My VA bearhunting exp.

[thunderstorm]

Virginia opened bear hunting across the border from me this year and I've been bow hunting (no bait) and the last few days gun hunting.
Had a super time learning about bears while bow hunting ( I even saw one a couple of times). I knew the chances were a little below zero of getting one with a bow.

I had great expectations this Monday(opening day with a firearm). Got there early, settled in, nice snow on the ground...and then it started. Trucks, trucks, and more trucks. There were 2 groups of hound hunters each with 5 trucks, about 10 people, and 10 dogs. Each group split into 2 or 3 trucks and drove the roads, strip roads, and 4-wheeler trails about 2 miles an hour looking for any sign of a bear. I've spent the last 3 days trying to find an area where their trucks can't make it. No luck and unbelievalby frustrating.

I talked with a few of them, great guys, but the other 3 or 4 bear hunters in the area couldn't hunt because of them. I'm not knocking bearhoundsman's or anyone else's way of hunting. Heck, I would love it if I had dogs to do it with. The constant traffic made it impossible to enjoy what I thought was going to be a great experience. Unless I can find an area where there are no roads or 4-wheeler trails (probably impossible) I won't be hunting next year.

Again I'm not against this tradition, but if or when KY gets a bear season take my advise and don't support hound hunting for bear. Road hunting just aint my style.

Bearhoundsman...I enjoy reading your posts and learning about bear hunting, but I didn't realize I would get a crash course in hound hunting in a few days. 6 bear in 2 days...a good old fashion hunter doesn't stand a chance.[:(]

[CVN71 Ordnance]

I thought old Fashion hunters hunted with dogs?

GO NAVY!!!

[bearhoundsman]

not all houndsmen go strait for the roads, for intstance just this morning i only drove about 1/4 of a mile before i parked and hit a trail with my hounds.
support hound hunting for bear but bargin for a seperate still hunt like we have here.

[bearhoundsman]

you don't have to have dogs to hunt with them link up with a group of houndsmen and follow the pack cause the road running stopps when the dogs are loose the footwork begins

[thunderstorm]

Thanks for the response bear... I would have no problem with a seperate season. I wonder why VA doesn't recognize the conflict? I would love to follow hounds through the woods hunting bear, but that road hunting style sucks.

[Larry Carter]

It's not exactly the road hunting you think thunderstorm. Bear densities aren't very high in most places so trails aren't that close together. The lead dog is a "strike dog" that can pick up a faint scent where a bear has crossed the road. Some extra talented dogs even ride in a bumper mounted box and sound off from airborne scent. Starting the bear is the easy part. Get hooked up to follow those hounds sometime. A few vertical miles through the laurel and rhododendron thickets trying to get to a bayed up bear is lots more work than your average hunting fanatic can take.[:)]

[ksp965]

So, I've got the plan. Thunderstorm will keep everyone advised of when next year's bear gun season is in Virginia. He'll be the lead scout, finding which area we need to hunt in. Bearhoundsmen will bring his dogs to chase the bears. I will supply the F-250 and fuel for transpotation. Larry Carter gets to chase the dogs up those vertical hills and he will be first man to the dogs, (and bear) 'till the rest of us can catch up. And CVN 71 can spring for supper. What do you guys think? (By the way, when you buy that Virginia non-resident and big game tag, then you can try for one of those Virginia Elk, too).[:)]

[Larry Carter]

ksp,I'm old enough I could roll down the hill but going up is for young guys like you.

[ksp965]

Young whippersnappers like you is what gives old fuddyduds like me the strength to go on.[:D]

[bearhoundsman]

come on down to east tn and we'll run bear down here where i already know where to look. i guess va. just takes for granted that there aren't that many still hunters around, because most of the bear hunters use hounds. my strike dogs strike from the top of the dog box instead of a lower mounted platform. but lately they haven't been crossing the roads much so i've done a lot of foot work to find where they've crossed the few trails in the area.

[CVN71 Ordnance]

KSP965 sounds like you got it all figured out. When are we going? lol

GO NAVY!!!

[thunderstorm]

So that little skinny black & tan riding on top of the dog box is a strike dog. I thought they just didn't have room for it. There was a snow on the Mtn. this weekend so hunting this morning would be a waste of my time. I'll go back this afternoon and hopefully the hound hunters have headed home.
Bearhoundsman,
Any suggestions for a still hunter to avoid the crowd? I tried to get in the nasty stuff, but didn't find any tracks at all very far from any of the trails or roads. The bear are close to the reclaimed areas because of all the autumn olives...no acorns or beech nuts at all this year. I guess I could just sit down and wave as they go by.

[bearhoundsman]

you'll have to hunt close to their bedding areas or food i'd sit on the food sorces because bear bed in different places almost every day. the best chance at a still hunt bear is at daylight or just at dark.

[mtlongbeard]

Just got back from a hunt with bearhoundsman.I'd have to say one of the most demanding hunts I've been on anywhere and I live and grouse hunt several times a week in East Kentucky. Try crawling up nearly 3000 foot high peaks in the snow and fog through rhododenron and laurel so thick you can't see the sky trying to get in front of some longlegged hounds and you will get all the experience most people could stand.Bear hunters are a tough bunch.

[stevenmaggard]

I'd love to go bear hunt'n.
I live in eastern ky, but saw a big one a couple years ago at my fathers cabin atop a mountain on the scott and wise Co. line. A few miles from Bigcherry resivoir. I stepped out of the cabin one night to take a leak and to my suprise came face to face to a huge black bear. He ran one way and I ran the other, back into the cabin. We thought he or she must have been sniffing around at the deer we had hung up outside.
That deer season we could'nt walk 50 yds without seeing bear crap in our hunting area. I'll be hunting there this muzz season and hope to shoot a good buck or maybe an elk.


{{My mind belongs to my work}}
{{My heart belongs to my family}}
{{My soul belongs in the woods}}

[beef]

You shoud have seen the look on your face steven when you came back in the cabin that night.I will never forget that look.[:D][:D]

[bearhoundsman]

mtlongbeard we killed another tuesday that weighed around 150 and he treed up the other hollow near the top of the mountain. which is a little rougher than where you followed me

[ksp965]

Hey Bearhoundsmen, is a pistol legal to hunt bears with in Tenn.?

[bearhoundsman]

yea it's gotta have a 4.5 inch barrel and must be 30cal or bigger

[mtlongbeard]

Bearhoundsman,got into a rhododendron thicket while grouse hunting on Thursday.It had snowed the night before and I got soaked. Started having bear hunting flashbacks!

[ksp965]

I've got a S&W model 29, .44 magnum with a 6 3/8" barrel that I like to hunt with. I've taken two deer and a wild boar with it. A bear would be nice.

[bearhoundsman]

mtlongbeard you should have been here this past week and weekend we hunted a different area thicker and steeper killed 2.
ksp that'll work on one if you are close like having the gun to his head.