# Help with bear hunting



## Kdub (Sep 6, 2010)

I was thinking this year about applying for a bear hunt, but I have never done it and have no idea how to go about it? Is the only decent chance at success to hunt with hounds? Does baiting provide any success? Any info from anyone who hunts bears would be greatly appreciated.


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

The only success I have had is with Polar Bears.
This is what you do:

1. Chop/saw a large hole in the ice about 8 feet in diameter.

2. Open a can of peas, and place the peas one at a time on the ice near the edge of the hole so that the peas are evenly spread around the circumference of the hole.

3. Build yourself a blind a short distance from the pea hole, and wait.

4. Finally, when a large Polar Bear comes to take a pea, quickly run up behind him and kick him in the ice-hole.  :shock:


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Love that joke Naturalist!
You can hunt bears without dogs and baiting is a good way to do that. But if what I've been told is correct you can only bait hunt a bear if you have an archery tag.


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

The best way to hunt bears is with a rod and reel... I always seem to see bears in Utah while I am fishing.


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## bird buster (May 25, 2008)

First let me say I'm no bear expert. I've only killed one and it was up in Idaho. Since I killed that one I've been reading any and all information I can get on bears. On the UTAH DWR website under the bears section there is a great bear article that was very informative to me. Here's the link:

http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/hunting/hu ... bears.html

Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and open the "Black bears of Utah's East Tavaputus plateau"

This is a great article and a great study. Now having said that if you really want to hunt bears keep putting in for Utah and building points, but don't forget Idaho is over the counter archery bear tags. If I was you I would save some cash and go with an outfitter. An inexpensive and well trusted outfitter is Gary Haight. If you ask me you cannot go wrong with him. Here's his website:

http://www.idahooutfitter.com/

He will put you on a shooter bear without question. That blonde bear (grizzly bear color) trail camera photo and the photo under it is the bear I shot last year. (I'm the one wearing the Cabela's hoodie) Gary is a true sportsman in all ways. He even offers a bow building class and often his hunters kill bears less than 15 yards away from bait. It's awesome.

Call me, or PM me anytime for more pictures or stories. Thanks, Blake


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2011)

i have never killed a bear, but have hunted them with other people who have had tags. i have baited for them and let me tell you, if you know what youre doing, it works just as good as any other method. the trick is getting them to find the bait. once they start hitting it, its game on! there are many different tricks and techniques used by hunters that will work. you just gotta do some experimenting with bait and locations to figure out what they like. ive also hunted dogs with them, but the problem that we found was we could never get a big bear to tree. they were very well trained dogs with lots of experience. the only bears that would go up a tree were little ones.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

kill_'em_all said:


> ive also hunted dogs with them, but the problem that we found was we could never get a big bear to tree. they were very well trained dogs with lots of experience. the only bears that would go up a tree were little ones.


While big bear are more apt to bay up rather than tree, that doesn't mean they won't climb. I can post pictures of a couple Boone and Crockett qualifying bear taken here in Utah with hounds, and both were in a tree. I honestly believe that your odds of harvesting a truly great bear is increased with the use of dogs.


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## Hound Inc. (Mar 31, 2008)

The biggest bears I have seen treed up after a short bay up. I can't count how many times the phone rings, (especially in the spring) and some guy has had bears hitting his bait, but never when he is sitting on it. Using hounds is by far the most effective way to harvest a trophy bear in UT. With a good bear tag, and there are 5-6 units in the state, you should have no problem getting a hound guy to assist you. 

-Keep your stick on the ice!
-Hound


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2011)

Kevin D said:


> [quote="kill_'em_all":2jm92gl1] ive also hunted dogs with them, but the problem that we found was we could never get a big bear to tree. they were very well trained dogs with lots of experience. the only bears that would go up a tree were little ones.


While big bear are more apt to bay up rather than tree, that doesn't mean they won't climb. I can post pictures of a couple Boone and Crockett qualifying bear taken here in Utah with hounds, and both were in a tree. I honestly believe that your odds of harvesting a truly great bear is increased with the use of dogs.[/quote:2jm92gl1]
i never said it couldnt be done. the guy who owned the dogs has guided many hunts where trophy bears were taken from a tree. what we experienced the times we ran dogs was that we couldnt ever get one in a tree. i agree bear hunting is much better with dogs.


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