By Tracy Breen
Bear season is just around the corner. Now is the time to start thinking about what gear you should bring to camp. Many bear hunters head to Canada each year to bear hunt and although Canada has lots bears, often Canadian outfitters don’t provide hunters with everything they need to have a successful hunt. If you are going bear hunting this spring, below are a few things you might want to have packed before leaving home.
BRING YOUR OWN STAND
Many outfitters in Canada use homemade ladder stands made out of wood and nails. If you plan to spend days in a treestand, bring a climber or a ladder stand of your own. Homemade wooden stands aren’t always safe and aren’t comfortable. If you bring your own stand, make sure you bring one with an extra comfortable seat. Like hunting the whitetail rut, sitting in a treestand for long hours is often required. Sitting on a 2x4 won’t be easy and chances are you won’t sit on one for long before you decide to head back to camp. A comfortable stand is a necessity.
Image Courtesy of Game of Inches TV
BRING A PREDATOR CALL
Bring a predator call. When people think of black bear hunting, they often think of sitting over bait. Even when sitting over bait, you can pass the time by using a predator call from time to time. A friend of mine called in a huge black bear while hunting over bait. A fawn in distress works great. Keep in mind bears don’t have long attention spans. Call often if you want to peak the interest of nearby bears. Big bears sometimes shy away from bait piles but don’t think twice about running in to check out a wounded fawn.
BRING A SCALE
Bring a scale with you when bear hunting. Very few outfitters ever have a scale in camp. If you really want to know how much your bear weighed, bring your own scale so you can weigh it yourself. Often the weight of bears is overestimated. A scale will tell the truth.
BRING A WYNDSCENT UNIT
Bring a few attractants. Depending on weather, bait piles don’t always give off much odor and bears don’t always know the bait is out; especially during the early season. Wyndscent offers an electronic vapor hunting scent called Donut Shop. The Wyndscent unit utilizes the power of vapor to disperse the Donut Shop scent. The unit can be turned on and off with a push button remote and the vapor travels extremely far, thanks to the fact that the hot scent coming out of the unit easily travels with the wind current. Unlike bacon burns, the Wyndscent is easy to use and bears love the sweet smell of donuts.
Many hunters believe the outfitter will have everything they need to have a successful hunt. Sometimes hunting is slow and that is when having a trick up your sleeve like a Wyndscent unit can make a big difference. The Wyndscent unit can be screwed into a tree or used on the ground. You should always bring scent of some kind when bear hunting. Bait alone doesn’t always bring bears in close.