Hunting Black Bear

    Some of the best Black Bear hunting in the state of  Montana is in our remote northwest corner! Spot and stalk techniques for our five color phases including black with white chest blazes, varying shades of brown with highlights, golden haired blond bears, magnificent looking cinnamon bruins, and even a somewhat rare reddish-copper phase can produce the bear of a lifetime! Both spring and fall hunts are available, and our local guides and outfitters are some of the best in North America. The bear hunters in our region must be...

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cautious, as we also live in grizzly country! Be sure to know the characteristics that will make a positive identification of the black bear you are studying to take, and that the bear is a boar without cubs. Do not go by color as we have many color phases of black bear (Ursus americanus). Black bear do not have a distinctive shoulder hump and grizzlies do. A black bears rump is higher than the front shoulders, and on a grizz the rump is lower than the shoulder hump. Blackies have a strait face profile, compared to the dished in appearance of the grizzlies face. On the black bear the ears are tall and pointed, and on our Ursus arctos (grizzly) the ears are short and rounded. On the blacks, the front claws are 1-2 inches long and are curved to help it in climbing. On the grizzly, the front claws are 2-4 inches long, depending on the amount of digging the bear has been doing, and are slightly curved. Claw marks of the grizz are usually visible in the tracks. Color and size can be misleading!
    Fair chase methods are in play in our neck of the woods, meaning no dogs or baiting is allowed. Both spring and fall hunts across the state are open to a variety of weapons to take black bear with including bows, crossbows, muzzleloaders, traditional handguns, rifles and shotguns, but hunters must check the regulations and weapons restrictions for the areas they intend to hunt. Commonly used calibers of rifles utilized for black bear hunting in Montana include: .270; .30-06; 308; .300’s; .35; and .338. Black bears are tough customers that may go 300 pounds and more, so both appropriate caliber and effective shooting are necessary for clean kills. Also, always carry your pepper spray.
    Hunting methods include high to low elevation hiking, and walking gated roads to scope edges of clearcuts, and grassy openings where black bears may be feeding. In spring, they may be using grass and clover openings, and in fall huckleberry patches, and avalanche chutes where mountain ash berries are plentiful. Pay attention to tracks, sign, and scat near logged areas, open meadows, wetland sites, and on back country trails and logging roads. Harvesting a dominant male boar takes a skillfull approach. Once a bruin is spotted, play the wind as bears have keen noses. Walk as silently as possible, as their triangular shaped ears are stereophonic. Bears sight is somewhat myopic, but utilize any available cover on your stalk anyway. Big boars usually walk into a feeding patch with a certain swagger and confidence, and often will intimidate the other bears. Well fed dominant bears usually have low slung bellies, and the legs appear short.
    Once you make a selection based on a multitude of characteristics, keep your confidence. Take a deep breath and then let some out, and squeeze the trigger. You will probably come home with a trophy Black Bear from Kootenai Country Montana!
(Author’s Note: Reference - Outdoor Life, How to Hunt Black Bears 2015.) Check hunting regulations at: fwp.mt.gov.