One of the best ways to start your adrenaline pumping is to hunt a dangerous animal.  Among North America’s most dangerous, the black bear is one of the most reputable.  Hunters flock to the Midwest every year in hopes to bag their trophy bear, but they lack the experience and knowledge to do so in unfamiliar areas.  These are the proper steps needed to hunt and harvest a black bear by baiting in Wisconsin, rumored to be the best black bear hunting state in the United States. 

This process includes these steps: acquiring a license, preparing for the hunt, baiting, hunting, shot placing, tracking, and preparing and options for the carcass after the hunt.  You can also hunt bear with the legal use of dogs.  The dogs will track and chase bears to places that make the bear vulnerable.  These steps for baiting will be cited by real-life experiences of myself and other credible sources.  The steps will help to ensure success in a bear hunt.

The first step to complete for hunting a bear, and any other animal, is to obtain the proper licenses to do so.  The different ways to accomplish this are state-specific, so these are only the state of Wisconsin’s regulations to obtain a bear license.  A Class A bear license is given to people over the age of 18.  Class B licenses are given to people under the age of 18, who are still of legal hunting age.  Class C licenses are given to handicapped people who are of age to hunt.  The best chance to obtain a license is to enter a drawing that contains a “preference point lottery system.”  To acquire a license, you must apply to be in the drawing.  You then must be a drawing winner.  You can apply at any DNR Service Center, online, or use the toll-free Wisconsin DNR phone number.  If your name isn’t drawn the year when you apply, then you will be awarded preference points.  Preference points give you a better chance to win the next year and those to come.  You can also purchase preference points for a better chance.  Although some luck is needed to be drawn, there exists good chance you’ll be picked within at least three years of first applying.  This step is needed to advance to the next one.

Once you have acquired a bear license, you should prepare for the hunt.  First, you will need a place to hunt.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask around if you don’t know where to go.  The best areas for bear activity are wooded areas around fields or in valleys.  Another idea is to mount game cameras onto trees see where the bears are active.  Once you have a spot chosen, you’ll need a rifle and ammunition of recognizable power.  You will have to complete a registered gun safety class in Wisconsin.  These classes teach gun safety to all ages, and are required to hunt.  Among the best choices of hunting rifles are a .270, 30-06, or a Remington model .700.  These rifles all have enough power to put down a bear, if the shot is well placed, that is.  You can also use a bow and arrow if you’d like.  Just make sure your bow is set to a powerful enough poundage to put a bear down.  A good range is about 50 to 75 lbs. pullback.  You will also need some camo clothing.  It is best to try to keep your clothing weight light, but layers can also be smart in case the temperature outside is cold.  A tree stand would be the ideal place to hunt from, unless you want to take your chances in a ground blind.  A train stand is some is platform connected to a ladder that can be mounted on a tree.  There is usually a sear of some sort on the platform for you to sit on.  A ground blind is a similar to a tent, but with more moving room on the inside for you to be mobile.   Ground blinds are more dangerous because a bear can reach you if it turns hostile.  Another reason to be cautious about using a blind is that in my first season of bear hunting, I had prepared a blind.  My father and I arrived to replace the bait a week later, only to find our blind torn to shreds by bears.  We then switched to a tree stand.  Whatever you decide, the bait should be about at least 30 yards away from your bait.  You will need a sharp knife with at least a 3” blade.  You’ll need this to field dress the bear after the hunt.  Field dressing is the act of cutting open the bear to take out the guts and inedible parts of the bear.  The final items you need are “goodies” for baiting the bears.  This is how the bears will be interested in the spot where you choose to hunt them.

Baiting bears is an important step if you want to be guaranteed sightings of bears.  Bears really enjoy food that is sweet or has grease in it.  A good idea for bait is to go your local bakery or Subway restaurant and buy the old donuts or bread that is going to be thrown out.  A hollowed out tree stump works best to put the bait in.  Other things to add are licorice, pudding, and cooking grease.  These are the most popular foods to bait a bear with. 

The bait should be replaced about every week or so.  It was very fun for me to see what the bears are doing with the food I put out for them.  Make sure nothing that you put in the bait will harm the bear.  Place all the bait in the stump and you can put some licorice on trees nearby.  The bears in the area won’t be able to resist it.

