How dangerous is Black Bear hunting? ?

Question

I recently took the NY state hunter education course as a refresher and the instructors described black bear hunting as dangerous, to the extent that I always thought grizzly bear hunting would be. For example they said that other bears can come in after a shot is fired and these bears will potentially stalk hunters that shot at them if they are not killed. Is hunting black bear often a dangerous experience? I know that all bears deserve respect but have any of you encountered dangerous black bears afield? I have little field experience but would like to hunt these animals with the appropriate caliber rifle and cartridge as well as plenty of "range practice" is it a bad choice of game animal to start with?

Answer 1

other answers are good, but i will add the experience.

I live in the national forest of the Eastern U.P. of Michigan and Know black bears.

  

Humans are more unpredictable than Black bear. I`ve hunted black bear for 30 years, and never had or saw an attack. black bear attacks are rare,and only mother protecting cubs or sick bears attack.

Bears for the most part are wild creatures that want to be left alone and humans scent is most offensive to them and they will stay away.

the experiences i have:

1 night fishing in the dark without a fire arm and bear encounters,nothing to report except i went my way they went theirs.

2while hunting I` ve carried tons of bear bait in the woods by myself and actually had bear stand off 100 yards off and watch me place the bait. Without a fire arm.Don`t you thing while bringing them their food they would have eaten me? Have fun Hunting

Answer 2

MAN is more dangerous than any other animal.

If you use COMMON SENSE, (an increasingly rare commodity these days), you should not have a problem.

MOST wild animals would NOT bother you unless you threaten them or their young in some way, OR you are between them and food.

Answer 3

Very seldom does a black bear act aggressive towards a person...but there is also an exception to every rule.  Using common sense will prevent many accidents.

I know a few bear hunters that when season opens, will start training their dogs for the upcoming bear season.  None of the hunters/hound owners have ever had a problem, although there have been some "sticky" situations.

The dogs are the ones that pay the price, if they get a large bear cornered.  Many of the hound owners say they lose dogs every year.  One swipe of a bears claw and paw can just about literally tear a dog in half.  But the bear has never shown hostility towards a person, even when they have to go in really close to get their dogs off the bear.

Shoot your gun a lot, practice practice practice.  Shot placement is the key.  Wait for a good broadside shot and stay calm.

Bear meat is a lot different than deer, but very tastey!

Answer 4

I've never hunted bears, but your comment about bears "stalking hunters that shot at them" gave me a chuckle. Aren't we giving the animals credit for a little more intelligence that they really have/ Sure, a bear, just like most animals, will attack someone who is between them and their cubs, but I find it hard to believe that a bear would, first, be able to figure out that it was shot at and missed, and second, have a strong enough feeling of revenge to track a hunter.

As far as your last question, "is it a bad choice of game animal to start with?" I would recommend you starting with something a lot smaller that probably doesn't want you for dinner. Start with squirrels and rabbits, birds, and similar-sized animals. That way, you gain real-world experience with the firearms, and find out how susceptible you are to "buck fever".  Then go after deer. When you are confident in the handling your gun, and experienced in the field, you will be ready to hunt the bears.

Happy hunting!

Answer 5

for starters, black bears kill more humans each year than do grizz.y bears. If a black bear attacks you, it intends to eat you. Again, black bears consume more humans than do grizz. Most Grizz attacks are by sows defending cubs, or a boar defending territory.

I have harvested a lot of black bears. They are exciting to hunt, dangerous, and yes, sometimes they hunt the hunter. I have had a few close encounters, most occurred as I was carrying bait in to the bait site, or after having shot one with a handgun, and having to stalk in close for the finishing shot. I have taken them with .357 magnums, but it isn't a one shot stop by any means, .44 mag, .308, 30-06 and .270 winchester, a 12 gauge pump shotgun with 20" barrel and slugs, as well as archery.  Be aware that bear meat is very strong in taste, many people do not like it. And it must be cooked well done to kill the parasites and other diseases that they may carry.

shoot safe

Answer 6

No not really, however  the Mother is very protective of her cubs, and some who may be injured or sick may cause you problems.* In general they will do everything they can to avoid meeting up with you.* Black bears will not stalk or pursue you as you were told.* There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding Black Bear.* Research Black Bears to learn more about them by doing a web search yourself on them.*

Answer 7

It can certainly be dangerous.  I know of a hunting couple from my old homestead who were both mauled by a Black bear after it was dropped by a single shot.  Wife ran up to bear all excited and bear grabbed her.  Hubby tried to fight bear off by beating it with his rifle (afraid to shoot because wife was in the line-of-fire) and ended up getting bear-mauled also.  Bear finally succumbed to original gun shot.  Both hunters were hospitalized but recovered.

H

Answer 8

An AK-47 or MP-5 should c u alright mate! lol........Nah seriously, I would give any bear (grizzly or brown) the utmost respect !

Maybe start of with a few squIrrels or beavers or something eh? lol

MIKEY.

Answer 9

North Eastern Black Bears will generally be shy and

tend to avoid people, .... unless they're wounded.

A wounded bear can be dangerous to you or others.

What those instructors were driving at is that if you shoot

the thing, you'd d**n well better kill it.

Answer 10

It is only dangerous if you p**s them off or you mess with a sow and her cubs, The meat is more like beef only better if you know how to cook it!*

Answer 11

I am glad I did not take a hunter ed course in NY.  It sounds as though you were fed a lot of misinformation.

You have to respect an animal that can turn you into it's dinner.  But, they are not going to stalk you just because they were shot at.  

You should use a rifle caliber as large as you can shoot accurately.  Shot placement is more important than rifle caliber.  Anything .270 and larger, with a well-placed and accurate shot, will kill a black bear.  They have been taken with smaller calibers, but I would not recommend it.

If you do shoot a bear, wait a short time before you approach.  Watch to see if it is breathing.  Approach from behind  before checking it physically.  This will give you an advantage if it does get back up.  If its eyes are closed, it IS NOT dead.  Animals do not die with their eyes closed.  I have always been of the mindset that another round into the vitals never hurts. Good luck and be safe.