How to build—and hunt from—your own bear box

TACTICS

It could be any time of day when a bear first finds your bait, and he’ll usually hang around in the vicinity and keep returning day after day. If you’re not in your blind for those first few days, neither is your scent, so the bear will feel safe and comfortable. When you finally show up and bring your scent with you, however, the bear will know something is different and avoid your set-up.

With that in mind, it’s crucial to be diligent about frequently checking your trail cams, then getting into hunting position as soon as possible once you’ve identified a shooter bear. That’s exactly what my hunting partner and I do now, with trail cameras monitoring our multiple bait and box blind sites. We check the cameras every day, and to help keep the blinds free of human scent, we never approach them when we’re replenishing the bait.

One thing we didn’t like about our box blinds at first was the reduced field of view. It takes some getting used to if you’re already accustomed to hunting from a treestand with its panoramic view. We came to realize, though, that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Namely, your movements and scent are completely concealed in a box blind—you simply have to sit back and wait in the shadows until a bear comes into your field of view through the shooting window.

On that note, remember that a bear looks larger when it’s 20 metres away and you’re on the ground, not perched up high in a treestand. As a result, field judging from a box blind takes some practice. And since box blinds force you to hunt from a stationary position, you also need to pay constant attention and be ready at all times. Otherwise, a bear can quickly appear and disappear without allowing you a chance to shoot.

The good news is, an approaching bear typically won’t delay his approach to the bait station. If you’ve done everything right with your box blind, he’ll just come strolling right in because he won’t sense any danger—giving you plenty of time to decide if your tag has his name on it.

For Gord Nuttall’s complete cut list of components for making a box blind, go to www.outdoorcanada.ca/boxblind.