Bear Books

[shaffe48]

So I purchased and read portions of 3 books on bear hunting and I thought I'd give some details for people who are the reading types. I'm glad I got all three books, but you could definitely focus on one or the other.

The Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting, Douglas Boze: This book is focused on bear calling and to a lesser degree on spot and stalk hunting. This is the book that gives you the best idea of the type of habitat to look for in Western or (perhaps) Alaskan areas. He also goes into bear sign the most out of all the books. He does have a chapter on baiting. I found this book to be the most relevant to someone who isn't bait hunting. He has a lot of good stories.

Black Bear Hunting: The Ultimate Reference, Richard P. Smith: This book has the most thorough discussion of black bear biology and life cycle. This is definitely the book to get if you are baiting. The guy is from Michigan and knows a lot about baiting black bear. This would also be the book to choose if you wanted to read a little about all sorts of black bear hunting tactics, as he has an encyclopedia type entry for quite a few different methods.

Ask The Black Bear Guides (Ask the Guides), J.Y. Jones: This definitely wouldn't be the main book I'd buy as a DIY hunter. But I'm definitely glad I bought it as a supplement to the other books as there was a few interesting things. It would also be good if you were going on a guided hunt and just wanted some interesting reading.

 

[CampRipleyLF]

Again, thanks for the information. I'm pretty sure I'll be drawing a black bear tag here in MN and I would like to be successful this year. I've only tried to hunt them once and that was not much of an effort. This year I'm all in!

 

[Cheese Curd]

For baiting black bears in the upper midwest, Ken Nordberg's book and the book and video by Bernie Barringer are IMO the best along with Richard P. Smith's book.

Nordberg and Barringer are both from MN.

http://www.bernieoutdoors.com/

 

[rustneversleeps]

So I purchased and read portions of 3 books on bear hunting and I thought I'd give some details for people who are the reading types. I'm glad I got all three books, but you could definitely focus on one or the other.

The Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting, Douglas Boze: This book is focused on bear calling and to a lesser degree on spot and stalk hunting. This is the book that gives you the best idea of the type of habitat to look for in Western or (perhaps) Alaskan areas. He also goes into bear sign the most out of all the books. He does have a chapter on baiting. I found this book to be the most relevant to someone who isn't bait hunting. He has a lot of good stories.

Black Bear Hunting: The Ultimate Reference, Richard P. Smith: This book has the most thorough discussion of black bear biology and life cycle. This is definitely the book to get if you are baiting. The guy is from Michigan and knows a lot about baiting black bear. This would also be the book to choose if you wanted to read a little about all sorts of black bear hunting tactics, as he has an encyclopedia type entry for quite a few different methods.

Ask The Black Bear Guides (Ask the Guides), J.Y. Jones: This definitely wouldn't be the main book I'd buy as a DIY hunter. But I'm definitely glad I bought it as a supplement to the other books as there was a few interesting things. It would also be good if you were going on a guided hunt and just wanted some interesting reading.

Thanks for the ideas - I am have been more and more interested in their actual life cycle and specifics of each particular season and habits/tendencies

 

[406LIFE]

I just picked up Boze book and was planning to do a review in a week or so.

 

[Bambistew]

Bear Hunting in Alaska - Tony Russ. Mostly focused on brown/grizz but a lot of overlap between black and brown bears. Good read once you get past the "must have gear" sections.

 

[shaffe48]

I'll have to look at the Tony Russ book for future years. I also picked up the bear judging DVD by Richard Smith for under $20. It was a lot cheaper than throwing a tag away. The bear judging resources I found for free on line were universally horrible.

 

[35cal]

"NO Bait, Just Bears"
by Doug Boze. its a good one too. Doug is a really good guy n knows a lot about bears.

 

[shaffe48]

"NO Bait, Just Bears"
by Doug Boze. its a good one too. Doug is a really good guy n knows a lot about bears.

I'm pretty sure his bigger book has most of the material from that book. By the way, just shot my first bear and I'm celebrating at a bar in Kenai Village Alaska.

 

[35cal]

congratulations!

 

[saylean]

So I purchased and read portions of 3 books on bear hunting and I thought I'd give some details for people who are the reading types. I'm glad I got all three books, but you could definitely focus on one or the other.

The Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting, Douglas Boze: This book is focused on bear calling and to a lesser degree on spot and stalk hunting. This is the book that gives you the best idea of the type of habitat to look for in Western or (perhaps) Alaskan areas. He also goes into bear sign the most out of all the books. He does have a chapter on baiting. I found this book to be the most relevant to someone who isn't bait hunting. He has a lot of good stories.

Black Bear Hunting: The Ultimate Reference, Richard P. Smith: This book has the most thorough discussion of black bear biology and life cycle. This is definitely the book to get if you are baiting. The guy is from Michigan and knows a lot about baiting black bear. This would also be the book to choose if you wanted to read a little about all sorts of black bear hunting tactics, as he has an encyclopedia type entry for quite a few different methods.

Ask The Black Bear Guides (Ask the Guides), J.Y. Jones: This definitely wouldn't be the main book I'd buy as a DIY hunter. But I'm definitely glad I bought it as a supplement to the other books as there was a few interesting things. It would also be good if you were going on a guided hunt and just wanted some interesting reading.

Thanks for the support and thoughts on the book Shaffee48. Good to hear peoples thoughts on it. Also, congrats on the bear!
Douglas Boze~

 

[shaffe48]

Thanks for the support and thoughts on the book Shaffee48. Good to hear peoples thoughts on it. Also, congrats on the bear!
Douglas Boze~

Wow how awesome. Yeah i did do one calling session when i went bear hunting last time. I never would have guessed that calling an hour straight was a good idea. With deer they say to call for a few seconds and be quiet. Next time i will try glassing closer which will lend itself better to calling as well.

Great, I will ask you additional questions as they arise. Still pull your book out from time to time.

 

[shaffe48]

Bear Hunting in Alaska - Tony Russ. Mostly focused on brown/grizz but a lot of overlap between black and brown bears. Good read once you get past the "must have gear" sections.

Hey forgot you mentioned this. Just ordered it. Thanks

 

[saylean]

Wow how awesome. Yeah i did do one calling session when i went bear hunting last time. I never would have guessed that calling an hour straight was a good idea. With deer they say to call for a few seconds and be quiet. Next time i will try glassing closer which will lend itself better to calling as well.

Great, I will ask you additional questions as they arise. Still pull your book out from time to time.

Nice. Keep up on the calling, you'll be hooked when you get one coming in.