Calling Bears

[OutHouse]

Does anyone have a source for articles or literature about calling bears? I know there are threads and I am trying to find the one Bango Skank and others commented on but any other sources would be much appreciated. Thank you all!

[syoungs]

Grab yourself the book "no bait, just bears" from Douglas boze.

[Jpmiller]

Listen to anything Bango says. I feel like my bear calling experience was super jump started talking to him. My progress was slowed when I moved to a state with no bears though.

[castnblast]

Grab yourself the book "no bait, just bears" from Douglas boze.

This!

Additionally, this oldie was worth watching. If you are in eastern Washington... specifically the Tri-Cities, I'm happy to loan you my copy. https://a.co/d/d8X2B0X

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[duckmen1]

One thing I have noticed is younger or average bears come in and you hear them coming. Sometimes very fast paced or just loud when coming in out of curiosity. The two Oldest and largest bears we have shot came in dead silent to 25 yards or less. Never loose your senses when on a calling set. Be ready at all times. The big bears sneak in very stealthy and use terrain to their advantage to close the distance. And I believe when those bigger boars come in they are committed to getting that meal.

For most individuals be ready to run many dry stands before seeing success but always prepare like this is the one. Years doing so will up success rates in having better odds on a stand.

[OutHouse]

Thank you all very much!!

[pickardjw]

I didn't realize Doug had a second book.

I have his "Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting" book. It has some solid information. Hoping to put it to use this spring in Idaho. Haven't had any luck in the fall calling yet.

[OutHouse]

One thing I have noticed is younger or average bears come in and you hear them coming. Sometimes very fast paced or just loud when coming in out of curiosity. The two Oldest and largest bears we have shot came in dead silent to 25 yards or less. Never loose your senses when on a calling set. Be ready at all times. The big bears sneak in very stealthy and use terrain to their advantage to close the distance. And I believe when those bigger boars come in they are committed to getting that meal.

For most individuals be ready to run many dry stands before seeing success but always prepare like this is the one. Years doing so will up success rates in having better odds on a stand.

Really interesting and kinda scary that a big bear could creep up like that. Do you get in a blind or sit at a vantage point so you can see them first? Or does that give it all away?

[duckmen1]

One thing I have noticed is younger or average bears come in and you hear them coming. Sometimes very fast paced or just loud when coming in out of curiosity. The two Oldest and largest bears we have shot came in dead silent to 25 yards or less. Never loose your senses when on a calling set. Be ready at all times. The big bears sneak in very stealthy and use terrain to their advantage to close the distance. And I believe when those bigger boars come in they are committed to getting that meal.

For most individuals be ready to run many dry stands before seeing success but always prepare like this is the one. Years doing so will up success rates in having better odds on a stand.

Really interesting and kinda scary that a big bear could creep up like that. Do you get in a blind or sit at a vantage point so you can see them first? Or does that give it all away?

No blinds just working areas and seeing what looked like good potential spots to stop and tried calling. Both these bears I had never hunted those particular areas.

The first big one I called in was at an older cut with little openings but a little bit of a rise for elevation vantage. Not very high but enough for the spot. Really didn’t hear much of anything but saw a little tree wiggle slightly in the cut about 60 yards out. Then it just appeared under 20 yards away. This one was coming in close but at the same time circling the wind to get down wind. In which it did. And as soon as it went to run brother laid the hammer down.

The second big one I called in was a 90 degree day. Went into a creek bottom in the tall timber. I was in a small bowl in the bottom of the basin. Not far from the creek. After hitting the call and few minutes in I heard the most faint tick of a twig what sounded like 100 yards ahead. Thought it may have been a squirrel or a chance of being something better but never heard a peep afterwards. Waited and kept calling and looked over to see a bear to my left sneaking in at 25 yards coming through a tight little draw. This bear had also been circling the wind. Quickly turned and got a frontal shot dropping that bear in its tracks. Had I not turned at that moment it would have closed the distance without me even knowing. Tall timber with fairly dense ferns.


