First Black Bear Hunt
Contributors to this thread:Bears
From: VogieMN
05-Sep-23
Next week I'm going on my very first black bear hunt, I plan on taking my bow. I've watched countless videos and looked at images and am pretty confident I can recognize a small bear or a really big bear but how do you differentiate with all the in between? But if say 3 bears come in to the bait and they are 150, 200, 250 lbs are those notable differences? Yes I understand that for my first bear any bear is a trophy.
From: Shug
06-Sep-23
Good luck...
Just imagine yourself trying to place the bear into the barrel (55 gallon drum) The harder to get it in the better the bear. The two center color pics the bears have the same build ( roughly) but when you compare them to the barrel it's easy to see one is considerably bigger
From: LBshooter
06-Sep-23
I'm sure your guide outfitter will give the tips needed to tell. Who you going through?
From: Shug
06-Sep-23
To answer your question A 150-250 you'll notice a difference 150-200 can be a little tougher if you've never seen a bear...
From: VogieMN
06-Sep-23
I'm sure your guide outfitter will give the tips needed to tell. Who you going through?
Snowy River Outfitters. Thank you for the references and having the comparison I can see the differences. They did say they will go over some of the area background to use as a guide.
From: Huntiam
06-Sep-23
If he looks like he don’t have ears or much ears shoot.. Big ears don’t shoot
From: Scoot
06-Sep-23
Vogie, what part of the state are you hunting? I'm baiting in no quota in wester MN and struggling this year. The acorn crop is unreal and they just keep on falling. The forest floor is filled with them.
From: KY EyeBow
06-Sep-23
I've been fortunate enough to bear hunt your state twice. First hunt, I shot a really big bear because I didn't know the difference, the second hunt(5 years later) i shot a small/micro bear because I didn't take my time or really know the difference. My point is, they're not easy to judge. If you have a drum, I think that is a good way to gauge their size but we've never used those, only logs covering the bait pile. It's a fun hunt, enjoy!
From: wisconsinteacher
06-Sep-23
If you don't have a drum, have the guide mark a tree with something at 32-34". If the bear is over the mark, shoot straight!!!
From: VogieMN
07-Sep-23
Vogie, what part of the state are you hunting? I'm baiting in no quota in wester MN and struggling this year. The acorn crop is unreal and they just keep on falling. The forest floor is filled with them.
A little north and east of Mille Lacs.
From: Shug
07-Sep-23
Here is a neat comparison pic for you Top pic is a giant sow in the low to mid 300"s
Bottom pic is a Boar that pushed the 500# mark Side by side you can see the difference in physical make up... and also understand why something to judge them against is important.
From: VogieMN
08-Sep-23
That is a neat comparison! Thank you all for the descriptions. I can definitely see how having something to compare the size makes a difference. That sow is crazy! It looks like a pig with super short legs!
From: ahunter76
08-Sep-23
If & when that 1st Bear walks in, your eyes will get big, your heart will race & unless it's a cub, you'll forget about size. Remember to "pick a spot".. Enjoy & good luck. This was my 1st & a big Bear. It is a MN Bear when you could hunt them on a small game license long ago.