Harvest From the Field | 2020 California Black Bear

As someone who did not grow up hunting, the idea of harvesting a Bear was foreign and strange to me. I had never heard of anyone hunting or eating Bear in my community. In 2020 I didn’t even get a Bear tag until day one of the General Rifle Opener of Deer Season. That day I found 3 huge sets of bear droppings and was hooked.

After switching gears to focus mainly on bear hunting while hoping to spot a buck as bycatch. I realized how difficult it is to find a Northern California Black Bear. When I was able to hone in on a spot with lots of sign, I was sure I would see a one any minute. There were droppings everywhere, some scrapes, and even hair clinging to a few branches. The area I was in had bears feeding heavily on acorns. Every tree was dropping acorns by the thousands but did not offer a lot of open visibility. All this excitement led me to being in the woods for over twenty days before seeing a single bear. After hiking almost 2 miles in and sitting in a field watching for a short time, I got up to relieve myself. Not 20 YDs from me, when I turn around to walk back to my pack and rifle, is a nice cinnamon phase black bear. Separated from my pack and rifle I try to move my way slowly to my gun, and it immediately ran off. After missing that opportunity I felt down, ‘how could I be so stupid leaving my gun?’ and was sure I wouldn’t see another bear that season.

I could not have been more wrong. About 5 days later, 2 or 3 more days in the woods, I had another opportunity. I was moving very slowly through the woods and stopping at every break and opening to scan. About a mile into the woods, as I made my way down a small game trail through the trees and brush, there was a black bear boar. He was making his way down the hill about 35 YDs from me, upwind, without the slightest idea of me being there. I was able to use my left arm braced on a small tree as a rest and placed a shot right behind his right shoulder. He immediately jumped about three feet up and to the right, took a few bounds, and was down in about 10 YDs in some buck brush. This is when I learned the hardest part of bear hunting, is approaching a downed bear, no matter how much time you wait.

This hunt was so rewarding, I learned so much about the woods and its occupants while searching for my bear. The meat is exquisite and even my wife loves it. I highly recommend any hunter add black bear hunting to their focus or at least giving it a try for a season. At the very least you will leave the woods a more rounded and educated hunter.

Hunt Statistics: Tikka T3 .243, Hornady .243 WIN 80gr. GMX, 1 of 919 California Black bears harvested in 2020