We bounce from canyon to canyon in search of Smokey. To hunt black bears you need to think like one. “What’s the most calories I can get for the least amount of work?” A bear, just like most humans would rather have a 16oz ribeye over a small bag of peanuts. This is why predator calling can be so effective. They would much rather have a deer fawn or elk calf than some acorns from an oak tree. The new fox pro calls are incredible for this.

The darker the night, the more daytime activity you tend to see from elk. This means on a full moon, expect to find success hunting closer to the elk's bedding areas and less success hunting travel corridors. One exception is that if there is significant overcast weather; the moon phase may have less impact.

We don’t make a stand and call for 45 minutes at a time. 15-20 minutes in one spot calling before we keep bouncing around from canyon to canyon. A bear usually won’t walk 3 miles to the dinner bell.

Another great thing about predator calling black bears is that momma bears with cubs won’t come to it. It’s only aggressive bore bears. You can field judge a big bore bear by the size of their ears. If their ears look small then that means they have a large head and that’s what they are scored by.

Bear hunting is by far our most dangerous endeavor here at Pasamonte Hunts. Because of this we have different requirements. We require a .30 caliber rifle. We have lost 2 wounded bears to inadequate calibers. It’s always better to have too much gun than to not have enough. Follow your shot up with another. The last thing any hunter wants is to go after a wounded bear.