Black Bear Hunts

Black bears, also called American Black Bears, are the most common bear species in North America. They are found all throughout North America from Canada, the United States, and as far south as Mexico. Within the U.S., black bears populate in 41 of the 50 U.S. states and territories. Females black bears weight between 100 and 400 lbs, while males of the species tend to be 30-35% larger. An adult male black bear can weigh anywhere from 250 to 650 lbs. Occasionally, an exceptionally large male black bear can weigh as much 800 lbs. The largest black bear currently on record came from SE North Carolina and weighed nearly 900lbs.

Like the name implies, most black bears are black in color, but they can also be a dark brown, cinnamon color, and a reddish black. The color variations are believed to related to the geography and diet of the bears. Most bears located east of the Mississippi River tends to be black, while the bulk of the color variations are found west of the Mississippi. Highly adaptable, black bears are found in a number of different habitats and ranges including mountains, swamps, agricultural areas, and tideland areas, just to name a few. Black bears tend to be highly secretive, shy, and rarely seen in the wild. They prefer dense cover for bedding and are more active at night and early morning.

Like most all bears, black bears possess a highly acute sense of smell. Even more acute and sensitive than that of a bloodhound. This is one of the reasons that they are rarely seen in the wild as they typically smell danger well before it gets near them. Due to their size, black bears have little or no natural predators. A large pack of wolves or a large mountain lion might be able to overtake a sick or elderly black bear, but, for the most part, they maintain the top position in the foodchain. About the only time black bears are not the top predator occurs when they share their range with the larger Brown Bear. As brown bears tend to be much larger (Grizzly bears are a sub-species of the brown bear), they become the dominant predator in shared space.

Black bears tend to be solitary animals that only congregate together during mating season. Females give birth in the summer and take care of the cub or cubs until they are around 2 years old. While black bears are less aggressive than their larger brown bear cousins, they can and do occasionally attack humans. According to bear attack data maintained by San Jose State University, brown bears attack and kill far more people per year than black bears, however, the select cases where black bears do attack and kill people seem to be acts of predation versus territorial or cub protection attacks. Data surrounding black bear fatalities collected from the last ten years indicates that the victims of those attacks were either consumed or partially consumed in all but 4 cases. Keep this in mind as you are hunting black bears.

In the eastern portion of the U.S., black bears are usually hunted with dogs or hunted over bait. Black bears in more open regions are usually hunted over bait or using a spot and stalk method. As mentioned before, black bears have an amazing sense of smell, so plan accordingly. While not as hearty as the brown bear, black bears are still a very large game animal with plenty of fat and tough hide that will slow down a bullet. Make sure you choose a round that is capable of bringing the animal down with a single shot.