january 2017
North American
Bear Hunter Surviving a Bear ATTACK THE .45/70: BEST FOR BRUINS? Spring Bear Tips
Bait vs Dogs BONUS: Hunting Wild Hogs www.northamericanbearhunter.com
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Editor’s message
W
Bill Vaznis
elcome to the premier of NORTH AMERICAN BEAR HUNTER, the foremost digital publication on bears and bear hunting. We will be bringing you hard core hunting strategies, up to date news on conservation, including the polar bear, and hot new destination features four times a year covering bow & arrows, modern firearms, black powder and dogs delivered right to your computer or smart phone. Indeed, there has never been a better time to affix your tag on a trophy black, brown or grizzly bear, or as Ted Nugent calls ‘em, “rug steaks”, than now. Bear populations have skyrocketed across North America and interest in bear hunting ranks second only to those of us who pursue whitetail deer. Indeed, there are more bear hunting aficionados today than there are elk, mule deer, antelope, caribou, and moose hunters . . . combined!
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is undoubtedly our Number Two big-game animal. And for very good reason! Trophy bruins are smart... very smart. Indeed, they are the most challenging big-game critter in North America. I like to tell those interested in hunting these mature black bears that you can teach a bear to ride a bicycle, but you will never get another big game animal to straddle a Schwinn and steer it across the back yard! That does not mean they are cuddly critters that you can feed by hand however! In this issue Bear Biologist Wade Nolan will share with you his years of experience, and tells how you should react if attacked by a bear. Should you curl up in a ball and play dead or fight back like your life depends on it? Also in this issue, Bernie Barringer will give us tips on booking a trophy bear hunt, Ed Hall will teach us the merits of the venerable .45/70, Richard P. Smith will take us on an exciting hunt dispelling the myth that bait hunters and dog hunters should be at odds with each other. There are also solid tips on calling wilderness bruins in from “bear crazy” Bill Wiesner who I believe is half-bear himself. And once you have your bear on the ground, Glenn Helgeland and his wife Judy will take us into the kitchen and tell us how to make bear meat delectable to even the most discernible palate.
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Editor’s message (cont.)
So read this issue carefully Publisher Don Kirk and tell your friends about us. You Don@Southerntrout.com will not be sorry…and neither will your pals! Editor Bill Vaznis
BVaznis@hotmail.com Managing Editor Leah Kirk Leah@Southerntrout.com Assoc. Managing Editor Loryn Latham Loryn@Southerntrout.com Hunting Vehicles Editor William Clunie
COLUMNISTS
Rifles and Handloading – Ed Hall Handguns – Max Prasac Brother of the Bear – Bill Wiesner (Hunting Strategies) Bowhunting Biologist – Wade Nolan Bears in the Kitchen – Glenn and Judy Helgelend Destination Hotspots – Mike Bleech Conservation – Ted Nugent Hunting Vehicles – William Clunie Adventure Hunts – Bob Foulkrod
BONUS: In this and each upcoming issue will have a separate section devoted to wild hog hunting. Amazingly enough bears and hogs share many similarities and are actually biological first cousins.
CONTRIBUTORS Bernie Barringer Richard P. Smith Bill Weisner Mac Prasac Glen Helgelend Judy Helgelend John Felsher
North American Bear Hunter is a publication of Southern Unlimited, LLC. It is produced in conjunction with Southern Trout Magazine and Southerntrout.com. Copyright 2017 Southern Unlimited, LLC All rights reserved. 4 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
THIS ISSUE From the Editor
3
Thermacell 6 High Adventure Hunt: 8 Alaska Brown Bear Stalk Spring Black Bear Hunting 16 Bait Hunting and Hounds 24
Spring Calling Strategies for Bear Hunting
34
Beyond the .44 Magnum 44 Your Favorite Gun Case
54
The Bear Hunting 60 Obsession of a Driven Man Cooking Bear 62 Southern Hog Hunting Essentials
70
Code Blue Scent Control
74
Surviving a Bear Attack
76
Going Hog Wild
84
Zero in on New 90 Foundlandand Labrador The .45-70 Story
94
Choose the Right Outfitter 102 Hunting Vehicles 112 ATVs in the Bear Woods www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 5
THE
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ERMACELL Mosquito
Repellent Lantern
W
hen it comes to gear for kayak fishing and especially kayak fishing camping trips, I like gear that works well and which does more than one job. The Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Lantern does just this. In a small unit which should fit into a pack easily, this little tool works well. It provides a 15 by 15 foot zone of bug protection- always a good thing on a camping trip, and it also has a bright LED light which is adjustable for brightness and which also has a SOS strobe feature. The light is said to have a 40 hour run time on four batteries. I tried this Thermacell Lantern on a recent rip to backwoods Florida- a buggy place if ever there was one- and I will report that it works- very well. We had no problems with mosquitoes, and the few deer flies that flew through our protected zone soon left. No bites, no bugs, no problem. I like this little combination Thermacell bug repellent and lantern very muchit’s a good piece of equipment to have on a kayak fishing trip. Specifications: -Provides 15 by 15 foot area of repellency -220 lumens bright LED light -Four light settings -12 hours of repellency from each -Thermacell mat- replacement mats are found at outdoor and big box stores www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 7
High Adventure H
Alaska Brown Bear
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O
ne of Alaska's best-known guides trophy bears, Mike Shuler, met me at Dillingham. From there, we traveled by compact hovercraft to our tent camp, located at the base of a valley surrounded by towering, snow-covered peaks. En route, Shuler told me conditions were perfect for a glacier grizzly. The prime hunting areas located high along the slopes were still frozen. Only the low-lying areas had begun to lose their white covering. Before breakfast the next morning, we spotted big, tawny-colored bruins milling about on the ridge directly before us. However, just getting within hunting range of any of these great animals required four hours of tough travel over icecovered terrain. When we arrived at the general Foulkrod One of Alaska's location where one bear had been glassed, it was best-known guides gone, having heard us chop our way through the trophy bears, Mike frozen tangle of willows in the valley below. We Shuler, met me at proceeded to the top of that ridge. An hour later, Dillingham. From we spotted the tracks left by the retreating animal. there, we traveled by compact hovercraft to our tent camp,
Hunt:
r Stalk Bob
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Descending the mountain, I told myself I was not in the prime physical condition really required to tackle such a brown bear hunt with gusto. On one occasion, when we were scaling the ridge, my legs cramped as severely as they ever have in my life. I wished I had worked harder to prepare for this hunt. Rain pelted our tents the next morning. We stayed in camp to wait out the rain, which never ceased. The way my legs felt, I welcomed a day off to recover. On the third morning, at the first light of morning, Mike yelled "There's bears on "fourhour mountain." Could my legs have verbally objected, I'm sure they'd have complained loudly during our upward trek. Stopping a short distance up the glacier, Mike stopped to glass the bruin, and announced it had lain down for a nap. As every bow hunter knows, the instant you get the feeling the odds of success have tipped in your direction, something always happens. All we had to do now was reduce
the amount of real estate between us and my quarry. During the next hour, we walked without talking or stopping. My first challenge was not to avoid becoming the dinner of my quarry, but to avoid death while negotiating my way along a rockslide that was almost a half-mile from top to bottom. One bad step and you could expect to be torn apart when hitting the jagged rocks below. When I got to where the bear was supposed to be resting, instead of being treated to a "come and get it," all I saw was the bear poking along on the next ridge. It was perhaps 125 yards straight across to the bear, and that may not seem like a big deal. However, the "gully" that separated us was almost a half-mile deep and was covered with ice. "We're going after 'im," chirped Mike. "Try not to make any bad steps on these ice floes. If you do, you wind up in these alders as hamburger." The bear was directly below us. Keeping as low a profile as possible,
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I knifed my way among the granite boulders. The bear was 70 yards away. I decided to get a little closer. My heart pounding in my chest, I took a couple of deep breaths before moving around the rock. Going as slowly as possible and moving on the tips of my toes, I inched toward the large, brown fur-covered object before me. I glanced back at Mike, wondering how much confidence he had in my bow hunting abilities, as he peered over his .416 Rigby rifle and watched my stalk. I was now within 50 yards of the animal. Shooting angles on the bear were bad. I decided to just sit tight and wait for an opportunity to present itself. The bear moved forward, entering a cluster of alders directly in front of me. An instant later, as if by magic, the large brown bear emerged from the willowy growth. Moving swiftly, it came toward me, quickly closing the distance that separated us. Perhaps even more troublesome, the bear offered me only a "straight-on" shot. The swiftly moving bear was only 15 yards from me. My mind raced -- what to do, shoot now, or wait another instant? With each step, the huge animal reduced the distance between us. The bruin was completely
unaware of the danger it faced. The pounding in my chest, however, revealed I was keenly aware of my precarious circumstances. At 12 yards, the big brown animal stopped. Hesitating for an instant, it shifted left to look up the ridge. The slight movement opened up a baseballsized window of opportunity on the right side of its massive chest. A split-second later, the arrow was launched from my bow; my broadhead severed the mass of black fur. Knowing this is when many bow hunts for brown bear get their most interesting, I methodically nocked another arrow as I watched the animal shudder before me. Expecting the charge of a maddened monster hell-bent on avenging its plight, I was not disappointed when the bear rushed up the mountain away from me. It traveled a few big jumps, and then crashed to the ground, dead. From his vantage point, Mike was not only delighted to see I had not been eaten, but that I also had bagged a brown bear. After caping the animal out in the last light of day, we moved cautiously down the mountain to the hovercraft. When we arrived back in camp, where a huge stack of dirty dishes awaited us, it was nearly midnight. The dishes could wait until morning.
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In terms of sheer power and nasty disposition, no animal presently roaming North America matches the incredible Alaskan brown bear. Perhaps the most potentially fierce animal on earth, the brown symbolizes the essence of wilderness on the continent. Brown bear are technically a grizzly bear, one of the three species of bear found in North America. For the purposes of hunt recordkeeping, brown bear are generally acknowledged to be large bears found from the southeastern Alaska panhandle at Unimak Island, northward to Bristol Bay and the Aleutian Peninsula . Like all bears, the brown is an opportunistic forager. It feeds on berries and young moose whenever they are available. However, these animals are rarely found where coastal streams and rivers used by spawning salmon are not nearby. The great size of the Alaskan brown bear is speculated to be owed to the tremendous annual food source. Alaskan brown bear males average from 750 pounds to over 1,200 pounds, and can stand 8 to 10 feet tall. Females are smaller, rarely topping 800 pounds. Immense size is the creature's most impressive physical attribute, including its huge claws that sometimes measure over 9 inches in length.
Brown bear do not have a great tolerance for residing too close to civilization. However, they are generally less aggressive toward people than is the grizzly bear. Unless you are a resident of Alaska, hunting Alaskan brown bear is an expensive undertaking. Alaskan hunting laws require all non-resident hunters who pursue these animals to employ the services of a licensed guide, such as Mike Shuler. Each guide has a specific hunting area, and a limited number of tags for brown bear. A typical bow hunt runs for 10 to 14 days, and sometimes longer. Spring bear bow hunting begins around mid-April along the southerly edge of the Alaskan brown bear's range, and costs $7,500 to $15,000, exclusive of licenses.
