Bear scat is fairly easy to spot. It is typically large, but in areas where you find other large animals, that may not be enough information to help you identify the presence of bears before you run into them in the wild.

This guide provides tips for:

• identifying bear poop,
• differentiating between it and the scat of other large animals,
• and determining what type of bear left it.

What Is Bear Scat?

Scat is just a technical term used to describe animal droppings in the wild. You probably do not spend much of your life thinking about the poop that animals leave behind, but some scientists do. Scats can provide vital information about an animal.

Scientists use it to determine what animals are in the area and what they eat. They can also extract DNA to determine the genetic health of an entire species without using an invasive procedure and use this information to direct conservation efforts.

What Bear Poop Looks Like

Bear poop is large and tubular with blunt ends, much like human feces. Often found in piles filled with seeds, hair or other remnants of an omnivorous diet, bear scat can measure between 5-12 in long. Just as grizzly and brown bears are larger than black bears, so is their scat.

The consistency varies depending on the bear’s diet, but you often find a blunt start on one end and a tapered end on the other. More often than not, you’ll find a pile of it.

Bears are known meat lovers, but they are omnivores. They prefer meat whenever it is available, but bear poop often contains fruits, berries, grass, and roots. Ultimately, the appearance of bear poop also depends on the region. Brown bears in coastal areas eat large amounts of fish, which softens the stool.

What Are the Differences in Bear Scat?

Knowing the types of bears helps you better answer the question, “what does bear scat look like?”

In various areas of North America, you can find four types of bears: black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears. They mostly live in wooded, mountainous areas, and they vary in temperament.

Since your chances of running across a polar bear are slim, we will focus on the scat of black, grizzly, and brown bears.

You can usually determine if the poop belongs to a black, brown, or grizzly bear just by considering your location and whether or not it aligns with the range of a particular bear species.

Below is a guide to help you identify what bear poop looks like based on color, shape, size, and content.

Black Bear Scat

If you find a large pile of poop along a hiking trail in Colorado or Central Idaho, it most likely belongs to a black bear. Characteristics of black bear poop include:

Color: It is typically dark in color. A range of brown to black depends on the diet of the bear. For example, a mixed diet will be darker in color than a diet of a single item, such as berries.

Shape, size, consistency: Black bear poop is typically tubular in shape and large. Consistency can change the shape. For example, a diet of majority fruit will typically result in a looser stool and create a flatter, softer pile.

Contents: Poop changes seasonally for black bears. They eat more vegetation and insects in the warmer months and more berries and seeds in the cool and cold months. With a diet made up largely of berries, you can expect a looser stool, sometimes full of whole berries.

Black bears live in areas highly populated with deer and other small mammals. These bears often leave remains from their prey, such as hair and bone, in their poop.

Grizzly Bear Scat

Grizzly bear excrement is very similar to that of black bears. The color is typically brown or black, and the contents usually show a diet of berries, meat, vegetation, roots, and insects.

However, grizzlies tend to eat larger prey and leave larger piles of poop. You can expect their terds to be longer with a larger diameter.

Brown Bear Scat

Brown bear scat is basically the same size, shape, content, color, and consistency as that of grizzlies. However, brown bears live more on the Pacific coast and, therefore, have a diet higher in fish.

That will create a lighter, more globular-shaped poop when fish is eaten in excess.

What Should You Do if You See Bear Scat?

Before planning a hike or camping trip in a wooded area, you should always research what animals are typically in the area and what you should do if you come across one. If you know what to look for, you could avoid blindly walking into a dangerous encounter.

Here are a few tips if you are wondering what to do if you see bear scat:

1. Ask yourself if it looks fresh.

If it appears dry or moldy, it has been there for a while and the bear is potentially long gone. If it appears wet and soft or gives off heat, it is probably fresh, which means that the bear could be nearby.

2. Look around for other signs of bears.

Do you see bear tracks on the ground? If you do, determine which way they go and travel in the opposite direction.

