Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

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stash59
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby stash59 » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:55 am

Or maybe your just gullable!!!!! :roll: :liar: :mrgreen:


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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Mike Foss » Fri Feb 24, 2017 11:15 am

Jonny... I have been guiding bear hunters for over 20 years now. I think I would have heard stories such as this, I think you are getting your story mixed up, its not a bear that the dogs pinned down, its a boar pig. It is a common practice down in the Southern States and out West.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Mike Foss » Fri Feb 24, 2017 11:18 am

Jonny wrote:
Jonny wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Jonny wrote:
BassBoysLLP wrote:Awesome story Stash. My goal this year is to kill a decent bear from the ground with traditional gear. I always day dream about putting the sneak on one. Has to be a rush.


I have a buddy who killed one with a knife up in canada. That's waaaaaaay too much of a rush for me

Killing bear with a knife and grouse with stones......... :think:

Are your Canadian buddy's cavemen or something? :lol:


The grouse with stones was an Italian Canadian. That usually explains it.

The knife was a guy from central wisconsin. 6'6, and built like an nfl linebacker


After reading this again Dewey, I realize now I have some pretty weird friends :lol:


Its pigs (boar) that your friend killed! ;)
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Jonny » Fri Feb 24, 2017 2:11 pm

Mike Foss wrote:Jonny... I have been guiding bear hunters for over 20 years now. I think I would have heard stories such as this, I think you are getting your story mixed up, its not a bear that the dogs pinned down, its a boar pig. It is a common practice down in the Southern States and out West.


I just called him to clarify it. He actually used a spear, not a knife. He wanted to use a knife but something didn't work out right for it. He wouldn't tell me what it was but it was a last second thing that came up during the trip. I think I missed that detail or mixed it around since he told me about it years ago. He also has done the pig hunts with a knife down south but said that was pretty easy to do.

Either way, knife or spear, that's about as up close and personal you can get with a bear without being lunch.

As far as never hearing about it mike, from a quick google search, spears and knives fall under primitive weapons, so they should be legal in most cases but I can't see how a guide would ever go for it. I bet as a guide you see some really interesting people, how many of them would you trust going after a bear with less than a bow? I don't know if it was a guided thing or diy thing with some people he knew. He has lots of connections for hunting all over the world.

He has proven enough wacky stories to me where I don't doubt them anymore. I just call to clarify :lol:
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Jonny » Fri Feb 24, 2017 2:11 pm

stash59 wrote:Or maybe your just gullable!!!!! :roll: :liar: :mrgreen:


That's a common side effect of being young :lol:
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Mike Foss » Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:12 pm

Jonny wrote:
stash59 wrote:Or maybe your just gullable!!!!! :roll: :liar: :mrgreen:


That's a common side effect of being young :lol:


Glad you called to verify. I did say spear... I am glad your friend wasn't crazy enough to try and use a knife on a bear, he could have been seriously injured. A little 100lb bear would tear your big friend up ;)
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Jonny » Fri Feb 24, 2017 4:04 pm

Mike Foss wrote:
Jonny wrote:
stash59 wrote:Or maybe your just gullable!!!!! :roll: :liar: :mrgreen:


That's a common side effect of being young :lol:


Glad you called to verify. I did say spear... I am glad your friend wasn't crazy enough to try and use a knife on a bear, he could have been seriously injured. A little 100lb bear would tear your big friend up ;)


From what he told me over the phone, between the dogs and the amount of guns surrounding the bear, he thought the bear looked pretty cuddly and safe. Sounded like they had enough firepower to turn that bear into Swiss quickly so it really wouldn't be that dangerous for him.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Mike Foss » Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:00 am

I did a little digging on using a spear for bears in Canada and the U.S.

In the United States, spear hunting is actually allowed in at least four states: Alabama, Hawaii, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
These four laws, though, vary wildly. Oklahoma permits it in a variety of situations, including “gigging,” or frog hunting. Nebraska permits it for “antelope, deer, elk, mountain sheep or turkey,” although a spear cannot contain “poison or stupefying chemical” or have “an explosive tip.” Hawaii allows spear hunting for “wild pigs and wild goats and wild sheep.”
Alabama? Let’s just say you can hunt a lot with a spear in Alabama.