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SPRING BLACK
Close Encounters with Tooth By Bill Vaznis - Editor
H
unting black bears can be dangerous. And for four very good reasons: They are intelligent, they are agile, they are powerful and they have no soul. Fortunately for us most bruins avoid man at all costs which is one reason why pursuing them with a bow and arrow, a muzzleloader or even a modern firearm can be so challenging. Over the past thirty years or so I've had hundreds of close encounters with black bears. I've had bears walk within inches of my head while I lay awake in my cot, and pay me no heed. I've had bears pad up behind me as I was exiting a tree stand, and then run like hell when my foot slipped. And I've had bears sneak to within ten yards of me and stand on their hind legs, look me straight in the eye— and then disappear into the darkness with a loud WOOF. I even inadvertently stepped between a Pennsylvania sow and her two cubs one morning, and she was not pleased with me! These bears all left me with a racing heart and a story to tell back at camp, but the Swamp Bear and the Cliff Bear really scared the pudding out of me—and left me questioning my sanity.
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BEAR HUNTING
and Claw
THE SWAMP BEAR
I think what scared me the most about the Swamp Bear was his incredible strength. I poured a half-gallon of honey over a dead stump one morning, and returned two days later to find the stump ripped out of the ground, roots and all, by some terrible force, and all the honey gone. It was obvious this bear took what he wanted, when he wanted it. I immediately replenished the bait site, and over the next several days the Swamp Bear returned every other evening to chow down on the honey and other sweets I piled next to the stump. On my last trip to the bait site I found a five and half-inch front pad track and several piles of two-inch diameter dung placed strategically around the stump. I replenished the site with honey and assorted sweets, and then hung a small portable tree stand downwind and fifteen yards from the pile of pastries. I let the Swamp Bear have his night off, and then sneaked into that tree stand the following evening. Ten minutes before dark a small boar nervously worked his way towards the bait site, stopping often to listen and to test the wind. He was very cautious, and it is a good thing because the Swamp Bear was on the prowl that evening, and he wanted his honey—all of it. Just as the small boar was about to lick the stump, he turned around and stood up to face the bush. He seemed to be having an anxiety attack for all he could do was hiss and back up, hiss and back up. He dropped to all fours, turned his back on the bait, and then walked briskly into the bush for a few yards. There he stayed, looking over his rump on occasion, hissing and shaking like a leaf in a wind storm. I suddenly realized the cause for his concern. The Swamp Bear was nearby. I could not see him, but I could hear him breathing, and the air was alive with his presence. The Swamp Bear did not show himself however, electing to stay near the bait but in the shadows until it got too dark to see.
Now I was stuck. I was hunting alone, so no one was going to come in and shoo the bear away, at least not this bear. If I made too much noise getting out of my stand I could spook the Swamp Bear away, and I would never get a shot. However, if I managed to crawl out of my stand quietly, I might get a second chance, but I sure as hell didn’t want to bump into him
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as I made my exit, either. The Swamp Bear was just too big to fool with. I elected to descend quietly, and then tip toe back to my 4X4 with all the caution I could muster. I could feel the hair on my neck stand straight up as I eased away from the stump a few inches at a time. I was terrified, and the sounds of the bear breathing nearby were
almost too much for me to bear. By the time I got back to my cabin I was soaked with sweat. Was the Swamp Bear lying next to the bait, or was I imagining everything? I slept uneasily for a few hours, but at first light I got up and dressed. I had to find out if the Swamp Bear was at the stump that evening. I grabbed an axe, (today I would take my .450 Marlin), and sneaked back towards the stump. To my horror, the bait was untouched, but the spot where I thought the Swamp Bear was hiding was all matted down. He had been there all right, and I had tip toed within a few yards of him as I made my exit! Why he didn’t bolt then I don’t know. Nerves of steel I guess, but I never hunted near that stump again. Never.
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THE CLIFF BEAR
It is one thing to hunt black bears from a tree stand, it is quite another to ambush one near a bait site from ground level. In this case the bait had been stashed at the base of a cliff about a half-mile from an old logging road, and was being hit regularly by several bears including one with five-inch front pads. I took my bow and crawled up the cliff to a small shelf where I had an easy shot straight down at the bait barrel, and waited. Although I was cornered up there as there was no exit other than the entrance trail I used to climb the cliff, it seemed like an ideal set-up. The first time you sit over a bait is often the most exciting, and my first stay on the cliff was no exception. As soon as it settled down I heard a twig snap behind the bait, and then another. A moment later a young boar, probably 125-pounds, emerged from the undergrowth and began feeding on the discarded bones and meat scraps. All of a sudden he looked straight up at me, his beady little eyes burning holes through me like laser beams, and began popping his jaws. He was obviously angry over something; maybe he thought I was another bear. Whatever was going through his head, the young boar clawed his way up a nearby tree for a better look at me, and then slid back down to the ground. What happened next left my palms sweaty for days. The young boar, “woofing” in a staccato-like fashion, charged up the cliff at me, stopping only a few yards from my crouched position, and began swaying his head back and forth in front of me. I picked up a small stick to defend myself, as if that would help, turned sideways and averted by eyes from those of the bear. I hoped my body language and look of deference would have a positive effect on the bruin’s attitude. It actually seemed to work, too, for the bear soon stopping hissing, and slid back a few yards. Then inexplicably the young boar lunged at me, paws outstretched, stopping this time only a few feet away. I was sure now he was going to bite me, or worse, but then he backed down the cliff a few yards. A few minutes passed and I thought his antics were over, but they were not. He lowered his face, saliva dripping to the ground, and began inching his way towards me, one outstretched paw after the other, like he was stalking his next meal. 20 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
I held my ground, gripping my club with determination while fearing all the while he would lunge if I moved one inch. I wasn’t about to become bowhunter burger, yet I only had a head shot, which is really no shot at all. Just then a twig snapped behind the bait. The young boar quickly took notice, and much to my relief disappeared down the cliff and into the brush. What scared him away? A 300-pound sow with five, that’s right, five cubs coming into the bait! After my encounter with the young boar, I decided retreat was the better part of valor, and vacated the cliff bait, but not before avowing never to sit on the ground next to a bait pile again without a gun, a big gun, for back-up. It is just too risky otherwise. As you can see, bear hunting can have its exciting moments. It's hard to believe how big a bear can get until you see one up close and personal. Nonetheless, black bear attacks are few and far between— they are generally more afraid of you than you are of them. Besides, more humans are bitten by cur dogs that black bears—aren’t they?
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Richard P. Smith
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BAIT HUNTING AND HOUNDS If bear dogs chase a bruin from your bait, you might as well forget about hunting that spot. You won’t see anything. Bears won’t return to that bait. If they do, they will only come in after dark. Have you heard these words or something similar? Perhaps you have said something like that. Well, have I got news for you. For the most part, the claims in that first paragraph are false. There is an exception though. If hounds chase a bear from your bait and it’s killed, then it won’t return. It obviously can’t. If there are other bears visiting the bait, however, the fact that dogs have been in the area should not have a negative influence on their return to the bait. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 25
Bruins that remain alive should continue visiting your bait as long as food is replenished on a regular basis. If you don’t see a bear while hunting that bait and/or most bear visits are nocturnal after you start hunting the spot, one or more of a number of other variables are probably responsible instead of the presence of dogs at some point. Most often, bears change behavior at baits when they detect a hunter’s presence. Warm daytime temperatures could also be a factor and so can a full moon, strong winds, heavy rain and competing food sources (cornfields ripening, acorns or beechnuts dropping) among others. The presence of hounds at a bear bait have much less influence than many bait hunters think. Have you had coyotes or wolves at your bear baits? Would you think of not hunting those spots because of the presence of predators?
I’ve interviewed hunters who have killed bears at baits after hounds were there. I’ve also talked to hunters who killed bears during legal shooting hours from baits that multiple hound chases were started from. More recently, I’ve had personal experience with hunting a bait where hounds have been multiple times and I not only killed a bear from that bait, I killed one of my best bears from the location.
