Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: WASHBCBOOK on June 17, 2009, 02:11:54 PM

Title: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: WASHBCBOOK on June 17, 2009, 02:11:54 PM: IF YOU COULDNT HANG A STAND WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT FOR BLACK BEAR I HAVE A SPOT ITS LESS THAN 10 YARD TO WERE THE BEARS WALK IS THAT TO CLOSE FOR A BLIND ANY TIPS WILL HELP THANKS
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on June 17, 2009, 02:16:08 PM: I have ground hunted them in Alaska, thought it was the perfect setup until one smaller one that was curious came up from behind that I did not hear or see and he then decided he wanted to see what was in the ground blind, there was a lot of yelling and bawling going on. So be careful they are by nature curious.

Joe
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: billythekidrock on June 17, 2009, 04:11:52 PM: It can measure in feet depending on the area.
I would try to get a little farther back if possible, but if it is the best spot you have then go for it.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: rasbo on June 17, 2009, 04:15:18 PM: last bear I got was ten feet,havent had one over 30 yet..depends on the location and thermals
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bucklucky on June 17, 2009, 04:36:37 PM: I killed a bear one time that was so close I stuffed the barrel in his head ;) Of course that was with dogs :)
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: BC CHASER on June 17, 2009, 06:19:43 PM: My old man has never shot a bear over 20 ft. His closest was about 8 to 10 feet. I have had them so close I could kick them. It all depends on the person I guess.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: saylean on June 17, 2009, 07:06:56 PM: As close as I felt safe...or safe enough...

last years bear was under 20 yards and coming.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: fishcrazy on June 17, 2009, 07:48:38 PM: last years bear was under 20 yards and coming

he must of smeld a sow??

Kris
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: mossback91 on June 17, 2009, 08:23:06 PM: however close it takes to seal the deal!!! :)
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Sideswipe on June 17, 2009, 09:15:27 PM: Sounds like pucker pills are more important than a scoped magnum for some of ya. :chuckle:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Timmybob on June 19, 2009, 11:13:33 PM: I'm not too keen on getting that close to a bear..Tree stand or long shot for me please.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: mazama on June 20, 2009, 09:32:13 AM: Many years ago i was talking to a young feller in the campground he said he was taking a nap on a sunny day while hunting he woke up to a bear sniffing his face, he screamed bear went one way he went other, he didnot want any part of that bear after that.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: dirty.dan4 on June 20, 2009, 11:05:26 PM: I shot stalked and shot one last year at 4 paces. One hell of a adrenaline rush :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Dirty Mike on June 21, 2009, 06:51:20 PM: hey hunter was that pic in the olympics?
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bucklucky on June 22, 2009, 02:11:56 PM: Almost forgot about the one that ran right too me, maybe 10 yards .
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: EastWaViking on June 22, 2009, 02:21:34 PM: about 300 yards... if I was in a tank. Bears freak me out.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: rasbo on June 22, 2009, 02:30:59 PM: Quote from: EastWaViking on June 22, 2009, 02:21:34 PM
about 300 yards... if I was in a tank. Bears freak me out.
:chuckle: :chuckle:you just have better sense than some of us :hello:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bearpaw on June 22, 2009, 02:58:20 PM: Most important thing is watch your clothing don't have foreign odors and use lots of unscented coverscent. goodluck...... ;)
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 22, 2009, 03:06:08 PM: Quote from: BLKBEARKLR on June 17, 2009, 02:16:08 PM
I have ground hunted them in Alaska, thought it was the perfect setup until one smaller one that was curious came up from behind that I did not hear or see and he then decided he wanted to see what was in the ground blind, there was a lot of yelling and bawling going on. So be careful they are by nature curious.

Joe

Hey Joe, did the bear make any noise too? :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bearpaw on June 22, 2009, 03:28:02 PM: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Huntbear on June 22, 2009, 06:39:52 PM: Man, I would lovve to get that close and personal with a bear when hunting. I have loads worked up for my Redhawk that would be powerful bear medicine. Just the adrenaline rush would be awesome, let alone getting a bear too.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: klickman on June 22, 2009, 06:46:52 PM: It comes down to the individual. Black bears I don't think are that big of a deal. They'll high tail it more often than not. But they are curious animals. put your stand in the best location you will be fine. If it were brown bears on the other hand get me 30ft up a tree. I hate brown bears

Klickman
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Timmybob on June 22, 2009, 11:39:09 PM: Damn, you guys are hardcore...Bucklucky, You really stuffed a barrel into a bear and bang???
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Hornseeker on June 24, 2009, 08:30:13 AM: You still run dogs BuckLucky?

I've put the barrel against several bears heads.. pistols and my old 30-30 both... purty fun. I've shot one bear that was about 300 yards, the rest were ultra close hound deals....
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bucklucky on June 24, 2009, 08:46:21 AM: Quote from: Timmybob on June 22, 2009, 11:39:09 PM
Damn, you guys are hardcore...Bucklucky, You really stuffed a barrel into a bear and bang???

No joke, it was bayed up and throwing dogs left and right. Goto do what you goto do.

Quote from: Hornseeker on June 24, 2009, 08:30:13 AM
You still run dogs BuckLucky?

