Originally Posted by
caddisguy
While it is somewhat region and terrain dependent, I think for the type of hunting you are doing (you aren't glassing bears from 2km up in the alpines) sticking to one area (once you have keyed on a pocket with 1 or more feeding areas close together and fresh sign) is the best way to go IMHO. Covering ground burning boot leather or tire tread can certainly work in bear-rich areas with low pressure, but we don't really live near any such places.
In my area of focus, I have only seen 3 bears on the road in the last 20 years or so (probably 50000kms of driving) They all bolt just the same, whether they hear an engine or gravel under your feet. Creeping around 0.5-1km off of the road, we have seen dozens (maybe over 100?) and many not even trying. Just counting the 3 "potentially productive" trips we did this year (not counting the trips where there was snow, no grass, no sign) I think we saw 8 just halfassing it (afternoon naps, cooking 3 warm meals, tea, coffee, playing cards, etc)
Deactivated and overgrown trails, drainages are good places to make your way around. You still want key in on the feeding areas (ideally 2-3 good places to feed with cover around in a 1-2km area) and be super sneaky like you are hunting deer. Most black bears don't realize they are tough. They are often shy by nature (not always obviously, some can be ballsy or downright jerks) not just with humans but often other bears too. I imagine they bolt when a grouse flushes or when a squirrel drops a pinecone. Others will hang around and play cat and mouse (you are the cat) ... the bear is there and knows you are there too... they are just waiting for you to do your thing, pass by / move on and leave their feeding area before they come back out and take their turn. It's not just with humans, bears do this with other bears too.
If you are walking around near a feeding area, they know you are there, unless you snuck in quietly and had the wind in your favor and you were lucky enough they had their head down munching on grass or clawing up a stump. Have confidence in your spot, or better yet, place where there are 2-3 good feeding spots with sign all within 1-2km of each other. Spend time sneaking in and out of these spots like a ninja. Approach them like you would if they were holding blacktail bucks on high alert. If there's seemingly nothing there, hang out for 20 mins, if nothing comes out, walk away, scuff your feet, step on sticks on the way out if you want... then just when you are out of sight for a few mins, walk another 100M, then sneak back in like a ninja. Still nothing? Do this in the next area and repeat this all day between the 3 areas. You are going to confuse a bear. There will either be one when you (re)approach the area, or one will come out when you are sitting in the area.
We used to worry about getting our scent in places (ie: walking through the feeding area, checking our their scat, etc) and "ruining" the spot for the day/weekend, but after walking in on countless bears or having them walk right up to us (within a few yards) ... we started to notice a pattern. We could pound an area all day... sit there all quietly for hours and see nothing... then by chance we started combining trailcams with casual bear hunting. In our case this meant we were walking back and forth through the feeding area, hiking up into the timber making tons of noise, spooking bears and having them bolt all over the place. After a day of being careless, getting our scent all over a bear area and spooking bears we found that if we just sat down and waited quietly after being obvious a bear would come out. Often you could hear the bear coming in through the thick stuff and it was evident he wasn't far away to begin with.... probably just sleeping 10 yards in the nearest patch of devils club, figured we were gone, got up and started walking through the brush.
Once they are good and confused, you will find they will even approach from down wind with you sitting right there and they still have no idea you are there. They can smell
your scent, but knowing whether you "are" there vs "were" there or "safe distance" gets kind of blurry. It could still be a bit spooky, but they use their eyes and ears too. You've been in and out of their kitchen all day making some noise and now there's no noise and no movement. Bear thinks great, my turn now... snack time!
Obviously this kind of strategy is not going to work in the fall up in the alpine where your scent is more spooky and there is a less cover. My main point is that valley bottom bears in areas with any sort of pressure will try to pattern you. They are taught how to evade humans from birth. Take cover when you see/hear/smell something not right. Come back out when you think it's safe. Adding some deception to your routine could make all the difference. They are taught caution and evasion but they aren't really that bright and they generally aren't going to key in on deception or trickery. Sometimes it is as simple as walking out of the spot and then walking back in 5-10 minutes later (because who does that?!) Other times it's keeping your scent in an area and stomping around a little loud, then sitting quietly. I have heard of hunters sending one guy a few hundred meters back to the truck, get him to slam the door, start it up and drive a little ways away while the other stays behind... by the time his partner comes back, bear down.
I would leave the dog(s) at home though
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