I’ve got some history with the bait site I’m talking Coyotes are frequent visitors to bear baits and so are about. The location is a wolves, where they are present. Most bait hunters small opening surrounded wouldn’t think twice about hunting baits at which their by thick swamp. The game cameras have snapped photos of coyotes and swamp itself is huge and wolves. Some of the same hunters get uptight when they that’s why it is attractive to capture photos of hounds at their baits. As far as bears black bears for the security are concerned, hounds are canines like coyotes and cover it provides. This bait wolves. When they cross paths, bears generally try to is about a half mile from avoid canines, but that’s about it. the nearest drivable road. I try to place baits as far I’ve known about the myths associated with bait hunting as possible from roads, and bear dogs for years. Although I do most of my within reason, to reduce hunting over bait, I’ve also done my share of bear the chances of interference hunting with hounds. Many hound hunters start chases from other hunters. Due to with their dogs from baits. If bears that were chased by the distance bears travel dogs from baits did not return, they would soon be out of on a daily basis, however, places to start their hounds. Because bears that aren’t and the fact bruins killed do return to baits, that’s not a problem. frequently visit more than
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one bait during the course of a day, it’s tough to put baits where all interference can be eliminated. The bait is in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan and has been maintained for a number of years. During previous years, I killed two bears from that spot. One was a 360-pound male and the other was an average size male. Other hunters have also killed adult males at that spot and some that got away were also seen. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 27
In upper Michigan, bear dog training season starts during the first week of July. It’s legal to start placing baits on August 10, a month before the hunting seasons starts. There are three separate bear hunts in each UP Bear Management Unit to increase the number of hunters who can participate. There is a quota on the number of bear licenses available for each hunt, with the fewest issued for the first hunt and the most for the third hunt. 28 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
An annual drawing is held to determine who gets a bear license for each hunt. The odds of getting a license are best for the third hunt, but the chances of shooting a bear during the last hunt are lowest. Nonetheless, I normally apply for the third season to increase the opportunity to hunt, and I was drawn for a license during the third bear hunt in Michigan during 2016. The first hunt starts on September 10 for bait only. Dog training season ends five days before that first hunt. The second hunt begins on September 15 when it’s legal to start hunting with hounds and hunting over bait remains legal. The third hunt kicks off on September 25 and both bait and dogs remain legal. There was a bumper blueberry crop in the UP during 2016 and blueberries are abundant in the swamp where I shot the 360-pounder, so that’s one of the places I started a bait soon after it was legal to do so and it didn’t take long for bears to start taking advantage of the handouts. After the bait had been active for a couple of weeks, I put a Moultrie Camera (www.moultriefeeders.com) at the location to find out something about my dinner guests. I was able to identify at least five different bears feeding at that spot, three of which were adult males. I guessed the biggest male was about 350 pounds and the next largest between 300 and 325 pounds. I was looking forward to trying for one of the two bigger bruins. One day during late August, my brother Bruce and I were getting ready to carry a load of bait into the spot when a local hound hunter pulled up. He told us he had just started a training run nearby with his dogs and he was on his way to try to intercept them. By the time we reached the bait, we could hear two or three hounds barking nearby as they tried to work out the trail of a bear. I wasn’t happy about the presence of hounds by my hot bait, but I didn’t think the disturbance would have a major influence on my chances of success there. I planned on monitoring bear activity by way of the camera to see what happened. The dog hunter had a bait near the road. After the bear left that bait, it headed for the one I was maintaining and the hounds followed it there. That is most often why bears that you may be baiting at a remote location end up being chased by dogs. Either the bear visited another bait first, where the dogs were started, or the dogs smelled the bear’s scent where it crossed a road and the chase was started there. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 29
Based on photos from my game camera, hounds also followed a bear to my bait on September 15, which was opening day for dog hunting. The sequence of photos my camera captured that day are revealing. The first photos show a bear at my bait about 7:30 a.m. The next photos show the hounds going by about 8:00. The same bear that was chased by the hounds that morning appeared on camera again at 7:30 p.m. that same day. The bruin obviously had not been killed. 30 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
As opening day of my hunt neared, I still had photos of bears at my bait during legal shooting time, but those times were getting closer and closer to the end of shooting time. That’s often the case whether or not hounds have been at a bait because days are getting shorter and small game hunters have also been in the field for about 10 days. Small game hunting activity can influence bear activity just like bear hunting pressure can. Bruce and I had been replenishing the bait at 3-day intervals, using primarily granola and cherries. The quantity of food we managed to carry in was always gone when we returned. Starting on September 24, when I would be checking the bait daily, I cut back the quantity of food to about half of a 5-gallon bucket. With less food on the 24th, I was hoping one of the big bears might come in earlier on the 25th. As it turned out, a major front containing lots of rain arrived on the 25th. It was supposed to rain for at least three days. I hoped that might also cause bears to feed earlier than normal. And, for added insurance, I applied some Bear Crack from Big Bear Scents (www.bigwoodsbearscents.com)on the chance that might lure a bruin into the open before the end of shooting time. I got in position in my ladder stand about 5:00 p.m. with my .50 caliber Ultimate Firearms Muzzleloader(www.ultimatefirearms. com) hoping for the best. The second largest bear that I had photos of made an appearance at 7:15 p.m., at least 45 minutes before dark. When he turned broadside at 30 yards, I put a 300-grain bullet through his lungs and he went 35 yards. That was the least amount of effort I ever put in to take a trophy class black bear. The bruin had a live weight of 345 pounds and his skull should exceed 18, qualifying for muzzleloader records. I want to thank Troy Westcott and Doug Esman for their assistance in getting that bear out of the woods. They made a tough job easier. If I had chosen not to hunt that bait because hounds had chased bears to it, I would have missed out on one of my best Michigan bears! www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 31
SHARP TITAN
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SPRING CAL STRATEGIES A
number of years ago, I purchased a VHS tape by Wayne Carlton (Bear Call with CD) on calling bear out west using predator calls. I was totally amazed at how aggressive a bear came to his calls. Turn the clock ahead a couple decades and I have developed my own style of calling with the help of other knowledgeable call manufacturers and decoy manufacturers. I live in the upper mid-west where the mast food crops and agricultural crops are plentiful, unlike the availability of food sources out west. I have basically two different types of calls I use on a spring bear hunt. The big boars are roaming areas looking for female companionship and the deer are dropping their fawns. Let’s break down both calling procedures, so, you have new bear hunting methods to add to your arsenal
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LLING S FOR BEAR HUNTING Bill Weisner
Look for an area with tall ground vegetation www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 35
Fawns are normally born in late May through June, a perfect time to call bear using a fawn call on your spring bear hunt. Let’s first look at the tools needed to execute calling bear using a fawn call. Before I go any further, I started using a fawn in distress call. My success rate was rather low and I was about to give up when I got into a conversation with Jerry Peterson of Woods Wise Game Calls (www.woodswise. com). He suggested using the lost fawn call instead. It made a big difference and I was on my way to calling bear using a lost fawn call. I believe the softer tone of a lost fawn verses the high pitch, erratic, more vocal call of a fawn in distress, made the difference in this call arrangement. I accompany the call with a fawn decoy to help my odds in pulling in a bear. The decoy only works under certain conditions and we will cover this as we proceed with the article. The call I use, Woods Wise, has total description on the packaging on how to use the call. A word of advice is not to over call, five or six calls every 45 minutes to an hour works the best. 36 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
Your set up is very important! If it is not done right, you will waste a lot of time and become discouraged with your calling attempts. I have been doing this for several years and have found the most productive way to go about setting up is using a lost fawn call. Try to find an area that holds bear, but, does not offer much in mast crops. Do not attempt to call from a bait sight. No bear is willing to go through trying to catch a fawn, when there are donuts right there waiting to be eaten.
A fawn decoy can help ring the dinner bell for a prowling spring bruin, but it is not a good idea to set one up a fawn decoy near a bait site.
Undisturbed bear and deer frequent different terrain. Bear like the thick dense swamps and the security it offers, whereas, deer enjoy the openness that a hard woods has to offer. So what works the best here is a hard woods bordered by a swamp. When locating an area to call from, make sure you have both animals frequenting that area. I have found high fall lines with swamp on one side and open hardwoods on the other, to be ideal. Next, you have to decide what weapon you plan to hunt with, rifle or bow. My personal choice is the Savage model 116 Bear Hunter in a 300 Win Magnum (www.Savagearns.com) topped with a Bushnell 6500 Elite in a 2.5 to 16 power (www.bushnell.com). With this setup, a bear can come out anywhere and it will be in range of my rifle.
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My archery set up is the same set up I use for deer hunting. Because a bear is a soft-tissued animal, your deer hunting set up will work fine. Make sure that you only attempt to draw your bow when the bear is occupied with something different than your location. Your shot window is rather small in any calling method, so, always be ready to execute your shot. At some point the bear will realize it is not the real thing and abandon the area. Always practice different shot angles when preparing to bear hunt using calls. Set the decoy (if you are using one) on the swamps edge, about 20 yards into the hardwoods. I like to use a little deer urine near the decoy. It seems to hold the bear longer and increase your odds to get off a shot. Always wait 45 minutes to an hour before you start to call. This gives the area time to settle down. Call several times waiting 45 minutes between calls. After you last calling sequence, give it some time in case the bear is still approaching the area. Another method is using bear vocalizations to attract bear. On a spring bear hunt, you have the breeding season and this lends the opportunity to use the sow in heat call. The long moan the female bear uses to attract a boyfriend can be duplicated using the Woods Wise bear call. This versatile call replicates a sow in heat and a dominate bear challenge. Again the directions are on the packaging. 38 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
Bears have incredible sniffers. Try to be as scent free as possible.
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Where it is not a wise idea to fawn call at a bait site, using the sow in heat call here can be very productive. My set up at a bait site is simple I like to sprinkle sow in heat urine near the bait and set up on the perimeter. The distance is dictated by weather you are using a gun or bow. Bear never approach a bait site directly when looking for a sow in heat. They will skirt the perimeter using their nose to determine if the female is present. If you are calling away from a bait site, look for an area with long grass. A female likes to straddle the grass leaving that tell-tale sign for her male counterpart. I use a decoy in this situation. Set the decoy up for gun or bow. Put some sow in heat lure on a rag above the decoy for maximum dispersal. Always remember that a bear depends largely on his nose. Stay as scent free as possible and always use the wind. You can purchase the calls from Woods Wise Calls and the decoys from Montana Decoys (www.montanadecoy.com). To get the complete picture on calling bear purchase my book, THE BEAR HUNTING OBSESSION OF A DRIVEN MAN @ www.targetcommbooks.com.
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Bear decoys can add a sense of realism to your calling setup. Add some sow-in-heat on a cloth above the decoy when calling near a bait site.
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Beyond the .
I
get asked by a lot of folks what I feel is the optimum revolver caliber for really big bears. Pardon my pun, but this is a loaded question. Since we are dealing specifically with revolvers in this instance, let’s start off with a look at the most popular and widespread big-bore revolver caliber on the planet, bar none: the .44 Remington Magnum.
The .44 Magnum is a serious handgun round, and the second revolver cartridge to bear the name “Magnum” on its headstamp. The .44 Remington Magnum made the scene in 1956. Ruger and Smith & Wesson vied for the distinction of being the first one to market with the new high-powered cartridge with the introduction of the Super Blackhawk and the Model 29 from Ruger (www.ruger.com) and Smith & Wesson (www.smith-wesson.com) respectively. Smith & Wesson was first to market and ironically it was a little-known manufacturer called Great Western Arms Company (www.greatweternfirearms.com) that also beat Ruger to market with a .44 Magnum.
When do you n
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.44 Magnum
Photos and text by Max Prasac The .44s hit the shelves at gun shops nationwide, and the world hasn’t been the same since. But the big shot in the arm for the .44 Magnum from a standpoint of popularity was the 1971 film, Dirt Harry, starring Clint Eastwood, the tough San Francisco detective who carried a Model 29 in a shoulder holster. Actual diameter for the .44 Magnum is .429-inches, but can you imagine the cache “.429 Magnum” would have had? This really is the quintessential big-bore round and what I consider a threshold cartridge, meaning that it is the upper limit for all but the most hardened handgunner and still needs to be approached with caution by true neophytes. The .44 Magnum put handgun hunting on the map as a feasible endeavor. The .44 Magnum remained at the top position of power until 1983, and fell victim to the game of one-upmanship with the release of Dick Casull’s wonder cartridge, the .454 Casull. A move that the powers that be at Smith & Wesson never
need more?
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forgot, but don’t worry, they participated in oneupmanship themselves a couple of decades later when they released their .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum. We are a consumer society after all, driven by cleaver marketing and it doesn’t necessarily take much to convince us we need bigger, better, faster, more powerful, etc. But do we really need bigger? Still considered the classic big bore revolver cartridge, the .44 Magnum to this day enjoys a strong following among big bore revolver lovers. There is no big bore round that can claim the variety of available ammunition on the market with loads from mild to wild. If you do not reload, this is the cartridge for you as every possible load is available commercially, for virtually any and every application imaginable. The .44 Magnum is the gold standard to this day, by which all big revolver cartridges are measured.
So when do you actually need something bigger? The answer isn’t so cut and dried, but I’ll say it: never, actually. Before you proclaim me a blasphemer, let me qualify my statement with this declaration: The .44 Remington Magnum, properly loaded (this caveat applies to any and every cartridge), can, will and has unequivocally taken virtually every game animal that walks the face of this planet. Here’s where I weasel my way out. However, in my experience, there are better choices for really large game (like brown bear), and they begin at .45 and go up from there. There, I said it. In summary, will the .44 Mag work on really big game? Yes. Are there better choices? Yes again. The .44 Magnum is a great deer cartridge, and while it will comfortably take much larger game, I prefer moving up in diameter when the game weight goes up. Bigger is better – as long as the shooter is capable of competently shooting the bigger calibers. With the move up comes a sizable increase in recoil. Now that being said, the larger calibers do not need to be firewalled to be effective and a step up from the terminal performance offered by the .44 Magnum. Can’t argue with larger diameter and heavier bullets.
