Looking for the ultimate in face-to-face bear hunting? Try calling. Predator calls, and in particular during the upcoming fall months, cow and calf elk calls along with doe and fawn distress sounds, can be very effective for bringing in bears.

The challenge of calling bears lies in their behavior; you never know how they are going to respond. That's why getting a visual on the bears prior to calling offers a huge advantage. This allows hunters to observe how the bear responds to the calls. Some bears come sprinting in, others start in and lose interest, still others never acknowledge your presence.

Remember, the goal of calling bears is to entice them to kill a food source, you! If this makes the skin crawl, remote digital calls such as the Foxpro are the way to go, where legal. If there's lots of sign in an area, cold-calling can work, but give it time. Calling virtually nonstop, for up to an hour, can pay off. Such intense calling is another reason electronic calls are a good investment. Call a bear in close, and you'll be hooked for life.