Black Bear encounters when training?

[Novice123]

My relatives in the area where I want to train my dog on wild birds have observed a Black Bear during the spring, summer and fall. I will be getting a pointing breed dog in June, 2019. In the Minnesota Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (where the Black Bear was observed) I can train a dog except for April 15 to July 15. Should I be worried about Black Bear encounters when running my dog in WMAs? I am a bit worried as some of the areas I want to train my dog are really big areas with a lot of brush and smaller trees and swamps. Of course, I can use my shotgun to ward off any bear during hunting season, but what about training in these wild areas in August or after hunting season in the spring? I don't know much about hand guns. I did shoot one at a picnic once. What kind of hand gun do I need for protection? I want a cheaper one because it is only for this specific purpose. Last night on the Weather Channel, for survival they had a segment on what to do if a Black Bear stalked you. There were some film clips that looked very scary of people being attacked. Some of the terrain has enough brush that I might scare a bear or come across a mother bear and cubs? What are your experiences? Am I being paranoid here?

[Featherfinder]

You're not paranoid, you're concerned. There is a difference.
If you were overly concerned with all the challenges out there you would never leave home. Fact is, you need to be careful, for sure. Bears prefer to run rather than challenge hunters BUT if your dog doesn't learn to respect bears, you could have an issue.
We have bears, wolves, coyotes, snakes, bobcats, cougars, etc. in the variety of places we hunt. Always better to be aware/careful than sorry but I wouldn't give up hunting my revered haunts for love nor money.
Some of the versatile breeds with a strong "sharpness" dynamic may be more induced into chasing a bear but smart ones learn fast. Not-so-smart dogs may not have a concern either - not for long.

[cjhills]

I have trained for 15+ Years at the WMA s in Mn. During the week I am generally the only one there. I have never encountered a bear. There are some around but we never see them. I would give some very serious thought to packing a hand gun for bear protection. Especially if you are not proficient with it. You are going to have a lot of explaining to do if you shoot a bear in a WMA in Minnesota hunting season or not. A shotgun with four shot or small buckshot is much more effective.
Also it is Illegal to plant birds in MWAs......Cj

[gonehuntin']

If you're worried about it, don't go there. I've run dog's my entire life in bear and wolf country, have had close encounters, but never a disastrous experience. You might want to bring a change of underwear though.

[Featherfinder]

gonehuntin', thanks! It's always good to have a sense of humor.
OK...truth be known, I do carry 2 "special rounds". If my dogs and I are in eminent danger, I will pull these rounds.
Have you ever taken a standard 2 3/4" #6 shot and cut the hull clean through to the shot with a utility knife~1/2 way up, leaving two thin 1/4" strands of plastic on each side (opposite each other to hold it together)? It could pass for a short range slug....NASTY!

[Novice123]

Guys, thanks for the information. I can't carry a shotgun in WMAs in August or March as I think it is illegal. I will not be planting any birds in WMAs as I plan to train my dog strictly on wild birds. I don't want my dog broke to wing and shot. I will just put in more time finding wild birds as I will have the time and enjoy the hikes in the WMAs. When I shot the handgun at the picnic, I didn't even hit the target whatsoever. From the comments here, I need to train my dog in WMAs on pheasants in March - April 15 and in mid-July - Sept. 5 south of town where there are no bears. There are lots and lots of acres south of town with no bears. That eliminates the risk of bear encounters when the hunting is not in season. Although I did want to train my dog on sharptails off season, that will just have to wait until Sept. 5 when Sharptail season is open for hunting and I can carry a shotgun. I have no interest in hurting a bear. I just don't want to get mauled. I learned from your collective comments that training a dog in really brushy areas where there are known bears present is just not a good idea, at least not for my risk tolerance. I also learned that for me to carry a handgun to protect myself from bears during the off season is also a stupid idea, from my lack of ability and inclinations. There are always ways to work around problems. The comments have clarified in my own mind what is the best course of action from my personal perspective. Also, I joined the local Pheasants Forever and quickly became Treasurer and Secretary. I am really getting into helping to develop wild bird habitat. This is a time consuming job, but if no one takes the 'action step' I won't have a bird hunting legacy to pass on to my grandsons. I bit of 'pontificating' here!

[Bowguy]

Think you’re sweating it too much. Where I live they’re everywhere and we can’t carry firearms except hunting. I run all year and never had a problem

[CDN_Cocker]

We have tons of black bears. If I only wanted to hunt or train where they aren't around I would have to stick to my basement. I also hunt bears. I would not worry about them other than sows with young Cubs in the summer. Bears will stay away from you and your dog.

[cjhills]

One other thing bears have a natural fear of Canines. My wife's 10# Daschund treed one in our yard last fall.....j

[Sharon]

We have tons of black bears. If I only wanted to hunt or train where they aren't around I would have to stick to my basement. I also hunt bears. I would not worry about them other than sows with young Cubs in the summer. Bears will stay away from you and your dog.