I've put the barrel against several bears heads.. pistols and my old 30-30 both... purty fun. I've shot one bear that was about 300 yards, the rest were ultra close hound deals....

Not so much anymore. Still got a few coon dogs though. Its all I really had in the first place. Cant say I ever truely owned a "Bear dog" like some do. I get out every now and again during season for local walk hunts.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: KillBilly on June 24, 2009, 08:59:37 AM: I killed seven bears in North Carolina with my .44 Mag. They were all pushed by dogs running deer. The closest one was about 10 feet, he came out of the brush running right at me. If I hadn't fired, he might have run right over me.. it scared him to death. :chuckle: Most of them averaged about 15-20 yds.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Hornseeker on June 24, 2009, 11:32:58 AM: Shoot, we had one bear... this is crazy chit... that had fought the dogs for a few hours. I finally got in there. I could see dogs spread out all over the dang place..prolly 8 dogs in there... then I spotted the bear... he was a 90#er and these dogs wouldnt get NEAR him.. Now.. I've seen these exact same dogs bite 250# bears and kill 100# bears on the ground before I got there.... this bear must have been a serious bad ass...

he was just walking slowly and the dogs were anywhere from about 20-50 feet in a big circle around him. Anyhow, I walked up behind him and drew the hammer back on my 30-30 and when I did he wheeled around to see what it was...I was Right there with him....at that time I slipped cause he startled me. As I was falling the barrel touched the side of his head and I pulled the trig.. he came to rest with his head on my boot...

Thats "one" of the fun stories I've got from a lifetime of chasing bears with dogs.... memories that are burned in and will never be forgotten!!!
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Pathfinder101 on June 24, 2009, 11:41:11 AM: I think you were asking about "how close is too close regarding scent", right?
I set up a ground blind on a trail that a bear was using every day last September for my son and I. We sat there four days and never saw the bear. We sat mornings, we sat evenings, we sat midday. He kept running through the area whenever we weren't there. We were set about 30 yards from the trail.
One of the guys from my elk camp came and took a look at where we were set, and told us that we were too close. He said the bear could smell us and would just wait til we left to come thru. Either he was right, or we just really had some rotten luck. I couldn't move the blind back any further and still see the trail, so this year I am probably either going to find a better vantage point from which to watch the same trail (don't know that there is one), or hang a tree stand. Either way, I will manage our scent more carefully than I did last year.

So, from this experience, I assume that 30 yards is "too close"...
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: saylean on June 24, 2009, 11:43:42 AM: Scent depends on the wind I would say...

I was within about 10 yards of a bear two years ago...heard brush moving, looked over (I thought he was farther off)...all the sudden a bear stands up 10 yards away or so, looking right to left and I freeze.

The wind was right and he just plopped down and kept on going in the brush.
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: cohoho on June 24, 2009, 11:57:57 AM: First without a baited site, you might be sitting for a very-very long, unless it is over a particular berry bush or salmon stream that is getting hammered on a reular basis. For bears over bait, normally kept the stand 20-25 yards from bait, to keep them from being nervous. Had ground stand for the first year ONLY, then had a close encounter with Brownie that was too close for comfort so went to ladder stands without question. But putting a stand in hopes of a passng bear, I guess I am confused? Spot and Stalk seems maybe a better option in this state without bait....
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Machias on June 24, 2009, 02:53:07 PM: I was bowhunting for elk a few years ago near Frost Mtn, over in the Manastash Unit. I was watching an elk wallow, sitting on a big log, leg either side and leaning against a large tree. I heard a little shuffling sound and slooowly turned my head to see a chocolate colored bear walking up. She climbed up and stood on the log I was sitting on right at 8 or 9 feet away. Then she stepped off the log and walked over to the next log and put her front feet up, broadside at 7 or 8 yards. I drew and double lunged her. Arrow blew threw and stuck in a tree 25 yards away! She rolled around and let out a growl and came up running, right at me. She had no idea I was there and was just running to get away. No exaggeration, I could have slapped her on her butt as she ran by. She piled up 35 yards later. I had killed 7 bears up to that point and seen LOTS of bears up close. I would have bet my paycheck she was pushing 200-250 pounds. I walked up and looked around for my bear casue the one on the ground weighed a whopping 105 pounds. Very nice coat, had it tanned, and it was great packing her out, but dang she had serious ground shrinkage!!
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: bow4elk on June 24, 2009, 03:05:28 PM: My last bear was shot on the ground with my bow at about 5 yards in Alberta...not by choice, we were on the same trail. :yike:
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: Timmybob on June 24, 2009, 09:07:47 PM: Damn !!!!!!
Title: Re: HOW CLOSE WOULD YOU GROUND HUNT A BLACK BEAR
Post by: WonkyWapiti on June 28, 2009, 12:42:58 PM: Last year I was nice and let a bear pass in front of me at 15 yards. I let it walk past so my buddy could take it. I was archery hunting for elk (but still had a bear tag) and my buddy had his rifle and was sitting twelve yards behind me (because the knucklehead only had his bear tag and had got stuck working the night before and didn't pick up his elk tag for opening day).