Wild_Guide_Spring2016

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SPOT N’ STALK
BLACK BEARS
When most hunters think about
black bear hunting, they see
images of sitting over a pile
of bait waiting for a bear to
come and eat—not that there’s
anything wrong with that of
course. But there are many
places where baiting bears is either impractical
or illegal. That’s where spot n stalk or calling
spring and fall bears becomes the way to go.
Hunters looking for a little added adventure
should consider hunting black bears by stalking
them, It adds an element of excitement when
the animal you are stalking is able to kill you.
This can be a huge advantage for hunters
because black bears aren’t afraid of much,
it’s actually much easier to stalk a bear than
animals like deer or elk.
Bears are high up on the food chain and
as a result, they do things and react to things
differently than deer. When they walk next to
bush lines or boulders for example, they don’t
spend much time worrying about what might be
sneaking up on them. As a result, the advantage
goes to the stalker.
A bear’s eyesight isn’t that great, so you can
get away with a fair amount of movement when
stalking. The wind on the other hand is what
you must pay close attention to. A bear has a
better nose than almost any other game animal,
and one whiff of human odor will cause a bear
to take off, so you must always hunt the wind
when hunting bears.
Sounds simplistic, but to spot-and-stalk
bears, you must be able to see them from a
distance, which means you must be hunting in
fairly open terrain—In the prairie’s or farmland
country where cereal crops grow are a great
place to start. In mountain country look for
lakes or river edges and south facing slopes of
mountains along avalanche shuts or basins to
find feeding bears.
Stalking black bears provides a great
introduction to the world of spot-and-stalk
hunting, the success rate is high. In fact, if
you’re hunting in an area with abundant food,
you’re likely to see a lot of bears and get
several stalking opportunities. When my kids
get old enough to hunt, I plan to take them on
a spot-and-stalk bear hunt. It’s just plain fun,
with an added dose of excitement.
Another bait-less bear hunting tactic that is
gaining in popularity is calling bruins in with a
predator call. Think of it as a reverse stalk—an
animal that could kill you is actually hunting
you down.
Calling in black bears in the fall is a killer
tactic, especially in the late fall, when bears are
hungry, After all the crops that are harvested
in the fall are gone and most of the acorns
by Jason Dyck
Science of Colour
photograph by Gerry Webb
and other foods available in the woods have
been cleaned up, bears get desperate for food,
especially just before they hibernate. They
need to pack on some pounds.
First, I like to use a fawn-in-distress call
followed up with grunts of a boar or imitate a
bear snapping its jaws. If you want to outsmart
a bear, make it sound as if there is another bear
already in on a fawn in distress. A real bear will
often come running to investigate. Calling in
bears works well, but remember to work the
wind and spray down with some type of human
odor eliminator, because bears often come
from downwind.
I call in bears during the spring and the fall,
and even when hunting over bait. Sow-in-heat
calls work well in the spring when hunting over
bait because big boars will come in to a bait
pile during daylight to see if there is a “hot”
sow on it.
Regardless of which method you choose,
one thing is certain. If you want a hair-raising
experience, hunt bears spot n’ stalk style!
MOST KEEN ANGLERS HAVE A FAVORITE LURE COLOR,
AND SWEAR THAT THEIR CHOICE WILL OUT-PERFORM
ALL OTHERS. BUT JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS COLOR WHEN
IT COMES TO LURE SELECTION? WELL, ACCORDING TO
SCIENCE, NOT AS IMPORTANT YOU MAY THINK.
“
visible
Wild Guide . Spring 2016 44
by Steve Starling courtesy of www.fix.com
Water progressively absorbs or blocks light of different
wavelengths, meaning that colors effectively “vanish”
one after another as “white” sunlight travels through
the water column. The overall intensity or brightness of
light also diminishes rapidly underwater.
FISHING
ISSUE
LAST
ICE
TROUT
15
Wild Guide . Spring 2016
by Dave Kozyra
Last ice trout is a unique and often times forgotten gem.
March 31st spells the end for most anglers ice fishing
season in Manitoba as the southern general closure
takes effect. However, fishing isn’t entirely over at this
point. Stocked trout lakes are open year round as the
fish are sterile and cannot reproduce.
29
Wild Guide . Spring 2016
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