Predator calling Black bears

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I have called in 3 black bear using a calf elk call. Stay alert when they come in their at a run and your the meal their coming for!

I'm not sure that would work in my area were limited to a fall hunt and without elk. A fawn bleat may though thank you for the advice.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Wayne Carton is the other guide call maker I’ve met. He primarily uses a diaphragm call. I’ve only used those for turkeys and elk myself.
There should be some info on YouTube I would think. You might search there.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thanks all look into that.

 

[WAB]

@Skinnersblade, it’s a pleasure to meet a bluenoser via the site. I am a UNB grad, I married a bluenoser and both our boys are herring chokers (I was working for Irving back in the day).

I have had success calling black and grizzly bear. The thing to remember is that calling bear is like calling cats, you must call continuously. Dogs are different. You call and stop w fox, coyotes and wolves. Continuous calling can make them hang up.

If there are a lot of bear in the area, try to call from downwind but watch your six!!! The dominant bear will run straight in with the wind looking to kick someone’s ass for eating in his kitchen, however the others may circle downwind to scope things out before committing. When I was playing this game in Alaska, I would work into the wind moving along streambeds. When I found fresh tracks I would set up to call. I learned to call with a relatively short window upwind but a long window downwind. I once was circled and busted by three separate brown bear in one morning. We finally got the dominant boar to commit. He came on a dead charge. Unfortunately, the young man I had taken on his first griz hunt was so busy crapping his pants he couldn’t pull the trigger. It would have made an awesome video!

Don’t cold call. Get into an area with bear. Get near their feeding area. Only call during periods of high activity (early and late). The call will pull them but typically not from great distances.

I am sure there are many great calls, but when I lived in Rawlins, Wyoming I had great luck with Dan Thompson’s calls. He’s out of Rawlins. I took them with me when I moved to Alaska and had good luck with them on bear, lynx, coyote and even wolf.

Best of luck!

PS I have had some very close encounters with bear when calling. Remember, grizzly typically attack to eliminate a threat, black bear attack for dinner. In a call scenario everyone is looking for dinner. I have called solo, but I think it’s a seriously bad idea. Tell your friends to grow a pair and go with you.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thanks @WAB next time your in the area let me know I'll buy the first donair and schooner.

 

[WAB]

You got it. We’ll be visiting the in-laws this spring (Dartmouth-Wolfville-Truro). I’ll PM you when I know our schedule.

When I worked at the Irving refinery in Saint John we had an expression for folks lost at sea, ‘tits up and headed for Digby’.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

@WAB I'm a little further down outside of Yarmouth, we'll figure something out when you know your schedule.

 

[Pheroze]

Given that little news nugget; that you are using yourself as bait. I would suggest that you figure out how to get up a tree if you are using a mouth call.

I was getting pretty stoked about this calling business, then remembered that I have wolves in my area! Maybe I will stick to more traditional methods....

 

[BeeMaa]

I was getting pretty stoked about this calling business, then remembered that I have wolves in my area! Maybe I will stick to more traditional methods....

Don't forget, just because you stop calling doesn't mean they stop coming.
Having a buddy as backup is a good idea as well.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I tend to get a bit nervous calling, because I rarely have anyone there with me. I hunt weekdays and stay home most weekends. Unfortunately my friends who are retired are either not interested, or not healthy enough to hunt with me. Still, when alone, it can be a rush when hearing twigs snap behind you! Usually a deer coming in to the fawn distress sound. Or coyote occasionally.

 

[6.8KLR]

Have called Black Bear a lot in my day. The only advise is to use a loud jackrabbit call and remember that Blackies have a very short attention span....so keep calling, start out low tone in case they are nearer, than you think, then progressively louder and longer ,then pause, watch then start over with the same call sequence as before. Do not fear these Bears as a Griz. Because they are comparably a less aggressive type than others. .280 Rem. is great, as would be something similar. The .280 is my favorite. Just my 5 cents worth. good luck.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Have called Black Bear a lot in my day. The only advise is to use a loud jackrabbit call and remember that Blackies have a very short attention span....so keep calling, start out low tone in case they are nearer, than you think, then progressively louder and longer ,then pause, watch then start over with the same call sequence as before. Do not fear these Bears as a Griz. Because they are comparably a less aggressive type than others. .280 Rem. is great, as would be something similar. The .280 is my favorite. Just my 5 cents worth. good luck.

There are no griz here so that is not a concern, I have a rabbit in distress call.
I'm undecided on caliber either my .270 or my .340. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Don't forget, just because you stop calling doesn't mean they stop coming.
Having a buddy as backup is a good idea as well.

I can't convince any of them that it's worth the extra effort. There all perfectly content to sit over bait. To me the adventure is in going into the wild and purposely seeking out a top predator.