Check for daybeds. Resting bears often create an area on the ground or in moss to lie down. You may find scat all around the daybed area as well. 

3. Look for territory markings.

Bears are territorial and tend to mark their areas. If you see claw marks, bite marks, scraped off tree bark or even gnawed-on fence posts, bears are in the area. 

If you see a bear in the distance, the most important thing you can do is stay calm and go in the opposite direction. Carry bear spray with you when you plan to go to an area known as a home for bears.

Related: How To Use Bear Spray Properly to Survive a Bear Attack

Recommended: Best Bear Sprays To Save Your Life (Reviewed & Tested)

However, if you’re out hunting bears, finding their scat might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Interesting Bear Scat Facts

What is bear scat? Here are some crappy facts you can use the next time someone asks that question:

1. When a bear eats a diet heavy in berries and deposits a berry-filled poop, the poop fertilizes the berry seeds and actually grows a new berry bush. In that way, bears create another food source for themselves by pooping.

2. Distinguishing between the scat of a black bear and a grizzly bear is sometimes difficult. However, if you find scat larger than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, it is probably from a grizzly bear.

3. Bears that eat a diet high in salmon help trees grow because salmon-filled scat is high in nitrogen. They’re natural fertilizers.

4. You sometimes find garbage, such as plastic wrappers, in bear poop. This indicates that the bear has been eating from a garbage source. This is common for black bears that frequent campgrounds, which is why keeping campgrounds clean is so important.

5. A bear that recently ate salmon sometimes leaves scat that resembles an uncooked pancake. 

6. Signs of roots or tubers in bear poop likely indicate that it was left by a grizzly or brown bear because black bears do not have claws long enough to dig them up.

7. Fresh scat steams in cool weather. Older scat is surrounded by insects and may have mold on it. 

8. If you come across an area with a heavy concentration of scat piles, a bear probably lives in or frequents the area. You should move on through quickly.

Final Thoughts

Bear scat may sound like an unsavory topic, but it is essential. It might even sound trivial to wonder what bear poop looks like, but a survivalist would tell you that it could save your life in more than one way.

A researcher will say that any type of animal scat is a vital source of information, and an adamant hiker will tell you that the more knowledge you have about wild animals, the better equipped you are to keep yourself safe on a camping trip.

FAQs About Bear Scat

1. What Other Scat Resembles Bear Poop?

It would be difficult to mistake bear poop for most other animals’ feces, perhaps with the exception of mountain lion or wolf.

You might assume that a moose, which is a huge animal, would leave behind similar scat.

However, moose have distinctly different diets than bears, and while their scat is large, it is also pellet-like in shape. The average moose or large elk poop is about 1-inch long. Compared to what bear poop looks like, that is considerably shorter.

Large cats, such as mountain lions, also have relatively large scat. However, the sizes are vastly different when determining what bear scat is and what is mountain lion scat.

While both are somewhat similar in shape, the bear scat is wider, longer, and greater in volume. Mountain lion scat is typically pointed on both ends. Additionally, mountain lions often have segmented tubular poops.

2. Why Is Bear Poop Called Scat?

The term scat is not used strictly for bears. The droppings of any animal can be scat. It is simply another term for poop, albeit a more formal sounding one.

Scat is most often used to describe the excrement of wild animals rather than domesticated ones, specifically because scat is used for research and tracking purposes.

3. Does Bear Scat Smell?

Yes, but bear scat does not have a singular smell. According to the North American Bear Center, it often simply smells like a fermented version of what the bear had to eat. A bear with a diet primarily of fruits and nuts may produce scat with a less unpleasant odor.

4. Is It Edible?

Yes, you can eat bear scat. It is generally not something you dine on by choice, but it can provide protein and some nutrients in a survival situation.

5. What Color Is It?

The color of a bear’s poop depends on the animal’s diet. A mixed diet tends to produce brown or black scat. However, a bear feeding from apple trees may have a lightly colored scat with a loose consistency. It could develop mold and take on a white appearance if it has been there for an extended period.

