First off, I am a bear hunter and thrill to the sound of a chase. A good many years ago, I dropped my subscription to F&S because of a backpage article that was anti-hound. A few years back, I subscribed again, so when I saw this article I thought "Here we go again". Not so, this is a good and fair representation of hunting with hounds and I thank you for it. Be warned, it is addictive, you will go again. Thanks.

The Sierra Club IS an anti-hunting and anti-gun organization. I quit the club years ago for that reason. When I lived in NJ- they fought against every single pro-hunting measure. Their funding comes from big city liberals and government largess. Typical left of center group using your tax dollars against you.

I made friends with a hound hunter while I was going to school. I had never hunted bears with hounds before, and had never shot a bear. That old man took me out every weekend until I shot a 6'4" bear east of Princeton, ID. In northern Idaho the only way to hunt bears is with bait or hounds. The forest is so thick you cant see 10 feet in front of you in some places. No bears would be harvested if you couldn't hunt with these two practices. Don't judge hound hunters until you've been hound hunting. I did and I was wrong.

Awsome article!!! Being a bear hunter with hounds I could not express it better. The thrill when you hear the hounds pick up the scent. I kind of amazing that you can tell what the dog is doing by the sound of its bark. He is asolutly right, people have a big misunderstanding whats its really like. Awesome!

Great story, the hunting gear for this hunt is extreme, I love seeing how decked out those dog hunting trucks. That bear will make a sweet rug to remember a unique hunt. What kind of boots would you recommend for this?

007,

WI bear season not until Setember. Can't WAIT!!!!

I hate people knocking off bear hunting with hounds. If you never tried first hand than keep quite. There is alot alot more work than you would ever realize. Its not what they think its like. Dump dogs on a bear 5 minutes later it's in the tree. I been on chases up to 6 hours!! Alot of times the bears out smart the hounds and we never seen the bear! Like I said before and I will say it again!! Don't knock off something that you never tried!! Try it once I bet you your attiude about hunting with hounds will make a 180!

I live in Northern California, I know several hunters that run hounds. They are mostly good people. They put a lot of work and money into their dogs. They hike numerous miles chasing their dogs. No doubt, it must be exiting. (I enjoyed training my lab to retrieve, I also enjoy hiking miles into the wilderness, especially cross country, and I also spend money and time on various things.) But that don't make me a good hunter. I compare running dogs for bear to high fence hunting. The fence traps the dear, and the dogs use the bears natural fear to trap it up a tree. All the hunter does is shoot a trapped animal out of a tree. Now, I'm not a tree hugger as some would say (I work in a sawmill), and I do hunt bear...WITHOUT dogs or bait (bait is illegal here). Since 1994, I have harvested 8 bears (3 by archery and 5 by rifle) My oldest son took his first bear at age 15, his brother took his first of two bears with a bow at age 14, and their younger brother has harvested two bears by the age of 16. All were taken from the ground. When you have HUNTED to within 20 to 30 yards of a nice boar while archery hunting, you have done some serious hunting. I am not against using hounds to harvest bears, I just don't see it as fair chase hunting. It is not the same as you besting an animals senses to harvest it.

I didn't know PETA had a clothing line. Orion, touche' up to a point. I thought I'd like to try one with my bow until I saw the hide come off the first one or two and saw that thick hide, that layer of fat, those big bones, and those muscles, and then thought better of it, so if you are consistently successful and ethical, my hat is off to you. However, as you state, we put a lot of time and sweat into our dogs and I think to compare it to high fence is an unfair comparison at best. We as hunters need to stick together, especially in the face of the BS that we experienced on this post from our friend roneoo. By the way, the last bear I took was at the end of a three hour walk to the tree, where three dogs kept the bear up until we could get there. That to me is a rug well earned by all involved, dogs and men.

It's about time that someone got the word out about the utter excitement of bear hunting with hounds. I do so myself in Wisconsin up in Dairyland. There is nothing more exhillarating about hunting bears with hounds. If you get the chance to do it you'll want to do it again and again because there is simply no better way to hunt anything in the world. Redticks, Blueticks, Black and Tans, Walkers, and Plotts and bears are all you need to experience the greatest hunt of your life. I'm able to do it every weekend and while you might not be able to, try it one time and you will be hooked and ready to do it again.

great article great photos thanks

I'm from Tn, and here, where baiting bear isn't legal, you have to use dogs to hunt them. If you didn't, you the number of bear harvested would drop considerably and the bear population would rise even higher than it already has, which is beginning to become an issue anyway. Bear and boar hunting with hounds, especially east Tn, is a part of our heritage, and we will continue to take part in it every fall.

Great story! and congrats on the bear!
One question though, what kind of hounds were they using?
I have always wondered what kind of dogs they use for that type of hunting.

They're beautiful dogs.
I agree 007 don't knock it til you try it.

007...I got a little carried away with a couple of comments, SORRY, my bad. Also, idahooutdoors, any form of bear hunting is far from a lazy mans hunt. Running dogs is definitely the most work prior to the kill and is dependent on where you are and how much help you have after the kill. Slow and quiet is my preference, with a lot of extended stops to interpret noises. So I hardly break a sweat. That all changes after the kill, because most of the time I hunt solo, at most I have one of my boys with me. It means quartering up the the bear and making several trips. As for bow hunting...patience is key. I shoot a much older compound (50% let off, 75lbs). Only shots under 30 yards on a bear full broadside to quartering away. Near side front leg must be forward. A good double lung shot and a bear will pile up within 100 yards. In my experience bears cannot see full camo unless you move. I've had younger bears come to within 10 feet before scenting me. It gets your heart pounding. Anyway, because I worship the quiet solitude of hunting solo (I understand the risks), I can honestly say that running dogs is not for me. 007 is 100% correct in saying that we must all stick together. Peace and good luck to all hunters.

Kyle, when is your bear hunt you were talking about some time back, and if it's already been, how'd it go?

orion13 I used to live in Ca where are you from?

Grew up in Lodi.

sounds like a good way to get your dog killt but what do i know about bear hunting

Plain and simple: Bear hunting w hounds is NOT ethical hunting by humans. There's no fair chase, and GPS collars make it the same as an electronic video game. No matter how you cut it, it's "dog hunting." Any attempts to defend it or glamorize it give all of us a bad rap. The thrill of the hunt should be based on our own individual efforts. If a hunter can't handle it, he doesn't belong out there.
Predator OVER population wouldn't happen if nature was allowed to take its natural course. Predators take out the smallest and the weakest--guess what's left? It's a mistake to go after them.