Help with killing a bear

[hunter1978]

Man I did not think that bear hunting would be this tough. Here I am 4 years later and still have not killed a bear. I saw my first one last year during Rifle season. I would like some help In the right direction. I have found sign bear ,lapping, white Oakes, I have walked and walked then walked some more. I meet two guys about 4 years ago they came to my place and kill 2 Osceola . They were supposed to help me kill a bear yeah that did not happen. Im just looking for some guidance. I come up twice this year once in bow season and then in rifle and nothing. If anyone could help me I would really appreciate it

 

[1eyefishing]

Just speaking for myself. I had to learn to love everything about beer hunting except for the bear killing.
Loving the time spent alone learning the terrain and enjoying the habitat. Loving everything but the killing until the killing just came secondarily.
It definitely took some time.
Killed my first bear in my third year of trying. I think I had seen about 13 or 14 animals by the time I was able to bring my first one home.
Good luck, and enjoy yourself.

 

[Bjrink]

Don’t walk so much, find good sign and hunt it. They move a lot and will eventually make their rounds

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Man I did not think that bear hunting would be this tough. Here I am 4 years later and still have not killed a bear. I saw my first one last year during Rifle season. I would like some help In the right direction. I have found sign bear ,lapping, white Oakes, I have walked and walked then walked some more. I meet two guys about 4 years ago they came to my place and kill 2 Osceola . They were supposed to help me kill a bear yeah that did not happen. Im just looking for some guidance. I come up twice this year once in bow season and then in rifle and nothing. If anyone could help me I would really appreciate it

It sounds like you're on the right track. But there is absolutely no substitute for time in the woods. The tried and true bear killers that get a bear every year spend hundreds of hours scouting preseason and early season.

I know you probably come as often as you can, but driving up twice a year just won't get it done unless you get lucky. And make no mistake, some of us just get lucky.

There's several guys on this forum that are in a similar situation and would probably be glad for you to join them.

 

[jbogg]

Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. With the bumper mast crop this was a tough year to get on a bear. After the second week of bow season there were acorns high and low. A lot of bear moved to lower elevations to be closer to water since many of the high seeps dried up in the drought. It’s difficult seeing bears when they can lay in a Laurel thicket with all the food and water they could want. I know a lot of good hunters who did not get one this year. Keep at it and you will get some chances.

 

[chrislibby88]

Sounds like you are going in the right direction. You know bear sign, now find an overwhelming amount of it in smaller area. Find FRESH bear sign. Not just lapping but fresh lapping. Are the buttons inside of the acorn caps still white or have they dried and darkened? Are the leaves on the torn branches still crisp and bright green? Is the scat the same light tan on the exterior as inside? Do they have paths bulldozed through the brush with trails dimpled from bear footsteps? The best places that I’ve run into bears are all bulldozed down and completely tore up. It’s obvious that a pack of them things has been working the area. If you aren’t finding sign like this try some areas that are different from what you’ve been walking. Try steeper, they don’t mind steep and tough areas- I think they prefer them, try higher or maybe lower than you normally cruise. Good luck.

 

[ScLowCountry]

What is lapping?? I've tried to look it up to no avail

 

[WOODIE13]

What is lapping?? I've tried to look it up to no avail

lap | Southern Appalachian English

artsandsciences.sc.edu

 

[TurkeyBluff]

Hunt the CNF every weekend from daylight to dark around the mass crops. You'll see a bear at some point, it's only a matter of time.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Don’t walk so much, find good sign and hunt it. They move a lot and will eventually make their rounds

Yep. I see most of the bears I see when I'm sitting still.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Serious question @hunter1978 Are you looking to hunt a bear or just kill a bear?

 

[hunter1978]

I’ve been hunting them at some point in time it would be nice to kill one

 

[blackbear]

Bears love to move when it rains.
Find a real good saddle with a major trail going thru it with old and fresh sign everywhere,set up at a funnel where anything that crosses that trail or area will give you a shot.
Then you must put in a lot of time early and late to be there when the bear comes down the trail.
The main thing I would stress is to try and be scent free as much as possible and hunting up high in a tree will help with the scent.
I think bears can pattern hunters just like deer and avoid you if they smell you ofton.
They have a huge range like 1000 acres per bear so do the math for your area.They don't come easy.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Well, I didn't know what your goal was. If it was just to check a box that you've killed a bear, maybe an outfitter somewhere that allows killing over bait would help you achieve your goal.

