I like to hear black bear hunting success stories and would like to publish a few stories here on Black Bear Hunting New Brunswick.

I was chatting with Kevin Caissie a few days ago and he was telling me about how good the black bear hunting went during the spring black bear hunt for 2009.

I am looking forward to a few greeat stories from Big Paw Outfitters in the next week or so. I will be sure to add a link here to the black bear hunting stories from his lodge.

I am looking forward to the story he started to tell me about the black bear they bagged at BPO lodge, perhaps the biggest they have taken there to this point. Cool.

I guess it just goes to show that you can do a whole lot better black bear hunting if you take the time to find the right guide and lodge.

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Non residence of New Brunswick are required to have a licensed guide if they plan on hunting black bear here and you must be at least 16 years of age. In my opinion that’s great as it puts money into the pockets of our local economy.

This works great in a number of ways.

• A non resident black bear hunter possibly gets the experience of a lifetime.
• A black bear guide or outfitter makes a living and of course spends his/her earnings locally.
• The black bear population is controlled so there is a healthy population that is less likely to move into populated areas.

A non resident can purchase a license from a local licensed outfitter or guide, they may also enter into computerized draw.

Note To Non Resident Black Bear Hunters:

• The non resident black bear hunter can only hunt in one Wild Life Management Zone.
• Also the license is not transferable or refundable.
• Only one bear per season

Find the Wild Life Management Zone Map and more info here.

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• Choosing the Right Black Bear Hunting Outfitter & Preparing For Your Trip (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• B.C. to end hunting of white-phase black bears (canada.com)

Black bear in New Brunswick Canada are plentiful and for that reason need to be control to avoid over population, which leads to conflicts for food with other black bear and habitat for both bear and humans, especially as our towns and cities grow in size.

DNR does a great job at controlling the culling of black bear, keeping the population down to a healthy sustainable group.

Of course the black bear is considered to be big game and therefore hunted for sport and bragging rights, not to mention the great bear skin rugs they produce.

Speaking of bear rugs. I have a friend who is not only a black bear hunter but he is also a great black bear guide, outfitter and lodge owner. He has a huge black bear rug on the wall of his hunting and fishing lodge.

Black Bear Meat Makes Great Table Fare

I remember many moons ago, the first time I tried black bear meat. We were already used to eating wild meat as we lived on a farm out in the country and hunted a lot. I loved and said I felt like Daniel Boone. Black bear make for some great table fare.

Hunters Eager For Black Bear

Last year, in 2008, there were 2569 resident licences sold as well as 2740 non-resident licences sold for a total of 5309.

BTW: Out of the 2740 non-resident licences sold only 2380 were actually used.

The stats for the Black bear harvest for 2008 kind of shocked me. But it also shows me why it’s important to find a good black bear outfitter so that you have the best chance of bagging your black bear.

In 2008 only 407 black bears were harvested by resident hunters, so out of the 2569 licences sold only 407 bears were taken.

In 2008 there were 1357 black bear taken by the 2740 non-resident hunters. Note: Only 2380 of the 2740 licences sold were used by non-residents.

If you are not familiar with New Brunswick but you still want a great black bear hunting outfitter I would suggest you check out the post here on finding the best black bear hunting outfitter for you. You can also see what you need to do to prepare for your bear hunt.

When looking for an outfitter that will provide you with the black bear hunt you have in mind it could take some time but I think I have shorten that time quite a bit. I have compiled a list of the top black bear hunting guides, outfitters and lodges here in New Brunswick Canada.

If you are new to black bear hunting be sure to check out the two related posts.

