bear up a tree

Gordon martiniuk · December 23, 2009, 06:47:00 PM

Yes if it was big enough ,, often it's the young bears that get scard and climb trees not too often have I seen a large bear up a tree

TxAg · January 24, 2010, 08:30:00 PM

I'd definitely shoot, but that's just me. Might make for a fun blood trail...bear jumps out of tree, bear climbs down tree, or bear stays in tree.

For the record, I've never been bear hunting.

ChuckC · January 24, 2010, 08:35:00 PM

Lost Arro that might make it fair chase. . but who is chasin who ?
ChuckC

Kenneth · January 24, 2010, 08:52:00 PM

I grew up in WV hunting bears with dogs and for the most part I believe it is ethical. There are some who will carry 2 or 3 truck loads of fresh dogs all wearing tracking collars and drive the backroads switching out the dogs with new ones and not breaking a sweat until the bear is just too darned tired to run anymore and decides to fight or go up a tree; That I believe is unethical. I prefer to hunt without dogs now, but that's just a personal preference. All that being said; every bear hunt I've ever been on with dogs has left me bruised, bloody, and exhausted. Usually the younger will go up a tree pretty quick, but I've seen big boars go into the next county, stop long enough to kill a couple dogs and keep on for another couple of hours. Try keeping up with that in the laurel thickets and mountains in WV and then tell me it's not fair chase or ethical. So yeah take the shot; just make sure no limbs are in the way and pick the spot you want the arrow to exit.

RUSTY1 · January 24, 2010, 09:04:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Lost Arra:
Am I in the same tree as the bear?

My wife thiks I'm losing it when I start laughing at my computer!!! Too funny!

ChuckC · January 24, 2010, 09:47:00 PM

Why would the bear being in a tree make any difference ? He can come down and whoop on you any time he wants to. Why is it different if I am up in a tree and he is the one on the ground ?

Sometimes we think too much.
I think. . . . .
ChuckC

Brian Krebs · January 24, 2010, 11:18:00 PM

I am a bear hunter; and I think what you did is cool.
I have gotten up close on bears; and not gotten a shot; and took off after them barking; and treed them.
Those bears went so far up the tree I could not see them.. but if I had a shot I would have taken it.
I once had a bear try to pull my from my treestand; and shot straight down at it. I hit it; and it got out of the tree and took off. I followed it; and it charged me; and I stepped back; and it ran past me and up a tree.
I shot it. You can still see on the tree the spot the arrow hit after going through the bear.

I am not into hound hunting for bears- but I have zero problems with capitalizing on their weakness in behavior - just like when a bull elk comes in on a run to a cow call.

FerretWYO · January 24, 2010, 11:44:00 PM

I have seen several bears in a tree. I have never taken one that way though. I have found that as a general rule if you can huff or just run a bear up a tree it is probably not going to be a really big bear. I am not saying that is always true, but from what I have seen that is the case.

Kenneth · January 25, 2010, 06:14:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by FerretWYO:
I have seen several bears in a tree. I have never taken one that way though. I have found that as a general rule if you can huff or just run a bear up a tree it is probably not going to be a really big bear. I am not saying that is always true, but from what I have seen that is the case.

Ferret, you pretty much hit the nail on the head, but as you said there are exceptions to the rule. I can't wait to get back into bear country again. I've never killed one with my bow and I've never killed one by stalking so that is a big goal of mine.

oxnam · January 25, 2010, 08:00:00 PM

I don't know about other places, but this country is NASTY. If you chase hounds around and manage to get to the tree while a big enough bear is still there, shoot it! I watched Fred Eichler hunting mountain lion a little while back with hounds. He worked his butt off and made a good shot.

Hunting pheasants over a pointer gives me a much needed advantage. Still not easy to hit them.

It just occured to me how funny this is. So if somehow a bear in a tree it is borderline unethical (depending on how it got there), what's the deal with the hunter being in tree shooting at deer that can't come up after you? Hmmmmmmm...

Not unethical at all in my book. I can imagine senarios where hunters would hardly be worthy of a trophy they might put on the wall, but that is a different debate.

Killdeer · January 25, 2010, 09:07:00 PM

Had a thought in between chomps of popcorn here: If you'd shoot a squirrel out of a tree, why not a bear? I would shoot a squirrel, a turkey, a bobcat, chupacabra or Charles Manson out of a tree with a bow.

Killdeer

JEFF B · January 25, 2010, 09:23:00 PM

killie what the hell is a chupacabra when its at home?

Santiam · January 25, 2010, 09:32:00 PM

After days and days on stand and still hunting last spring I chanced upon this bear and up he went...

Had he been a little bigger....

Killdeer · January 25, 2010, 09:33:00 PM

The same thing it is when it's at a Starbucks.
Silly question.

Killdeer "[dntthnk]"

Kenneth · January 25, 2010, 09:58:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by oxnam:
I don't know about other places, but this country is NASTY. If you chase hounds around and manage to get to the tree while a big enough bear is still there, shoot it! I watched Fred Eichler hunting mountain lion a little while back with hounds. He worked his butt off and made a good shot.

Hunting pheasants over a pointer gives me a much needed advantage. Still not easy to hit them.

It just occured to me how funny this is. So if somehow a bear in a tree it is borderline unethical (depending on how it got there), what's the deal with the hunter being in tree shooting at deer that can't come up after you? Hmmmmmmm...

Not unethical at all in my book. I can imagine senarios where hunters would hardly be worthy of a trophy they might put on the wall, but that is a different debate.

oxnam, the only thing I don't agree with is the guys that spend all of their time in the truck following their dogs with tracking collars; and then putting fresh dogs on the bear every chance they get until the bear is wore out and doesn't have a chance.

I've heard chasing bears in Idaho was just brutal as WV, leaving you bleeding and breathless under a tree that the bear was in 5 minutes ago but decided it didn't want to stay.

:D Completely fair chase and ethical when the same dogs are used the entire time and when you have to try and keep up with them with your ears instead of a tracking device.