Both of these bears were shot within 15 to 20 minutes of calling. Both came in very slow and silent. And I am very in tune to picking up any sound from animals coming into calls. Both tried to circle to wind. But much tighter in circling than a coyote. They both were very committed to coming directly closing the distance even when circling the wind. Both solid big boars.


Have had many other bears come in much faster to even full run . All of those bears coming in loudly just plowing brush with no care or running and such. Those have either been sows, or younger age class curious bears under 200 lbs that would come in to a certain range and more less check it out but not committed. Have called in a few sows with cubs same story. Lots of noise they hold up 100 yards out while checking out the call and the cubs play up and down trees and logs while momma is checking out the call. And the sows with cubs venture off for years to come.


With all that said I have called in bears within 15 minutes to probably 1.5 hours after calling started. Every stand is different depending on the area and terrain.

[duckmen1]

With that said in calling bears the biggest disappointment is that this state won’t align cat seasons with the opening of bear season. I have called in a number of cats, bobcats and cougars during august. That live for another day for hopes to see later on once season opens. In which come that time I never seem to call cats in. But as cool as it is to see a big cougar come to the call it really does suck not to be able to harvest. And keeps you on edge while leaving the area. I would much rather see cougar season align with bears 1 month earlier and close at a sooner date. They have their quotas anyways so it would not make too much different as a whole.

[OutHouse]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a call that I could buy online or locally that would be good for bears? Thanks!!

[Okanagan]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a call that I could buy online or locally that would be good for bears? Thanks!!

I'd order one from Rainshadow here on this forum, or one of the locals who make calls and sell them here.  I've called several pretty good black bears with Rainshadow hand calls.

Having said that, IMO the exact call sound is the LEAST important factor in successfully calling a bear, and I've called 20 or so black bears and several grizzlies in BC.  (My apologies to Steve and other call makers! )

For me they have come in to bear cub distress, hare or jack rabbit or fawn distress (those are usually a very similar sound, labeled differently) cotton tail, woodpecker and the closest one came to lip squeeks.  As said by duckmen1, some run in, some sneak, some feed closer while acting like they don't hear the call sound.  Make sure you can see downwind.

Good luck!  Fun way to hunt.  My grandsons are good at it!

[CasterlyRock]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a call that I could buy online or locally that would be good for bears? Thanks!!

RR Calls made me the most beautiful bear call a few years ago. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Bearmanric on here or rrcalls on Facebook

[Sliverslinger]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a call that I could buy online or locally that would be good for bears? Thanks!!

I have 4 RR calls- absolutely awesome sounding beautiful calls. Top notch customer service as well.

[Jpmiller]

RR calls, prettiest call and a good sound. 

[OutHouse]

Looks like I'm gonna buy at least two calls from these suggestions, thanks gents!!

[ganghis]

I'd buy a call from someone local if possible as suggested previously, but I've called in bears with a cheap plastic one off Amazon if money is an issue (see link below).  I should probably get some more - bears are curious so even if there aren't rabbits, etc. in the area it might be worth switching it up to a different species if one isn't working, especially if you know a bear is the area.

https://www.amazon.com/Quaker-Boy-Distress-Fawn-Predator/dp/B001RMY498

[OutHouse]

Browsing calls to buy right now!!

[dreadi]

I've got a great distress call....a six month old baby. By the time August rolls around her vocals will be even louder. We can just wait for her to get hungry and not feed her for a few minutes.

[Okanagan]

I've got a great distress call....a six month old baby. By the time August rolls around her vocals will be even louder. We can just wait for her to get hungry and not feed her for a few minutes.

Yes, you do have a great call!  I'm not the only one to record a baby cry and use it to call predators, but FWIW, it works.

Over 50 years ago I decided our first born child, a girl, cried with an excellent sound to call predators.  My wife was horrified, and I didn't get around to recording the baby cry.  IME and opinion, the best sound is within the first three days after a baby is born.  On about day four, the crying sound changes subtley, and IMO is not quite as good a call sound.  The first week or two is still very good and cries from older babies will probably work.