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Revolvers will never be able to boast the high velocity figures of even the mildest of rifle cartridges, so they must rely on bullet diameter, weight, and the nose profile of the bullet. For thin-skinned game I like expanding bullets, but at the subdued velocities of handguns, reliable expansion is illusive. And again, when starting out over .40 caliber, there really is no need for expansion. Instead, I prefer flat-nosed bullets (with a properly sized meplat) designed to penetrate deeply, particularly on larger game where penetration is your best friend. By default these bullets will make a large hole as they are starting out at a large diameter (relatively speaking). In my experience, two holes are better than one as two holes tend to bleed more, so I really put a premium on penetration. The first step north of the .44 Magnum are the various .45 caliber rounds. .45s come in a number of flavors, starting with the old warhorse, and former black powder cartridge, the .45 Colt. Before you start thinking about the anemic cowboy action loads that are largely available for this chambering, consider that the .45 Colt in a decisively stronger Ruger revolver, can be loaded considerably hotter. This isn’t your granddad’s .45 by any stretch. Most .45 Colt ammo that is available commercially is held to a SAAMI max pressure of 14,000 psi, because there are many older revolvers (think Single Action Army) out there that cannot withstand much higher pressures. Next up is the .454 Casull, a potent, 65,000 psi (this is the SAAMI maximum pressure), brute of a round. The .460 Smith & Wesson Magnum eclipses both of the lesser .45s with a full 1.8-inch case capable of pretty impressive velocities. The price paid for choosing the .460 is the platform necessarily big enough to house the big cartridge.
The .44 Remington Magnum (left) is literally dwarfed by the .500 Linebaugh. The .500 Linebaugh offers a considerable step up in terminal performance, as well as recoil, which may not be to your liking. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 47
The .480 Ruger, and its big brother the .475 Linebaugh are up next. The .475 Linebaugh, available in Magnum Research’s BFR revolver (www.magnumresearch.com) and Freedom Arms’ Model 83 (www.freedomarms.com) is a serious cartridge for serious handgun hunters. Loaded to spec, the recoil is fierce, but the .475 is a very capable big-game getter. The smaller .480 Ruger (1.28-inch case length versus the .475’s 1.4inch case) is the Goldilocks cartridge if there ever was one. Loaded up it’ll nip at the heels of the .475 Linebaugh, but it doesn’t need to be run that hard to work decisively on big-game. It will throw heavy bullets at moderate velocities without beating the tar out of the shooter. The .480 is one of my favorites and has accounted for piles of game in my hands.
The .50 calibers are in a class by themselves. Magnum Research can build you a revolver in .500 JRH that offers first class terminal performance. 48 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
The half-inchers are next. These are very serious hunting cartridges. First up is the .500 JRH, the brainchild of gunsmith
Jack Huntington (www.jrhadvancedgunsmithing.com) essentially a cut-down .500 S&W (from 1.6 to 1.4-inches), offered in Magnum Research’s BFR. A ballistic twin to the .500 JRH is available from Freedom Arms called the .500 Wyoming Express (WE). The .500 Linebaugh (actual .511 diameter) while not available in a production revolver, enjoys quite a bit of popularity with handgun hunters and is a custom proposition only. Commercial ammunition is available from a number of sources. The big dog on the block is the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum. Like its stablemate, the .460 S&W, the size necessitates a large platform to contain the big, raucous cartridge. All of these are capable of truly debilitating recoil if loaded up to spec. However, as I mentioned before, none of these cartridges need to be loaded hot to offer a sizable increase in terminal performance over the .44 Magnum.
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If you are recoil sensitive, the .44 Magnum may be your limit, however, the .45 Colt can be loaded to similar levels of recoil, and it makes a bigger hole and is capable of propelling heavier bullets than the .44. This is something to consider, but the .480 Ruger just might be the most logical choice in that it offers a considerable step up from the .44 Magnum terminally, without earth-shattering recoil levels.
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So when do you really need more than the .44 Magnum? That is up to you and your abilities. You need to be honest with yourself and determine how much abuse you are willing and able to withstand. I know this sounds like I am sensationalizing recoil, but in all seriousness, very few people can shoot the .44 Magnum well. These big revolvers require a lot of practice to master and frankly they are not for everyone. So, if the .44 Magnum is your limit, there is no reason to fret. If you can handle it, and you intend to hunt large game, by all means step up. You will be well served. While the ubiquitous .44 Magnum is fully capable of most tasks asked of it, moving up in diameter is a good idea when giant black, grizzly, brown or polar bears are on the menu. But, only you can determine if you really need more.
Ruger’s excellent Bisley Hunter in .44 Magnum is a dedicated hunting revolver, offering excellent accuracy and reliability. Do you think you need more?
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YOUR FAVORITE R A FAVORITE GUN C
M
y favorite hunting rifle blends clean lines with the functional imperative. At the shooting range it produces tight groups. In the field it comes to my shoulder aimed where my eyes are focused as if it were part of me. For more than a half century, my favorite rifles have been carried in barely adequate gun cases. I did not know any better. Now that favorite rifle travels in subtle elegance with all practical security to meet airline and international border crossing criteria, and protection against rough handling. My favorite rifle travels in a Negrini gun case. My hunting partner of 50 years was the first to give what has become the common reaction upon seeing the Negrini gun case during a trip to the shooting range. When I laid the case on a bench rest the first word he said was “Wow!” Then after opening the case and removing the rifle he laid his hand inside the gun case and said again, “Wow!” That one word expressed the feelings I had when I took the gun case out of the box. Negrini crafts a gun case that does not need to proclaim its quality That will be evident to anyone who examines one.
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RIFLE DESERVES CASE Mike Bleech
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Like my favorite rifle, my favorite gun case blends function with clean lines. No shake, no slip, my favorite rifle is cradled firmly in a cozy bed of foam and fabric. Velcro straps hold the rifle firmly in place. The inside is compartmented to carry ammunition, a clip and other accessories. The rifle wears this gun case like a hand tailored suit. Since the cushioning is so efficient, the gun case is noticeably more slender than other gun cases. Riding around with my rifle in the Negrini gun case, in the bed of my pick-up truck has not changed the scope a bit, not on the highway, not bouncing along one-lane dirt roads. Then when the rifle was un-cased on the opening morning of deer season I had complete confidence the rifle would perform as it did at the shooting range.
A Negrini gun case makes a statement about who I am, about things I value highly. I appreciate style that follows function. I like a style that will be as appreciated in 40 years as it is today. I prefer style that is not flashy or loud. I like style that is part of quality throughout. The outer shell is a special, high rubber content ABS plastic material that absorbs shock without breaking. It is trimmed with leather. Inner upholstery is specially made cotton and acrylic fabric which is laminated to polyester foam on top and bottom. Foam is thermal bonded to top and bottom. All materials used are corrosion free substances. I really do not understand all of that, but I know what I like. Look like and act like you treasure your favorite rifle. Carry it in a Negrini gun case. Visit: www.negrinicases.com
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THE BEAR HUNTING OBSESSION OF A DRIVEN MAN By Bill Wiesner with Glenn Helgelend
Somewhere along the line, Bill Wiesner earned the nickname “Bear Crazy.” The name fits, as Bill has been a bear hunting fanatic for most of his life. He’s killed upwards of 57 bears himself, plus he has been in on about that many more with his wife, sons and now grandchildren. It stands to reason, if you are this serious about and dedicated to bear hunting, you would learn a few things along the way. This book is presented in a unique way. Chapters alternate between how-to bear hunting information and memoirs. You will learn information about bear hunting with hounds, baiting and spot & stalk in each of the how-to chapters, along with some good biological and natural history observations. The book is rich with information for the beginning bear hunter and even experienced hunters will pick up valuable nuggets. In addition to the ten how-to chapters, Bill tells some stories. There are 10 chapters he calls “memoirs” in which he details interesting hunts and things he learned in fascinating ways. He relates experiences that will help you better understand the life of a bear hunter who has been going at it for decades. Overall the book is an interesting read for anyone who likes bears and bear hunting and I recommend it. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 61
Cooking By Glenn and Judy Helgelend
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Bear
M
any people consider bear meat undesirable for consumption. Wrong! I recall one time years ago at a weekend bowhunting fest in Ohio. My wife and I were making bear jerky in a smoker as an attractant to get people to come to our booth and buy our books. Two young ladies came to the booth and eagerly picked up a couple of jerky pieces. One asked “What is this made from?” “Bear,” I said. Both instantly dropped the jerky and ran backward faster than an NFL defensive back.
