# Varmint calls for bear?



## adambrister (Jun 19, 2012)

Two part question on varmint calls for bear: first, are varmint mouth calls (non-electronic) like a rabbit in distress call legal for hunting bear in Georgia? Second, has anybody had any success doing it? I'm new to bear hunting and I'm planning to try my hand at it at Cohutta this fall.


----------



## Etoncathunter (Jun 19, 2012)

I've heard that they work, and as far as I know are legal. I know that after missing my one chance at one last year cause he crossed the opening too quickly I started carrying one. Hope next time I can stop it or maybe even turn it around long enough to judge it then shoot.  It's worth a shot anyways.


----------



## NCMTNHunter (Jun 20, 2012)

The are a few articles on calling bear in Bear Hunting Magazine every year.  I've always thought it was interesting but have never tried it.  They mostly do it in states that have spring seasons and use fawn bleats.  The one thing they always recommend is to set up with your back to a big solid object.  The bears come in stalking and hungry.  You need to set up where they can't stalk up behind you!


----------



## Etoncathunter (Jun 20, 2012)

Yeah there is a video of a female bowhunter, she's up in Canada on a spring hunt and calls a big one in with a fawn distress. I don't know that I'd blind call for one, but I'd call to one I could see to slow it down/stop it. Just the idea of advertising my self as food to something with big teeth that I can't see doesn't sit right.


----------



## NCMTNHunter (Jun 20, 2012)

There was an article in there last year about guide in alaska that uses fawn bleats for brown bear.  He is an ex navy seal and apparently has nerves of steel.  He kills em' up close coming in for a snack.


----------



## blackbear (Jun 20, 2012)

Bear and other dangerous game are suppose to be hunted up close and personal dont'cha know...little kids and 'ol wimmen can choot 'em from 300 yrds.away and with a 6.5x20 scopewhats the fun in that
Turkey calls also work like a  charm!


----------



## NCMTNHunter (Jun 20, 2012)

blackbear said:


> Bear and other dangerous game are suppose to be hunted up close and personal dont'cha know...little kids and 'ol wimmen can choot 'em from 300 yrds.away and with a 6.5x20 scopewhats the fun in that
> Turkey calls also work like a  charm!



Your 100% correct.  You gotta admit it would be tough to be a guide calling in a big brown bear for some client that you don't know from Adam.  Not knowing if he is going to shoot or wet his pants.  I took one guy to a bear that dogs had bayed up and he got so scared he couldn't even walk.  He would trip and fall and as soon as he got up he would fall again.  Beat all I've ever seen.  The bear finally broke and we made the guy lay down and we took his gun away from him and unloaded it.  He's never asked to go back.


----------



## TheBlackHeart88 (Jun 20, 2012)

NCMTNHunter said:


> Your 100% correct.  You gotta admit it would be tough to be a guide calling in a big brown bear for some client that you don't know from Adam.  Not knowing if he is going to shoot or wet his pants.  I took one guy to a bear that dogs had bayed up and he got so scared he couldn't even walk.  He would trip and fall and as soon as he got up he would fall again.  Beat all I've ever seen.  The bear finally broke and we made the guy lay down and we took his gun away from him and unloaded it.  He's never asked to go back.



WOW.


----------



## adambrister (Jun 21, 2012)

I can imagine there'd be a serious pucker factor in calling one in blind, or calling one you can see for that matter. I know it would require nerves of steel to have one coming in and pull off the shot. Getting a good shot angle could be a challenge too, and I will be bowhunting. I've seen the video of Melissa Bachman calling her bear in, I think that's the video Etoncathunter was referring to. I think I'll take a call along with me this fall.


----------



## NCMTNHunter (Jun 21, 2012)

Definitely worth a shot.  Let us know how it goes.


----------



## javery (Jun 25, 2012)

I called mine in with a grunt call.He came in at a dead run like he was on a string.


----------



## adambrister (Jul 2, 2012)

I'm going to give it a try. I'll post my success. Or lack of it. lol


----------



## Throwback (Jul 4, 2012)

There was an article about this in The Trapper and Predator Caller magazine in the last year or two. 



T


----------



## TTom (Jul 5, 2012)

True story  Cooper's Creek WMA 6 years ago. I had a grunt call that had variable pitch and got really bored mid afternoon. I started making it bawl like a baby, thinking I was going to be leaving the area and move on. I had never heard of the idea of calling in bears with such calls.

