Hunting Bear Without Bait

[Patriot]

I wanted to start bear hunting this year, but the state that I'm hunting in doesn't allow baiting. I was wondering if I could get some tips on what to focus on while out scouting for them.

[dan]

I wanted to start bear hunting this year, but the state that I'm hunting in doesn't allow baiting. I was wondering if I could get some tips on what to focus on while out scouting for them.

What state are you hunting? and what terrain? Swamp, mountain, farm ?

[Patriot]

I’m hunting in PA, and will be hunting predominately mountain terrain that has some swampy areas.

[Mike32]

Spend as much time as you can scouting. Looking for different types of food sources and water. Then try to find trails where they are using. It can be difficult but if you keep looking you'll find some. These are some of the things I do. Also get on YouTube and watch as much as you can about PA black bear. Learn what there habits are and what they do that time of year and there primary food is then. Then start to look for those types of things and start your scouting from there. Good luck this season. I'm also from PA

[Patriot]

Spend as much time as you can scouting. Looking for different types of food sources and water. Then try to find trails where they are using. It can be difficult but if you keep looking you'll find some. These are some of the things I do. Also get on YouTube and watch as much as you can about PA black bear. Learn what there habits are and what they do that time of year and there primary food is then. Then start to look for those types of things and start your scouting from there. Good luck this season. I'm also from PA

Thanks for the info.

[Dunning Kruger]

Distress calling is an underrated tactic for bear. It works, but they can take a long time coming in. General consensus seems to be give it an hour. But you never know. My last bear i called in to 10 yards within 5 minutes.

[huntryx]

So how about if you are hunting in a state (NY) that allows the use of a small amount of scent but no bait-- I was thinking of using strong scent (GOLD RUSH) on a wick and hunting as if it is a bait.... good idea or not?

[Catskills]

So how about if you are hunting in a state (NY) that allows the use of a small amount of scent but no bait-- I was thinking of using strong scent (GOLD RUSH) on a wick and hunting as if it is a bait.... good idea or not?

bump.. fellow NYer here reading up since I am going still hunting tomorrow. First time going soley for bear due to the early season. Our population is good here in 3k. I have only done a little bit of scouting but plan to still hunt/scout starting tomorrow and sunday and then few days after work. If I get into any good sign or a locate one I will report back. Also curious on using scents.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Distress calling is an underrated tactic for bear. It works, but they can take a long time coming in. General consensus seems to be give it an hour. But you never know. My last bear i called in to 10 yards within 5 minutes.

This.

Find the food. Find the bears. Call to bring them to you.

This is the best book on calling bears that I have come across. The author is a member.



Bob

[Edcyclopedia]

Find food sources like berries, apples, beech nuts, etc.
Look for claw marks on tree's too.
Understand poop and puke freshness, this will tell you when and the frequency bear are there...

Scents if possible-
Bear Bomb cake icing has worked for me.
I'm trying the gold rush as well this year.

I've called bear in using a fawn bleat can with 30-40 turns of the can in succession, about every hour. Be still...

[Horizontal Hunter]

Find food sources like berries, apples, beech nuts, etc.
Look for claw marks on tree's too.
Understand poop and puke freshness, this will tell you when and the frequency bear are there...

Scents if possible-
Bear Bomb cake icing has worked for me.
I'm trying the gold rush as well this year.

I've called bear in using a fawn bleat can with 30-40 turns of the can in succession, about every hour. Be still...

Hunters in states that don’t allow baiting must be very careful when it comes to using scents. You need to make sure that you read the actual law and not just the abstracts or summaries of the law.

Baiting isn’t allowed where I am. When I think of bait I think of corn, pastries, grease...... they usual stuff but the law is written so restrictively that you can’t use bear bombs or the like either.

Hunters get pinched for this every year and it costs them their bear and some cash. It is very easy to hunters to unknownly run afoul of the baiting laws.

This is the pertinent part of the actual law where I am:

“Baiting means the placement, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of any bait or other substance so as to constitute for bears a lure or attraction to areas where hunters are attempting to take them.”

Bob

[Edcyclopedia]

Find food sources like berries, apples, beech nuts, etc.
Look for claw marks on tree's too.
Understand poop and puke freshness, this will tell you when and the frequency bear are there...

Scents if possible-
Bear Bomb cake icing has worked for me.
I'm trying the gold rush as well this year.

I've called bear in using a fawn bleat can with 30-40 turns of the can in succession, about every hour. Be still...

Hunters in states that don’t allow baiting must be very careful when it comes to using scents. You need to make sure that you read the actual law and not just the abstracts or summaries of the law.

Baiting isn’t allowed where I am. When I think of bait I think of corn, pastries, grease...... they usual stuff but the law is written so restrictively that you can’t use bear bombs or the like either.

Hunters get pinched for this every year and it costs them their bear and some cash. It is very easy to hunters to unknownly run afoul of the baiting laws.

This is the pertinent part of the actual law where I am:

“Baiting means the placement, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of any bait or other substance so as to constitute for bears a lure or attraction to areas where hunters are attempting to take them.”

Bob

Due diligence IS A MUST!

Like when Mass drivers come to NH and don't realize we have a hands-free driving law for cell phones.
They or anybody should be ticketed...

When I was a young Lad I had an officer pull me over for speeding, I told him I thought the speed limit was 10mph faster.
He told me that ignorance is not an excuse...

[Horizontal Hunter]

Due diligence IS A MUST!

Like when Mass drivers come to NH and don't realize we have a hands-free driving law for cell phones.
They or anybody should be ticketed...

When I was a young Lad I had an officer pull me over for speeding, I told him I thought the speed limit was 10mph faster.
He told me that ignorance is not an excuse...

Absolutely.

Here in Mass it is just shy of entrapment. In the summary it just says no baiting but it doesn’t define baiting. You have to read the actual law to get the info. That’s why I always remind people to read the actual law.

I think Pennsylvania is the same.

Bob

[NHODN]

I've been hunting corn fields and have found lots of sign that's where a lot of people I know have been having lots of luck here in New Hampshire