Hunting Trophy Black Bear (Hunter's Information Series)

He's a smallish (maybe 250 pounds) black bear with a white triangle of fur on his chest, and yes he makes a pest of himself at the bird feeders, and takes the occasional dump in my flower box on the deck. But he's not what you'd call a trophy bear. Please read this book with that in mind. According to the author, black bear actually range in color from black to blonde, with the occasional white (not albino) bear in the mix. The blue color phase ('glacier bear') is now considered a separate subspecies. It's important to be able to distinguish the black bear from the grizzly in areas where their ranges overlap. Look for the hump on the grizzly's back. Grizzlies also have concave profiles whereas black bear are Roman-nosed. One of my favorite passages in this book concerns the macho technique for distinguishing a black bear from a grizzly: sneak up behind the bear, kick it in the butt, then climb the nearest tree. If the bear follows you up the tree, it's a black bear because grizzlies don't climb. If you are caught and eaten before you reach the tree, it's a grizzly. Black bear have been clocked at over 30 miles per hour for short distances, so the above method should probably not be employed with either species of bear. Even though black bear are incredibly cute, the author points out that they are carnivores (not omnivores as I had learned). Although 86% of their diet is vegetation, they should NOT be used for photo-ops with your children. Black bear in Newfoundland have been observed ambushing, killing, and eating grown caribou. Some of the really big boars (males) weigh over a thousand pounds. "Hunting Trophy Black Bear" should interest both hunters and non-hunters. It was an education for me--most of what I thought I knew about black bear was wrong, e.g. den locations, number of cubs, and diet. The subject where the author and I choose to violently disagree is bear baiting. He spends quite a bit of print describing how and where to set bait, where to hide in order to kill the bear, but it's not really hunting. It's more like shooting bear in a dump. Some states don't allow bear baiting, and I wish my state were one of them. Chester, you hear me? Don't go sticking your nose in that sack of jelly doughnuts you just happen to 'find' in the woods. Someone is likely to put a bullet into that big, furry back of yours, and I'll never ever see you sitting in my flower box again.