Preparing for your black bear hunting adventure

Choose the Right Black Bear Hunting Outfitter For Your Hunt

Our Featured Black Bear Hunting Outfitter

Big Paw Outfitters

Black Bear Hunting

Owner: Kevin Caissie – Location: Renous, New Brunswick – Hunting Zone: #7

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Black Bear Outfitters, Guides & Lodges

Adairs Wilderness Lodge

Adventure Nord Est

Adventures Inn Miramichi

Atlantic Adventures Outfitting

Barton’s Wilderness Adventures

Bear Paw Outfitters

Bear’s Lair

Big Paw Outfitters
Kevin Caissie – Renous – Black Bear Hunting and Guiding – Zone 7

Black Bear Lodge

Black Bear Hunting NB Canada

Black Bear Specialist

Canaan Outfitters

Dyer & Sons Outfitters

Fundy Outfitters

Harts Lake Lodge

Henderson’s Hunting Camps

John’s Paradise

Krumplehorn Lodge

Manuel’s Hunt/Fish Camps

Miramichi Inn

Nerepis Lodge

Safaris International

Sunset Shan-Gri-La Lodge

Taxis River Outfitters

Tobique & Serpentine Camps

Ugly Bear Lodge

Upper Oxbow Adventures

Each of the black bear hunting outfitters listed above are also listed on the black bear hunting guides and outfitters map on the main page so you will have a better idea of how to get there. It should help you narrow your search down somewhat.

Here in New Brunswick baiting of black bears is allowed. Follow a few pointers about black bear baiting and you will have a much more productive black bear hunt.

I personally prefer to stalk my prey the ole fashion way but not all hunters have the time or patience to be trekking here and there looking for their trophy. A bear baiting site draws the bear to the hunter who is most likely sitting up in a tree stand waiting and watching for just the right black bear.

For me personally baiting is more like going to a stocked fish pond to fish for trout. It’s just not as memorable. That is my personal feeling but I do understand that when black bear hunters are taking and paying for a trip to another country they want to be certain they bag a black bear and don’t go home empty handed.

Bear baiting is a great way to get the bear close enough for beginners to have a great opportunity to bag their first black bear. They can do the stalking thing another year. One great experience at a time. Although baiting is no guarantee that you will get your bear.

If you think that baiting is easy that’s only because you have experience or someone else set up the bait site. If a bait site is not setup correctly the black bear will not only NOT show up they will sit on the sidelines and actually laugh at you behind your back.

So here is a short list of what you need to know to setup a black bear bait site for an effective hunt.

It makes sense to know something about black bears and the places they call home.

1. Black bears may need glasses but they more than compensate for their poor vision by having an awesome sniffer. This may have you thinking that it will all the easier because they will smell the bait site and come running but the truth is if they detect any odors, like you, they will not come near your bait site.

Keeping the entire bait site area and surrounding area clear of non-natural smells will increase your chances of seeing and bagging a nice black bear. The longer your bait site is around and kept free of human odor the more bears you will likely encounter, from a distance of course.

2. Maybe this should have been first, location is so important. Logically you wouldn’t put a bear bait site in a place bears don’t travel. So you need to take the time to learn where the paths are the black bear in your neck of the woods take to find food.

Know what a black bear eats, follow their trails and see which paths take you to the food bears like.

I do a lot of fishing in New Brunswick, especially for Atlantic salmon. I see a lot of black bears which I take note of and mark the locations in my journal for future reference.

3. Black bear hunting season opens in mid May so it’s wise to start baiting a couple of weeks before the season opens so you or your clients aren’t waiting for the bears to find it.

4. What to entice your black bears with.

To start with black bears will eat just about anything to survive but they do tend to have a sweet tooth so get out to your local donut shop and get some of those day old donuts, but save them for the bears eh. Talking with other black bear hunting guides I can say that most agree that the stronger smelling the bait the better.

My wife makes cookies that no one can eat so I stock up on those because the bears aren’t quite so picky as I am about my cookies. Okay I made that part up but they do like cookies. I used to know a farmer that would get waffer cookies by the 45 gallon drum, all the broken ones from a factory that was not far from his farm. He was always willing to give a burlap bag or two each spring. His pigs didn’t seem to mind.

You can also use meat so if you have any spare carcasses lying around give them a try.

4a. Be sure to eliminate your odor and don’t forget your boots, even your foot prints have an odor. Ever walked in the house with dog do-do on your boots. Okay then.

