Black Bear Hunting Tips
Black bear hunting is a thrill! It’s a great way to get started with big game. It’s a hunt where many of the skills you’ve picked up from previous hunts can be used, but the stakes are much higher.
These hunts are fairly accessible since black bears are the most populated group of bears in North America and can be found across Canada and the mountainous areas of the U.S. In fact, Canada is one of the best places to hunt black bear, Nova Scotia in particular. Black bear hunting guides in Nova Scotia are well-versed in what it takes to land that big trophy kill.
The key to black bear hunting and the top Black Bear Hunting Tips are to remain unseen, unheard and unsmelled. These little guys are easily startled. To keep your hunt from going sour, here’s 3 black bear hunting tips to land that big trophy kill.
1) Black Bear Hunting Tip – Stay out of Sight
Black bears’ eye sight is similar to that of yours or mine; however, they are exceptional at identifying unnatural colors or patterns. This means two things for you as the hunter.
First, you need to be wearing the right kind of camouflage for the area that you are hunting in. If you’re hunting further south where coniferous and deciduous trees are more common, you’ll need camouflage that includes pine needles and fall foliage; however, if you’re further north where there’s primarily coniferous trees your camouflage should only include pine needles and pine bark. Your hunting guide can help you with the type of clothing you need.
Second, it’s essential you’re as motionless as possible. Even if you’re in perfectly matched camouflage, your movement will look unnatural. This is especially important around dusk since bears are able to see better in low light conditions than we are.
2) Black Bear Hunting Tip – Keep Quiet
While a bear’s sight is nothing to write home about, their hearing certainly is. Black bears’ hearing is around 4 times as sensitive as humans and they can hear a much wider frequency range. So, not only can they hear what you can from much farther away, they can also hear higher and lower pitches than our ears can pick up.
It may sound perfectly quiet to you, but the black bear hears the rustling of your clothes, the movement of your gear and the squeaking of your tree stand. Do everything you can to stay as still and quiet as possible.
3) Black Bear Hunting Tip – Mask your Scent
Now, it isn’t just the bear’s eyes and ears you have to worry about, they’re packing a secret weapon. A black bear’s sense of smell is 2,100 times stronger than yours. You have around 6 million olfactory receptors in your nose. A bloodhound, which we usually think about as having a great nose, has around 1.8 billion. A black bear? They have 12.6 trillion.
If the wind is right, a black bear can smell you from 20 miles away and they know when something doesn’t smell right.
Here’s a few quick black bear hunting tips to beat the bear’s nose.
- Wash you hunting clothes in scent-free detergent and hang them outside to dry.
- If you’re a smoker, don’t smoke around any of your hunting gear and definitely don’t smoke while you’re out on the hunt.
- Use a scent blocker. Your hunting guide can give you tips on what works best for the area.
- Use the wind to your advantage. It’s much more difficult for bears to pick up your scent from up wind.
Ready to bag that trophy kill? Use these black bear hunting tips and…..Don’t let ‘em see you, hear you or smell you and the kill is yours.
Brought to you by Brian “Bear” Squirrell of Big Bear Outfitters – Nova Scotia, Canada. Your big game and black bear hunting guide in Nova Scotia, Canada. www.bigbearoutfitters.co