In the Shadow of the Volcano

Great opportunities await for all fall bears

My son Trent is 14, and like many 14-year-olds, he has a lot going on. He is trying to learn to juggle school, wrestling, friends, and a lot of chores on the ranch. His chores include feeding horses, dogs, chickens, goats, and an overweight pig while his two older brothers take care of the cows, farming, and helping me guide clients at our outfitting business.

The boys have been around hunting all their lives, but  I have always tried not to push them into going hunting with me if they aren’t excited to go. This last fall Trent had a lot going on right before school started in August. I was half surprised when he responded with an enthusiastic yes when I asked him if he wanted to go on a bear hunt with the guys from Trophy Hunting Adventures in New Mexico. We have known the owner Dave for years, and he always has some great areas to hunt. Dave’s son Mike and guide Dominic were going to be helping to see if we could get Trent a bear.

It was late August and we had antelope clients in, but the other guides had me covered, so I left to take Trent bear hunting. We were both excited as we made the short hour-and-a-half drive to Dave’s camp in New Mexico. Camp was a beautiful ranch house tucked into a little canyon that held elk, deer, bear, and turkey.

Trent used the same Hornady Match ammo he had practiced with all year.

Loaded for Bear

Trent was carrying my Rock River Arms AR chambered in .308. He is super proficient with that rifle and had been hitting 15” steel plates out to 600 yards all summer. It is topped with a Leupold 7X35 scope with a CDS custom dial system. All he has to do is dial the exact yardage and hold dead on. I originally set this rifle up as a bench gun and not a hunting rifle since it has a bull barrel. This makes it heavy, and it’s fitted with the long-range scope, but it is super accurate and Trent was shooting it well, and that is all that mattered to me. He had been practicing all year with the Hornady 155-grain Match bullets designed for target shooting, and that’s what we decided to stick with. I know some may question that decision, but we have had great luck in the past hunting with the Match bullets, and since that is what the gun was shooting so well, that is what we decided to go with.

Slow Going

The first few days were fun even though we weren’t finding a ton of bear sign. The weather was unseasonably warm, and the bear sign made it clear they were staying in the thick deep canyons where it was a little cooler. We spent hours glassing with both spotting scopes and binoculars trying to turn up a bear. Trent was having fun picking on me and guide Mike because he kept spotting all the game first. It didn’t matter if it was elk, deer, or antelope, Trent always seemed to spot the game before us everywhere we looked. He was having fun with it, and we were having fun complaining about it.

Despite our best efforts, we weren’t having much luck finding a bear. We did spot, I should say Trent spotted, a sow and a cub but that was it.

Even though we had not seen a legal bear the first few days of our hunt, I felt bad for the guides, as I understood as well as anyone that sometimes it doesn’t matter how good of a hunter or guide you are. Sometimes the weather, food sources, lack thereof, or the moon phase are just variables that cannot be overcome.

Despite our lack of bear sightings, we were having a blast. Trent got to shoot pistols in the middle of the day with the guides, and he enjoyed being treated as an equal and not a kid. He had also earned a little respect with his ability to hike and spot game.

In the West, good optics are a must when hunting bears in canyon country.

The Best Parts of Hunting

One of the places we were hunting was pretty close to the long-dormant but still impressive-looking Capulin volcano, located in Northern New Mexico. I commented that we were basically hunting “in the shadow of the volcano,” and I said it in my coolest-sounding movie voice, so that became the big joke. Everything we did was referred to this way in a serious but mysterious voice. For example, Mike would say something like, “That looks like a good place to kill a bear,” and then Trent or I would finish his sentence with, “In the shadow of the volcano.” We discussed in detail what a great movie title it could be–like a murder mystery called Death Awaits in the Shadow of the Volcano. That is one of the best parts of hunting to me, the shared experiences, laughing, and just cutting up.