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Bear Stew
Shift to today and consider these points... • Not every animal taken is a trophy, in the sense of skull or antler measurement, but the meat of just about every animal taken can be and should be trophy-class table fare. • Meat from wild game is an organic food, the best there is. It has fewer of the bad fats and more of the good cholesterol than does meat from domestic animals. • Quality meals featuring wild game meat begin even before the trigger is squeezed or the bowstring released. Think of proper positioning for a high percentage shot at an unalarmed, fairly relaxed animal, which leads to a short tracking/trailing effort, quick field dressing, quick and adequate cooling, quick and quality processing, quicker into the freezer and proper cooking. This cannot be overemphasized. (Countless outfitters have told me that, percentage-wise firearms hunters wound and lose more black bears than do bowhunters. This is because at a typical 60-80 yards of a firearms stand from the bait, it is extremely difficult to pick a spot on an object that is little more than a black blob.) • Most people feel bear meat tastes like beef, or near to that. If it does not, marinating will save the flavor/taste issue. 64 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
Rules, Tips & Some Basics 1) Any recipe you like for beef or venison also will work well with bear meat. 2) As with venison, it’s important to bone out all meat for packaging, and trim all fat from bear meat before cooking, plus as much connective tissue and muscle sheathing (silverskin) as possible. Bear meat can be greasy, making fat trimming especially important, because bear meat can turn rancid quickly if not trimmed properly and stored properly. The other two items can add a strong or ‘gamey’ flavor. Another reason for boning: Meat cooks slower close to bone, producing uneven doneness levels throughout the entire piece. Boneless meat cooks more evenly. 3) Cook bear meat until well done, being sure to get internal temperature to 170 degrees F. Bears can have and transmit trichinosis, just like pork can. Temps of 170 degrees F or higher kill all trichina parasites that may be in the meat, but try to stay under 200 degrees F so the meat doesn’t get dry and crispy. Trichinosis affects the joints and is painful. 4) Best bear meat comes from hams and loins. Meat from front legs, neck and shoulders usually is ground for hamburger or cubed for stews and stir-fry. 5) A sharp knife is invaluable any time you’re butchering meat, but especially so when working with small, sometimes hard-to-handle, sometimes tough pieces of meat. Have a hard steel close at hand and use it often to keep your knife blade sharp. A sharp blade cuts with little or no pressure; a dull blade must be pushed and thus is more likely to slip and cut you. Thus, a dull blade is a dangerous blade. 6) When covering food with aluminum foil for cooking, cover or wrap with dull side of foil out. This shortens cooking time because the dull foil side absorbs heat. (Shiny side reflects heat.) 7) Never add salt until after cooking, to avoid dehydration of the meat. Season meat as little as possible for best taste, and do nearly all of it after cooking. 8) Do not soak wild game meat in baking soda or salt water. Doing so dries the meat, making it a candidate for shoe leather. 9) Fast heat searing helps meat hold moisture. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 65
TWO METHODS OF MEAT COOKING Dry heat: Roasting, broiling, pan broiling, frying. Use roasting for round and shoulder, broiling for loin, and broiling or frying for more tender steaks and chops. Dry heat methods are preferred for cooking the kinds and cuts of meat that are naturally tender. Moist heat: Braising, stewing, pressure-cooking, crockpot. Use moist heat for shoulder, neck, brisket, rump, round, shank and flank. Moist heat is preferred for the less tender meats, as it helps to soften the connective tissue of these more-exercised muscles. BEAR CHIPS JERKY The best bear jerky comes from a roast. Thaw the roast to about 75% completion; it cuts well at this slightly-frozen point. Slice the roast at least 1/8-inch thick, and Ÿ-inch wouldn’t hurt, because jerky meat tends to shrink to about 50% of its fresh size. Place the sliced meat in a sealable plastic bag and cover it with seasoning of your choice Refrigerate for 12 hours, then rinse off excess seasoning, pat meat dry with paper towels, then place it on dehydrator trays for 6-8 hours, checking every couple of hours for desired degree of doneness. When properly dried, remove jerky from dehydrator and cool in the refrigerator several hours. Then store it in a cool, airtight container, such as a self-sealing plastic bag or a plastic jar with screw-on lid. Safest storage is in your refrigerator, especially for thicker meat slices, which may not have all moisture removed. Bear Roast
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Glenn Helgeland has been a bear hunter since the late 1970s and an outdoor writer since the late 1960s. He has written articles about black bears – scouting, hunting, meat and hide care, and cooking. He has published 22 books on various aspects of deer hunting, bear hunting, archery shooting, bowhunting, bow tuning, plus two on wild game cooking with his wife, Judy, as co-author. His most recent book is The Bear Hunting Obsession of a Driven Man, co-authored with Bill Wiesner, the man called Bear Crazy. Judy Helgeland was a professional home economist and extension service home agent before she and Glenn started their company in 1980. She videos wildlife, feeds birds, and is a full partner in processing the animals Glenn brings home. In the kitchen, she is the boss. Rightly so. Over the past 30 years, Judy and Glenn have given dozens of butchering/ cooking seminars. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 67
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Southern Hog Hunting Essentials
An Ode to My Themacell Max Prasac
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Hunting the American southeast puts you in contact not only with a significant hog population, but an even more significant mosquito population.
T
here are essential pieces of equipment that every hog hunter, experienced or wouldbe-experienced, will find invaluable when hunting the Southeastern states where wild hog populations are most prevalent. When I sat down to make a list of important equipment, I imposed upon myself a few parameters for this gear. The equipment would have to be compact enough to throw in a suitcase and not be charged an overweight baggage fee, and it would have to be affordable for every man. I came up with two of the most important in my book, starting with what I consider the most brilliant invention perhaps ever (okay, so I exaggerate a bit – it’s my article and therefore my prerogative), and that is the Thermacell (www.thermacell.com). Huh, you say? If you’re from the southwest, you might not even know that problems like man-eating mosquitoes exist. That piece of utterly essential equipment is a compact mosquito repelling MACHINE that was invented by one of the smartest men ever (who in no uncertain terms must have experienced the flying insect hell associated with sitting in a tree stand in a Florida swamp in July). This alone is the most essential piece of equipment I have ever used hunting hogs. Try carefully lining your sights up on an unsuspecting hog with blood-thirsty mosquitoes working over every inch of your exposed flesh. Yes, it can be done, but it can be done so much more easily when the mosquitoes are out of reach and not making a meal of you.
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I just retired “Old Fred” a month ago, after years of hunting, travel, abuse, and countless mosquito wars. Fred is thusly named as he (she?) is as reliable as a good hunting dog, and actually a bit more durable. Whoever said that dogs are man’s best friend never had a relationship with a Thermacell. I used that same old unit (the aforementioned Fred) since 2004, at the suggestion of a friend who owned hunting land in Florida. Boy was he ever right. I learned quickly that one doesn’t enter the swamp without a Thermacell by one’s side – period. It is the best money spent – period. Why suffer needlessly I have to ask? It’s a small plastic unit that uses a butane cartridge and repellant mats that each last about four hours. You turn it on and hunker down for five to ten minutes and just like that your flying insect problem disappears in thin air. These things work so well I use them camping, fishing, mowing the lawn, and even when relaxing on my deck with a malted beverage. My second essential equipment pic is a pair of rubber boots. You can get the non-insulated generic ones that cost less than $50.00 or you can spend four times that on insulated winterrated rubber boots. The best pair I own were purchased at a
tractor supply store 15 years ago, that are still going strong, for no good reason. Two good reasons for the rubber boots. First of all, you will inevitably traipse through wet swampland when you hunt hogs in the southeast. Why soak your boots, socks and feet if you don’t have to? That question is rhetorical, no need to answer it. Secondly, hogs have a tremendous sense of
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Old Fred, my loyal companion for more than a dozen years next to his new and improved replacement. Thermacells are man’s best friend.
smell – much greater than a whitetail. Rubber boots mask the scent of a part of your body that emits strong odors (try to resist making jokes about foot odor here). So there you have it, my two most important hog hunting tools for the southeast. Dry feet and a mosquito-free zone will go a long way towards successful hunting in wet areas that breed the evil, flying vampire-like creatures that are bent on disrupting what should be an enjoyable experience. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 73
A
D/Code System Scent Control
successful bear hunt hinges on what these big game animals smell and what they don’t—and that’s exactly where D/CODE excels. Code Blue’s comprehensive and extensive line of advanced scent eliminators delivers the ultimate in “olfactory camouflage.” It is an inclusive product lineup that bear hunters use from in-the-shower to in-the-woods. Code Blue, an industry leader in attractant scents, cover scents and scent elimination products for hardcore hunters. D/CODE is a brand new and superior means of destroying human scent than has previously been available to hunters. The key is Code Blue’s patented, odor-eliminating Silver Scent technology. This powerful scent eliminator is used from head to toe; first in the shower and then to the woods. D/CODE’s full line of products has been meticulously formulated to help hunters take scent management to unprecedented levels. The development of the silver nanoparticle, also known as nanosilver, which is in microscopic size, is able to invade and break-up bacteria and other odor-causing microorganisms. This results in a product that has the capability to destroy more human scent than other elements, and doing it in a short amount of time. A common mistake made by many bear hunters is relaxing their scent-control practices during the spring bear hunting season, inadvertently alerting bear to their presence, even while walking to and from game cameras and trimming around treestands, trailing a slew of human and forest-foreign odors in their path. Scent control needs to be a lifestyle.
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D/CODE Highlighted Features •Supercharged Silver Scent® molecules actively seek and destroy all three scentcreating microbial types: bacteria, mold and viruses •Diverse range of products offer hunters a complete, odor-killing system: body care, clothing care and in-field scent maintenance care Unscented Laundry Detergent •Deep-clean tough stains and eliminate bacterial odors caused by sweat •Silver Scent technology rids fabrics of odors caused by smoke, food, oil, gasoline, etc. •High-efficiency (He) approved to remove odors from clothing without adding fragrance Dryer Sheets •The perfect partner to D/CODE Laundry Detergent, for complete odor control •Softens clothes to help keep them quiet in the field •Helps remove odors from your hunting clothes •Eliminates static cling to repel odors Body Wash & Shampoo •Unscented, all-natural aloe formula featuring patented Silver Scent technology •Long-lasting, head-to-toe odor elimination in one convenient product •Removes body and hair odors and helps keep them from coming back Deodorant Stick •Long-lasting protection against odor and wetness •Combats underarm perspiration and odor at the source Field Spray •Eliminates 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria on contact—continues to work long after drying for in-field scent control •Designed to eliminate any odors that develop before and during the hunt •Trigger-spray bottle packed with the odor-killing power of Silver Scent technology Field Spray •Get all the odor-eliminating benefits of D/Code Trigger Field Spray in a twice-as-large size for extended use. Aerosol Field Spray •Ultra-fine mist spray for complete coverage •Packed with the odor-destroying power of Silver Scent® technology Field Wipes •Pre-moistened, unscented wipes for convenient carry in packs or pockets •For refreshing or applying in the field to eliminate scents on face, arms and gear •Inhibits the regrowth of human odors www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 75
Surviving a Bear Attack By Bowhunting Biologist Wade Nolan
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ost of us in North America live within 100 miles of a black bear. For this reason I will focus on what the experts say about the proper action to take if confronted or attacked by a blackie. First, I want to set the record straight about the relative risk of a black bear attack. It probably won’t happen to you and you’ll probably never need this advice. However, that doesn’t stop us from learning CPR or First Aid and so I want to share with you the accepted strategy to use should you be confronted by a black bear.
I remember Gary Alt the noted Pennsylvania bear researcher sitting at my kitchen table with me in Alaska and telling me how he had handled over 2000 black bears without a single bear biting or ripping him. Indeed, in Pa. black bear attacks are as rare as eagle bites. However, these bears are intensely hunted and understand the fear of man. When you get out into the backcountry a bit where bears only infrequently encounter people things can be different.
