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Author
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Topic: Calls for Bear
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Stiknstringbow
Knows what it's all about
Member # 3571
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posted February 15, 2010 12:30 PM
While I was at it I thought I would ask if anyone on here has any experience calling in bear, I tried the search option, but came up with very little......
What "hand calls" would you suggest ?
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The mountains are calling and I must go."
- John Muir
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
- John Burroughs
Posts: 35 | From: Chehalis | Registered: Feb 2010
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted February 15, 2010 04:13 PM
Stik,
What exact brand or type of hand calls you want to get will vary upon the sounds you wish to use.
Many people believe that spring bears are best called with bear cub sounds, if this is the case you'll want a call with a deeper tone (often called a jackrabbit voice).
If possible you'll want it to have a very large barrel, and/or you can use your hands to form a cup to make this larger sound chamber.
I'd be glad to get together with you sometime and show you how I do this.
Johnny Stewart markets a tape with bear cub bawls on it and it can be used to learn to mimic the call...
But, whether or not you can use an e-caller to call bears, in this State, is a subject of debate.
And with many such debatable subjects, it's nearly impossible to get two straight answers from the WDFW, or their Wardens.
I'd have to dig around, but I might have a copy of the tape, you could borrow.
Wayne Carlton is an advocate of calling bears, so you might try to track down what he's written or has put on video.
Krusty 
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Okanagan
Budding Spin Doctor
Member # 870
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posted February 15, 2010 07:40 PM
Stik, I've called more than a dozen black bears and a few grizzlies. Like Krusty recommends, I have used the lower, coarser jack rabbit sounds which are also marketed at times as bear cub distress or even fawn distress. To my ear they all sound remarkably close to the same thing. They sound a lot like a spotted mule deer fawn I heard bawl in fright one time.
I've called most with an old Weems All Call with a jack rabbit voice in it. I blow it much like I do for coyotes, with an ooh-wah wail the main sound embellished with franticicity, struggle
and movement. Modern Calls jack rabbit (101?) is the closest call I know to that sound. I also have a Primos with label too worn to read but I think it says Coyote Bear Buster 313.
I have also called black bears with lip squeeks when I did not have a call along, one of them to within 20 feet. I called some last spring and can't remember which call I had, but think it was an open reed custom from Rainshadow blown much like the jack rabbit/bear cub/fawn sound.
I think they will come to anything that sounds edible and in trouble. So the call is not as critical as getting within call sound range of a bear, and setting up so you will see him. In my experience, they act nose dominant and tend to circle downwind. My only personal "rule" for calling black bears is to never give him complete cover downwind. I set up to see downwind, at least between brush patches which give him some comfort cover. In grizzly country, I have learned to not give any cover within 50 feet or so of me, in any direction, even if I'm calling other kinds of critters. I call black bears in timber quite a bit.
One big ole black bear in a patch of huckleberries would not come to the call however. I think it was because he was stuffing himself with superb berries and didn't want to walk several hundred yards across a shallow basin to us. My nephew stalked him and shot him at 40 yards.
Mark Dobrinski who hangs out on 24HourCampfire has called more than 60 black bears, more than anybody I know.
Edited to add: Most things I've read about calling black bears say to call continuously or they lose interest. I had called most of mine before I read anything on it and I used my normal hand calling routine of 10-20 seconds of sound with about a minute of silence spaced between.
[ February 15, 2010, 07:43 PM: Message edited by: Okanagan ]
Posts: 269 | From: 49th Parrallel | Registered: Jun 2006
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Stiknstringbow
Knows what it's all about
Member # 3571
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posted February 15, 2010 07:57 PM
I do not have and cannot afford an e-caller at this time. I did pick up a "last Call" predator call that is a section of cow-horn (less than 3") with an open reed, that is supposed to cover everything from cow elk to predator, and another walnut "T-Rex" from Arizona Calls, that is a closed reed predator call.