A Change of Plans

I received a call that I was needed back at camp, so Michele AKA “mom” came in to swap out places with me so she could be there with him if he got a bear. I left the next morning after a slow hunt with Trent. Mom showed up and traded off with me mid-day.

Of course, as soon as I left that first afternoon, they went out to glass one of the big canyons we had glassed multiple times before. Michele, Trent, and guides Mike and Dominic had just set up spotting scopes and all started looking for bears when Trent yelled out that he had a bear spotted across the canyon. They all looked and, sure enough, Trent had again made the spot. The guides confirmed it was a legal bear and was by itself, and they called the range to Trent. The bear continued to move up the hill across the canyon, and at about 250 yards Trent made a great shot after Mike stopped the bear using a handheld predator call. Trent had the rifle set up on a Bog Death Grip which is a large tripod that holds the gun and is a stable platform to shoot from. The bear dropped instantly as Trent took him through both shoulders. They had him follow up with two shots to make sure the bear was anchored because the bear was near the edge of a cliff.

A follow-up investigation on shot placement showed that Trent’s first shot did the job but he had also connected on the other two shots. The best thing about the hunt was that it was a success before the bear was even encountered. I always base a hunt's success on the size of the experience and the laughs shared and not the size of the animal, if one is even taken. 

What I was really pleased about, besides Trent’s shooting and positive attitude, was that the bear was at the end of its life and was a perfect bear to take. It was a really old boar whose teeth, including canines, were worn down to the gum line. The bear was just skin and bones, and I seriously doubt the old battle-scarred bear would have made the winter. It sported over a 20” skull and huge feet.

Trent's old boar had huge paws for a black bear.

Despite this particular bear's poor condition, my favorite time to hunt bears is in the fall because that is when bears are usually in their best shape and are loaded with fat, so the meat is also at its best. The hair is also prime as they are preparing for winter, so it’s also the best time to get a nice trophy for the wall.

Opportunities Await

Fortunately for hunters, lots of states have great opportunities to hunt bears in the fall. The other plus to fall bears is that, even if you aren’t after bears as your primary focus, you can often purchase a bear tag so you can take one if you have the opportunity while after elk, deer, or other species.

Bear populations are continuing to grow across the country. Therefore, tags in most western states are relatively easy to come by and can be purchased over the counter in many areas without even having to enter a draw or try to draw the lucky lottery tag.

We chose to go with an outfitter on our hunt in New Mexico because bear hunting is usually relatively inexpensive as far as guided hunts go. Most range from $2,000 to $3,500, and it’s nice to have someone put in the scouting time if you don’t have time to. I also like to go to states that give me options on legal hunting methods or allow multiple weapon options. For example, in New Mexico in the fall, you can run bears with dogs if you want. I enjoy having that option available if I am with an Outfitter who has hounds. I also like states that allow me to use multiple weapons. That way, I have the option to try up close with a bow, but if I see an opportunity a few hundred yards away, I can decide to grab the boom stick.

For comparison, the Outdoor Edge knife shown here is 8" long.

I advise calling for references on outfitters before booking with someone. I often throw in a curveball by asking for numbers and names of a few hunters who didn’t harvest an animal with the outfitter I am looking at going with. If I get a good reference from someone who returned home without the animal they were after, that is usually who I book with. I will also often contact the local game warden and see if they have a suggestion.

The great thing about hunting black bears is that you don’t have to hire an outfitter if you want to do it on your own. There are millions of acres across the country that are loaded with bears. Some great bear hunting can be had for those willing to do a little hiking. Just a few months ago, I killed a beautiful black bear with my recurve on public land in Georgia. It's not the first state that pops into my head when I think of bears, but there is some great hunting there for those willing to do a little research. Wildlife biologists are great sources of information and will often point you to high-density bear areas. My point is that if you want to hunt fall black bears and haven’t been, the only thing holding you back is you. The bonus, besides an adventure, is that if you’re successful, you can enjoy some amazing meat and have a beautiful trophy.