Public Land Bear

[tradguy92]

Hello all,

New member of the forum looking for some advice. This year I am going after black bear on public land this fall here in Oklahoma. This will be my first bear hunt, and looking for any tips I can get for going after bear in the Ouachita National Forest. I'll be hunting with trad gear, and mostly spot and stalk or sitting over water. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

tradguy92

 

[Dave N]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Wyhunter]

I'm still learning bear hunting myself, but creek bottoms with shade/berries/fruit are good. Also, the advice I've been given is glass glass glass glass. Good luck

 

[dgc1963]

Im in no way a bear expert I have gotten 3 with a bow in Pa we cant bait or use scents and spot and stalk doesnt work well with our hills and woods .but IMO scouting is the key find food and you find bears I scout 10 times more for bear than deer

 

[Rzrbck918]

Welcome to HT! That will indeed be a challenge. I don’t think you can bait in Oklahoma on public land. However that may not be the case in FS land. If you can, baiting works. If not, hit the woods hard and try and find sign now. Then start narrowing down the area you plan to focus on. Good luck.

 

[pabearhunter]

Welcome aboard.

 

[thusby]

You’re in for a tough one. Try to find some really well worn trails near some acorns or large fruit trees.

 

[Colberjs]

Bears migrated to Oklahoma from Arkansas. That leads me to believe the bear numbers would be higher the further east you go. I hunted them once a few years ago. Found scat but never found the bears.

 

[okie archer]

That's a tall order to fill. You cannot bait on public land. Spot and stalk with a gun would be hard enough much less traditional archery gear. White oak acorns are their favorite food here in Oklahoma, even over donuts. With all the rain this year I'm hearing there are going to be a lot of acorns this year. Not trying to discourage you just trying to be realistic. Yes it has been done but success rate is probably under 3%.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Calling is an underrated tactic for bear, but i dont know that i would do it with archery, let alone trad bow. Reason being that calling has a high likelyhood of getting a frontal shot, and the bear will already be looking at you by the time its in range, so youd likely be busted when you draw. With a gun though its a good way to go.

 

[WildWill]

I've lived in the Ouchita mountains for 20+ years and have never heard of someone killing a bear while "bear hunting" without bait. Know of a couple instances where guys where deer hunting had the tag and got lucky. Successful bear hunters here hunt over bait barrels and as said previously no bait on public. If you're determined try the NF in northern McCurtain county or southern LeFlore. I would suggest going on a deer hunt with a bear tag in your pocket too.

Ps. If you make it to McCurtain county go trout fishing on the lower mountain fork river below Broken Bow lake damn.

 

[Elkhunter24]

welcome to HT and good luck!

 

[Dunning Kruger]

I've lived in the Ouchita mountains for 20+ years and have never heard of someone killing a bear while "bear hunting" without bait.

Does nobody call out there or what?