into
bear grease.
Bear meat can make excellent roasts,
burgers and sausages, but unlike some other
wild game, it isn’t something you want
to serve rare. Bears can carry Trichinella
parasites, so make sure the meat is
thoroughly cooked before eating it.
A successful bear hunt doesn’t end with
the shot. Knowing where to aim, paying
attention after the trigger is pulled and
having a solid recovery and processing plan
will help make sure all those months of
work don’t go to waste.
From everyone at Bob’s Bear Bait, good
luck this season and congratulations to
everyone who fills a tag! To see our bait,
scents and locations, visit bobsbearbait.
com. To stay up to date with our latest news
and sales, follow us on Facebook. Bob’s Bear
Bait, your one stop shop for all your baiting
needs!