predator calling for bear

[wolfsong]

A while back, Handirifle posted about using varmint calls to call in black bears. Well, me and a buddy decided to give it a try while deer hunting in the central Sierras. We got one small bear to come in the first day, but decided to try again the next day, hoping for a larger bear. The next day, in came a lone coyote, and then crows started investigating. No bears, though. The next evening, about 5 P.M., my pard used a fawn bleat while I used a varmint call. After about 30 minutes of calling, we noticed five does and a spike checking it out. We slowed down a bit, trying to get them closer and hoping a legal buck might join in. The deer were definetly curious, very alert but not too nervous, as far as we could tell. After 10 minutes or so, I switched to a buck grunt, while my buddy stayed with the fawn bleat. This is all new to us, so we figured we'd try anything. Then, all six deer did a complete about face, turning to look up  to the top of the ridge abou 200 yards above where we were sitting. They didn't just turn their heads, they all turned their bodies around at exactly the same time! Their ears and tails were up and about five seconds later  they exploded and took off FLYING down the mountain right past us! We hadn't heard or seen anything above them prior to this. Something made them run like the wind. It's about 6 P.M. now, starting to get darker. And then we realized that it could very well be that our calls had attracted a mountain lion. In all our years of deer hunting, we have never seen deer take off like that for no apparent reason, under these conditions. And now here we are, a good half hour walk back to the truck at sunset with thoughts of a damn mountain lion somewhere in the area. We slung our rifles across our backs, and with a flashlight in one hand and our .40s in the other, we got off that mountain as fast as we could! We won't be using varmint calls that late in the day again. We both agree that we didn't think this out as thoroughly as we should have, and that it was a pretty dumb mistake to make at our age and experiance level. I guess the lack of deer sign and lack of action after hunting hard for a few days made us careless and we just wanted to try something new to us. Dummies! Any body else had any experiance with calling, and those freaking cats?  Peace and God bless, Wolfsong

[IFLY4U]

I had read about this subject and thought that it may be a worthwhile effort. I ordered a call with a tape and loved it. I headed to Alaska in September for a hunt and tossed the call in my pack for some fun. We arriived in our area via a Beaver float plane and quickly discovered that our use of Goodle Earth had deceived us. What looked like rolling hills above the treeline on the internet turned into steep cliffs and avalanche chutes with basketball size rocks in person.

Anyway, we saw lots of bears and when we were bored, I pulled out the call. We had a bear on a hillside above us just out of range. I used the call and it stopped the black bear in its tracks and stared in our direction but failed to come to us. We used the call for several minutes until a grizzly sow and cub emerged out of the brush about a 1/2 mile from us heading in our direction. I decided at that time that the call would return to my backpack never to be used for the rest of the hunt. The black bear continued to feed in the direction it was heading and the grizzly disappeared into the brush. I My opinion is that it may be so effective that it calls in critters that you don't want.

[Lawdog]

I have had Black Bears come to both rabbit distress calls and fawn bleats many times.  Shocking when all you're armed with is a .22 centerfire loaded with varmint loads.   :eek:   Since then I don't varmint hunt alone and one of us carries a more suitable caliber rifle just in case.  As it has been stated there are getting to be just too many Black Bears(and Mountain Lions) in California anymore.  And darn few of us hunt them.  Lawdog
 

[Sourdough]

I was turkey hunting, in the Sacramento mountains, in southern New Mexico.  Near Sunspot.  I had been calling for about an hour, and had some turkeys answering me.  I was facing into the wind, the direction I had heard the turkeys from, and sitting under a large tree with my back against the tree.  All of a sudden, a bloodcurddeling scream came right from behind me.  I spun around but never saw anything.  The scream sounded just like a woman's terrified scream.  Scared the heck out of me.  Turkey hunting ended right there for that day.  After about fifteen munites I got up enough courage to go and try and find some sign of what was behind me.  About twenty yards behind me I found a slight disturbance in the pine needles.  Every four or five yards I would find another, real faint, but deffinately a disturbance.  Thenwhen the trail crossed a small wash there was a fresh track in the soft dirt.  Mountain lion.  Last time I hunted turkey alone.

