Calling in a Spring Bear?

[Ed Brooks]

Hello, hunting season starts early this yr.  My son got a spring bear permit, that starts 4/15 and runs through June 15th.
This Washington State will no longer let us bait bears or use hounds,  so I have to ask has anyone used calls for bear, if so how did they work and what calls do you use?
I have a wounded rabbit call, deer call that does a bunch of different calls & cow elk calls. I'm thinking a fawn may be best this time of yr?
I hunt in big timber country so I have a lot of ground to hunt, I have contacted the timber company and the game department to see where the trouble bears are and they just send me in the general area that the timber company owns, so that was no help, I do know this ground pretty well and have seen bears here in the past.
This will probable be a rifle hunt so he will not need to be too close. Thank you Ed.

[JW_Halverson]

Sit in the woods making noises like a pick-a-nick basket!

[chamookman]

Thanks Jdub - just shot a mouthful of coffee out My nose ! I'd say a Fawn distress or Rabbit squeal would work well - Bob.

[kleinpm]

This will be my first year hunting bears so my opinion may be worthless. I have talked to the few bear hunters I know and none have really had any success calling in bears during bear season. They seem to think that bears just out of hibernation are more interested in grass and carrion. That seems like malarky to me, a hungry bear isn't going to turn down a fawn or calf.

Is it to thick to spot and stalk? How old is your son?

Patrick

[Jeremy Holden]

I've never hunted bear.  But I heard once from an old timer something that has always stuck with me.  He said hunt the food.  Where the food is, the game will be.  Find that nice spring green grass, and good hunting.

Jeremy

[Bryce]

Don't waste your time calling.
Spot the bears first. Then call using a rabbit squeal or fawn. And in mid may you can even use an elk calf call since they will be dropping calfs that time of year.
And once you start, don't stop! They will take there time and sometimes circle around, walk into the opposite tree line and then before you know it he's behind you.
All bears are a little different watch the way the bear reacts to the call and adjust accordingly till you find his button; that sounds his ears perk up for.

Get ready to be frustrated. Bears are smart and have been known to smell yah up wind.
The big boars don't get to be that big by bring dumb.


I'll be out on the 14th looking for a bear to make into sausage:)

Good luck!

-Pinecone.

[Ed Brooks]

LOL JW: I was thinking of smelling like one, never thought of sounding like one...LMBO
chamookman: i have a rabbit in distress and thinking about a fawn. I think the fawn will work good for cats and dogs here too. 
kleinpm: Good Luck on your bear hunt this yr. I'm thinking about getting a fawn call.
Jeremy: this is a good plan if I could find were one is eating. they have a lot of grass food here right now.
Bryce: I will do mostly spot and stock, just want to open my hunting options up. This one will probably not be as easy as his 1st one. It was tree'ed by some black angus cows. He shot it with his uncles 338w mag. only rifle there. little bear but bear none the less.

Thank you guys for the feed back.
the pic is of his 1st bear, a huge 125lbs guts feathers and all. Ed

[Bryce]

It's the little ones that taste better

[4dog]

bears or children...im confused bryce  .....lol  my uncle says all bears taste good..wouldnt know.   good luck!

[Bryce]

Glizzly taste (a little tough, at least what I had) is different from sweet tender black bear meat