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Back when I gave bear orientation talks to tourists in Alaska’s Denali Park I would explain that it was unlikely that you would win an argument with an 800-pound grizzly and the best defense was to play dead. Statistics bear out this strategy. In contrast, black bear research has determined something completely different when it comes to the smaller blackie. Bear researcher Stephen Herrero compiled records of 23 persons killed in Alaska by black bears between 1900 and 1980. Predation appeared to be the motive in over 90% of the attacks. Bears treated people as prey. Only one of the deaths occurred in a park situation with a habituated bear. Another feature of the black bear attacks was that 93% of them occurred during the day. This contrasts with grizzly predation, which occurs primarily at night. Lets look at two lethal predatory black bear encounters as related to me by bear author Larry Kaniut. From Kaniut’s book, Some Bears Kill. “Bush pilot Stephen Routh, stood a sturdy and healthy 6 foot, 2 inches at 195 pounds. He landed on floats at Cow Lake preparing to spend the night. His wife was in the passenger seat. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 77
Upon exiting the plane he took the tail rope up the bank to look for place to tie the plane off, looked left then right to face large black bear nose to nose. At this point it is important to realize that a large 32 foot wide wing span float plane with engine running and prop turning had landed here less than a minute before the attack began, yet the bear had waited. While the attack of Stephen Routh by a black bear was unpredictable it certainly wasn’t unheard of. Every year a few black bears prey on humans. When Stephen turned to run down the bank the bear wrapped his forelegs around him and they tumbled down bank to water’s edge. The bear rapidly 78 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
on a different posture, as it now had to defend itself. Stephens’s wife started the plane as he swam for the planes float. The Bear tried to access the cabin of the plane. Stephen swam for deep water and splashed the approaching bear. Eventually he got onto the float and into the plane. A Commercial jet picked up the “Mayday” and he was rescued by a local pilot. The result; 1000 stitches”.
chewed his neck and ripped his clothes. Stephen thought about a weapon, his Buck knife, but didn’t have it. Stephen grabbed the bear by the wrists to try to stop the furry but couldn’t hold on. Then he did something significant. Stephen grabbed a branch and began to swat the bear in the face. He switched from defense to offense. The bear took
Could it have been worse? Yes, this was a classic predatory attack in broad daylight by a bold bear. What saved his life? Fighting back and swatting the bear in the face as he retreated. I know of a predatory incident that occurred in 1978 near Honeymoon Lake in Ontario that had different results. I learned about this attack while tent camping near the fatal site. This attack occurred at dusk. Three teenage boys were fishing in Stone Creek when it unraveled. First, one boy walked into the dense spruce forest along the creek and was attacked and killed. His body was drug to a site 55 yards up stream. A second boy went looking for him and was attacked in the same vicinity, as was a third teenage boy. The bear drug the bodies to a common area and was guarding the bodies when he was shot. The bear was a 276 pound male. When more prey is killed than can be consumed biologists call this surplus or frenzy
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killing. Two of the boys appeared to be bitten in the neck. Two bodies were partially eaten. There was little to suggest the boys put up a struggle but struggling and defending yourself is the key to survival. The bear was habituated to people. Black bears like this porch bear are comfortable around humans. These are often the bears that turn predatory. The following account was provided to me by Larry Kaniut and taken from “Woman vs. bear - woman wins,” Katie Pesznecker, Anchorage Daily News, July 12, 2002) Kristy Abbott was hiking on a trail near Petersburg Alaska when she was tested as prey. It was around 5 o’clock on a July 2002 evening when Abbott of Harrisburg, Oregon spotted a thin, gaunt black bear up ahead on her trail. The 27-year-old adventuresome and athletic woman stopped and triggered a hand held air horn to frighten the bear. The bear responded by charging her. Kristy, a former U.S. Marine looked for a weapon. Determined not to turn her back on the animal, she faced it. The brief encounter dragged on and on. At first, she poked it with a stick, trying to keep it away from her. Then she got behind a tree and attempted to keep the tree between her and the bear. For 15 minutes, she went one way and the bear tried to cut her off. Constantly watching the
bear and exploiting her chances, she backed away from it and toward the trail head. For an hour and a half she stood toe to toe with the bear, trading blows with a club. In the end she smacked the bear on the head with a large stick (possibly hitting it in an eye) and the bear vamoosed. Kristy sustained claw and bite (puncture) wounds on the backs of her
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legs and was treated at Petersburg Medical Center. She has since returned to her job with American Safari Cruises. The data is in. Black bears can and do sometimes see humans as prey. Data suggests that it is more often
bears on the fringe of wilderness that see us as meat. It also appears that hunted bears may have more of a fear developed for man than those that see men infrequently. So here is the take home‌the best course
of action should you be involved in a black bear attack is never quit fighting and use everything at your disposal including your fists to fend off a predatory attack.
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Going Hog Wild
These Tips Help Put More Pork in the Pot
By John N. Felsher
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hen Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto wandered through the southeastern United States from 1539 to 1542, he brought domesticated hogs with him to feed his troops. Some hogs escaped into the wilds. Their descendants, plus introductions by sportsmen over the centuries, now number in the millions. These wily tusked beasts can provide amazingly challenging sport. With these tips, sportsmen might put more pork in the pot this year.
Bring enough gun
Bristling with razor sharp tusks and protected by a tough hide covering a thick shoulder “shield” of hardened scar tissue, a big feral boar makes a formidable adversary. Leaner and much more muscled than any barnyard pig, a big wild boar can take considerable punishment. While many bowhunters arrow hogs, gun hunters should use high velocity rifles loaded with full-metal jacketed rounds in such
calibers as .270, .30-06, 7mm, .308 or similar calibers. With shotguns, use rifled slugs or 00 buckshot. “I recommend at least a .243 or bigger,” advised Barry Estes, a hog guide. “Usually, we use a .308. Under certain circumstances, a shotgun makes a great hog gun, if we can get within 25 to 30 yards. I use buckshot instead of slugs.”
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Find the food
Pigs might roam over a home range of about 10 square miles, but they typically stay close to the groceries. Many hog hunters put up stands near good food sources. Opportunistic feeders, hogs eat almost anything including acorns, fruits, roots, mushrooms, insects, eggs, invertebrates and even carrion. If they can catch small animals like fawns, they’ll eat them, too. They relish crops such as corn, peanuts and soybeans. “In the winter, hogs don’t have much food,” Estes said. “Acorns are gone. There isn’t much green food available except for planted food plots. After deer season ends, landowners can get wildlife depredation permits and bait hogs. Farmers hate feral pigs because of all the crop damage they do.” www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 85
Do the scouting
With a good pair of binoculars, scan fields and wooded edges for hogs at first and last light. Look for trails from cover to feeding areas and other sign. On private land, sportsmen can ride around in vehicles looking for pigs at night. Just don’t bring a gun or spotlight. Pigs also make a lot of noise when feeding or fighting. Stop and listen for pigs grunting, squealing or making other noises to pinpoint where they frequent.
Follow the signs
Hogs leave abundant sign. Hogs often wallow in muck to cool off and protect their skin from bugs or too much sun. Look for wallowings in soft depressions. After leaving wallows, hogs frequently rub against trees, posts, poles and other objects. Big boars also scar trees with their tusks. When rooting for acorns, tubers and other morsels, hogs can make an area look like someone roto-tilled it. “On public land, I look for areas that have been rooted up,” said Mike Tussey, a hog hunter. “I key on wet areas with abundant rooting sign. Sometimes, the tree bottoms are caked in mud where the hogs rubbed against them. Big boars also cut trees with their tusks as they sharpen them.”
Play the weather
In warm weather, hogs seek the thickest, lowest, wettest cover they can find. During a drought, find water, such as creeks or beaver ponds. In the winter, pigs generally head to higher ground to stay warm and dry. On windy days, they often hunker down in the thickest cover they can find.
“When hunting in the summer, look for places where hogs are using water,” Estes recommended. “In the winter, look for food sources and really good cover. They get spooky during deer season because so many people are in the woods.”
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trees or other cover between the hunter and the pigs. Many hunters kill hogs from deer “Hogs are not that difficult to stalk,” stands, but some people stalk them. Like hunting deer, keep wind direction in mind Estes said. “They aren’t as concerned with because the sensitive noses on hogs can predators as deer and are usually more pick up scents from long distances. Move concerned with food. As long as their noses slowly and deliberately without making any stay to the ground, hunters can get close to sudden movements or loud noises. Keep them. If the hog raises its head, freeze.”
Ground pounding for pigs
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Calling all hogs
Hogs make considerable noise and may respond to calls. A sow communicates frequently with her piglets to keep them close and away from predators. Hunters can use this to their advantage. “I often call pigs,” Estes said. “I use a low, pig grunt call. Often, when I come upon several pigs, I drop the sow in her tracks. Frequently, I can call the juveniles back while they search for the sow and safety.
Deer vs hogs
More hogs probably fall to deer hunters than anyone else. Hunting deer and hogs is often very similar. However, deer typically remain more alert than hogs and can better detect threats. “Deer are a lot more nervous and taller than hogs,” Estes explained. “A deer can lift its head three feet higher than a pig. That gives them a lot better vantage point to see danger. Lower to the ground, a pig must look through brush, grass and thickets to see anything. People can get away with more movement when hunting hogs than when hunting deer.”
Trapping pigs
With food limited, late winter or early spring makes an excellent time to trap wild pigs on private land. Build an enclosure strong enough to hold a large, enraged boar. Add bait, such as sour corn, and rig a trapdoor with a trip wire that closes behind the pig as it enters the trap. grabs the hog’s ear, nose Many people fatten them up for slaughter later. or another vital organ until the hunters arrive to tackle Let the dogs out and tie the enraged beast. If sportsmen can’t find pigs by stalking or sitting in Then, the hunters can kill a stand, they can let dogs find them. Many people train the hog for food, castrate it two types of dogs for hog hunting. Chase dogs smell and release it to grow fatter the hogs and start howling. Once the hog turns to fight without breeding, or put it or finds itself cornered, hunters send in the catch dog, in a pen to fatten it up for usually a scarred up pit bull with an attitude. The pit bull later. 88 l January 2017 l NABH l www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com
“An adult hog doesn’t have many enemies in the woods,” Tussey said. “Even with a catch dog, it’s still pretty dangerous. I haven’t been cut, but I’ve been run over by a hog. I know people who were severely hurt by hogs. If, for some
reason, the person or the dog lets go of the hog too soon and it gets up, you’re faced with a 250-pound boar full of teeth and tusks that’s extremely mad.” On private land, hunters can bag feral pigs all year long without limit. Many public lands allow
hunters to take pigs during seasons open for other game such as squirrels, rabbits or deer.
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ZERO IN ON NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR Mike Bleech
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ewfoundland Labrador, names that evoke thoughts of great adventure for sportsmen in a land as exotic as any in the world. Can a bear hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador really be so grand?
You betcha.
Newfoundland and Labrador is a whole lot of wild, larger that all U.S. states except for Alaska, Texas and California. But there are a whole lot less people than the latter two. When hunters talk about going to the ends of the Earth, this is one of those ends. In fact, Newfoundland is the easternmost part of North America. It is so far north that if Santa Claus lived here, he would not shorten his annual Christmas journey by much. Bear hunting pressure is light in Newfoundland and Labrador. Partly for this reason, probably also partly due to good genetics, the area produces some exceptionally large black bear. Some weigh in excess of 650 pounds There are bear seasons both in spring, from April to July, and in fall, from September to November. These seasons vary by area. So if heavy bear is your goal, then hunt the fall season. A black bear can double in weight between the time it comes out of the den in spring and is ready to so to den again in the fall. Newfoundland and Labrador offer sort of a safety net for bear hunters who have their minds set on trophies. This can be a great thing for inexperienced black bear hunters who may have little, or no, experience in judging bear sizes. Overestimating the size of a black bear is common, especially for someone who has
never taken a bear. If the first bear killed falls into this category, the hunter still had a change to collect a larger trophy. Here is a tip on judging black bear size. Ears look big, bear too small. Bears look small, it is at least getting into trophy status. A really big male black bear is an imposing site. They walk a little pigeontoed, with a swagger that makes it clear that every critter should get out of its way. Small bears, cubs, are amusing. Middle size bears, say 150 pounds to 250 pounds, are impressive animals. I can tell a bear I might consider taking because it makes the hairs on the back of my neck tickle. (Maybe those hairs stand up, but how would I know that.) There are a few places where hunters are most likely to find the largest black bears. Newfound and Labrador is just such a place. Black bear harvest rates may not be as high in Newfoundland and Labrador as in some other provinces. This is in part due to the tendency of big game hunters to hunt black bear in combination with moose or caribou, and buy a bear license on the chance of seeing a black bear with hunting either of those big game species. This is not a high percentage type of black bear hunting. Chances are best when a hunter specifically hunts for black bear.
