Curious as to what the forum members thoughts and feelings are on shooting a bear while in its den. My buddy recently did just that and has gotten a little backlash from it. He wasnt bear hunting but came 8 from a den after climbing over some dead fall when he noticed the den with the bears head in the opening. His teenage son and wife were with him while on an elk hunt.
Would you shoot a bear in its den, if...
- Thread starter ivorytip
- Start date
I probably wouldn’t since when they are like that they often are pretty sluggish and aren’t really a challenging quarry. However, the odds of finding that is probably lower than competing a stalk on a spotted animal. Bears also do very little for me. I’ve baited a bunch, all back in MN and I only sat in the stand once in 6 years. I liked getting pictures and knowing they were around. Now that I live in the west I plan to try some spot and stalk hunting just to get out in May/June, but wouldn’t kill one sleeping in its den.
Slugz
Veteran member
I respect and support any hunting that is legal within the state or province rules first and foremost.
That being said backlash is well deserved. Not sportsmanlike, cheap, unethical, gives us a bad name, almost like poaching.....I could go on and on. Just my 2 sense though and only my views.
That being said backlash is well deserved. Not sportsmanlike, cheap, unethical, gives us a bad name, almost like poaching.....I could go on and on. Just my 2 sense though and only my views.
Prerylyon
Veteran member
I don't know much about bear hunting, other than what I read about, but this reminds me of a squirrel hunt I was on 25 yrs ago back east, with a buddy when we were in our early 20s.
It was a slow day. Eventually, he started just blasting at squirrel nests up in the oaks. The 1st round he let loose into a nest from his 20ga yielded a plump bushytail that hit the forest floor with a dull thud. Seeing this, I took a similar shot and achieved the same result.
Today, I realize what we did that day was unethical, and in some states may be illegal. How could we know that a protected species wasn't in one of those squirrel nests? This bear den scenario probably doesn't have those same complications, but you get the idea.
All that said, it really didn't feel right-what we were doing that day-I still remember the quiet walk back to the truck. My friend and I both agreed on that awkward feeling. We never shot squirrel nests again.
Its like that little voice you hear. That voice comes in differently for everyone, and I will leave it there.
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It was a slow day. Eventually, he started just blasting at squirrel nests up in the oaks. The 1st round he let loose into a nest from his 20ga yielded a plump bushytail that hit the forest floor with a dull thud. Seeing this, I took a similar shot and achieved the same result.
Today, I realize what we did that day was unethical, and in some states may be illegal. How could we know that a protected species wasn't in one of those squirrel nests? This bear den scenario probably doesn't have those same complications, but you get the idea.
All that said, it really didn't feel right-what we were doing that day-I still remember the quiet walk back to the truck. My friend and I both agreed on that awkward feeling. We never shot squirrel nests again.
Its like that little voice you hear. That voice comes in differently for everyone, and I will leave it there.
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if it was legal , and I wanted to kill a bear ,I would.
I know some will cry immoral and unethical, yet those same folks would kill a bedded deer with no thought.
is it really any different then shooting a deer in it's bed???????????????????????
there are some things hunting techniques I am not a fan of. so... I don't do those things .
I will not however ,condemn those who do, SO LONG AS IT IS legal
I know some will cry immoral and unethical, yet those same folks would kill a bedded deer with no thought.
is it really any different then shooting a deer in it's bed???????????????????????
there are some things hunting techniques I am not a fan of. so... I don't do those things .
I will not however ,condemn those who do, SO LONG AS IT IS legal
thanks for your thoughts. does it make an "ethical" difference if the bear was awake and watching you from 8 feet away? if this happened to me and my boy was with me i am not sure i would take any chances. had it been a sow with a cub or two with her i don't think she would have hesitated to come at you, its the same as being cornered. if the bear was snapping its jaw at you would this change the outcome?
