When talking about bear bow hunting there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself before embarking on this great adventure. The first one would be: What type of bow is suitable for bears? The answer would be a longbow/compound with a draw weight of (at least) 55 pounds at 28 inches - the more, the better.

The second question would be: What arrow should I use? Due to the fact that bears have a very rich cartilage, penetration is very important so you must use a heavy arrow, mounted with a big broadhead. Also, if you have some extra cash, you might consider purchasing carbon arrows as they are more efficient and also lighter in comparison with the regular arrows. Choosing the arrow is very important because it needs to be powerful enough in order to perforate the chest - this will leave an exit hole even after breaking the bones. Speed isn’t very important in comparison with other types of hunting. A word of advice: your arrows should be mount with lively colored fletching.

The third question involves the type of broadhead you should use for archery bear hunting. The broadheads should be as strong as possible and razor sharp in order to remain in one piece and be able to penetrate the strong muscles, the layers of fat, lungs and of course, cartilage. Lighter broadheads will only injure the bear without killing him so they aren’t recommended. Large hunting heads should be used (2,3,4 blades) otherwise your arrow will be blocked by the cartilage or muscles.

You should also think about security measures. Is bear hunting with a bow from ground levels dangerous? If you do it on your own it is quite dangerous so it is advisable to hire a guide which will teach you how to safely hunt these animals (and protect you if needed), otherwise unpleasant surprises can happen. The average shooting distance should be from about 18 yards, it depends on your style of hunting basically. Hunting bears from tree stands isn’t risky but don’t do the mistake of leaving the tree stand and start walking in the area - you never know what might happen.

A word of advice: when you are out there purchasing your first bow, be sure to purchase one which is comfortable to use since you will be using it for a long time until you develop your skills. Make sure that it isn’t very heavy otherwise you will have problems accommodating with it and you will lose your patience in no time.

All in all, if you ever get tired of hunting with your gun or if you don’t like using hi-tech gadgets and you are old fashioned, bear bow hunting can be the perfect alternative. But you should take some things into consideration before making this important step: it is much more difficult and dangerous, you have to skillfully handle the bow and, in the same time, keep an eye out for these animals - they become very aggressive if they feel threatened. Precaution should be seriously taken into consideration.