Private land bearhunting

[Bowcrazy]

   Hi, new to the site and new to hunting. Have spent the last year deciding on what kind of hunting to do and bowhunting seems exciting and challenging to me. I purchased a new bow and the whole nine yards. Into it for about 2 grand so far. Have been practicing since april.
    All the advice I am reading seems to point towards private land. My mom has 5 acres with bear and blacktail as does a friend in Mason County. I set up my game cam at his house yesterday and was amazed to find a bear den not 200 yards from his house. He has steep hillsides and a creek that runs around his property. Found some cedartree scrapes and some scotchbroom that was trampled down pretty good.
 Question; should I be targeting my efforts towards the creek or in the ravines on the hillside ?  Treestand or just get up high on the steep hillside ? What broadhead is recommended for bearhunting ? Any help would be great, looks like alot of good info on this site.

[kglacken]

   Hi, new to the site and new to hunting. Have spent the last year deciding on what kind of hunting to do and bowhunting seems exciting and challenging to me. I purchased a new bow and the whole nine yards. Into it for about 2 grand so far. Have been practicing since april.
    All the advice I am reading seems to point towards private land. My mom has 5 acres with bear and blacktail as does a friend in Mason County. I set up my game cam at his house yesterday and was amazed to find a bear den not 200 yards from his house. He has steep hillsides and a creek that runs around his property. Found some cedartree scrapes and some scotchbroom that was trampled down pretty good.
 Question; should I be targeting my efforts towards the creek or in the ravines on the hillside ?  Treestand or just get up high on the steep hillside ? What broadhead is recommended for bearhunting ? Any help would be great, looks like alot of good info on this site.

Welcome! It is hard to tell you where to set up without seeing the property, but what i can say is if you are going to try and take a bear with a bow, you are going to want to hunt the bear where he is going to be. An ambush so to speak. I am doing the same thing, or planning to do the same thing, on a 160 acre piece of land where the owner has seen a bear quite a few times in the same area. Im hanging a treestand and hoping to catch him on the move. One thing to keep in mind is on a 5 acre piece of land, you better make sure your shot placement is excellent. With a bow and being a beginner, more than likely, the bear will run off the property after he is shot. Just be prepared and have a plan for who to contact if that happens! As far as broadheads, I personally shoot G5 strikers and love them. I double lunged a deer last year at 30 yards and he ran 30 yards before buckling over.

Most importantly, make sure you have a plan on how to enter and exit the property quietly and without disturbing it. I have learned from experience, even on 20 acre pieces of property, that if you go in too loud or in the open where animals can see you before you see them, you are liable to blow them out of the boundaries of the property and who knows how long before they return.  If you have any other questions I am willing to help! Good luck! 

[Bowcrazy]

   His property butts up to like 100 acres of DNR land. I will be taking an experienced bowhunter with me . I am going to check my cam in two weeks to see what is going on if anything. There were some nice tracks by the scotchbroom and stump. His property is heavy brush and pretty heavily wooded. There looks like two distinct game trails on different parts of his property that both head down to the creek . So are you a big fan of the sit and wait or walk and stalk ? Thanks for your reply.

[kglacken]

Thats good that it borders DNR. Lock your cameras just in case. 

I personally would rather be on the ground runnin' and gunnin' but when it comes to moving in the dry summer and with how tough bears are to stalk, I think a stand is the most effective and a ground blind being the second most effective tactic. I think you are best to find a good trail, see when the bear is moving and try to sit on it. You might sit there many evenings before you see him, but if you are patient, you can probably get a shot if you are willing to put in the time 

[Bowcrazy]

   MY camera is. My buddies property is pretty remote for access expect from his. His neighbor did hunt the area last year after five of his dogs disappeared. He found the dogs bodies but not the bear. I will definitely take your advice and try the sit and wait. I have the time and patience and i am too driven to not put in a great effort for my first year. My work shcedule is pretty good and buddy only lives 15 minutes away. I did see some rub marks on some 10" round trees from the ground going up about 4 '. From a bear or a mondo blacktail ? Should I wait from o dark thirty all day out there til dark, or pick either evening or morning ? Thanks again.

[kglacken]

This is what a peel looks like. 
I personally can't stand to sit in the stand from sun up to sun down, but if you can do it, it may be beneficial. I would try to pattern the bear. If you can find when he is coming through an area, set up 2 hours before and wait. Generally speaking, the afternoon and evenings are best for bear hunting, but they are always there. Also, make sure you set up your stand and cut shooting lanes soon! Give the bear and other animals a chance to get used to it being there! Im setting mine up next week!