Living On Earth – Scouting For Black Bear and Making Primitive Traps

There is nothing like crafting a wishbone figure-four deadfall over a very fresh pile of bear scat while out scouting for the fall hunt. While primitive traps are illegal to use in New Mexico, knowing how to make them and where to set them is a good skill to have. I crafted this deadfall using the same Mora Classic 1.0 that I used to harvest the rattlesnake my wife and I ate for dinner last night. The top rock is over 30 pounds and very capable of harvesting a squirrel.

I’m optimistic about bagging a bear this fall. I’ve been scouting and practicing shooting my bow in preparation. I found a natural spring that is still flowing, even though we’ve had unusually low rainfall this monsoon season. I also located a rather large stand of oak trees down in a valley not far from the spring. Things could be different come September, but it seems like I’ve found an area with lots of bear activity. It can be a little spooky thinking about being within 15 yards of a black bear. My wife thinks I’m crazy. Maybe I am, but I find the challenge in hunting black bear with a traditional recurve bow somehow very natural. 

I love this old 1973 Bear Grizzley bow. It shoots so smoothly and fast even though it’s over 50 years old. They sure made stuff to last back in the day.