I have heard mixed revues about attempting actual bear sounds, cub in distress might be a little too much excitement for me, as in an angry sow would probably stick my bow somewhere uncomfortable, whereas a boar coming in to take over killing a cub might be even worse......
I was thinking that Sow-in-heat might be interesting, although that brings to mind some other uncomfortable scenarios....
All kidding aside I was more interested in any experiences any one on this site might have had with bears coming in to calls,
I hear that it takes almost constant calling to get one to come in.
I talked to a guy last year that saw a bear and started "going crazy" with his open reed elk call and had a bear come from about 150 yards into 50, before he muffed the shot.
I plan on picking up a call or 2 before season and was asking for recommendations.
Who makes a "deeper" sounding call?
I have a cow horn, how could I make it into a call?
Or would it be worth paying one of you experts to make one for me?
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The mountains are calling and I must go."
- John Muir
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
- John Burroughs
Posts: 35 | From: Chehalis | Registered: Feb 2010
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Paul Melching
Radical Operator Forum "You won't get past the front gate"
Member # 885
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posted February 16, 2010 01:32 PM
I have only called one bear he came in about at the 8 min. mark to cottontail on a fox pro placed about 50 yards behind me. I sat between where I thought the bear would and did come and the caller. He came to about 10 to 12 feet from me before turning to go down slope to the road where the caller was. I shot him as he reached the road about 10 yards away.Quite exiciting to say the least. I let the caller play constant as I was told they lose intrest quite easily.One bear is not a lot of experience but I thught I'd share what little experience I have.
Good luck on you quest and if you can borrow an electronic caller Its a lot easier to get the animals where you want them ,I have found with coyotes thats the best advantage of remotes.
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Those who value security over liberty soon will have neither !
Posts: 4188 | From: The forest ! north of the dez. | Registered: Jul 2006
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4949shooter
SECOND PLACE HIGGINS (MAGNUM P.I.) LOOK A LIKE CONTEST
Member # 3530
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posted February 16, 2010 02:29 PM
The one bear I called in came in about 9 PM. I was alternating between rabbit distress, coyote pups, and bird distress. I can't say for sure which one he came to....maybe all. I was using an older Extreme Dimension caller (wires no remote) so this may not help much but I think from my experience as well as some of the others here the bottom line is use a distress call.
Posts: 2274 | From: New Jersey | Registered: Dec 2009
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Aznative
FARTS ON CLUELESS LIBERALS
Member # 506
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posted February 17, 2010 07:58 AM
I've called two bears in using a pee wee critter call. The sound I was trying to make was canine puppy whines which also sounds close to a cotton-tail sound.
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Never thought the devil would need a teleprompter but I could be wrong.
United State of America: RIP
Born July 4th 1776 died November 6th 2012
Posts: 1937 | From: Phoenix Az | Registered: Jan 2005
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Timberking
PAKMAN
Member # 3579
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posted March 01, 2010 05:08 PM
I've called in quite a few black bears useing whitetail distress and fawn bawls. I've tried the bear cub distress's as well but never had any luck with them. All have been called with e-callers. They respond well and have had luck in both the spring(photo's) and fall hunting.
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Timberking,
Posts: 3 | From: Upper Michigan | Registered: Feb 2010
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted March 01, 2010 10:57 PM
Welcome to The New Huntmasters, timberking. Glad to have you on board.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted March 02, 2010 11:29 PM
Word is Rich Cronk has a bear call out... at least that's the word, from Rich. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich
2,000th post PAKMAN
Member # 112
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posted March 03, 2010 01:06 PM
Yes, I make a few bear calls. The above pictured call that Krusty found sounds like this.
http://www.cronkpredatorcalls.com/sounds/BearCubRAC.mp3
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If you call the coyotes in close, you won't NEED a high dollar range finder.
Posts: 2854 | From: Iowa | Registered: Feb 2003
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Timberking
PAKMAN
Member # 3579
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posted March 03, 2010 05:09 PM
Thanks Leonard,
The site comes highly recomended. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Timberking,
Posts: 3 | From: Upper Michigan | Registered: Feb 2010
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