It’s time! You’ve scouted, found the perfect site, baited diligently and now the season opener is right around the corner. You have bears coming in and have a spot on the wall picked out for your rug. However, when it comes down to the wire it’s not always that easy. Here’s our top five tips to know before hitting the stand this season.
Scent, Scent, Scent You’ve heard us preach it time and time again, for good reason. Scent is one of the most overlooked keys to harvesting a bear. You should never stop putting out bait because one, it continually draws in bears. Two, it lets them know the bait is fresh and that they should check it out. Three, it covers your own scent when you’re in the stand, but be sure to never actually apply scent directly to your clothing.
Dawn and dusk If you’re limited on time, just like other wildlife, dawn and dusk are when bears are most commonly active and will hit your bait. However, most dedicated hunters will sit from sun up to sun down the first few days to ensure the highest odds of harvesting a bear.
Play to the wind If you’re an avid deer hunter you’ve heard this line before, but with bears it’s even more important. Black bears’ sense of smell is 100 times greater than humans and even more powerful than a bloodhound. If your bait is downwind from your stand, don’t set it!
Go for the double lungs Different from deer hunting, you almost always want to aim for the lungs on a bear. A double lung shot will often kill an animal quicker, is a larger target and are further away from big bones that will stop penetration. Also note that with the large amount of fat and thick hair that bears have, entry and exit wounds get plugged up quickly resulting in weak blood trails so having an accurate, clean shot is crucial in recovery.
Don’t give up As you’ve probably heard, if you don’t harvest a bear within the first few days of the season opener, your season is over. While your chances of getting a bear will drop with each passing day, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to harvest a bear later in the season.
The later it gets, the more bears travel. They’ll travel far and wide, fattening up for winter. This is a great time to possibly capture a new bear’s attention by continuing to spray scent diligently, as well as always keeping your bait site stocked with small quantities of fresh bait. This is also the time to find a new bait site where bears might frequent, like oak trees, corn fields, etc. Late season hunting takes dedication and commitment, but the reward will be one of the best memories along with a great thick hide to boot!