[alaskacajun]

The only time I call bear is when I've spotted one on the side of the mountain, have stalked him and know that I'm really close but just can't see him. I called a sow with a 2 cubs within' 10 yards of us this May. It got interesting real quick....  :eek:

- Clint

[wyocarp]

I've tried calling bears and it is not something one wants to do alone, because once you have had some experience with calling, you realize that all kinds of animals come to those calls.  I've had bears just sit and look at me, and I've had all kinds of animals come to the call.  But it is always sporadic.  I've had a lot of luck using a call while walking.  It seemed to mask any noise I made while walking, and probably it was a little more interesting to animals since it is a moving sound.  Someone mentioned fawn bleats.  I've tried fawn beats and had deer come right back to where I had just shot one in their group just moments before.  One thing that I have tried and like when alone is setting up an electronic caller that can be controlled from afar so the animals aren't coming directly to you.  Although even with that, I was bear hunting alone and using an electronic caller in early summer and out of the corner of my eye saw movement coming down the hill beside me as I sat there.  It wasn't a bear, maybe thankfully, it was a fox.

[wyocarp]

There is an interesting CD, "Call'n Bears, They Come To Eat!" by Hunter's Specialties about calling bears.

[Thebear_78]

I remember one very tense standoff I once had with a rather angry good sized cow moose.  I was pretty scared looking at the 17hmr I had in my hands and 1000 odd pounds of angry cervid.  She finally started calming down after I took my facemask and jacket off so that she could see what I was.  Luckily I was able to talk her out of stomping me to death.  While great for fox I don't think that the 17gr vmax would be very effective at stoping her.  I am rarely out and about without my 44 mag anymore.  Its always wise to carry a big enough weapon for the game in the area.

[Lawdog]

I remember one very tense standoff I once had with a rather angry good sized cow moose.  I was pretty scared looking at the 17hmr I had in my hands and 1000 odd pounds of angry cervid.  She finally started calming down after I took my facemask and jacket off so that she could see what I was.  Luckily I was able to talk her out of stomping me to death.  While great for fox I don't think that the 17gr vmax would be very effective at stoping her. I am rarely out and about without my 44 mag anymore.  Its always wise to carry a big enough weapon for the game in the area.

 :-D  :-D   Reminds me of the time a large Black Bear boar took to following me.  All I had was a Ruger No. 1 in .22 Hornet.  It's surprising just how small that Hornet cartridge keeps getting smaller and smaller while the bear keeps getting larger.   :eek:   He followed me for over half a mile until I got to my Ranger and made him all new tracks.  Last year my son ended his habit of following people.  Lawdog
 

[billythekidrock]

90% of my bear calling is done alone. Mostly 'cause most of the hunters I know don't hunt bear and partly 'cause I like the freedom of hunting alone.

I usually cold call with predator distress sounds in timber or 10 yr old cuts. I also use fawn / calf calls while walking to mask my movement and when starting a setup.

After calling in over 2 dozen bears I believe that most are not coming in with ill intent, depending on what calls are being used. I believe that they come out of curiosity most of the time when predator calling. They want to come take a look and be on their way. This would account for "hang ups" just out of range.

Don't get me wrong, they will come in with eating on their minds. I have had big boars at 20 yards or less a couple times with drool running down their chins and hunger in their eyes when chirping with a calf call. They were so intent on eating that calf that when they saw me they acted like rutting bucks.....just stood there staring with a blank look.

[wolfsong]

Predator calling is always interesting, as you never know what's going to show up. Depends on the area and elevation that you're calling in.  Call me a wuss, but I just am not comfortable calling in any area that holds those damn cats! That doesn't stop me, but it puts me on full alert. Them cats are just plain sneaky and apparently fearless. And the penalties for shooting one are steep. With the tree-hugging mentality here in Kalifornia, you got some serious 'splainin' to do. That being said, if it's the cat or me, I'm shooting. The only thing in the field that concerns me more are ignorant hunters, like the type that are too cheap/stupid to carry binoculars with them, and use their scope attached to a rifle to check me out. Or the yahoos that empty their guns, thinking they can get lucky and  make that 500 yard shot. Or shoot over the tops of ridges with no thought of what or who is on the other side. On second thought, mountain lions aren't all that bad, compared to idiots with guns!  Peace and God bless, Wolfsong. :lol:

[Lawdog]

Wolfsong,

I agree with you about the Mountain Lions coming in while calling.  They and Black Bears are one reason not to call alone.  Especially when Turkey hunting.  It is while Turkey calling that Mountain Lions, and even Bobcats, become a problem.  Everyone seems to want Turkey for dinner.  Most of my experiences with Mountain Lions coming in has been while calling Turkey’s.  Even with two of us watching I have had those cats get within 40 feet without being seen.  Black Bears too.  One would think that with the wind in their face they wouldn’t come in that close but they do.  Maybe one of these days we will get the powers to be here in California to lift the ban and give Big Game Trophy status to Mountain Lions.  You would think that with over 20,000 of them in the state they would figure they needed some control on these big kitty’s.  Lawdog