Historically these critters have occupied the majority of North America’s forested regions and Native Americans considered them a symbol of wisdom, resilience, and healing.

These bears, though called “black bears”, come in many different sizes and color combinations. There’s chocolate, cinnamon, blonde, brown, and of course, black.

Female black bears can reach weights from 90 - 180 pounds where males can reach weights from 130 - 660 pounds. Just last year a black bear in Carolina was taken by Caleb Henry from Fine Creek, North Carolina that weighed in at 696 pounds. Females have a gestation period of 7 months and typically give birth in January whilst hibernating. Litter size is between one to six cubs, but it’s typically around two or three.

But as a kid growing up in Northern Utah I was told black bears didn’t exist. And from that time a curiosity brewed. After all, it couldn’t be true, as my great grandfather killed a giant buck and while he was field dressing it stumbled into a black bear and shot it too which of course made the local newspaper.

When I embarked on my bear hunting journey I didn’t have a clue of where to go, what to do, or how to do it.So if you’re like me, you have to start from scratch.

First things first, if you want to hunt a black bear you need to hunt where they are.

Black Bears range from Alaska, most of Canada, the contiguous United States and even down to Northern Mexico, but don’t shoot one down there as you’ll end up in Mexican prison! Because of their versatile diets they can live in a variety of habitats. I cut my teeth in New Brunswick on a guided archery bait hunt and since then I’ve spot n’ stalk-DIY hunted them all over the US learning more about black bears and their habits.

I’m not suggesting you should shoot at an animal as far back as you can as everyone’s effective range is different, but oftentimes these backcountry shot scenarios are 500 yards plus! The country is big, it is steep, and the shot angels are difficult! Take for example this beautiful bear that I shot at 1008 Yards! 

Take for example Aaron’s big Backcountry bear. We had been grinding out 3200 vertical feet for the last 3 hours into the middle of BFE, tired and ready for a rest, we finally got to where we would be likely be camping for the next few days; however, right away our friend Taylor spotted a big color phase bear and it was a tank. With no time to rest after that climb the hunt was on! This is the caliber of bear that makes the pain of getting into a spot worth it.

Aaron is also shooting a 300 PRC with a Hornady 212 grain ELD-X. The bear was giving him a slightly quartering-away shot - this angle allows the bullet to run all the way up through his vitals; thus, killing him quickly - and that’s exactly what happened. The bear took a couple steps and then barrel rolled down the steep terrain until he hit the bottom. The retrieval was steep, slick, and heavy. Another reason to be in tip top shape! 

Whether you’re simply trying to find where the bears are at, or looking for a wounded bear, sharpening your tracking skills is vital to a successful hunt. Last year Tyler had a giant bear at 250 yards on the last day of the hunt and set up on his trekking poles to see above some tall brush. Right when he shoots the bear takes a couple steps putting the shot farther back from where Tyler anticipated.

Bears are tough, even with a perfectly placed shot.

Tyler and Aaron ended up tracking this bear for over 8 hours and finally caught up to him in a thick nasty creek bottom. There were times where the blood completely ran out and all Tyler and Aaron had were footprints in the leaves and mud. Wounded bears are not something you want to mess with so going into the thick brush can be dangerous. Making sure you go into the brush with a round chambered is a good idea. Tyler eventually caught up to the bear and hurried and put another round in him to finish him off in the creek! 

There are a few different ways to hunt bears such as spot and stalk hunting (like we have been speaking about so far), using hounds to locate and tree bears, and also baited bear hunting. Bear bait hunting is a popular way to get started into hunting bears. It’s the act of placing bait down on the ground, or in a barrel, and bringing bears into you. 

For example, last year our cousin Clint drew a limited entry baited bear hunt in Utah. Now people have a lot of opinions on baiting bears and there’s a bunch of rules you need to follow to bait them that vary from state to state.. With that being said, in some places baiting bears is the  best option because you can get a lot closer and the country can be so thick that spot and stalk just isn’t possible.

Montana is one of my favorite places to hunt black bears. With tons of logging roads that offer clear cuts you can only hope to catch a bear grazing in the open long enough to size him up for maturity and execute a shot.

This was exactly what happened a couple of years ago when hunting with my friend Wyatt. We hiked 3+ miles to the end of a logging road and a giant bruin fed out of the timber. I got prone at 750 yards away with the 300 PRC and sent a 212 gr ELD-X. He dropped and started rolling revealing a beautiful white patch on his chest. We found him expired in the creek and pulling him out wasn’t easy - even with three grown men! Stay in shape!

Last season we pushed even further into an area we called “off-limits” because getting in there and shooting and then packing him a critter out seemed impossible. But that is just the type of adventure we seek. We climbed 4,000 feet in vertical just to get into an area that was suitable for a tent and on day 3 found ourselves 650 yards away from a big bear. We waited all day for this bear to present a shot and he finally fed out. 

Perched up on a rock with my 7 PRC I had to get creative to build a shooting position to get a shot. Once the bear cleared some brush I sent a 175 grain ELD-X his way hitting the bear hard. He was hurting so I followed up with another shot and he tumbled off a cliff. When we got over to him he was laying by a waterfall - it was beautiful.

If you read enough forums, Facebook threads on bear hunting, or talk to bear hunters - you’ll quickly learn that bear’s vitals sit a little differently than a traditional big-game animal. For example, a deer’s lungs are partially covered by its shoulder blade, whereas a bear’s lungs are completely behind and below its shoulder. This means there is more space above a bear’s lung where you can shoot and miss vitals. On a deer, if you aim for the heart you will also likely hit lungs, whereas on a bear if you aim for the heart you might miss everything altogether since the heart sits so low and away from other organs.