Gonna give the rabbit distress call method a try this September. Been watching videos, listening, reading about it. Any real life experience /comments anyone want to share.
Thanks
Thanks
Fall Bear Hunting
- Thread starter Slugz
- Start date
bghunter
Active Member
Good luck! Please let us know how it goes, I've never had good success with calls, just find good food source and they are there.
wa-hunter
Active Member
- Apr 24, 2014
- 235
- 7
my buddy had a nice bear come to a call one year he was using a fawn distress call. i have never had any luck when i tried. one year during archery elk we spotted a good bear about 300 yards up in an older clear cut that we tried calling to so we could watch what he did, but he would look our way for a bit then just go back to feeding on berries. might have been different if there wasn't such an abundant supply of food already around him. we always have the best luck just glassing berry patches weather they are huckleberries black berries or snow berries. good luck!
JimP
Administrator
A good idea is to talk to any elk or deer hunters that you see and ask them if they got their animal. If they did ask them where the gut pile or bones are located at and sit on them. While it is illegal to hunt over bait a dead animal or his remains isn't considered baiting.
yes sir ......we currently do that....just looking to add more to the game while sitting and or spot and stalking.
highplainsdrifter
Very Active Member
We tried calling while baiting this past spring. We had several nocturnal boars that were coming to the bait just after dark. So we tried calling to see if we could get them to come in during legal hours. We only tried it twice. The first evening a coyote came in. The second evening nothing came in. So we didn't call in any bears, but I'm convinced calling has potential especially when paired with baiting.
BTW, you might want to use a remote so you can place the call 40 or 50 yards away from you...safer that way.
BTW, you might want to use a remote so you can place the call 40 or 50 yards away from you...safer that way.
gonhunting247
Veteran member
- Jan 21, 2014
- 1,216
- 797
Fall is definitely tougher than spring, but it does work sometimes. I've had way more success during the spring, but have killed a couple bears in the fall while calling also! In most cases I've seen the bear, but can't relocate him. So I sneak in close with the wind in my favor and call. My percentage of response is pretty low during the fall though! Another thing I noticed is that I haven't had any come in aggressive in the fall, like they do in the spring. They just meander in kind of curious like. At least so far, for me anyway. I use a simple rabbit in distress call and wail away, trying to sound as pitiful as possible 
. I think what wa-hunter said is exactly right, the more good food they have in front of them the harder they are to get interested and I guess rightly so. Good luck with calling, when it works, it can really be exciting!
. I think what wa-hunter said is exactly right, the more good food they have in front of them the harder they are to get interested and I guess rightly so. Good luck with calling, when it works, it can really be exciting!
Bonecollector
Veteran member
So I'm gonna
1) glass the serviceberry, choke berry scrub oak line of transition and lower.
2) hunt an area we always knock a cow down in muzzleloader over a kill site hopefully.
3) fold in the rabbit in distress method
Should be interesting.
1) glass the serviceberry, choke berry scrub oak line of transition and lower.
2) hunt an area we always knock a cow down in muzzleloader over a kill site hopefully.
3) fold in the rabbit in distress method
Should be interesting.
SouthForkguy
Member
I've never heard of anyone doing this successfully in Price County Wisconsin where I live and hunt, also hopefully have a tag next year. We have some trophy bear on camera and typically bait sit or run with hounds. I wonder if this method would be effective in our thick swamps/woodsFall is definitely tougher than spring, but it does work sometimes. I've had way more success during the spring, but have killed a couple bears in the fall while calling also! In most cases I've seen the bear, but can't relocate him. So I sneak in close with the wind in my favor and call. My percentage of response is pretty low during the fall though! Another thing I noticed is that I haven't had any come in aggressive in the fall, like they do in the spring. They just meander in kind of curious like. At least so far, for me anyway. I use a simple rabbit in distress call and wail away, trying to sound as pitiful as possible
troutrepublic.com
New Member
- Jul 31, 2017
- 2
- 0
Called in two cougars when calling for bears in Unit 80. Just sit where your back is up against a good backstop as they sneak in on you.
xtreme
Very Active Member
sorry....I think I put my bear comments under my NW Colorado Elk report thread.
Un- nerving (sp) is the word to describe it. So I patterned a big cinnamon boar down to a rough area where he has been living the past 3 years with visual sightings, scat and elk hunters who are bad callers calling him in to them a few times. The area is on a north facing slope with some small parks and limited distance for glassing. This year I went hi and found him one day about a 1/2 mile from the area I expected him to be. He was feeding away from me at a pretty good clip, I had bad wind and could never catch up to him. I still hunted the planned area and called from a tree with roughly one lane of approach to me. Dogs, small cat and who knows what else came to the call. (heard a lot of weird stuff) The hair on the back of my neck was up the whole time and it made for a very stressful hunting style
Next time I'm gonna hump in a portable tree stand and just get off the ground a few feet (8' or so) so I can look behind my ass a little easier. Will definitely do this again though. The Primos rabbit in distress calls is what I was using.
Winchester
Veteran member
You did better with your calling than I did. I tried the same thing this fall during Colorado's 2nd season after I got my bull. Never could get a bear to come in though.sorry....I think I put my bear comments under my NW Colorado Elk report thread.
Un- nerving (sp) is the word to describe it. So I patterned a big cinnamon boar down to a rough area where he has been living the past 3 years with visual sightings, scat and elk hunters who are bad callers calling him in to them a few times. The area is on a north facing slope with some small parks and limited distance for glassing. This year I went hi and found him one day about a 1/2 mile from the area I expected him to be. He was feeding away from me at a pretty good clip, I had bad wind and could never catch up to him. I still hunted the planned area and called from a tree with roughly one lane of approach to me. Dogs, small cat and who knows what else came to the call. (heard a lot of weird stuff) The hair on the back of my neck was up the whole time and it made for a very stressful hunting style