The post Bear Scat: What Bear Poop Looks Like and More Crappy Facts appeared first on Outdoor Empire.

The largest bear ever recorded was the prehistoric short-faced bear who had an estimated weight of more than 1500 pounds and stood 11 feet tall on its hind legs. Presently, polar bears are the biggest bears on Earth, weighing up to 1500 pounds, with Kodiak bears not far behind.

Different regions, species, and subspecies determine the height and weight of bears. Read on to find out more about how big bears are, including some of the biggest bears ever recorded.

The Largest Prehistoric Bear

If you want to hear about one of the most powerful land carnivores during the ice age, look no further than the short-faced bear. The short-faced bear stood 11 feet tall on its hind legs and almost five feet on four legs. While taller than brown bears, they did not have as heavy of a build but may have weighed around 1540 pounds. The short-faced bear traveled through the high grasslands of western North America from Alaska and Yukon to Mexico.

Due to the bear’s stature, canine teeth, and large molars, many thought the short-faced bear may have been a predator. However, it also has long limbs for long-distance pacing. They could not rapidly accelerate or change direction quickly. The skull has large nasal openings, suggesting an amazing sense of smell. Many believe short-faced bears did not kill but chased other predators to eat their kills. While this is widespread, some scientists believe prehistoric bears were omnivorous.

There is only one living relative left of the massive bear in evolutionary history. The only relative happens to the spectacled bear in South America.

8 Bear Species in the World by Size

There may have been hundreds of bear species in the past, but nowadays, there are only eight species. You can find bears on all continents except for Australia and Antarctica. While there are many subspecies, the following are the eight bear species throughout the world.

The Polar Bear Is the Biggest Bear Ever

A polar bear is the largest bear ever and the largest terrestrial carnivore. An adult male weighs around 880 to 1500 pounds, with females about half the size. Unlike other bears, polar bears are almost strictly carnivorous. They feed primarily on seals but may also eat whales and walruses.

They have adapted to surviving the arctic, with white fur and particular paws for swimming and traveling on ice. Polar bears are considered a vulnerable species with a predicted 30% reduction to their habitat over the next 45 years.

The Brown Bear (Including Kodiak and Grizzly Bears)

The brown bear species cover bears through various regions, including Alaska, Canada, the northwestern U.S., parts of western and eastern Europe, and northern Asia. Most brown bears share a large frame, dish-shaped face, and hump on the shoulders. Grizzly and Kodiak bears are subspecies of brown bears, though the differences are quite small. 

When it comes to brown bears, males weigh between 300 and 900 pounds, whereas females weigh between 205 and 455 pounds. Their weight may depend on where they live. The heaviest tend to live along the Alaska and British Columbia coast and eat a diet high in salmon. Nearly 200,000 brown bears live in the wild but may have small numbers through various regions.

The American Black Bear

The American black bear is the smallest in North America. With about 600,000 bears native to the continent, they live in most of the U.S., Canada, and parts of Mexico.

The size of an American black bear depends heavily on the region, season, food source, sex, and age. A black bear may weigh anywhere between 90 and 875 pounds. On average, males are around 400 pounds, and females are about 175 pounds. When standing, they are about 27 to 36 inches high at the shoulder and may be four to five and a half feet in length. Male black bears do not stop growing until they are about 10 or 12 years old.

The Spectacled Bear

The spectacled bear, or Andean bear, gets its name from the light markings that circle its eyes, creating the illusion of glasses. It is the only species found within South America and lives in dense rainforests and coastal scrub deserts.

Spectacled bears may be about five to six feet long and stand at two to three feet at the shoulder, with the females being 30% smaller than the males. A male may weigh up to 340 pounds, whereas females rarely weigh over 180 pounds. They are considered a vulnerable species.

The Asiatic Black Bear

The Asiatic black bear lives in the forests of Eastern Asia, from Japan and Taiwan to Afghanistan. Generally, they prefer hilly and mountainous regions. They have long fur, usually black or brown, with a different cream or white patch.