 

[BeeMaa]

I can't convince any of them that it's worth the extra effort. There all perfectly content to sit over bait. To me the adventure is in going into the wild and purposely seeking out a top predator.

I get it and it takes a pair of stones to do so alone.
Good luck to you sir.
Looking forward to a hunt report when you get back.

 

[MarkB]

I have called in many many predators from all over the world including bears with a mouth blown call. Living in BC yes always worry about the bigger G bears but not to a point of not calling, watch wind, back and stay aware. Called G bears deliberately when we had a season, great way to get them on the same side of the stream and into permit zone or for easier recovery. Now only blacks are hunted, I have had black bears instantly stop eating new grass on avalanche slops and run hell bent towards us covering 100's of yards, made son and me scared shitless with the WOW feeling, or "puff up" and strut down the logging rd towards you as you lay in the ditch grass. Normally they stop coming as soon as you stop calling. Also had lots of bears (higher % than those that came in) totally ignore the calls.

Our best call is the clear Buck Gardiner 2 sided call we get at Cabelas/Bass Pros Canada $12. One side is a rabbit?, other side sounds like a fawn deer. Cant remember model # and writing is worn off, NEVER hunt anywhere without one in my pocket. With some practice you can make stuff happen, start low and ramp it up, I have even won beer by betting buddies that their dogs will go crazy=they do.

Take the call and try, nothing may happen or you may have a lifetime award moment. Gotta try, good luck.

MB

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thanks @MarkB it's going to be an adventure either way but all the advice helps.

 

[WAB]

I was getting pretty stoked about this calling business, then remembered that I have wolves in my area! Maybe I will stick to more traditional methods....

A number of years ago My son and I were meeting a buddy in Delta, Alaska for a day of predator calling. We hit ice fog and ice coming out of Fairbanks and were 45 minutes late for the rendezvous. When we got there Eddie was looking a little sheepish. He said he’d gotten impatient and done one stand without us. I asked how it went and he nodded at his pickup. I walked over and the bed was full of wolves! He’d started calling a and got an pack to come in in deep snow. He could see them coming and had time to put shells between every finger. Incredibly, he was shooting a Ruger No3 in .223!!! He killed the first wolf when it’s head came up above the snow at 8 yards. The rest of the pack tried to get out of dodge. Eddie calmly shot each one in the back of the head as they porpoises away through the snow. One of the most incredible things I have ever seen.

Oh and by the way, until you’ve done it, you won’t believe how hard it is to drag a wolf out in deep snow.

 

[Pheroze]

A number of years ago My son and I were meeting a buddy in Delta, Alaska for a day of predator calling. We hit ice fog and ice coming out of Fairbanks and were 45 minutes late for the rendezvous. When we got there Eddie was looking a little sheepish. He said he’d gotten impatient and done one stand without us. I asked how it went and he nodded at his pickup. I walked over and the bed was full of wolves! He’d started calling a and got an pack to come in in deep snow. He could see them coming and had time to put shells between every finger. Incredibly, he was shooting a Ruger No3 in .223!!! He killed the first wolf when it’s head came up above the snow at 8 yards. The rest of the pack tried to get out of dodge. Eddie calmly shot each one in the back of the head as they porpoises away through the snow. One of the most incredible things I have ever seen.

Oh and by the way, until you’ve done it, you won’t believe how hard it is to drag a wolf out in deep snow.

Wow!

We are restricted on tags for wolves. So, better chance that a wolf will find out how heavy I am in the snow!

 

[Rick Cox]

As mentioned above, bears will come to elk calls, in fact it is becoming a real hazard in parts of BC. ( mainly but not entirely grizzly) And they may be on top of you before they know what you are and then feel threatened. For this reason and others many folks are hesitant to use a call alone.
But as @BRICKBURN has said, a tree is a good idea.
On a side note: a friend called in and shot a cougar last year using an electronic call.

 

[Rick Cox]

A number of years ago My son and I were meeting a buddy in Delta, Alaska for a day of predator calling. We hit ice fog and ice coming out of Fairbanks and were 45 minutes late for the rendezvous. When we got there Eddie was looking a little sheepish. He said he’d gotten impatient and done one stand without us. I asked how it went and he nodded at his pickup. I walked over and the bed was full of wolves! He’d started calling a and got an pack to come in in deep snow. He could see them coming and had time to put shells between every finger. Incredibly, he was shooting a Ruger No3 in .223!!! He killed the first wolf when it’s head came up above the snow at 8 yards. The rest of the pack tried to get out of dodge. Eddie calmly shot each one in the back of the head as they porpoises away through the snow. One of the most incredible things I have ever seen.

Oh and by the way, until you’ve done it, you won’t believe how hard it is to drag a wolf out in deep snow.

Awesome!