It is legal in parts of Canada but because of a Ohio mans video posted not to long ago it has created such outrage they are going to ban using spears for bears.

In Wisconsin it is illegal to use a spear for bears.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:37 am

Mike Foss wrote:I did a little digging on using a spear for bears in Canada and the U.S.

In the United States, spear hunting is actually allowed in at least four states: Alabama, Hawaii, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
These four laws, though, vary wildly. Oklahoma permits it in a variety of situations, including “gigging,” or frog hunting. Nebraska permits it for “antelope, deer, elk, mountain sheep or turkey,” although a spear cannot contain “poison or stupefying chemical” or have “an explosive tip.” Hawaii allows spear hunting for “wild pigs and wild goats and wild sheep.”
Alabama? Let’s just say you can hunt a lot with a spear in Alabama.

It is legal in parts of Canada but because of a Ohio mans video posted not to long ago it has created such outrage they are going to ban using spears for bears.

In Wisconsin it is illegal to use a spear for bears.


It is also legal in zones 3, 6, and 11 in South Carolina.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Mike Foss » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:50 pm

BassBoysLLP "It is also legal in zones 3, 6, and 11 in South Carolina".

Wonder what's the reasoning behind having it legal only in a few Zones. Interesting
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:56 pm

Mike Foss wrote:BassBoysLLP "It is also legal in zones 3, 6, and 11 in South Carolina".

Wonder what's the reasoning behind having it legal only in a few Zones. Interesting


Its more of a lack of regulation in these zones. South Carolina is a weird state. Actually, spearing in general is an odd subject that can consume a night or more. I've looked it to it for bear and deer. It is a bit more liberal for small game and fish.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby saylean » Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:18 am

Hunting bear without the use of bait or dogs is 100% possible and something I do every year. Do not think for a minute that baiting and using dogs is the only way to hunt bear. I am not putting down those tactics, but from where I come from, we cannot use either of those methods. Last year, my shot on a bear was about 13 yards if that, on the ground, no bait or dogs, just stalking.

I wouldn't sit on a pile of bear poo and expect to find a bear to come right back to it, but I would sit on a food source for that time of year that had fresh bear sign. If nothing happened for a bit in the evenings or mornings, I would definitely try predator calling, especially if it is very thick. It is not as difficult as you may think, to hunt bears spot and stalk or predator calling. Read up on some books or info online and you'll find some success.

For example, here is a video of a bear I called in under 5 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kkwJFAMKzo
Author of "No Bait Just Bears" and "The Ultimate Guide To Black Bear Hunting". Patriot, father, hunter, and all around red blooded American.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby bigwoodshuntn » Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:46 am

I used to work at a grain site in high school and one of the farmers that came in was from up by winter somewhere. He said that get ag tags for bears every year but you aren't allowed to bait them so they just sit the field edges. Worked for them he claims.

Also during deer season just about every year I see a bear or several. I believe 5 was the most in one night. I might still have the video. This is in big woods with lots of bears however. Several times I have had them within bow range when bowhunting deer but it's almost always I would have been able to shoot with a rifle.

So personally I believe it is %100 possible to kill a bear without the use of bait or dogs but certainly isn't stacking the odds in your favor.
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Re: Hunting bear over fresh sign. Possible???

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:47 am

bigwoodshuntn wrote:Also during deer season just about every year I see a bear or several. I believe 5 was the most in one night. I might still have the video. This is in big woods with lots of bears however. Several times I have had them within bow range when bowhunting deer but it's almost always I would have been able to shoot with a rifle.


They just changed the regulations here so that shotguns with slug only and they expanded the bear season here to include the two week shotgun season. The bear tag is $5.00 which is pretty cheap. Several hunters were pinched for taking bear with buckshot. :shock:

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