Bear Hunting Tactics with Seth Watts

Bear Hunting with Seth Watts

Show Notes:

Seth Watts joined me on the podcast to talk all things bear hunting. He’s been hunting his whole life, but about a decade ago, Seth started bear hunting in California. It was great to hear his thoughts on bear hunting, scouting, and conservation.

“The first thing I always do is call a biologist for that area.”

Seth and I talked about the first steps to a good bear hunt. We can’t all spend weeks scouting an area, so calling a biologist is a great way to learn about the land. Biologists will share all kinds of great information for hunters, including feeding areas and elevation distribution. Bears can be tough to find. But at the end of the day, they’re food-driven. Wherever the food is, you’ll probably find some bears.

Seth’s in Northern California, where he says the bear populations are getting bigger and bigger. They’re not afraid of people, and are often seen in town. We’ve got the same situation here in Arizona. Seth and I agreed that hunting is an important tool to deal with bear populations.

It was great to hear Seth’s ‘boots on the grounds’ thoughts, too. Scouting is important, but it’s critical to take some strategy into the field. We talked about ambush hunting vs. spot-and-stalk. There are pros and cons to each approach, so Seth provided some insight on his personal approach.

We touched on the recent fires in California, before ending with some discussion about calling. Seth provided a few tips for beginner bear hunters as well.

What's’ Inside:

Ask a biologist for hunting tips. They’re usually happy to help.

Bears can be tough to find, but Seth gives some tips on what to look for.

Bears are getting braver – hunting is an important tool for population control.

There’s nothing more consistent than change – what that means for hunting.

Insight on how to call for bears.

Beginner tips for bear hunting.

Mentioned in this episode:

Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/

Seth Watts: ​​https://www.instagram.com/black_bear_pursuit/?hl=en

Phoenix Shooting Bags: https://www.phoenixshootingbags.com/

Short Description:
I sat down with Seth Watts to discuss bear hunting. Seth is an experienced bear hunter in Northern California, and he’s got plenty of great knowledge about the sport. We talked about all things bear hunting, including calling, field action, scouting, and more. It can be a tough hunt to get into, so it was great to get Seth’s perspective on getting started.

Tags:
Bear hunting, big game hunting, bear calling, ambush hunting, beginner hunting, california hunting, bears, days in the wild, spot and stalk, bear hunter, calling, scouting