Wounded Bear Attacks Hunter
- Thread starter MA VT Flatlander
- Start date
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BJE80
Guest
You would think you would hear of this more but rarely do.
Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
Had something similar to this in 1998 on my very 1st bear hunt. Only difference was that we were tracking it with the help of a dog. It was at night and the dog is what got mauled while on a six foot lead attached to bear guide. The dog was a little tore up nothing serious. Scared the hell out of everyone involved. Caught up with bear 17 hours later and finished the job off. I didn't let it deter me though as I have been on 6 bear hunts since it happened and for the last 4 years I have helped a bear guide out and been on many bear tracking excursions, just a lot more cautious when I am tracking.
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MoBuckChaser
Guest
Had the guys buddy on the news tonight. The kid ended up with 2 broken arms and a dislocated wrist. Along with a bunch of bite marks. The guy kept stabbing the bear until it stopped attacking him. The other guys caught up with the bear and finished it off. 520lbs! Ouch!:eek:
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BJE80
Guest
So as a guy that has never bear hunted but is considering it soon, what is the safest way to track to minimize this risk?
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MoBuckChaser
Guest
Send your buddy on the blood trail first!;)
Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
Take a good shot, don't rush. Make sure bear is broadside so that you get both lungs with your shot. Know the bear's anatomy. If you are in a tree stand your aim point should be about 2/3rds the way up bear, on ground just above the 1/2 way mark and about 3 to 4 inches behind front shoulder. When tracking have at least 2 people tracking. 1st blood will tell you where the bear was hit [lung, heart, guts] do it quietly so if the bear is moving ahead of you that you can hear it. When you find blood make sure that you shine light ahead of you. Go slowly. If you do jump bear while tracking let it sit for an hour or 2 the bear is going to die. If tracking and the bear has gone over a 1/4 mile and has not layed down the bear is probably going to recover and not be recovered.
PRK
5 year old buck +
Everything terrific-Tom said. After I have arrowed a bear regardless of how well it was hit I go back to the truck and get a shotgun for tracking. It's a 12 gauge side by side with the barrels cut down. Loaded with 3 1/2 " 00 in one barrel and a slug in the other. 2 triggers with independant firing mechanism so if one fails the other still works.
LessRice
5 year old buck +
We will VERY rarely track a bear after dark, unless we hear the deathmoan or are 100% confident with a perfectly placed shot in the vitals. That's the reason why none of out baits are more than 15 yards away is so that you can make an absolute perfect shot.
I never track without my .357 in my hand either. Bears are no joke and deserve respect.
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BJE80
Guest
So do you sometimes need to leave them go overnight? Do the yotes get into them at all then or are they scared away enough? How is the meat on those sometimes warm September evenings?
LessRice
5 year old buck +
We don't have many coyotes to contest with in our area so haven't had to ever deal with that.
You have to weigh the pros and cons when it comes down to leaving them overnight. Temperature does come into play, but just like deer hunting if you make a poor shot you may need to leave them overnight regardless of the temperature. Yes you could push it but a wounded bear is a little more dangerous than a wounded deer ;).
Shot placement is so critical in bear hunting. Watch a few hunts on TV and see how far guides set their hunters up from the bait.
You have to weigh the pros and cons when it comes down to leaving them overnight. Temperature does come into play, but just like deer hunting if you make a poor shot you may need to leave them overnight regardless of the temperature. Yes you could push it but a wounded bear is a little more dangerous than a wounded deer ;).
Shot placement is so critical in bear hunting. Watch a few hunts on TV and see how far guides set their hunters up from the bait.
Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
Bear will spoil if left overnight. We had one that was not found until the next morning and the meat wasn't good. Unfortunately Wisconsin will not allow you to carry a weapon when tracking a bear at night. I know a lot of people that do carry regardless. I asked a game warden if it was legal to carry with a concealed carry permit while tracking at night, his comment was it was legal to carry but if the bear did not endanger someon'e life you could not shoot bear. The bear guide that I help has only had one incident where a bear turned on trackers and that was on my bear hunt in 1998. He has been guiding bear for over 40 years and recovered well over a 1000 bear. As said before make a good shot and the bear rarely goes more than 40 yards.
