We are still in the dead of winter right now, although currently it’s been a very mild one where I live in Washington. I am writing this column on New Year’s Eve and, frankly, there is no place I’d rather be right now than writing for you. And there is no other topic I’d rather be discussing than predator calling bears. So, let’s dive into the subject and have some fun with it. 

This past Christmas, I received a new Foxpro Xwave electronic caller which I am excited to get to try out. Now, I love calling with hand/mouth calls, don’t get me wrong. The satisfaction I get from calling in a predator using nothing but a piece of bone or plastic with a reed is extremely exhilarating. But ecallers (where legal) are certainly fun too. The Xwave looks to be a monster of a machine for some high level calling, and I am eager to get to know all the ins and outs of the device.  

If you are just getting started at predator calling bears, welcome! Once you get a bear running into your call slobbering, smacking trees, and kicking up dust, I think you’ll be hooked. Either that, or you’ll never call again. But I would place money that you will desire more and more of this adrenaline-filled challenge. Calling can be about 90% boredom and 10% shock and disbelief. 

The very first time I called a bear in, I was archery hunting elk and it was completely an accident. I was down in a steep canyon in eastern Washington; either side of the canyon held stands of pine which towered over dried grass and sage, but was fed by a trickling cool creek which in turn was shaded most of the day by the hillsides. I had heard a bull on the opposite side of the hill I was on, bugling a bit with various other elk talking. I decided to let loose on a calf call I had, and the bull responded. Over the next few minutes, the elk continued to respond, and it sounded as if he was getting closer—at least broken branches and brush seemed to be telling me that. To my right (the direction from which the noise was coming) was thick and steep and led down to the creek, which was little more than 80 yards below me. Black caps and rose hips choked the hillside. 

The rustling of the brush kept giving away what I thought was the elk coming in, so I quickly placed myself next to a tree and notched an arrow, ready for the elk to pop out. To my very surprise, a black bear popped out not 40 yards from me. Now keep in mind, this was before we could legally carry a pistol for protection when archery hunting, so I only had my bow. The bear topped out over the berm, paused broadside momentarily, and then continued up the hill past me to my left before disappearing into some more black caps and such. I was stunned because I was not expecting a bear to show up at all; it just didn’t enter my mind at the time. While I didn’t take a shot, I was stung by the bug that is bear calling. That venomous sting has yet to lose its potency. 

Fast forward to today, where I have called in countless bears, bobcats, coyotes, cougars, and even hunters, and you will still find that I have the same excitement for this hobby as I did on day one. I love it and I hope to pass along some tips to help you enjoy it too. So, what are some of the things I look for when calling? A proper habitat would be one of the main things. What do I mean by that? Well, for example, I would likely not waste my time calling into a fresh clear cut where there is little brush, which equals little cover and little food. I might glass the cut for a short time or pay attention to the mature tree lines, but this is not ideal territory. When I first called in a bear, it told me that the bear was hanging out in the cool creek bottom to help avoid the midday heat, which can get to 90 degrees or more during elk season. Wearing a full black coat, I don’t blame the bear for doing so. Then as I started to learn places to call, creek draws were a go-to spot for me. They offer brush (cover and safety), water, and the overall temperature is cooler. This is a proper habitat which is likely to hold a bear somewhere. 

Another example of proper habitat, or what I like to call “bearish” places, are older clear cuts of 5-15 years old. There is a sweet spot here, depending on where you live, where the cut is chock full of brush and food, but you can still have decent shooting lanes if you get up high. As the cut ages, it becomes more and more difficult—but not impossible—to call into these places due to the thickness of the brush and taller trees. They become almost impenetrable until you go in them and find bear tunnels all over the place. This can be a fun place to grab a shotgun (for potential close encounters) and call from whatever minimal opening you can find. Getting bears to come close is half the fun of calling. 

Now, say you live somewhere where they don’t log commercially or have a more arid climate with less trees. The same idea applies. If that is the case, it is likely warm or downright hot. Where would you go to get out of that heat? Near water (creeks, ponds, etc) and steep, dark, shady canyons or draws. Try to put yourself in the mindset of the bear. If it is 85 degrees outside and food is plentiful (like in mid-summer), would you be out midday without cover from the sun? Maybe, if you were traveling from one food place to another. Or are you more likely to be hitting the shade next to a creek or rocky outcropping, eating at your leisure?  

