“A black bear hunt is the perfect step up,” says Bob Foulkrod, lifelong archer and TV hunter for Bass Pro Shops.
For many years, Foulkrod offered a bow school for new and experienced hunters, where he put archers through a gamut of shooting experiences, including a moving black bear target. He believed that black bear hunting had enough differences and similarities to deer hunting that it made the perfect second species for aspiring hunters.
Although black bear hunting is popular in the spring, fall black bear hunts may offer better tasting venison, since the animal’s diet has changed to berries, plants, acorns, and away-from-spring carrion.
Shown here is Jere Neff, who took this young bear on an Indian Reservation in Maine last fall.
In an OutdoorHub post, Bernie Barringer gives his take on bear hunting.
Most bowhunters get their start chasing deer, but when the interest in taking a second species flares up, one big game animal gets more attention than any other: the black bear. If you’re a bowhunter who has been thinking about doing a bear hunt, think no more and start acting.
Back in the 1990s, I had more than 20 years of deer hunting experience with the bow, but I had always had a hankering to shoot a bear. I knew about the excitement and adrenaline a bear hunt can provide, and I finally took the plunge. I booked a hunt with Chris Ford in north-central Minnesota. I had it planned out; I would hopefully shoot my bear, check that off my list, have a nice bear rug to show for it, and then move on.
It didn’t exactly work out that way. You see, I have now shot 16 bears, wrote a book on bear hunting, and I am certifiably addicted. So be forewarned that bear hunting has a lot of appeal, and one bear hunt often leads to another. Whether you are thinking about doing it yourself or hiring an outfitter, you really need to check this off your bucket list—but I am not responsible for where the ride takes you. more