They are medium-sized bears with a length of 3.9 feet to 6.6 feet. A male weighs between 200 and 255 pounds, while a female weighs 110 and 225 pounds. As a cousin to the American black bear, their diet looks similar, focusing on plants, insects, fruits, and bees’ nests. The Asiatic black bear currently has a vulnerable status due to loss of habitat and bear farming.

The Giant Panda

The giant panda is one of the most distinct-looking bears. An adult male ranges from 176 pounds to about 275 pounds, whereas a female weighs between 155 and 220 pounds. A panda is only about two to three feet tall at the shoulder.

Unlike other bears, pandas have a small range and currently only live in the forests of south-central China, where they feed almost entirely on bamboo. The giant panda is now an endangered species with fewer than 1,000 to 2,000 left in the wild.

The Sloth Bear

Sloth bears are distinct with long, curved claws and a shaggy, straight coat. Adult males may weigh between 175 and 310 pounds in size. On the other hand, females may weigh between 120 and 210 pounds.

Sloth bears eat termites, ants, and other vegetation types and fruits. Their native habitat is the lowland forests of Sri Lanka and India. They are a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and farming.

The Malayan Sun Bear

Of all the bear species, the sun bear is the smallest.  It has a sleek coat with a light-colored muzzle and a crescent-shaped chest blaze. An adult male may weigh between 60 and 110 pounds, whereas females are slightly smaller.

Sun bears are the only bear to live in the lowland tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, due to deforestation, sun bears are considered a vulnerable species.

The Most Hunted Bears

When it comes to bear hunting, some of the best places to go are Alaska or one of the 48 contiguous states. Legal bear hunting involves the brown bear in Alaska, Eurasia, and Yukon; the black bear in the U.S. and Canada; and the Himalayan bear in Russia.

The Most Hunted Species

The American black bear is at the top when it comes to affordable and most common species to hunt. Many people hunt bears using dogs, packs of hounds, and spot and stalk hunting. The best time to hunt for bears is during the Spring season, from April through June. Since black bears are not endangered or vulnerable in the U.S., they are considered game animals.

The Biggest Bear Ever Hunted

If you’re wondering not only “how big are bears,” but “how big was the biggest bear,” we have the answer. The biggest bear ever hunted was for a science expedition in 1952. On the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago, there is a subspecies of brown bears known as the Kodiak bear. Kodiak bears stand over 10 feet tall on hind legs and about five feet on four legs.

While not considered the largest bear species (that goes to the polar bear), Kodiaks are likely the largest bears ever hunted legally since the average brown bear size is much smaller. The largest bear ever killed was a brown bear taken on Kodiak Island, harvested by Roy R. Lindsley, who currently holds the world record. The skull measured 17 and 15/16 inches long and 12 and 13/16 inches wide.

Is a Kodiak Bear Bigger Than a Grizzly?

Thanks to an abundance of salmon and other fatty food sources that require less energy to consume, Kodiak bears are generally larger than Grizzly bears. While they can be frighteningly large, Grizzlies are the smallest brown bears.

Kodiak bears are found in Alaska and parts of Canada, such as the Yukon, whereas other brown bears are located primarily along coastal regions in the Western US and Canada, where their diet consists mainly of fish. Meanwhile, Grizzly bears live more inland, such as the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Montana. Here they have a more diverse diet of big game, plants, and some aquatic plants and animals. Grizzlies tend to work harder for their food and are leaner bears.

Bear Size Comparison

There is a large variation in bear size based on region and species. Even in the same species, the sizes may vary incredibly. For example, the Kamchatka brown bear is the biggest in Eurasia and nearly as giant as the Kodiak brown bear. Native to Russia, the Kamchatka bear is about 7.9 feet long and stands about 9.8 feet tall on its hind legs, weighing around 1480 pounds.