If it's actually "hunting" a bear, you've got to understand that it's not a guaranteed thing. Despite what you may hear, there's not one hiding behind every tree. You can increase your odds by spending time in the woods finding the right area to hunt. Or it sounds like you had an arrangement with some guys to help you get on one. If you can't spend the time, maybe they can burn a little boot leather and help narrow down a spot for you.

 

[Joe Brandon]

I’ve gotten “lucky” twice. I’ve missed 3 and killed 2. I will tell you I didn’t/ haven’t put in the time and again have killed just two in about 8 years, you get what you put in. It is much less glamorous than it seems in my mind. The weather, the shape it takes to climb, the dry heaving after the kill, it ain’t for me. These days I’d much rather deer hunt on my farm than bear hunt. It’s a ton of work and the guys I see kill bear live that life. Even those that do live outside the mountains drive up at least once a weekend year round. No joke, I know guys in there late 50s, drive up every week, climb those mountains, camp, make there plans with there families around hunting, and have put themselves in such good shape they’ll prob live to 120, though they will tell you they hurt, they are very healthy men because of the pursuit.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Well, I didn't know what your goal was. If it was just to check a box that you've killed a bear, maybe an outfitter somewhere that allows killing over bait would help you achieve your goal.

If it's actually "hunting" a bear, you've got to understand that it's not a guaranteed thing. Despite what you may hear, there's not one hiding behind every tree. You can increase your odds by spending time in the woods finding the right area to hunt. Or it sounds like you had an arrangement with some guys to help you get on one. If you can't spend the time, maybe they can burn a little boot leather and help narrow down a spot for you.

I spend a lot of time in these mountains.
If you don’t love the journey get another goal besides a wild bear on wild lands.

There’s a reason Clay Newcomb coined it “The Sheep Hunt of the South”
Anyone can get lucky-it happens all the time. I’m sure a few even get killed near deer corn. But a wild bear in wild country is earned.
And not earned like most deer in the south where it’s just a matter of time.

Keep coming up. Keep learning. Enjoy the steps.

 

[tree cutter 08]

I spend a lot of time in these mountains.
If you don’t love the journey get another goal besides a wild bear on wild lands.

There’s a reason Clay Newcomb coined it “The Sheep Hunt of the South”
Anyone can get lucky-it happens all the time. I’m sure a few even get killed near deer corn. But a wild bear in wild country is earned.
And not earned like most deer in the south where it’s just a matter of time.

Keep coming up. Keep learning. Enjoy the steps.

Yep i agree! You got to love it. I've killed alot of bears over the years. Some years they are easy and some they are hard. This is one of those hard years. Seen alot of sow and cubs and only 1 legal bear. Just now finding good sit down and hunt bear sign. Every year is different. I've seen as many as 35 or 40 a season down to only 2 last year. It just takes time

 

[cliffdweller]

They are nomads with great noses.They just roam... Takes luck and good timing, October is the best month to kill one IMO. A lot of the bears I have seen while hunting are mid day. The biggest bear i ever saw while hunting was escaping other hunters. Just some observations from my side of the mountain

 

[hunter1978]

Thank you guys for your input. I live in Florida we have had a house up there for about 12 years. I’m not giving up I love scouting for them looking for the new places to hunt. I guess I was just asking to see if I was missing anything, or if I was doing something wrong.

 

[hunter1978]

Sounds like you are going in the right direction. You know bear sign, now find an overwhelming amount of it in smaller area. Find FRESH bear sign. Not just lapping but fresh lapping. Are the buttons inside of the acorn caps still white or have they dried and darkened? Are the leaves on the torn branches still crisp and bright green? Is the scat the same light tan on the exterior as inside? Do they have paths bulldozed through the brush with trails dimpled from bear footsteps? The best places that I’ve run into bears are all bulldozed down and completely tore up. It’s obvious that a pack of them things has been working the area. If you aren’t finding sign like this try some areas that are different from what you’ve been walking. Try steeper, they don’t mind steep and tough areas- I think they prefer them, try higher or maybe lower than you normally cruise. Good luck.

Thank you for the info I have tried high low. When I run into people I ask questions what to look for are they hunting bear if not if they have seen them. I hunt the nf just all different places. When some tells me they have seen bear there I will look at the map and go to it. I think I have tried 5 different spots this year.