5. Actually setting up your bait site.

Something I had not even thought about until I saw something wasn’t working and that was the direction the bears would approach the bait station. If it’s not right you won’t get the best view for your shot. To fix this it was a simple as putting logs and branches around the three sides I didn’t want the bears approaching from.

Most bait sites or stations I have seen in New Brunswick use a 45 gallon barrel they cut in half and dock to a tree to keep it there. Otherwise the bears are dragging it all over the area.

Here are a couple of short videos showing a black bear bait site, one using a bait barrel, the other is not using a barrel.

Here is video that shows you just how long a black bear will stay at a bait site if you’re quiet and don’t stink like a human.

Hunting Black Bears Over Bait
By David Dukat

If you haven’t tried black bear hunting, these bulky black beasts will give you a thrill that’s tough to compare to a
typical whitetail hunt. There is just something about hunting a carnivore that gets your blood pumping. The great thing about a black bear is they are spread all over the United States and Canada, are a reasonable priced hunt, and normally are not an extremely physical hunt.

In my experience, a great way to start hunting for black bears is by finding an outfitter that hunts for bears over bait. Although you don’t have the fulfillment of back breaking hikes and spotting and stalking the animal, hunting over bait presents challenges of it’s own.

Normally the baiting begins before the season opens with sweets such as donuts, marshmallows, or any other sweet smelling tasty foods, supplemented with more fulfilling items such as dog food or meat scraps. Many outfitters will find an available supply of reasonable priced or soon to be discarded food and begin putting it out for the bears before hunters arrive. The bears grow accustomed to the food supply and often return year after year to the same area, sniffing around for the smell of sweets and a free meal.

The hunting is usually done from an elevated stand shadowed by the darkness of timber with an effort to keep it on the downwind side. In my opinion, the wind isn’t a huge factor as long as the outfitter doesn’t go to great lengths to remain
scent free when he is refreshing the bait. The more human scent he leaves when refreshing the bait, the better in my opinion. Once the bears grow used to the scent, they are not as spooked when they do catch the smell of a human near the bait. Granted this doesn’t work very well if you begin baiting several days before hunting, but if you give the bears some time, they will grow more accustomed to the human scent.

One of the biggest difficulties is sitting in a stand hour after hour and trying to remain quiet and with very little movement. Some people (often women more than men) have a knack for this skill, but personally this is a grueling workout for me. To complicate matters, many times the areas where black bears flourish are thick with mosquitoes during the late spring, as well. Even if you are covered from head to toe with mosquito proof netting, they find a spot to reach you ,or never let you rest with continual buzzing in your ear. For me, it’s nearly impossible to remain still with these pestering bugs swarming the entire time.

Black bears are extremely weary of odd sounds or movement, so this is a necessity. Occasionally you will hear a bear
coming to stand, but many times, sight will be your first contact with a bear. Keep still and quiet and you will have a good chance at killing a bear. One option to slow down the mosquito swarm is a Thermacell. They are quiet, relatively scent free and do a fairly good job of keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

The second challenge is keeping your calm. When a bear comes into the bait it is very tempting to rush the shot. Bears are extremely difficult to judge, but if you spend a little time, you can often tell whether it’s a male or female. Males are blockier with a square face and often a sagging belly. You don’t want to shoot a sow with cubs and boars are normally larger, so take the time to judge the bear. A great reference for judging bears is watching some bear hunting videos before you go. I recommend Cave Bears on the Pacific Rim by Jim Shockey. There are numerous black bears taken on this video of all shapes and sizes. Another very important factor is placing the shot in the right place. I’ve found it’s easy to shoot a bear too far back. Be patient and wait until the bear has his front leg angled forward toward the front of his body. Place the shot right as you would on a deer, just behind the shoulder. Don’t take the shot if he is in an odd position or his leg is vertical with the ground. You may miss his vitals and have an injured bear on your hands. They will head for deep dark cover and it’s no fun tracking an injured bear.

The main thing is to get out and have some fun. Black bears are exciting to hunt and hopefully you’ll have a beautiful bear rug when you return.