When you're setting up to call, stay in the heavy shadows. Be sure you have a solid backdrop behind you to break up your outline. Photo courtesy of Scott Haugen.

The big boar stood 4 yards from the tip of my arrow. Staring into the brush, he searched for the sounds that pulled him this far.

Given the angle, I had no shot. But we were separated by a thin curtain of grass, and I was sure the bear could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

He took another step closer. But still I had no shot. Slowly, I brought my bow to full-draw -- and got busted! The 500-pound brute whirled.

Stopping at 8 yards, he let out a woof and ran into the brush. I was still at full draw.

Later, I filled my tag on another bruin that came to my predator call. He wasn't near as big as the giant that I failed to connect on. But when you're calling black bears in the Pacific Northwest, controlling the size of the ones that respond is sometimes impossible.

BE THE BAIT
There are several ways to go about hunting bears in the fall -- target their food sources, still-hunt or call. Of the three methods, calling is the most exciting. To get him in close, you send the message of, "Hey, I'm your food! Come kill me!"

The ensuing danger, totally different than calling in coyotes or other game, creates the excitement. Bears coming to a call are looking to do one thing -- eat! And they will, no matter how big their prey may be.

THE TIMING
As with calling any animal, your success depends largely upon timing. The same holds true for bears.

This time of year, bears are looking to put on as much weight as possible before winter. In early fall, huckleberries, blackberries, snowberries and elderberries are a few of the fruits that bears gorge themselves on.

The cambium layers in trees, roots, tubers and other vegetation are also in the bears' diet. Carrion, spawning salmon and ground squirrels are on the menu, as are calf elk and young deer. As fall starts, there's almost nothing a bear won't rip into.

If you find bears feeding on berry patches, they won't likely travel far from them until their food source is depleted. Should they have to travel and become predators to survive, bears can cover lots of ground. In either case, calling can be effective.

To call in black bears successfully, it's important to see them first. But in some dense forests of the West, this isn't always possible. (Continued)

If you can't spot them, look for sign before you start calling. Fresh tracks, holes where they were digging, and above all else, droppings will help you key in on the bruins.

Compared to the droppings of other big-game animals, a bear's scat can teach you much more about his habits. Bears have poor digestive systems. Much of the foods they eat passes right through them and winds up looking not much different than it did to start with.

Black, slimy scat reveals that fish are their main diet. Dark, firm scat with hair shows that the devoured a mammal. To learn what berries and vegetation was being consumed, simply look at the droppings -- it will be easy to tell.

In terms of learning about bears, all of this information is valuable. You'll find out what they're feeding on and where they may be feeding at this time of year. Once you know that, it's time to set up accordingly.

THE SOUNDS
The main reason why you should locate bears visually before calling is because there's no telling how they'll respond. Sometimes, they'll come in on a dead run. Other times, they'll sprint away at the first sound. Bears will also start coming and then, for no apparent reason, give up. There's no predicting what a given bear will do.

In the fall, one of the most productive sounds is that of a calf elk or cow elk. Even more effective can be the sound of an estrous cow or distressed cow. Many elk hunters are discovering just how effective these sounds can be.