The next step is actually going out to hunt a bear.  With your license, you will get an informational pamphlet to show you the times when you can hunt.  Once you know this, head out and plan to sit for a couple hours at least.  One of the best times to hunt is the few hours before the sun sets.  Once you are out in the hunt, you have to be patient and quiet.  Your senses must be on high alert.  Scan the area and listen for twigs breaking.  Bringing a book isn’t a bad idea if you get bored easily.   Everything in this step is required if you want to get a bear.

When, or if a bear appears, let it get comfortable with the area.  Take aim between the front of its chest, and where the arm meets the body.  If your shot is too close to the front of the bear, it will just graze its chest and miss the vitals.  If your shot is too far back from the shoulder, the bullet will also miss the vitals and hit the stomach.  This could give the bear a long, slow, and painful death, giving it enough time to get away to where you can’t track it.  Place your shot well and be ready to shoot again because some bears can be tougher than they seem. 

More often than not, a bear won’t fall right away when it is shot.  It will most likely try to run away.  When I shot my first bear, it sprinted into a corn field out of my sight.  If you can, watch where the bear goes and remember where it was when it was hit.  Wait a couple of minutes where you are to make sure the bear is dead or away from you so you can start tracking.  Go to where the bear was when you shot it, and search for blood.  If you can’t find any there, start in the direction where the bear went, and keep searching for red.  Hopefully you will find some blood eventually.  I tracked my bear for four hours with my dad until we lost the blood trail and I realized my shot must’ve hit too far forward on the bear.  If you’re lucky this will not happen to you and you will find blood.  Be sure to notice if there is a lot, or if there is a small amount.  Also, you can tell how good your shot was by looking at the color of the blood. If the blood is a dark hue of red it means that you had a good shot and it hit somewhere in the vitals.  This means that the bear is probably dead somewhere close.  If the blood is lighter it could mean that the shot may have missed the vitals.  This does not by any means that it wasn’t a bad shot.  There is just less chance that the bear went down.  If at first you can’t find your bear, it is a good idea to get help from other people to search.  More eyes means more of a chance to find it.  If you do find your bear, you have to be very cautious.  Approach it from behind the head to make sure it is dead.  Poke the back of the bear’s head with the barrel of your gun to know for sure.  This is the time to admire the beautiful beast and capture some pictures if you would like. 

Now is the time start the process of field dressing.  Field dressing eliminates extra, unneeded weight from your bear.  This is important if you don’t want to spoil the meat or you want to save the hide for taxidermy.  You will have to not be bothered by blood because there will be some when you cut open the bear.  The first step is to take your knife and cut through the hide on the chest, near the breastbone.  Keep slicing down towards the groin, but keep the cut shallow.  You don’t want to cut open the stomach or an organ.  This will make it messier than it has to.  Now proceed to take the guts out.  Reach into the carcass towards the top, and find where the esophagus is located.  It is a long tube that goes down into the stomach.  Cut it in half, and pull down with some force.  The guts will be pulled out and you will have to cut the connective tissue down at the groin region.  Leave the guts on the ground for the birds to eat at.  Now, tag your bear and drag it to your vehicle.  You now have a couple options of what to do with your bear.

Bears are considered as trophy animals, and should be treated as such.  Usually, hunters take pride in displaying their bears in some form or another.  You can bring your bear to a taxidermist to get a classic bearskin rug.  These have been popular with bear hunters for decades.  You can also choose to get a full body mount if you’d like, but it is very expensive.  You can also bring your bear meat to a butcher.  Bear meat can be prepared in almost every way other meats can be.  The most popular versions are “bear burgers” and bear jerky.  If prepared properly, the meat is delicious.  These are by far the most popular ways to put your trophy to use.

These are the basic steps to follow if you want to successfully bear hunt in Wisconsin.  Remember to always follow the proper rules and regulations for the year that you are hunting.  There could be changed laws for only the year you are hunting.  The rules could also interfere with other rules for that year.  Bear hunting is a limited opportunity in the U.S. today.  Wisconsinites are lucky to have such a great environment to find black bears.  I know I had a lot of fun and I definitely want to do it again.  My greatest advice to you is to stay safe, enjoy the hunt, and have fun with your experiences.