So I purchased and read portions of 3 books on bear hunting and I thought I'd give some details for people who are the reading types. I'm glad I got all three books, but you could definitely focus on one or the other.
The Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting, Douglas Boze: This book is focused on bear calling and to a lesser degree on spot and stalk hunting. This is the book that gives you the best idea of the type of habitat to look for in Western or (perhaps) Alaskan areas. He also goes into bear sign the most out of all the books. He does have a chapter on baiting. I found this book to be the most relevant to someone who isn't bait hunting. He has a lot of good stories.
Black Bear Hunting: The Ultimate Reference, Richard P. Smith: This book has the most thorough discussion of black bear biology and life cycle. This is definitely the book to get if you are baiting. The guy is from Michigan and knows a lot about baiting black bear. This would also be the book to choose if you wanted to read a little about all sorts of black bear hunting tactics, as he has an encyclopedia type entry for quite a few different methods.
Ask The Black Bear Guides (Ask the Guides), J.Y. Jones: This definitely wouldn't be the main book I'd buy as a DIY hunter. But I'm definitely glad I bought it as a supplement to the other books as there was a few interesting things. It would also be good if you were going on a guided hunt and just wanted some interesting reading.
The Ultimate Guide to Black Bear Hunting, Douglas Boze: This book is focused on bear calling and to a lesser degree on spot and stalk hunting. This is the book that gives you the best idea of the type of habitat to look for in Western or (perhaps) Alaskan areas. He also goes into bear sign the most out of all the books. He does have a chapter on baiting. I found this book to be the most relevant to someone who isn't bait hunting. He has a lot of good stories.
Black Bear Hunting: The Ultimate Reference, Richard P. Smith: This book has the most thorough discussion of black bear biology and life cycle. This is definitely the book to get if you are baiting. The guy is from Michigan and knows a lot about baiting black bear. This would also be the book to choose if you wanted to read a little about all sorts of black bear hunting tactics, as he has an encyclopedia type entry for quite a few different methods.
Ask The Black Bear Guides (Ask the Guides), J.Y. Jones: This definitely wouldn't be the main book I'd buy as a DIY hunter. But I'm definitely glad I bought it as a supplement to the other books as there was a few interesting things. It would also be good if you were going on a guided hunt and just wanted some interesting reading.
