hints to hunting north G.ga bears.

Bowhunter77

Member
I need to slow down my approach, I always see them on my way to where I’m going, my tip slow down and ease into your area you have picked out.
 

Killer Kyle

Senior Member
Oh and bears don't see too good they have small eyes that's why they usually won't see you unless you move fast or make noise.this also helps when you are stalking them.
Do scent killers help? yes sometimes but I'd rather smell like the woods or another bear so when I am bear hunting I don't use any kind of scent killer and no deodorant the evening before the hunt. Saw dust is good because it smells like the woods I've seen lots of bear and other game after cutting wood or have worked with wood all day carpentering. so just think about that a more natural than some of these scent killers. also little sweat and the smell of saw dust or even wood smoke smells more natural in the woods than these scent killers often do. I am not saying they don't work sometimes but I see more bears after working all day than I do using scent killers.
Early season, I get super sweaty hiking in to a lot of the places I hunt. I carry an extra shirt to change into when I get where I am going. I'll grab a handful of peat beneath the leaves which just smells like earth and moldy leaves. I rub it all over me. Chest, back, arm pits, shins, thighs. Sometimes I'll crush a few pine needles and rub them too. That is the most natural cover scent one can wear!
 

WoodlandScout82

Senior Member
This will only be my second season of bear hunting, but I have a trick for cover scent that I use for still-hunting deer that might work. I gather plants and tree limbs/leaves from the area I intend to hunt, boil them, and make a spray. I've had many deer within grabbing distance. I'm gonna try it at Cohutta this year.
 

Tio Hey Seuss

Senior Member
I actually don't do anything for scent control or cover scent. I just don't think you can beat their nose. Scientists talk about bears being able to smell a meal from 18 miles away...I don't buy that number but let's say the can only smell 1/4 that well. That means every bear on chattahoochee smells every person in the city of helen.
I don't think cover scent helps much either since they can identify different scents so easily. I will however try to "hide" my scent by hunting an area already contaminated by human scent IF I can't hunt a favorable wind. What I mean is areas near popular trails, camps, vineyards or whatever that might acclimate bears to human scent.
 

jbogg

Senior Member
I remember reading that humans can smell the chili cooking, but the bear smells, the tomatoes, the meat, the jalapeños, the chili powder, cayenne pepper, the tomato sauce, The pinto beans, the kidney beans… You get the picture. Use the wind the best that you can, but at the end of the day you will never mask your scent from a bear or deer for that matter. I have had plenty of deer come in downwind of me, but the ones that never smelled me was almost certainly the result of a slight updraft or wind current that took my sent around or over them. Feel free to enjoy my chili recipe!
 

WoodlandScout82

Senior Member
my deer area is all pines and a few cedars and maples. At cohutta, i figure I will boil some oak, acorns, pine and the very abundant sassafras that grows there. Worth a try by my standards at least.
 

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Killer Kyle

Senior Member
my deer area is all pines and a few cedars and maples. At cohutta, i figure I will boil some oak, acorns, pine and the very abundant sassafras that grows there. Worth a try by my standards at least.
You, sir go above and beyond. I dont know if your trick actually works, but it is an interesting. I'm fairly certain bears don't fool with sassafrass, but wonder if the smell could prompt a curiosity response from them. All I know is that if you're boiling down acorns and spraying down with it, you just might be Georgia's first legitimate bear attack victim! Ha!
 

WoodlandScout82

Senior Member
You, sir go above and beyond. I dont know if your trick actually works, but it is an interesting. I'm fairly certain bears don't fool with sassafrass, but wonder if the smell could prompt a curiosity response from them. All I know is that if you're boiling down acorns and spraying down with it, you just might be Georgia's first legitimate bear attack victim! Ha!
I'm not using the sassafras as an attractant. The area I am planning to hunt is thick with it. I just try to smell like where I am. I won't even pretend that I know anything about bears. I will say though that even having scouted only one day last year, I was beat to my spot I planned to hunt last year by 10 minutes, and the guy got a bear 100 yards from me, that was headed straight to my area. I do everything I can to accomplish my goals. I even built an ultralight (10 pounds) cart to haul an animal with this year. I research, study, obsess full-time. I learn and adapt very quickly. I tried my cart out last weekend with 200 pounds and it works flawlessly. It took me hours 5 to get that hog in my profile pic to my truck last year. As for being attacked? I hunt with a very custom Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM II. Yogi doesn't want any of me.IMG_20180825_190751_783.jpg
 
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beardsnbones

Senior Member
This post is awesome!!! Were going on our first bear hunt this year and needed some advice. Thank yall!
 

Cwb19

Senior Member
Killed my first bear a few years back following advice on this forum about hunting wild grapes so now I look for grape vines as much as I do the oaks
 
I'm headed up to the Cohutta WMA this weekend to hunt bear (or a large buck). I will scout all day Friday and hunt Sat and Sun. I'll be using my bow and I normally hunt from a Summit climber. While up in that area (hilly and rough terrain), should I ditch the climber? And just plan to stalk all day? I like to use my climber when bow hunting as it allows me to get high and game to get close without getting busted. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

Tio Hey Seuss

Senior Member
I'm headed up to the Cohutta WMA this weekend to hunt bear (or a large buck). I will scout all day Friday and hunt Sat and Sun. I'll be using my bow and I normally hunt from a Summit climber. While up in that area (hilly and rough terrain), should I ditch the climber? And just plan to stalk all day? I like to use my climber when bow hunting as it allows me to get high and game to get close without getting busted. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would say ditch the climber. I hunt from the ground all the time. With deer that can make it more difficult but for bear I feel like you're better off moblie. That's partly why I'm so addicted to bear hunting!
 
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