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Thread: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    6

    Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    I'd like to thank anyone who has contributed to the forum first of all, it greatly helped me become successful in my first hunting trip last spring for bear. Everyone here seems to love a spring bear!


    Alternatively, I've noticed a slight lack of fall bear hunting information. Aside from "find the berries, find the scat, shoot a bear," which has worked great, I walked into a meadow with momma and 2 cubs, and next day hiking I used a distress call and a separate mom and cub came in HOT, but the big boar I'm after is still hiding.

    Hopefully I'm able to get the boar before season ends (Region 8 ends Nov 30th) but it's a lot of land to cover and I'm really after this one bear, yes I could fill the tag but I want the king. I see a good amount of bears at my job frequently and this guy would be largest one I've seen.

    Back to the business, I know that now the bears are in the berries patches, staying cool in the hotter days and walking in the morning and nights.

    But what about later season when theres no berries left? Another reason I'm asking about late season is my dad wants to come hunting bear, but only has time off near end of October and I'm lost as to where to go with the change in seasons.

    What area will the bears be in? I'm currently hunting from aproximatly 1500-1900m. All 3 encounters were at 1800m, nearby peaks get up to 2100m. Do they stay up high up or should I head down into the valleys? Snagging the bear will mean a lot of boots on ground which I'm prepared for no doubt about that. I'm just at a loss for the hotspots in late season.

    Any tips or tricks is greatly appreciated!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Tent city Victoria
    Posts
    3,562

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Find food. In my experience bear hunting dries up in October. Bears are in hypophagia in the fall aka packing in as many calories as possible. You could try lower down in the valleys, try salmon bearing streams

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Williams Lake, BC Canada
    Posts
    14,168

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Hmmm think you mean HYPERPHAGIA..hypo= low..
    don't go for salmon streams..makes the meat terrible..yuk..
    bears are omnivores..grass, fish, meat..so eliminate salmon..berries..highest calories sugars get concentrated after first frost..carrion..hunter kills..and grasses..
    Find a hill..glass the openings..nothing to eat under the canopies of large trees..
    Low light ..ie morning evening now gets expanded to all day long..desperation..the NEED to put on weight to survive hibernation..so with lower temperature they will be out and comfortable put on the miles and calories...once high calories are located..they will clean it up prior to moving on...a day..a week.

    .cheers
    Srupp

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Sweet thanks for the tips. Unfortunately theres no streams nearby that hold any fish. I'll just have to climb and slide between valleys when it comes to late season.

    I hear the area holds decent lynx population, plus the occasional wolf and cougar so maybe I'll get even more lucky then a bear!

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Thanks Srupp! I can really picture me holding this bear now. With that information I'm going to be able to pin point what I consider "hotspots" in the area to stalk and use my calls.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Williams Lake, BC Canada
    Posts
    14,168

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Hmmmm decent lynx population..= decent rabitt population..something else to consider.
    good luck..
    helped 3 members get 3 black bears this spring. .great guys..
    some basic strategy..repeat PRN....as needed.
    Srupp

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2,537

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by srupp View Post
    Hmmmm decent lynx population..= decent rabitt population..something else to consider.
    good luck..
    helped 3 members get 3 black bears this spring. .great guys..
    some basic strategy..repeat PRN....as needed.
    Srupp
    you are one wealth of information new hunters and members alike here are lucky to have!

    keep doing what you do, as I’m too anti social to do it haha

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Jordan River
    Posts
    3,601

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Any ranches around, if so hunt the edges, if they had oats or other crops there is always some left, in one field at the cabin there were 14 of the big black buggers on it this week
    Avatar is for all the conspiracy theory nut bars, for all the crow they have to eat when everything implodes

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  10. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    6-09
    Posts
    1,217

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    The late fall scat is usually full of rose hips, i would guess it is one of the last food sources available

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    In the bush near a lake
    Posts
    7,198

    Re: Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by two-feet View Post
    The late fall scat is usually full of rose hips, i would guess it is one of the last food sources available
    ^^This

    My best results for October bear has been targeting rose hips but after rose hips are done I find it much tougher to locate bears in the fall.

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