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Just about all Newfoundland and Labrador black bears are the black color phase. Some of these have white throat patches, commonly a V-shape. While black bears are found throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, there are some places in Newfoundland where they are uncommon. The black bear population is stable. The Newfoundland black bear population is estimated to be roughly 6,000 animals to 19,000 animals. There is no estimate of the Labrador black bear population. Labrador is also home to polar bears. Female black bears with cubs may not be harvested. It is not legal to hunt black bear, or other big game, with any .22 caliber rifle, any bullet that weighs less than 100 grains or with a muzzle energy of less than 1.500 foot-pounds. The minimum age for hunting big game in Newfoundland and Labrador is 18 years-old. While it would be unthinkable to most non-
resident bear hunters to attempt to handle a Newfoundland and Labrador hunt on their own, that is taken out of their hands. Non-resident bear hunting licenses are only available through licensed outfitters. In fact, all nonresident big game hunters must go through outfitters. They must possess nonresident hunting licenses and proof of passing a hunter education course. And they must hunt with a licensed guide supplied by a licensed outfitter. Non-resident hunters must declare their firearms upon arriving at a Canada Customs Port. A firearm must be fitted with a trigger lock or cable lock so the firearm can not be fired, it must be carried in a locked container, ammunition should be stored separately or locked up, and if left in an unattended vehicle firearms should be kept in a trunk or not visible and the vehicle should be locked. Newfoundland is a big island, while Labrador is part of mainland Canada, bordering Quebec to the east. Getting to Labrador
requires either an airplane ride of a ferry ride. Then getting around is not simple. This should be discussed with your outfitter. Hunters must possess a game export permit to take game out of Canada. These are available free from licensed outfitters and Forestry/Wildlife Offices. Bear hunters also must have a CITES Permit to transport black bear parts outside of Canada. More detailed information about taking firearms to Canada see ‘Firearms Users Visiting Canada’ at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police website, www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Putting together a black bear hunt to Newfoundland and Labrador takes some planning. You can get most of the information you need by getting in touch with the Newfound and Labrador Outfitters Association, 866-470-6562, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, 800563-6353 or the web site www. newfoundlandandlabrador.com/ ThingsToDo/Bear, and The Department of Environment and Conservation web site www. env.gov.nl.ca/env.
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The .45-70 – 201 By Ed Hall
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fter more than a century of paltry existence, the .45-70 has become perhaps THE top bear gun for tree stand, hound hunting, and best of all, protection against big bears around camp. Its classic lever action appeal and fat, extra-heavy, deep penetrating bullets are ideal. The Marlin (www.marlinfirearms. com) and Browning (www.browning.com) lever rifles are the top rifles seen around northern bear camps, or any northern woods activity, for that most important chore of safeguarding human life. One look and the .45-70 is the posterchild for a fat, heavy, deep punching blunt bullet at modest velocity. If it gets through to the vitals - - and it always does – get out your skinning knife. Its bullet is not really dependent on mushrooming to get the job done. In fact, most of us who use these heaviest bear bullets would rather the bullet keep its already perfect blunt shape as it punches on through.
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story
The sheer numbers of old .45-70 rifles have kept the cartridge somewhat alive through the 1900’s, but in 1972 Marlin began offering the .45-70 in their lever action rifle, and the cartridge was given a new burst of life. The .45-70 may be a top bear gun, but not all .45-70 bullets are top bear bullets. The .45-70 has been seen over the years mostly as a brush rifle for deer, and the lightest, softest, 300-grain bullets have mushroomed best on whitetail. Even Remington’s 400-grainer (www.remington.com), while nicely heavy, is quite soft - - with deer in mind. While these are effective on ‘average’ black bears, they are poor performers when deep penetration through tough tissue is required. The .45-70 is a long story which begins with the Trapdoor Springfield rifle (www. trapdoorcollector.com) and its typical late 1800’s loading using 70 grains of black powder, and was actually called .45-70-500 for its 500 grain bullet. There are a lot of ‘Trapdoors’ around, so ‘factory ammo’ has always been loaded to black powderequivalent pussycat pressures. Remington, Winchester and Federal loadings fall into this classification. The Marlin lever action rifle is much stronger and by far the most popular .45-70 in the bear woods these days. But today’s ‘modern’ ammo is still restricted because of yesterday’s Trapdoor rifles.
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Fortunately, most reloading manuals these days treat the .45-70 as two separate cartridges. The original .45-70 data, is now called “.45-70 - Trapdoor Springfield Loads”, and it limits pressures to original black powder equivalents, driving a 300-grain to 1,880 ft/s for 2,354 ft/lb, safe in the old Trapdoor Springfields and using relatively soft bullets they work well on deer. Then, listed in reloading manuals almost as a separate cartridge, you’ll find “.45-70 - - Marlin Loads”, with another set of data. Hornady drives their 325 FTX at 2225 ft/s delivering 3571 ft/lb. That’s a substantial energy increase of 52%, just for putting a little more powder in the case as the safe stouter loading in the stronger rifle.
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Interestingly, there’s also a third, even hotter top category for the .45-70 in the Strong Ruger#1 single shot rifle and strong bolt actions (www.ruger.com), mostly for hunting elephants. It can deliver 3,750 ft/lb. These data are very separate and very well identified. In my opinion, heavy, hardcast lead bullets are the best choice for the big bears. Already the ideal shape for balancing penetration and punch, they are intentionally cast so hard they will not change shape as they drive through the largest bear. Hard cast bullets are less expensive, equally accurate, and can be driven to slightly higher velocities than jacketed bullets. A few custom ammunition companies offer “Marlin-load .45-70 ammo, with caveats not to use that ammo in old Springfield rifles.
Look to Grizzly ammo (www.grizzlycartridge.com) for eight offerings in Marlin level loadings in .45-70, using bullets from 300 to a whopping 460 grains. The 460-grainer is likely the best bear-stopper on the planet, and the cast loadings can be half the price of loads using fancy jacketed or monolithic Punch bullets. If you handload your .45-70 ammo, check out Grizzly’s selection of bullets under the name Cast Performance, heattreated, hardcast lead bullets. Hornady (www.hornady.com) has had two interesting developments for lever action rifles in general. One is their rubbery pointed bullet tip, safe for use in lever action rifles. This idea is remarkable, and greatly increases ballistic coefficient allowing pointed bullets in tubular magazines, for higher downrange energy and flatter trajectory.
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Hodgdon Powder Company (www.hodgdon.com) partnered with Hornady to offer SuperFormance powders for cartridges such as .30-06, and LeverEvolution powders for cartridges such as .30-30 and .45-70, giving them a pretty good boost in velocity and energy. Combined, they work wonders for lever cartridges, though the bullet’s point is likely of little import to bears at thirty yards, but compare Hornady’s .30-30 ammo to, say, Winchester’s for downrange punch. Handloaders have sometimes been uneasy about this unorthodox ‘three load level’ cartridge. Seeing this, Marlin and Hornady put their collective heads together and the result was a new Marlin rifle chambering a new .450 Marlin cartridge. They
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developed a new .450 cartridge the equal to the warmer “Marlin load”, but it used in its own rifle. The 450 Marlin ammo won’t fit .45-70 chambers nor the other way around. You will undoubtedly contemplate one of these rifles, either a .45-70 or a .450, and the choice between the two today is strange. Marlin once
offered both a .45-70 and a .450, but they have dropped the .450 from their catalog in their many recent cutbacks.
Browning, on the other hand, offers their famous BLR, Browning Lever Rifle (a dandy) (www.browning.com) and they offer it in .450 but not .45-70.
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Browning’s .450 For .45-70, you must Marlin is stainless steel, choose a Marlin. For a .450 uses a detachable box Marlin, you must choose a magazine and it’s a Browning. TAKEDOWN! Imagine,
instead of checking a gun case at the airport, your rifle is wrapped in your clothing in your conventional suitcase (but don’t forget to declare it!) Either of the two cartridges will do all the jobs. The .45-70 case is plenty strong enough to load up to Marlin loads, so offers handloaders full versatility. The .450 can be loaded lightly to duplicate any .45-70 loadings.
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Choose th Bear Hun Outfitter Make sure the outfitter knows well ahead of time what your expectations are. If you are looking for a really big bear and are willing to be patient, make that clear to the outfitter. The Author took this 500-pounder with Grandview Outfitting in Manitoba.
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he Right nting Going on the bear hunt that’s right for you means taking some time to identify what you want out of a hunt and understanding the demands that various hunting styles require. By Bernie Barringer
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couldn’t help but fidget. I was sitting only eight feet from the ground in some rusty steel contraption that resembled a ladder with a large board tied across the top. Four hours of seeing nothing but squirrels was taking its toll on me. I could stand on the board and lean against the tree or sit on the board and dangle my feet over the edge, which caused my legs to go numb. I was not happy that my outfitter had put me in this position. And I had to endure two hours until dark.
Two nice bears came in the last half hour of daylight and immediately looked up at me. Two bears had already been shot off this bait in the past couple weeks, and the remaining bears were savvy to the stand’s location. Night number two was a repeat except I had brought a seat cushion which made the long vigil more bearable. Not only did the bears have the gig figured out but the wind was perfectly wrong for this stand. Scouting
cameras revealed that the bears simply wouldn’t commit to the bait until I was gone. The outfitter was limited in the number of stands he had available. High water had flooded the majority of his hunting area and in fact several baits were under water. He was in a tough spot, but his guide, the one taking me in and out of the baits, didn’t make things any better by being insensitive to my needs.
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Knowing how much effort an outfitter puts into his operation will help you get a feel for how hard he is going to work to put you on the animal you want. The best outfitters spare no expense and effort to make sure they offer clients a good chance at a bear.
