Part 3 of 6 about Black Bear Hunting. Most of this book is about black bear hunting with hounds, but part of the chapter about the advantages of trail cameras also applies to hunting over bait. All aspects of dogging bears are covered, including training bear dogs, and there’s a chapter about a pioneer houndman who probably killed more bruins ahead of dogs than any other person when he worked for timber companies in Washington State.

Part 2 of 6. All you want to know about black bear hunting over bait including dealing with nocturnal bears, why this method doesn’t guarantee success, one of the biggest myths about this form of hunting, how I got my biggest bear and other wildlife that can be seen while using this hunting method.

The BEST BOOK ever written about black bear hunting just got better! Six additional chapters have been added to this 2nd edition and new material has also been added to many of the other chapters. This book explains not only the best techniques for the hunter, it also describes the behavior and habits of the hunted. Loaded with practical advice from black bear hunting expert Richard P. Smith. It is the most comprehensive book on the subject. All aspects of bear hunting are covered in detail. There is in-depth coverage of the most popular methods of baiting and dogging bears. All other hunting methods are also covered including spotting and stalking, calling, drives, hunting cornfields, hard and soft mast, fish runs, water hole ambushes and snow tracking. There is also detailed coverage of field judging bears, shot placement, reading bear sign, trailing wounded bears, caring for your trophy, hiring a guide, the value of spring seasons and much, much more. The chapter on field judging black bears alone is worth the cost of this book. So is information about how to score on bruins that only visit baits after dark. This book is loaded with color photographs to illustrate information covered in this ultimate reference to black bear hunting.

Part 5 of 6 about black bear hunting. More hunting methods such as calling bears to you, drives intended to push bears into other hunters and snow tracking are covered here along with excellent advice on what to hunt black bears with regardless of whether you choose to hunt with a centerfire rifle, shotgun or handgun, a muzzleloading rifle, vertical or horizontal bows and arrows. There’s also a thorough chapter about where to aim when you get a shot at a bruin and another about a huge hybrid black bear that is thought to have been a cross between black and grizzly bears.

Part 1 of 6 of Black Bear Hunting. This part covers the life history, biology and behavior of black bears in chapter 1. Other chapters cover how many bears there are in North America, interpreting black bear sign, the oldest black bear on record for North America, how to sex and size bears in the field and the world record black bear bagged by a hunter.

Part 6 of 6 about black bear hunting. One of the most important chapters in this book is about recovering wounded bears. It contains excellent advice about not only how to recover all of the black bears you shoot, but how best to do so without risking injury to yourself. Another chapter covers how to field dress bruins, how to get them out of the field, skinning carcasses and how to handle the meat so it will provide many memorable meals. Still one more chapter is devoted to dealing with skulls, so they can be cleaned and preserved as treasured trophies. More valuable chapters touch on selecting a reputable bear guide, in support of spring bear hunts and how to protect bear hunting for the future.

"Ed Vance, acclaimed hunter and expert tracker, hunted mountain lions, bears, and bobcats in the mountains and forests of California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Montana for 25 years. Featured in Bowhunters Digest 1st. edition, Los Angeles Times West Magazine (1967), Saga Magazine (1968), Western Outdoors (1968), Bow & Arrow Magazine (1971), Bow & Arrow Magazine (1973), and Western Outdoors News (1968 – 1973), Ed Vance risked everything to follow his dreams, and without knowing it, chiseled a name for himself and for his dogs in the history of these places. The bond between the hunter and his hounds was one of deep trust and reliance, in a time when the changing landscape threatened to take it all. Trained by a Hound Dog recounts the legends of the hunt, in the authentic voice of the man who was there, told as if the reader were sitting with him around a campfire. The true stories he tells of his hounds and the lions and bears they caught in some of the country's toughest terrain and conditions are a glimpse into an era of Western History that has faded from view"--Back cover.