I recorded our second born when he was about three days old, and called in a few coyotes and a grey fox with the sound recorded on a cassette tape and played on a cassette tape player.  We did nothing to induce crying, merely recorded a minute or so when we were going to let him cry anyway.  My wife was still horrified.

Very few people were calling anything in those days and I was doing well with hand calls so only did a bit of experimenting with the baby cry.

[time2hunt]

Old school but was one of the original masters of calling bears.

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[bearmanric]

Back to making calls. Bulging Disk Slowed me down back at it. see if i can get pictures.

[logola512c]

With that said in calling bears the biggest disappointment is that this state won’t align cat seasons with the opening of bear season. I have called in a number of cats, bobcats and cougars during august. That live for another day for hopes to see later on once season opens. In which come that time I never seem to call cats in. But as cool as it is to see a big cougar come to the call it really does suck not to be able to harvest. And keeps you on edge while leaving the area. I would much rather see cougar season align with bears 1 month earlier and close at a sooner date. They have their quotas anyways so it would not make too much different as a whole.

Agree.  I've tried calling bears in August and only had cats respond.  Once the blackberries are in during september, the bears couldn't care less about a predator call. 

[dilleytech]

One thing I have noticed is younger or average bears come in and you hear them coming. Sometimes very fast paced or just loud when coming in out of curiosity. The two Oldest and largest bears we have shot came in dead silent to 25 yards or less. Never loose your senses when on a calling set. Be ready at all times. The big bears sneak in very stealthy and use terrain to their advantage to close the distance. And I believe when those bigger boars come in they are committed to getting that meal.

For most individuals be ready to run many dry stands before seeing success but always prepare like this is the one. Years doing so will up success rates in having better odds on a stand.

This has been my experience also, little bears come running. Big bears sneak in wanting to know what the situation is before they actually get to it. I think more big bears smell the caller or something and sneak away than callers think. But I have only called in one BIG bear. “That I actually saw coming”

[Sliverslinger]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a call that I could buy online or locally that would be good for bears? Thanks!!

The absolute best is Rick Robins - RRgamecalls.

I have 3-4 of his. Absolutely beautiful and sound amazing.

[Rob]

I have done a couple dozen sets with foxpro and mouth calls.  I have never seen one come in but that is probably just a luck or technique issue.  Also possible I have been busted and not noticed.

I watched this Sow last year.  She had two cubs with her.  I hit the mouth call and in about 2 seconds she pivoted from broad side walking to face me sitting down.  I think she was making eye contact with me.  Amazing how fast they can pinpoint where a sound is coming from.  She was 475 yards away.

[Okanagan]

Good pic, Rob.  Here's a pic of a called bear approaching a Rainshadow call.  Not a monster but a pretty good sized bear.     

[Rob]

That one would be good enough for me!  Great picture

[Machias]

I've had just the opposite experience with bear calling than a couple guys here.  So far I've been lucky enough to call in 16 bears and a couple of lions.  I think my average is a bear called in about every 20 to 25 stands.  I call non-stop for an hour.  I have several Bearmanric and Rainshadow calls.  Love both men's calls.  I have also called in a couple of bears when I was first starting out with a Jones Javelina call.  Of course we don't have Javelinas in WA State, but it is a loud raspy type call.  My difference has been how bears respond in.  All of my big bears walk right in with no care about sneaking in.  Every big bear I've called in, I heard coming in.  Smaller and most mid-sized bears were just suddenly standing there.  My theory has always been they are sneaking in because they do not want to stumble in and get their butts kicked by whatever is eating whatever is screaming.  I think big bears make noise on the way in to intimidate whatever is eating whatever is screaming.  But that is just my theory.  I have a new Lucky Duck e-caller that I will be trying out on bears this fall.  I always put a watch out in front of me, so I know how long I have been calling.  An hour on a mouth call is a chore and always feels longer than it actually has been.