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The following day I suggested we put a ladder stand up 30 yards away from the current location, which would put me in a great spot for the wind, and the two bears’ attention would be focused on the empty stand. I had seen a new ladder stand still in the box leaning in the corner of the shed. The guide ignored my request. In this case, the outfitter was struggling due to the weather and I knew that going in. He is a very reputable outfitter and has a great reputation, but his part-time guide was a tough case. The hunt was made much more difficult because the guide was a substitute called in at the last minute and had a “my way or the highway” attitude. I tried to gently suggest things, even pitched the ideas so he could take the credit for them by trying to make it look like he thought of them himself. Nothing doing. There are good reasons for doing due diligence before you book a hunt. Guides like this one are one of the reasons you call references before you plunk down your hard-earned deposit. For every bad experience I have had a dozen good ones. But the bad ones do tend to stick in your mind. Let’s take a look at the key points in choosing the right outfitter and minimizing the chances of having a regretful trip. www.NorthAmericanBearHunter.com l NABH l January 2017 l 105
What kind of a hunt do you want? The first question you need to ask yourself is what type of a hunt you want. There are hound hunts, spot & stalk hunts, baited hunts and even combinations of these. Think about your physical capabilities, your shooting ability, experience and desires. Other factors to consider include scenery, number, size or colors of bears you want to see. Are you looking for fast-paced, frantic action or lack of it? Will climate and weather affect your choice? These things and more go into your choice of a hunt. If you start talking to an outfitter and you realize this isn’t exactly what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to back out. Sports shows are one of the best places to learn more about a hunt. You can often meet the outfitter and sometimes a guide in person. You can look at an album of photos and have a candid discussion that will give you a real gut feeling for the hunt and the people you will entrust with your money and in some cases your life. In the course of the discussion you will think of questions to ask so ask them on the spot. On the drive home, you will think of even more questions to ask so write them down. If you do not meet the outfitter in person, then plan to have a good phone conversation and ask the tough questions. Get references of successful and unsuccessful past clients and call them. If they sound like they have a canned response, they are may be getting a lot of calls because the outfitter knows his reference will tell you what you want to hear. Some outfitters offer excellent dining and others have nothing more than an adequate camp cook. Some accommodations may consist of a tent camp where you only bathe in a creek and others will find you staying in a beautiful lodge. Many are in between these two extremes. All these factors should be in the mix as you make your decision on choosing a hunt.
Inclement weather can do in a hunt and cannot be controlled, but there is no excuse for not doing all due diligence before choosing a hunt, that is one thing we can control.
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Define your Expectations Realistically, an outfitter can’t offer you the hunt you really want unless they know exactly what you want. Many people have had a bad experience because they went on a hunt that wasn’t a good fit because they didn’t specifically tell the outfitter what they wanted. If an outfitter says they have fishing available, but you get there and find out its only fly fishing and you don’t know how to fly fish; that’s your fault, you should have clarified it before you left home. Be honest about your physical limitations. Don’t go on a spot & stalk hunt in the mountains if you can’t hike up a dozen mountains a day. Likewise,
if you are 350 pounds and can’t get into a treestand, it would be a good idea to tell the outfitter that ahead of time so he can get a ground blind in place. Don’t surprise your outfitter when you pull into camp. He will be asking questions and expecting honest answers and you should be too. Are you looking for a truly big black bear? Make sure you are going to a place that has them. There are a lot of places that specialize in getting everyone a bear, but the top end of them is about 300 pounds. If you want to bag a giant, you have to ask the questions that will help you understand the type of operation you are dealing with. Looking for a color phase bear? Ask the specific questions about
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Ask for some scouting camera photos. This picture provided by an outfitter helped me learn that chocolate bears were available and there were multiple bears hitting the bait during daylight.
percentages of color bears. Then ask exactly how many and what colors were bagged there in the past three years. Trust your gut, if it doesn’t feel right, back off. Make your needs and preferences known. If you have health issues as simple as a lactose intolerance or an allergy, tell them so they can pass it along to the cook. If the sight of a baloney sandwich makes you want to barf, tell them that. Or don’t complain if you find yourself in a treestand for six hours with nothing but a baloney sandwich to eat. Ask specific questions about the temperatures, clothing you should bring and footwear. Not much is worse than
having nothing but leather hunting boots when you have to slog through a swamp to get to your stand. Wet, smelly feet can ruin a trip as fast as anything. Ask about outerwear, mosquito protection, long johns and headwear. Many baited hunts mean long hours in the stand during the afternoon and evening, but having something to do during the mornings can make a hunt much more enjoyable. Fishing is one option, sightseeing is another. Would they mind if you tagged along to check some baits? Ask ahead of time. One of my favorite hunts offered bowfishing for carp during the day.
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What if you shoot your bear early in the hunt? Learn what might be available to take up your time while you wait for a buddy to get his bear, or wait for a scheduled return flight. I like to get to know the area well before leaving for the hunt. I look at the area on Google Earth, check the weather for the hunt on accuweather.com, spend some time on the outfitter’s website and even Google the outfitter and see if I can come up with some information on a hunting forum, either positive or negative. By now you have noticed that a common theme in this article seems to be communication. That’s because the vast majority of bad experiences can be traced back to bad communication, either yours, the outfitter’s, or a substitute guide’s. Make sure it isn’t yours.
What will you do while you’re not hunting or if you tag out early. Find out what options are available. Ask specifics so you can be prepared. If fishing is available, ask about what kinds of tackle you should bring.
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Hunting Vehicle ATVs in the Bear Woods
T
By Willia
he late-afternoon sun melted into the horizon of the tree-lined ridge behind me as a cooling draft from the huge swamp suddenly surrounded me with a wave of chilly, earthy smelling, damp air. Two hours earlier, I had dropped off Ken Sargent, an easy-going bear hunter from New Hampshire, in a tree stand overlooking a smoking-hot bait site about a quarter mile into a big, dark swamp – now I waited in a nearby logging yard, listening for the sound of Sargent’s rifle.
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wandered far off as I sat in the grass of the old skidder trail that bordered the swamp, waiting to return my hunter to camp – hopefully with a huge bear. Years ago, loggers had used the path to drag downed trees out of this heavily wooded area bordering the huge conifer swamp. Now, what remained of the old logging trail allowed me access to this very remote section of woods in the Western Mountain Region of Maine. As the sun set it started getting cooler. Just as I started thinking about Mr. Sargent getting cold in the stand, a rifle bellowed a muffled report from deep within the dark swamp. All of my far-off thinking ended as I focused on tiptoeing along the grassy logging trail, to check on my hunter in the swamp. Sure enough, Sargent had hit a bear, a healthy boar with a thick coat – but it didn’t tip over until it got further into the darkness of the swamp. Daylight began to fade fast in the thick swamp, so after flagging a few trees next to the fallen bear, Sargent and I decided to come back for the bear with my ATV, spotlights, and a few extra husky helpers. A couple of other bear hunters back in camp gladly accepted the challenge of helping us with the chore of hauling the Clunie bear out of the swamp. By the time we returned to the swamp, it had started to Guiding hunters for black bear over bait sites gives a guy a tremendous amount turn dark. Effectively and safely driving of time to think. The guide drops a hunter at the ATV off the skidder trail into the thick underbrush to the swamp looked almost his stand in the afternoon, and then waits impossible in the fading light. until dusk to pick up the hunter. My mind
es
am
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Negotiating Thick Woods Knee-high bracken fern and thick undergrowth blocked my view of the huge rocks and logs covering the forest floor. I had two of the guys walk ahead of me and scout the clearest path to the bear possible. One fellow walking behind the ATV flagged our path with blaze-orange ribbon for our return trip out of the swamp. After getting as close as possible to the bear, the winch came in handy; hauling the bear from a precarious position between several narrow trees. Three of the more muscular hunters lifted the big bear onto the rear rack of the ATV, and off we went. Following the flagged path out of the woods to the logging trail worked perfectly, with only one problem. I got a little too confident and rammed a wheel into a giant hunk of granite rock. No problem really – a check the next day showed a little dent with some chrome scraped off the wheel.
Using the ATV allowed me to get the bear out of the woods and back into camp fast, so we could start the skinning process. No one likes to let any kind of game spoil because of warm weather, and the speedy ATV retrieval also helped get the bear meat into the freezer faster. Toting a big bear over stumps and logs requires tremendous power in an ATV. Machines in the 300cc class might do the trick, but something like a 500cc or bigger sure feels better when the going gets tough. Hunters also must outfit the ATV with the proper accessories for the chore. Chainsaws, winches, and a good towrope, become very useful in certain situations. A method of fixing flat tires comes in handy when retrieving game in remote areas. ATV riders must be prepared to repair a flat in the woods if needed. Most auto parts stores carry good tire repair kits. Add a battery-powered air pump or compressor to complete the fix-it kit. A small survival
pack for remote travel also makes sense. A minimum of these items would be helpful in an emergency situation: matches, a few food items, a flashlight with extra batteries, and a well-charged cell phone. And don’t forget to leave an itinerary with someone at home. Give them a general idea of the hunting location, and an estimated time of return.
Work Horse
My ATV, a tool like my truck or rifle, allows me to carry my gear a little further into the woods, beyond the limits of my truck, or backpacking range. The ATV also helps haul heavier amounts of bait to sites located in remote, hard to get to areas. ATV’s take hunters beyond the outer reaches of their usual hunting grounds; for this reason, hunters using ATV’s should take a few extra precautions. First of all, take it easy; don’t turn a pleasant adventure into
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an endurance race. Drive slowly and enjoy the beauty of the woods. Remote four-wheeling isn’t a time for racing and horsing around. Become familiar with a compass or a GPS unit, and topographic maps. ATV’s allow hunters to travel much further into unknown territory, and knowing how to find a way out becomes very important. Like any tool, ATV’s must be maintained to perform properly. Keep it in good running order and things will go better when
the ATV gets called into action. Having mechanical problems way back in the bear woods can be just like a punch in the gut – especially in the middle of the celebration of retrieving a trophy. A wellcared-for ATV won’t spoil a successful hunt. The last thing to talk about here should be the first thing bear hunters with ATV’s must remember. Always get landowner permission before riding ATV’s in the woods. Create a solid relationship with private landowners well before the season starts,
making sure to let them know your plans for using the ATV for retrieving game. Contact state and federal offices when using public land controlled by these agencies. Most phone numbers can be found in a simple Internet search. Most of all have fun and enjoy the ride. Following the rules and advice of seasoned bear hunters that use ATV’s in the bear woods can help turn the back-wrenching chore of retrieving a heavy bear into a pleasant task.
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4th Annual Northeastern Big Game Trials Matt McDonnell and KC’s Hound’s & Houndsmen are pleased to announce the 4th annual Northeastern Big Game Trials to be hosted by the Washington County Coon and Cat Club, 482 Quarry Rd in Salem, New York on May
19-20, 2017.
With the overwhelming success of the event during the first three years and averaging around 300 hounds registered for events annually, we are expecting an even bigger turnout of competitors for 2017! Some of the country’s leading bear hounds and handlers will be competing along with individuals and teams from throughout the Northeast and
Salem, New York is located one hour north of Albany is nestled conveniently between the Adirondack Mountains of New York and the Green Mountain National Forrest of Vermont.
This years events will include:
The Classic Bay Competition
Field Trials Water Races Bench Show
Sponsors and contributors, its time to make your plans to join us as a premier sponsor or contributor to the 4th Annual Northeastern Big Game Trials. With your sponsorship or donation you will receive prime promotional coverage throughout our advertising materials including; print, KC’s Hounds & Houndsmen website with 800,000 hits per month and North American Bear Hunters Online Magazine. Call us today for details. 585-216-5113