Bears and Humans

How you compare to a bear depends on the species of bear. You may find that black bears look relatively small, whereas a brown or polar bear will tower over you. If you were to take a polar bear paw, it is 13 inches wide, compared to most humans with a hand width of about four inches.

Bears and Moose

In the deer family, the moose is the largest. A small female may be about 800 pounds, while an adult male can be up to 1600 pounds. Moose range between 4.6 feet and 6.9 feet at the shoulder. When it comes to bears, a small brown bear or black bear may be much smaller than a moose, whereas a sizable Kodiak bear could weigh more.

Related: How Big Are Moose? Weight, Height, Length & World Record

Bears and Horses

Black bears may only stand at about four feet or five to seven feet when upright. Compared to horses, they may be smaller, but a brown bear may stand much larger and outweigh a horse.

An average horse stands about five feet tall and may weigh between 800 and 1200 pounds. The largest horses tend to stand over six feet and can weigh up to 2200 pounds when it comes to the largest horses.

Bears and Wolves

Wolves have a variety of sizes, but when it comes to bear territory, gray wolves are most commonly found sharing the same land. A gray wolf may be about three to five feet long, and most females only weigh 60 to 100 pounds, compared to males that weigh 70 to 145 pounds. Most bears are larger than wolves.

However, wolves tend to have more protection on their side because they travel in numbers. If the largest wolf were faced with the largest bear ever, there would be no competition. The wolf would be much smaller.

Related: How Big Are Wolves: Variation, Record & Wolf Size Comparison

Bears and Cougars

Mountain lions are large cats, with males weighing between 115 and 220 pounds and females weighing between 64 and 141 pounds. Generally, they tend to be smaller closer to the equator and larger closer to the poles. You can find cougars (a.k.a. panthers) throughout North and South America.

The size of a cougar compared to a bear depends on the bear type. Compared to a grizzly or brown bear, the cougar is much smaller. However, sun bears are a more similar size to cougars.

Bears and Bison

Bison are the largest land animals in North America. Bulls can weigh up to 2000 pounds and stand six feet tall, whereas cows weigh up to 1000 pounds and stand about four to five feet tall. Bison and grizzly bears share the same environment, and while bison outweigh grizzly bears, grizzly bears do prey on bison. When it comes to the two, both are capable of causing substantial harm to one another.

Find Out More About the Largest Bear Ever

There is so much to learn and so much satisfaction to gain from spending your time camping, hunting, or hiking when it comes to the great outdoors. Bears are among the most incredible, giant creatures that live throughout the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. When it comes to bear species, all eight have different sizes and habitats. It may be difficult to pin down one average height or weight for all bears.

Even when it comes to polar bears being the largest bear on the planet, there is some dispute because of the sheer size of the Kodiak bear. While some bears may be giant, others are relatively small, like the sun bear. When it comes to bears, it sometimes helps to compare them to animals that you know well or even yourself. While most bears outweigh humans by quite a bit, some stand shorter than the average person, both on four legs and on their hind legs.

Sources:

American Bear Association

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Well, it is in some ways; you go into the wild armed with a weapon and attempt to overcome that wild animal.

But deer don’t weigh 500 pounds and won’t run at 30 miles per hour to maul you.

Believe it or not, but in some places bear hunting is actually easier than deer hunting. There are parts of Alaska where the bear have learned that a gunshot means that a deer carcass has become available so the hardest part of deer hunting is dealing with the bears that come to visit!

In most of the US, though, bears are cunning animals who know how to avoid you better than most other animals (except maybe coyotes).

Personally, I’ve found bear hunting to be far more satisfying than deer hunting. The first time you approach a bear you’ve shot is an adrenaline-filled experience you’ll never forget.

However, you have to know how to hunt them properly.

1. Hunt With a Partner

The biggest piece of advice I’ll give about bear hunting is to hunt with a partner.

Always hunt a bear with someone watching your back!

Always hunt a deer with someone watching your back if you’re in an area with bears, too!

A bear is a predator. Even black bears, who are omnivores that prefer to eat berries, are capable of mauling a human in seconds.

