Bear Hunter Education & Recommendations
Helpful Information on a Responsible and Ethical Bear Hunt
Avoid Harvesting Sows with Cubs
Female bear’s give birth to their cubs in January while in their den, and the cubs will remain with the sow until June or July the following year (18 months). During the annual bear hunting season in fall, cubs may be nutritionally or behaviorally dependent on sows. The size of cubs during the fall is variable and depends on factors including the distribution and abundance of natural foods, the number of cubs in the litter, and the size and fitness of the adult female. During abundant food years, cubs may weigh 50 or more pounds and be almost half the size of the adult female and in poor food years, these cubs may weigh only 20 pounds. Hunters should easily distinguish these size differences and recognize that groups of two or more bears together in the autumn are part of a family group.
Bear cubs are very mobile by their first fall, but are always in close proximity to the female. Hunters should take their time to confirm that their target is solitary to avoid harvesting a sow with cubs. Hunters who use bait have ample time for observation to ensure that their target is alone. Hunters who use dogs have a similar opportunity to be sure of their quarry because the behavior of the hounds indicates if there is more than one bear present. Still hunters are encouraged to take the extra time to observe their bear prior to making the decision to harvest to be sure it is not part of a family group.
The use of remote cameras can also be very effective at preventing the harvest of a sow with cubs. Many bait hunters use cameras, which provides the hunter with information on which bears are in the area and their patterns. This is very helpful when deciding which bear to target and which to not.
As bear populations increase, the harvest of females is important to control bear population growth. However, this female harvest pressure should be directed toward females that do not have young in that year. If hunters focus their harvest on solitary bears, a percentage of those will be females without cubs. This generally results in an adequate female harvest rate to satisfy bear population management objectives.
Providing hunters with tips to easily recognize bear family groups during fall will increase hunter selectivity. This effort will safeguard New Hampshire’s bears and the tradition of bear hunting in New Hampshire.
Recommended Practices for Hunting Bears with Bait
Hunting bears with bait has grown in popularity over the past decade. As with any form of hunting, periodic modifications to the practice are helpful in eliminating unintended effects. For example, the Department prohibited the use of chocolate as bait in 2016 based on evidence that the ingredients in cocoa were toxic to bears at certain levels.
While there have not been any recent rule changes related to baiting for bear, the Department would like to provide the following recommendations to bait hunters:
Use plastic rather than metal barrels at bait sites. Metal barrels have sharp edges and bears can damage teeth and claws when accessing bait in metal barrels.
- Most bait barrels have a solid top with an access opening in the side of the barrel that can be round or square. If using a round hole the diameter should be no less than 18 inches. If using a square, each side should be no less than 14 inches.
- Do not place more bait than needed to attract bears to your site.
- Use natural foods as bait rather than processed foods.