Love Elk & Deer? You Need To Hunt Bears!

If you love hunting elk and deer then you should be hunting black bears, period. 

I could obviously leave this blog right there but there’s more to it. As big game hunters we need to do our part in managing predators and recent studies have shown that harvesting black bears, in the spring in particular, can have a profound impact on calf and fawn recruitment. 

Across the West, in the Canadian provinces and up in Alaska, game and fish agencies have produced data through studies and surveys revealing that the number one predator on calves and fawns (moose, caribou, elk and deer) is bears with black bears taking the largest toll due to their widespread populations. Eastmans’ own Dan Pickar ventured to Alaska last year to do his part in black bear management, you can watch that hunt here. 

Dan has also recently released a pair of videos detailing the plight of ungulates in places like Yellowstone and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Where he digs into the reality facing ecosystems when predators go unmanaged and propaganda spreads misinformation about apex predators such as the fallacy of the “Trophic Cascade” in Yellowstone National Park after wolf reintroduction. I can tell you firsthand, from living with YNP in my backyard, Yellowstone is an ecological disaster but you should come and see it for yourself! 

However, back to the bears… Hunting black bears is the single-best management tool modern game managers have at their disposal but it only works if hunters actually harvest bears. If we don’t we can expect to see continued or increased ungulate population declines. That said, I’ve included a few tips for finding and judging black bears in particular. 

Now, when it comes to managing predators it could be said that any bear taken is a boon to elk and deer but I don’t know many hunters who want to kill just “any bear”, most are looking for a specific boar of trophy proportions not to mention that in most states every sow taken impacts the quota (opinion: there shouldn’t be a quota) and closes seasons before the calendar end date, reducing the opportunity to harvest more bears and give elk and deer less predatory pressure. But, black bears are notoriously hard to sex and judge so here are a handful of tips to guide you this spring. 

1. Big Boars Look Big! – Seems simple enough but it’s true, big mature boars look very different from even big sows, they are thick, blocky and move with attitude. When you’re looking over what you think is a big boar study his head, neck, shoulders and legs. If his ears appear to be on the sides of his head, his neck is thick and short, shoulders are bulky and his legs appear like tree trunks, he’s likely a mature boar. He will walk with a swagger, often straddling trees or brush in a wide, swaying stance. If there’s a pear shape to the bear’s body, big rump with skinny chest and shoulders, accompanied by a thin face and head with ears sitting more erect, you’re probably looking at a sow. Watch and study before you shoot any bear as sows won’t always have cubs in their immediate vicinity and killing a sow with cubs is illegal virtually everywhere.
2. Big Bears Use Prime Real Estate – The biggest boars also tend to be found in the prime spots on the mountain because they are the baddest critter in the woods. An exception to this can be found in grizzly country where even big black bears tend to stick close to trees for safety. Big boars will set up shop where the best groceries are; the greenest grass and prime calving and fawning areas. It’s not that they’ll be the only bears in these locations but they will dominate the best feed. Start your search in the best habitat.
3. Big Bears Have Attitude – As alluded to in tip #1, big bears are confident and act accordingly. A big, mature boar won’t appear nervous, alerting to every sound or movement. He will appear calm and calculated, the master of his domain. He will chase other bears but also sit where he can see, smell and hear as if surveying a kingdom. Big boars rarely hurry, instead reacting to situations in what appears a nonchalant manner but don’t be fooled, they are keenly aware of their surroundings, they don’t get big by being foolish. 

I could go on and on about the need for hunting bears and probably include a few more tips on field judging but I think my point has been made, the rest is up to you! Get out there and test your mettle on spring black bears. It’s a great time to be in the mountains and when you harvest a bear you’ll be saving numerous calves and fawns. 

A note: be sure to check the bear regulations for the locale you’ll be hunting. Some states like Montana require you to keep the meat, others like Wyoming do not. Also, there are various requirements for harvest reporting and quotas to keep track of, which is easier now than ever. Know before you go! 

Hunter Dan Pickar puts Hornady’s new Backcountry Defense ammunition to the test in this Eastmans’ gear review. This new line of ammunition is built to have more stopping power than ever with the DGH (Dangerous Game Handgun) bullet that maximizes the performance with a protected point bullet. This ammunition is ideal for personal protection whether the threat is dangerous game like cape buffalo or grizzly bears. Dan tests several cartridges in the line-up including 9MM, .357 Magnum, 10MM Automatic, and .44 Remington Magnum.