Before you go into the field you should have established clear communication with your partner so that both of you know who is going to do what in the woods.

For example, whenever I hunt in Alaska, I always hunt with a partner. One of us has a weapon sized for the game we’re hunting, typically a bow or small-caliber rifle for deer, while the other carries a big gun for a bear. I typically carry a Marlin 1895 GBL in .45-70.

Watch each others’ backs, especially after you’ve fired a shot. That sound, or even the smell of cleaning an animal, can attract a bear.

I know someone who went deer hunting and came back with a deer and two black bears because they kept investigating his kill. You’ll always want that second set of eyes, and second rifle, when dealing with a predator.

2. Learn Field Identification and Anatomy Before Hunting

Bears aren’t as easy to identify as deer.

The sexes of a bear are harder to tell apart and even species can be hard to judge. “Black” bears can be colored brown. Is that brown bear in the distance a large chocolate-colored black bear or is it a small grizzly?

Also, you need to know where to shoot a bear. Their heart is lower than you’d think, and a poorly-placed shot can only serve to anger such a large predator.

Before you step into the forest you need to know exactly what types of bears live in your neck of the woods and exactly where to place your shot in order to put one down.

You should also know what to look for in a bear. For example, larger male bears tend to walk slowly and with a swagger while smaller males tend to be more tenderfooted and act more cautious. It can be hard to judge a bear’s size from a distance, so behavior is a better indicator.

However, don’t let a bear pass you by because it’s not the perfect bear. Any legally taken bear is better than an unsuccessful hunt!

3. Shatter the Shoulder?

One piece of advice that even non-bear-hunters know is to shoot a bear in the shoulder. This stops the bear in place so you can take a follow-up shot to put them down.

The idea is that the shoulder is a large target and, when shattered, renders the bear unable to charge at you.

While some people preach this, I do not like this advice.

A bear’s shoulder is large, extremely tough, and unlikely to be in-line with vital organs. It’s also not likely to be where you think it is. A shoulder shot is likely to deflect or plain ol’ not hit anything vital, so you just made the bear angry.

It’s better to aim for a kill shot the first time. Take out their heart and/or lungs and the bear is down in seconds, without the need for a follow-up shot!

4. Prepare for the Aftermath Beforehand

Bears are large.

Related: Largest Bear Ever and 8 Biggest Bear Species in the World

Much larger than a deer.

You can field quarter a deer and bring it back with the right type of deer carrier. If you try this with a grizzly bear then I’d be willing to bet you’re also able to win strongman competitions.

What are you going to do with all that meat? I hope you know of a meat processor who knows what to do with bear.

And what are you going to do with the pelt?

Turning a bear into a rug can be a big project that costs a lot of money. And once you’ve shot the bear, the clock has already started ticking.

Before you hunt the bear, know what you’re going to do with every part of it. Don’t get blindsided when you realize you’re going to have to deal with 300 pounds of dead animal.

5. Use the Right Gun

Notice that I didn’t say “Use a Big Gun.”

Whether black or brown, a bear has lots of flesh and big bones that function as armor. You need to use a firearm that’s capable of massive amounts of penetration and can dump plenty of kinetic energy into the bear.

This CAN mean a “big gun”, but it can also mean a well-designed bullet in a smaller caliber. For example, a 6.5 Grendel out of an AR-15 is capable of taking a black bear in southeast Alaska. And, if one shot doesn’t do the trick, the higher capacity is good for follow-up shots.

However, I wouldn’t use a 6.5 Grendel against brown bears or even black bears in areas where they grow bigger.

You can even take down bears with arrows, though I’d want a partner with a gun next to me just in case.

Prioritize penetration when choosing your bullet. Normal hollowpoints are not for bears. The standard recommendation is to use heavy-for-the-caliber hard-cast lead bullets. Controlled-expansion bullets and advanced bullets like the Barnes TSX are also good choices.

