Fall Bears - Ground Blind Questions...

[GooseSlammer]

So we are headed up WAY North for early September to hunt black bears. I have heard for years that in the fall bears will move into the crop fields in sometimes crazy numbers, and our gameplan is either spot and stalk or (if possible) scouting some fields and setting up a ground blind to wait for them in the evening.

I know that a bear's nose will bust a guy about 100% of the time. From every stalk I've ever been on and suddenly felt a touch of breeze on the back of my neck, it has never been more than a few seconds before the wheels fall off the bus and it's all over.

So I was thinking about this the other day, and considering the possibility of multiple bears feeding in the same field and waiting for a big one to come out, a shift in wind could blow things quite quickly. I'm thinking that building a small blind on the edge of the field with camo netting, grass, willows, etc will help to hide movement and also (more importantly) cover up my scent.

What I'm wondering is what I can get away with for noise, etc. with putting up a blind in the morning or mid day hours. I was thinking of using some small metal stakes and using a small sledgehammer to get them into the ground, and then building it from there. I'm just wondering if hammering in a few stakes and cutting some willows, etc. in the middle of the day will ruin chances of the bears coming back out in the evening. I was also debating if a guy could drive in his gear in the mid day hours and get away with it, as opposed to carrying in an armload of metal stakes making a pile of noise. I'm imagining a great spot tucked away 1,000 yards from the closest road.

So what does everyone think? Am I overthinking this and worrying too much? My gut feeling is that if I'm in and out of there fairly quickly (and if I drive in with pre-cut willows, etc. in the truck) that a quick hammering of stakes and building a blind won't affect too much. But I'm also not sure how far the bears will travel before they bed down, and I don't want to bump them out either. We will be rifle hunting, so I'll plan on building the blind 80-100 yards from where I expect them to come out.

Can I anyone offer some input on this? Interested in hearing some ideas.

Thanks!

[3blade]

You could be overthinking things a bit. Nothing wrong with your plan, but when I was up there scouting for elk, the landowners I talked to were practically begging me to take bears. It wouldn't be hard to get written permission and then you don't even need a tag.

River valleys with oat fields near by. The farmers will pretty much point you to the spot and your hunt might be shorter than expected.

As for the ground blind cutting your scent, it won't. Especially with a bear that has the best sense of smell in the woods. If anything, the cut branches and new 'thing' may inspire some unwanted curiosity. Id take a quiet seat and a steady rest.

[bb356]

no need to build a blind in a perfect oat field by a creek or heavy bush ... spot and stalk = fun

[Battle Rat]

Bears have really poor eyesight and their ears are not much better.
Breaking up your outline by sitting at the edge of the field is all you need.
Stay in the bush a bit if you need to move up or down the field for a stalk.

[ResidentSpokesman]

You're definitely over thinking this. Find oats with lots of bear sign, get there first, shoot bear.

Sometimes it really is that simple.

[Opalsasquatch]

A local farmer I know north of me regularly sees bears (2-3 at a time) while he's swathing or combining.

They duck into the woods when he goes by, and come back out when he's at the other end of the field

You may be making too much work out of it


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Hillbillyreefer

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by ResidentSpokesman

You're definitely over thinking this. Find oats with lots of bear sign, get there first, shoot bear.

Sometimes it really is that simple.

Yup, and a lot more fun than sitting on a bait too.
Even if you don't want to shoot a small one, you can have fun seeing how close you can sneak in on them.
Can't beat the taste of bear meat that have been living on oats either.

[GooseSlammer]

Thanks guys! I'm even more excited now than I was before. We'll see how it all goes!