Suddenly there is a crashing sound coming through the trees over this little saddle near my hasty groundblind. Out of the tree line maybe 50 yards away was a bear. I thought UT OHHHH I better stop calling I don't wanna scare him off. (later read up and should have called one more time or so to get him in range.)  The bear turned around and wandered off after getting to about 35 yards (outside my confidence range with the longbow) But wow it had m heart pumping hard enough I thoght he'd hear it)

I was shocked how quiet the guy was when leaving, he just disappeared into the brush.

I got home that evening and started researching, I've since then tried to do it on purpose a couple times without any results, but I know it can work.


----------



## JWilson (Jul 5, 2012)

JUST BE CAREFUL BECASUE SOWS WITH CUBS CAN ALSO RESPOND TO THE CALLING. iF ITS A QUICK SHOT YOU MAY NOT EVEN SEE THE CUBS. JUST A LITTLE FYI


----------



## adambrister (Jul 9, 2012)

Good point JWilson. The action could be fast and furious. Gotta watch for cubs.


----------



## tee p (Jan 20, 2013)

opening weekend of this past season I was helping a friend try to get a bear. with the massive acorn crop in this area it was tough to say the least. So a few minutes before dark on our second day of hunting I thought I would try the call.  I think it was a course rabbit,  I blew the call for not more than 30 seconds when I spotted a good bear in a dead run right at us at about 75 yards I continued to blow until he was at 15 yds, when I stopped blowing he stopped running.  Then there was the 10 second stare down, he was looking right at us so there wasnt a very good shot opportunity.  He appeared to wind us and turn to run, I got back on the call and he stopped now at 25 yds, quartering away, my buddy was using a crossbow and shot too far forward and just nicked him in the shoulder.  We didnt get a bear but that was a very exciting hunt.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 22, 2013)

I will tell you about my close encounter calling in a bear with a predator call...

Back when I was in high school, probably 15 or 16 years old, me and my best hunting buddy would call foxes and bobcats with a mouth call at night.  

We were sitting on top of a pile of logs and stumps that had been pushed up on the edge of a pasture.  The moon was bright when it wasn't behind clouds and we could see the field pretty well.  I had a Remington Speedmaster loaded with CCI Stingers and a 6 cell Maglite.  My buddy had a bolt action .22 mag and a fawn bleat.  After a few calling sequences, we could hear something big moving down below us.  A few soft calls later, and we could hear a large mammal snorting and grunting, slowly plodding in our direction.  We both looked at each other with wide eyes and whispered "Bear!"  By now, we could see a large black shape noisily snorting and sniffing as it came closer and closer.  Safeties clicked off and I slowly raised the light, knowing that as soon as the target was lit up, we were going to unload on it before it could eat us.  I pressed the button, a beam of light flooded out, and.................  MOOOOOOOOO!  Big Black Angus cow.


----------



## WOODSWIZE (Jan 22, 2013)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I will tell you about my close encounter calling in a bear with a predator call...
> 
> Back when I was in high school, probably 15 or 16 years old, me and my best hunting buddy would call foxes and bobcats with a mouth call at night.
> 
> We were sitting on top of a pile of logs and stumps that had been pushed up on the edge of a pasture.  The moon was bright when it wasn't behind clouds and we could see the field pretty well.  I had a Remington Speedmaster loaded with CCI Stingers and a 6 cell Maglite.  My buddy had a bolt action .22 mag and a fawn bleat.  After a few calling sequences, we could hear something big moving down below us.  A few soft calls later, and we could hear a large mammal snorting and grunting, slowly plodding in our direction.  We both looked at each other with wide eyes and whispered "Bear!"  By now, we could see a large black shape noisily snorting and sniffing as it came closer and closer.  Safeties clicked off and I slowly raised the light, knowing that as soon as the target was lit up, we were going to unload on it before it could eat us.  I pressed the button, a beam of light flooded out, and.................  MOOOOOOOOO!  Big Black Angus cow.



.....so, did y'all have hambugers or steak off it later??


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 22, 2013)

We both exercised great trigger control (considering how trigger happy a couple of 16 year old boys can be)and never fired a shot.


----------



## ALPHAMAX (Feb 20, 2013)

^ that's a funny read


----------



## j_seph (Feb 20, 2013)

Just remember, that call mimics something in distress. That bear comes in, it is coming looking for a meal.


----------



## pnome (Feb 20, 2013)

j_seph said:


> Just remember, that call mimics something in distress. That bear comes in, it is coming looking for a meal.



When is a bear not looking for a meal?


----------



## j_seph (Feb 20, 2013)

pnome said:


> When is a bear not looking for a meal?


When he's asleepNo No:


----------