RICMIC
Veteran member
In this circumstance, it would be tough to determine if it was a female and had cubs in there with her. I actually have a great sow bear rug on my wall that a 11 year old kid shot years ago. He had been posted on a stump by an uncle, and had been fidgeting around (as kids do), and a head poked out of the snow below the stump. The kid panicked, ran down the trail to where his uncle was in a tree stand, yelling "BEAR". The bear was croggily following the kid down the trail, and the uncle couldn't shoot with the boy in the way. He told the boy to turn around and shoot the bear if it gets near. He ended up shooting the bear between the eyes with a single shot 20 GA slug. Back then, you could use your deer tag for bear in MN. Different circumstances, but I personally wouldn't shoot a bear in a den, even if legal. At the same time, I won't condemn someone else for doing so if it was legal.
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
No I wouldn't I believe in ethical hunting.No dogs and No bait.Spot and stalk.BUT...thats the way I hunt.If its legal do what you see fit.
Timberstalker
Veteran member
Agree, I have no problem with the bear being taken. To me it’s as ethical as anything taken beyond smelling distance. I doubt that hunters who hunted for survival hundreds of years ago put much weight on what was ethical or not. They took the opportunity given.
JimP
Administrator
You could say that a lot of upland birds and waterfowl are taken every year over bait. The bait may be in the form of a harvested corn or grain field but bait is bait. We could also throw decoys into the mix, here we are trying to fool a bird to fly into our area and join our flock so to speak.
On the bear, I doubt that I would do it. There is too much to chance as far a a possibility of it being a sow with a cub with her in the den. But then in some states it is quite legal to do. As for bears with dogs, that can turn into a adrenaline rush as you are chasing them and then once it is treed you can make a informed decision on shooting it or not. Same way over bait, you can decided if the bear that you see is the one that you really want to shoot or not.
On the bear, I doubt that I would do it. There is too much to chance as far a a possibility of it being a sow with a cub with her in the den. But then in some states it is quite legal to do. As for bears with dogs, that can turn into a adrenaline rush as you are chasing them and then once it is treed you can make a informed decision on shooting it or not. Same way over bait, you can decided if the bear that you see is the one that you really want to shoot or not.
not by most it wouldn't.
how about planting food plots for whitetails.. is that not baiting????
oh the conundrum!
antis love these type threads .it shows how divided the hunters are. and shows them which strings to pull to tug at our hearts.
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dan maule
Veteran member
Exactly, we like to think that everyone should do things the way we do it. Sometime we are our own worst enemies.
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
mntnguide
Very Active Member
I would reason to bet anyone who thinks using hounds on lion and bear is unethical has never been on a chase. There is far more that goes into a successful chase then just dumping dogs and catching. It can be one of the most challenging and physically brutal hunts you will ever go on.. and not to mention the houndsmen with years upon years of training dogs to get good ones... i personally don't have a problem with someone LEGALLY harvesting an animal. How different is shooting that bear that had no idea he was there, than the person shooting a deer at 1000 yards? Far less wounded animals at 8 yards than 1000...
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JimP
Administrator
I thought it was kind of cool having the racoons in my area. They never damaged anything and the only problem was when the neighbors dogs would start barking at them. That is until this last spring when one got on top of my patio roof and got into my attic through the roof vent, she wanted to find a home for her little ones. Since that time I have been on a vendetta to get rid of as many of them as I can in the area.
Here are a couple of pictures of her when she came out the next night and wasn't happy that she couldn't get back into the attic. I managed to get her out before she had her little ones. Don't mind the date and time on the image since my camera was going a little bit goofy.
Here are a couple of pictures of her when she came out the next night and wasn't happy that she couldn't get back into the attic. I managed to get her out before she had her little ones. Don't mind the date and time on the image since my camera was going a little bit goofy.
yup! same goes for ARs.
way to many hunters who believe no one should own an AR simply because they themselves have no desire to. this same mindset can be contributed to most anything folks strive to ban.