Now, what is the advantage to calling into a brushy draw as opposed to slowly walking through it? For one, you can pick your defensive or calling position. If you set up a call, say on top of a log pile, this gives you an advantage of being above ground level (for greater visibility) and you can pick your shooting lanes. More importantly, you are not running through a valley dragging your scent all over the place and creating a bunch of noise. Think of calling like casting a fishing line: you might not know what is in the lake, but you are pretty sure something is there. Toss a line (do a call set) and see what comes in to bite. 

How long do I call for is another question that I often get. Again, much like fishing, things can happen almost instantly, or it could take a bit of time. I usually call it quits on a call set at about an hour (so I am no longer making noise from the call) and I will wait another 10-15 minutes or so after I am done calling before moving on. Sometimes a predator will wait until the racket has died down to come in and check out what was making all the ruckus. Make sure and wait a little after you’re done calling to see if something comes in. I didn’t follow this rule once and lost my chance at a chocolate bear who I saw a little too late.  

Just like when you toss out a bobber and it hits the surface of the water then starts to bounce, indicating a lovely panfish waiting for you on the other end, when you start to call, things can pop out quick. I’ve called in a bear on a cold call set in under five minutes. I’ve also called coyotes in under a few minutes too. You never know what might be waiting for a meal to call them in.  

Another really common question is what type of call do I use? Let’s just say, I never leave for a hunt (as long as there is a predator season open) without a hand/mouth call around my neck or at least one in my pack. If I am going out to hunt deer, I toss a predator call on. I have even used calls to bust deer loose from their afternoon bed to make them stand up for a shot. I like to tell people that the raspier, more obnoxious the call, the better it is for bears. I don’t know why, they just seem to like it.  

Remember, the animal you are trying to imitate during the call set does not necessarily have to be a local animal. It is the noise, not the species, that brings things in. For example, I might use an elk calf distress in an area without any elk. Why would I do that? Well, if everyone is using a rabbit distress call, the local bruiser bear may have been educated on that sound and might not care to check it out. But, if there is a sad, lonely, easy meal of a calf (despite the bear not knowing it’s an elk), that might just be the sound it needs to come in and offer a shot for you. Do not be afraid to try new, strange sounds for bears. You could find a real gem for your area and have that money of a call sound all to yourself. 

Some say that it’s not calf season yet, so the fawns haven’t dropped. My response to this is that bears do not have calendars as to when fawns drop. They might have a general idea, but a sound is a sound no matter what, and I have called in plenty of predators outside the normal time frame of neonate ungulate birth times. Ever watch your outside cat when it is hunting? It sees the movement of a bird or mouse and is keyed in. It doesn’t stop to think if that animal should be there—its predator response is to hunt it. Same thing with bears. If you offer the opportunity of a meal for a bear, it is likely to check it out. Now, whether you are offered a shot is another story altogether.  

The closest I have been to bears while they are alive and I am on the ground hunting them is three steps and the closest to cougars is 13 steps (which is close enough for me). This is without dogs, just a natural spot and stalk hunt or calling. You need to be prepared for this as soon as you start to call. Take the time prior to beginning your set to memorize what is around you. How do things look? Where might the bear come from? Are you able to make a shot from where and how you are positioned? I predator call with one in the chamber and the safety on. If I am bow hunting, I have an arrow knocked as I call. I am not walking around with an arrow knocked; I am in a stationary, ground-level position.  

There really are so many amazing things that occur when calling. From birds of prey dive bombing your head, to bears that hang up just inside the brush and pop their jaws at you, from cougars peeking over a fell log trying to decide if you’re a meal or a threat, and a million situations in between. Predator calling is a favorite method of hunting for me. I hope that during this winter season, you can get out and call in some coyotes, bobcats, or cougars while you patiently await bear season. Our ungulate population could use some extra predator management, and now you know just how to do it. Happy hunting, my friends.