Bears are not the lumbering, clumsy beasts they are often portrayed to be. Bears can step very cautiously and silently. I often hear hunters remark that their bear "appeared silently out of nowhere." Bears will often circle a bait site to determine if any danger exists there. Hunters should move cautiously and slowly so they don't alert the bear when preparing for a shot.

Bears are sensitive to sound and movement, and a rapid movement by an archer, a clumsily cocked muzzleloader or the snap of the safety on a modern rifle can send your bear bolting. If you frighten a mature bear in this way, chances are you'll never see that bear again. The bear will either depart to some other food source or they will visit the bait only at night. So don't neglect the basics of hunting.

Are there any regulations changes hunters should know about?

One major change is the addition of a Special Youth Modern Gun Bear Hunt in zones 1 and 2, Nov. 5-6, 2005. The Game and Fish Commission wanted to provide opportunity for youth to harvest a bear with modern gun, and this hunt coincides with the special youth modern gun deer season.

The opening day of modern gun season for other hunters in zones 1 and 2 will be Nov. 7 this year, with the season running through Nov. 30. In the past, the season ran Nov. 1-30.

Could you recommend some public hunting lands that offer good bear hunting?

Ozark National Forest WMA (35 bears), Ouachita National Forest (31 bears), White Rock WMA (17 bears) and Piney Creeks WMA (12 bears) were our top public areas last year. Winona WMA typically produces 5 to 8 bears each year and at least one or two big bears each year.

Hunters who want to hunt bears on public land must do lots of homework to be successful. However, bear hunting these areas is a bit like deer hunting: They need to key in on the right food sources and terrain.

Bears become "hyperphagic" in the fall, meaning they eat a lot in preparation for the winter denning period. Bears will expand their range and feed up to 20 hours daily to prepare for winter. They love acorns, but will eat hickory nuts, persimmons and insects as well. Bears don't necessarily wait for the fruit to fall off the trees; they will climb trees to access these foods, so look for broken limbs in fruit-bearing trees, and also look for bear claw marks on the boles of the trees.

Fresh scat is always a good indicator of bear activity, too. Use the terrain to your advantage. I'd search for bear trails and bear activity along narrow ridges and benches. My favorite hunting spot is a saddle between two ridges.

By the way: The top five counties for bear harvest last year were Newton (41 bears), Johnson (28 bears), Pope (27 bears), Scott (24 bears) and Desha (23 bears). A public-land hunter might combine the top county information over the last several years (harvest reports are available on the commission's Web site, www.agfc.com) with the top public area information to help choose a starting place for scouting.