True Canadian.

I do carry dog spray for coyotes and bears. Haven't had to use it on a bear, but has to be better than nothing.

Don't have to worry about bears today. -20 C (4 degrees F)

[Steve007]

One other thing bears have a natural fear of Canines. My wife's 10# Daschund treed one in our yard last fall.....j

Post pictures! Or video. Dachshunds are pretty tough little dogs,though not exactly cautious.

[Sharon]

MY jrt would have a go at it but probably end up dead.

[Garrison]

Haven’t run in to any bears during the day, have had some come say hello in camp at night. Ran across this track today, small tracks are my dog. Good size kitty!

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50BDCAE9-D089-4C22-86F2-0913182D037E.jpeg

[cjhills]

MY jrt would have a go at it but probably end up dead.

I am quite sure your JRT would do quite well against a black bear.
It was 32 below F here on Saturday and 39 below predicted for Wednesday. I think at 40 below C and F are the same. VERY COLD. No bears out and about. Dogs feet get cold. If you have shorthairs keep your runs short.......Cj

[JONOV]

Honestly I can't say that I've ever heard of a bird dog or person getting attacked by a black bear in the lower 48. Hounds? yes, but then again they're chasing them down into a corner. A golden Retriever that a guide used to blood trail bear? Yes, though that dog lived on to a ripe old age.

Also, just because someone you know sees bears Northeast of town, doesn't mean they aren't southwest of town.

[averageguy]

The general nature of Bears is to avoid conflict with Humans and Canines unless they are habituated to feeding around them. There are exception chance encounters but that is what they are. That said I could easily see one of my GWPs creating some havoc when they ran across a hot bear track in cover with me not being aware of it in time to cut it off.

Wolves are the opposite. It is exactly their nature to engage and destroy smaller canines competitors they encounter in their hunting territories. Many Houndsmen now have to hunt on snow so that they can determine whether there is an active wolf pack in the area before they turn their dogs out and if there is they move on instead.

Thought you all might enjoy this photo of a Buddy's excellent pack of Walkers and his Jewel of a JRT. That JRT has track and treed many bobcats and lions and done an excellent job of blood track recoveries of Elk as well. She has zero self awareness of her physical size and it might well be her undoing at some point.

[Sharon]

Thanks for that great pic of the JRT. I love those dogs; they are something else.

Looks like we may have a bigger bear to worry about up here:

https://oodmag.com/news/grizzlies-in-ontario/

[mnaj_springer]

I’m in MN too. I’ve had black bears in my yard and the woods on my property. I don’t think about them in the woods. Other than a sow with cubs, most run away if you yell at them without even looking to see what made the noise. If you’re worried about sows/cubs, put a bell on your dog and that should give the sow enough time to get out of there.

PM with your location if you want and we might be able to train together.

[weimdogman]

Funny bear story from 30 years ago.
Guy in town has a pet blackbear he walks in the park. Bubba is in the park with his "125 pound-solid muscle" lab. Tells bear owner better watch your bear as my dog may git em.
Dog walks over to a tree where bear had been. Pisses all over himself.
Bear owner yells see you later.

[tops911]

where I live and hunt I've bumped a black bear while grouse hunting. That bear was moving trying to get away. We did have a run in with a mountain lion last year while scouting for grouse, it ended well for the dog. One area I was hunting we ran into a lot of grouse but also a lot of grizzly sign, so i stopped hunting there. It was too unnerving when the dog pointed wondering what was going to flush, LOL

[birds]

I wouldn't worry about it. Just prepare for it. We have tons of black bears, plenty of grizzlies and LOTS of lions. I've hiked in this country for years with non-hunting dogs and never had an issue with bears/lions/dogs. The dogs in my experience (obviously not ones bred to chase) were fairly leery of bears and often have a very different vocalization when they sense one is near. Its actually a good tip off. If you are worried carry bear spray. Its light, handy and I can say from experience (no dog involved) that it works very, very well. Just take the time to familiarize yourself with how it works and if you can get a dated can, pull the pin and spray it (DOWNWIND!) for practice. You'll get a sense of the range, pattern and how long it lasts. Just do it DOWNWIND! Its like a cylinder choke shotgun blast and way more likely to effectively hit and deter the target in a stress full, chaotic situation than a handgun. Unless of course you are well trained in firing a handgun accurately at something running at you at 30 mph 30 feet away and about to bowl you over. The area I hunt birds has seen an enormous influx of grizzlies in the last 15 years or so. They have learned to do very well in ag country and often spend the late summers feeding in grain fields at night and holing up in shelterbelts (bird cover) during the day. It puts a very interesting twist on early season bird chasing. The upside is a marked decrease in bird hunters The most important thing you can do besides carrying bear spray (where you can access it instantly - not in your pack) is to pay close attention to what is happening around you. Bears usually leave some pretty obvious sign.

Prepare for it and then enjoy!