Also, be prepared for close-range shooting. Bears tend to prefer dense forests instead of woodland and they can be surprisingly quiet. So, you’re more likely to find one at 30 yards than 300 yards.

6. …And Bring a Backup Gun

Most bear hunters have a sidearm, and the bear hunters who don’t wear one should really consider it.

As I mentioned before, bears are predators, the biggest in North America. They’re surprisingly stealthy, and you may not always have your main gun at hand.

So, when you’re in bear country, you should always have a personal protection piece on you. Bear spray might work, though it’s more for hikers who won’t be dealing with a bear investigating blood from your kill.

The traditional advice is to carry a big-bore revolver.  Good choices include a .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and a .500 Smith & Wesson. Hip holsters are okay, but I prefer chest holsters.

What you’ll find worn by many Alaskan hunters, though, is a 10mm semi-automatic pistol. Glock 20s and Glock 40s are the most common because they allow you to carry 15+1 rounds of 10mm and reload with 15 more in seconds.

Don’t bother with most 10mm ammo; get hot-loaded 200 or 220-grain hard-cast lead (or Xtreme Penetrator) ammo. I prefer Underwood, although Buffalo Bore is also popular for bear defense in Alaska.

You may need a heavier recoil spring to cycle the stronger ammo properly. Most 10mm handguns come from the factory set up for weak 10mm FBI loads that are barely stronger than .40 S&W.

I carry a Glock 20 with a 6.61″ barrel to take advantage of all the powder burn.

Remember, your sidearm is for last-ditch protection. You need to be well-practiced with your handgun, both in drawing and firing, but you should use your rifle whenever possible.

7. Practice Shooting from Multiple Positions

Remember how important shot placement is when hunting bear?

You won’t be shooting off a bench in the woods.

It’s a good idea to practice firing your rifle from multiple positions, including awkward ones, at the rifle range. That way you’ll be more stable when you have to use the side of a tree as a rest in the field.

State land that allows recreational shooting without limiting you to an established range is great for this. Bring small targets, be careful of your backstop, and practice real-world shooting conditions.

8. Hunt at the Right Time

Bear hunting season depends on the state but is often in spring, fall, or both.

Bears are lean in the spring because they just left hibernation and are restoring their energy stores with nuts and berries. Bears are fat in the fall because they’re eating as much as possible for winter hibernation.

It sounds like you want to harvest a fat bear, right? Especially if you’re after bear meat?

Not always.

It depends on early or late spring and early or late fall.

Early spring bears will eat winter carcasses. However, once the berries start growing, bear meat starts tasting better.

Early fall bears are aptly fed from the summer’s bounty. Late fall bears are eating everything they can in order to consume as many calories as possible. Everything. They’ll eat rotting meat, propane tank labels, and every other bit of nasty trash they can fit in their mouth.

If you’re lucky, late fall bears will just taste not as great as a spring bear. If you’re unlucky, they ate something nasty that contaminates their meat. This mostly applies to bear closer to urban areas, though; late fall bears in wild areas will likely still taste good.

Bear fur also tends to be of higher quality in the spring than in fall, and better in early fall than late fall. This is because bears rub on trees once it starts getting warm and their hide degrades from about mid-spring until winter.

Conclusion

Bear hunting has many nuances that make it different from deer hunting.

With adequate preparation, though, you’ll be able to have a successful bear hunt.

A bear’s hide makes for an excellent rug and their meat makes for some pretty darn good sausage! And berry-fed bear rump roast is a dish every hunter should try.

Bear hunting does vary from area to area, so hunting black bear in Florida is very different from hunting black bear in Alaska. In fact, bear hunting isn’t even allowed every year in Florida!

It’s a good idea to find some local bear hunters and learn the ins-and-outs from them. They make a great hunting partner and, when it comes time to carrying that bear out of the woods, you’ll need the help!

Recommended reading:

Bear Scat: What Bear Poop Looks Like and More Crappy Facts

How Long Does It Take to Learn to Hunt?

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