BEAR Season 2011 Is Almost Here

Many of you are probably getting your gear ready for a September 2011 Bear Hunt either in Canada, or perhaps Maine or in the Adirondacks or Catskill Mountains of NYS. Thought I would pass along some information and recommendations if you will "Bear With Me."

BEAR FACTS:

We are talking primarily about Black Bears in this post, however much of it applies to all bears:

• Sense of hearing / MUCH better than a human's, probably in the ultrasonic range.
• Sense of smell / (There is an OLD saying that talks about a pine needle dropping to the earth in the forest. Legend has it that an EAGLE saw it, a DEER heard it drop and a BEAR smelled it) A bear has been known to detect a human scent trail 14 hours after a human walked by, and they can tell the direction of travel of a breeding sow just by sniffing her tracks. 
• Eyesight / Surprisingly bears see at least as well as humans. Polar bears actually see the best with special filters that allow them to see underwater and to filter snow glare. Black bears do have color vision and particularly sensitive to blue and green wave lengths. There is some speculation that they also see red, which makes sense for being able to visually see colored berries and fruits. They are however NEARSIGHTED, and have trouble distinguishing objects at a distance. Like most NOCTURNAL animals they have a reflective layer called Tartetum Lucidum lining the back of the eyeball which helps the light reflect back through the retina which helps with night vision. 
• WEIGHT / Average male is around 250 lbs and females around 150 lbs. Weights range from approximately 125 lbs to over 600 pounds.

If you are planning or looking into a hunt this fall, you cannot go wrong with looking at our neighbor to the north in Canada. The western provinces probably have more color phase bears and on average larger bear. Places such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland Labrador, and New Brunswick in Canada are always good bets. Many outfitters advertise 90 to 100% success rates. Be sure to read and understand the procedures for crossing the border into Canada and the registration of firearms taken with you etc. LONG before going. HANDGUNS of any kind are NOT allowed in Canada.

The State of Maine is another destination with a LOT of black bears and literally dozens and dozens of outfitters willing to accommodate your hunt. Hunts there can range a little as $500 for a week with a do it yourself, bring your own food hunt to upwards of $3000 for an everything included SPRING hunt on the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation. I understand there is also a FALL hunt with some outfitters on the same locations for considerably less money. You have to do your homework and check references and compare outfitters etc. long before you actually book.

RIFLES and SCOPES:

Black bears have been taken with a wide array of firearms including just about all rifles suitable for whitetail deer hunting, muzzle loaders  including .50 cal flintlock with black powder and round balls, and of course archery gear and shotguns.

IF you are purchasing a rifle or other firearm specifically for black bear hunting over bait, my own short list would include the following:

Marlin lever Action in 45-70, .35 Rem, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin and .338 Marlin Express
Your choice of a bolt action, pump or semi-auto in: .308 Win (with 165 or 180 grain premium loads), 30-06 (same 165 or 180 grain premium loads), .300 WSM (with 180 grain loads), .338 Federal (with 210 grain Nosler Partitions or 200 Grain federal Fusion). .350 Rem mag (With 225 grain Nosler partitions), .35 Whelen (250 grain Rem Core Lokt or your own handload) etc. 
Muzzle Loaders would include .45 Cal, .50 Cal and .54 Cal rifles and my choice would be a saboted bullet combination with around 100 to 110 grains of Pyrodex, or Triple 777. I would choose saboted slugs in the 250 to 350 grain persuasion.

I cannot in good faith leave out SHOTGUNS with slugs. My favorite would be my own Ithaca 12 GA Deerslayer II with saboted slugs, however the 20 guage has come a long ways over the last 10-15 years and  would be happy to hunt with one.

Scopes: A quality fully multi coated lens scope in the 2X7, 1.5X5, 3X9X40 range with at least 3.25 inches of eye relief and preferably an illuminated red dot sight or reticle or Firefly reticle (circle dot) etc. I can recommend Bushnell Elite 3200, Burris Fullfield II, Leupold, Nikon Monarch etc. without reservation.

MOSQUITO Relief: Do not leave without purchasing a Thermocell unit and know how to use it. It is quiet and effective on a baited bear hunt


Hope you get a BIG one and send me photos to put on the BLOG.


Dan

John 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.