Bear Hunting from the Ground

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bowhunter15
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Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:53 am

Anyone ever done it? I'm trying to think ahead in terms of logistics. I'll have three sites that I'm baiting, but only one stand. So I'll need to hang my stand the day I hunt regardless. And if assuming I'm rebaiting the day I hunt to continue the schedule, I'll have a decent pack of goodies along with me. Carrying a stand, sticks, and bait doesn't seem very easy. Carrying the bait on a frame pack on the other hand, along with a camera tripod and bow in hand, seems much simpler. Obviously it'll be much easier to be seen and potentially smelled, but I'm trying to weigh my options now rather than later. If I have a couple natural blinds set up for a couple potential winds maybe 15 yards from the bait, and crib, I should be able to get a shot off easy enough. Thoughts or ideas?


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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Mike Foss » Sun Jun 07, 2015 11:46 am

You don't have to bring allot of bait in with you, just enough for the bear to realize there is food there, by the time he gets a mouth full there might be a arrow in him. I would set a ground blind a little further back than 15 yards. I had 2 hunters last year that shot bears from a natural ground blind, but that was with a rifle, was a real rush for them.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Bearman13 » Sun Jun 07, 2015 12:43 pm

We shoot bears every year from the ground... when you bait to hunt that day just throw down a gallon or so..
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:18 pm

Okay, if I don't need to bring in a huge volume of bait the day I hunt like you have both suggested then I might as well bring in the stand. Since I'll be using the longbow I'll want to be 15 yards or closer, and that's very little margin of error for a ground set-up.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby dan » Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:40 am

Bears circle a bait to smell it for danger before they come in... No, they don't always do it, but they do it a lot. They are not only smelling for people, they are also smelling for other bears. They can be very competitive around baits. You sit on the ground next to the bait and there is a real good chance your going to get busted.

I too carry a portable stand in and out with me. I do like to have a second stand though cause often I am forced to sneak out quiet after the hunt between smaller bears. I check and bait each spot midday, look at the camera picks and then decide which one to hunt, so no need to carry in stand and bait.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:16 am

Bowhunter15

Why don't you preset your stand? are you using a climber? fixed stand? If your worried about bears finding your stand set up with a fixed stand you can use the portable ladder sticks and take them out with you or the last two sticks when you leave.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby dan » Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:18 am

Mike,
I think his issue is he has one stand and three spots.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Mike Foss » Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:02 am

My bad...I should have re-read his first post.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:44 pm

dan wrote:Mike,
I think his issue is he has one stand and three spots.


Yep, and on top of that I will likely have 2 spots up north and 1 closer to home, about a half hour drive as a place to hunt during the week, with the main spots on weekends.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby john1984 » Sat Aug 27, 2016 11:39 am

I sold my lone wolf last winter so I think I'll be bear hunting from the ground this year. I'm running 2 bait sites. I may move one of em. One of my bait sites is right next to a ditch of water. The red dot is my bait site
Image

I made a natural blind on the opposite side right on the edge of the ditch. The ditch is only around 4 yards wide but with all the rain we've been getting the water goes up to my belly button after I sink in the mud when I cross it. This is just a experiment. I went bear hunting my first time ever 2 years ago and didn't see anything. I havnt seen a bear in the wild since May 2009. So if one comes in I hope I can remain steady and not afraid so I can make a good shot. I think I might be afraid of bears but I wanna kill one with my bow. And I don't like lugging tree stands in and out for every hunt. I can't afford a mount or rug so I won't feel to bad if I don't get a kill, . I just wanna see one in bow range and feel that intense rush. Season starts Sept 7th.

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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Sat Aug 27, 2016 1:47 pm

One big issue you could have hunting from the ground with a longbow. Bears can be very difficult to find if you do not have a low exit wound to leave a good blood trail. I have seen a LOT of bears lost by bowhunters when hunting from the ground. Just last week a guy I know shot a big bear with a crossbow, perfect double lung shot and a pass through with lung blood on the arrow. We never found a drop of blood it was all inside the body and six of us did a body search for over an hour and did not find the bear. Very risky hunting from the ground with a longbow. These are not deer, the importance of a low exit wound can't be overstated.
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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby john1984 » Mon Aug 29, 2016 1:55 pm

Freelance Bowhunter wrote:One big issue you could have hunting from the ground with a longbow. Bears can be very difficult to find if you do not have a low exit wound to leave a good blood trail. I have seen a LOT of bears lost by bowhunters when hunting from the ground. Just last week a guy I know shot a big bear with a crossbow, perfect double lung shot and a pass through with lung blood on the arrow. We never found a drop of blood it was all inside the body and six of us did a body search for over an hour and did not find the bear. Very risky hunting from the ground with a longbow. These are not deer, the importance of a low exit wound can't be overstated.



Well that's not exactly the greatest news. Is it just long bows you feel this way? What about compounds? Do you feel it's unethical to bear hunt from the ground with archery? If I'm gonna shoot at a bear without the help of a treestand, should I aim lower or something? For the sake of a low exit wound? How are these guys on tv and YouTube harvesting/recovering these bears they hit on the ground? I then read an article on this site that promoted aiming at the dead center of the bears body , ... Do bear drop the string or duck at the sound of an arrow release? ??

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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Bearman13 » Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:42 pm

We shoot bears from the ground every year. Last year a longbow Hunter killed one at 8 steps. The bear went 30 yards.

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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby Findian » Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:59 pm

I wouldn't worry about hunting from the ground with a bow. The only time I've seen a bear not bleed is due to a sub par shot and the fat had seamed to plug up the hole. He didn't go but maybe a 100 yards. It's also a rush to hunt them on the ground.

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Re: Bear Hunting from the Ground

Unread postby brkissl82 » Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:38 pm

Im going on my first wisconsin bear hunt out of drummond wisconsin this year and our guide puts of his clients in a natural ground blind. He says that in the evening when the thermals go down the lower u are to the ground the less ur scent will disperse? Im not expert so maybe mike or dan can comment on this. My uncle has taken 2 400pound bears from the ground with a bow. Im a little skeptical but who am i to argue with the guide i guess

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