nice bears! How big's that bottom one? Looks like a good size melon head on him.
nice bears! How big's that bottom one? Looks like a good size melon head on him.
This is exactly what i was hoping to see!! Some great photos looking like a great time out!!
Thanks for all the tips! Keep em coming!
~Wes
Do a lot of turkey hunting from the Okanagan to Kootenays every April. Usually lots of bears out and about by mid month. Anywhere there's fresh green up like right-of-ways, avalanche chutes, south slopes etc. you will find bears working the hills.
As for the title of the thread - time spent scouting is never wasted. Worst case is you cull some areas from the inventory you thought might have been good.
"The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom."
Wes,
Wait or a nice day. Pack a bunch of snacks, food water and diapers..... Grab the kid and the wife and go for a drive. Stop a lot and get the kid out. The first few times is rough while you dial in the "how to keep everyone happy" but after a while it all comes together..... Bears are a road hunters dream... Mine is 6 and she loves to go for drives and hunts.... we have taken her all over. I "Missed" a lot of hunting, but now she is old enough I think I can keep her quiet... And get a decent hike in.
How far are you willing to travel for bear?
if you want to make 1 trip and get it done. Head last week of may, bring gas and explore/road hunt from wells to PG, you will be swatting the bears away.
Hahaha i like that idea 835!!! PG might be a little far but i’ll see how far i get!
~Wes
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Great to see you back here posting WesHarm!
As others mentioned, timing is important if you have limited time.
My guesswork of timing/conditions is often way off. It doesn't really matter to me, as camping with my emotional support boom stick is always a good time and sometimes more enjoyable than hunting.
Usually when I see green up and some dandelions popping in Langley, I figure those first shoots of grass are sprouting on the south facing exposures, 300 maybe even 700M elevation. Then I show up and it's a foot of snow. Go figure.
Sometimes early to mid April is very productive for Region 2, other times not.
You will need some local intel if you want to make sure conditions are favorable.
You might know a local who can look up at the nearest mountain and estimate the snow line... check local weather reports and assume 6-9C temperature drop for every 1000M elevation... minus -5 is ok at night but you want positive temps during the day. Paying attention to this in the days/weeks leading up to the season can help. You could also ask for road reports in 4x4 or hiking forums, even hunting forums (not a bad idea anyway as you will find our about washouts too) once you know where those snow lines are on the south slopes, odds are viable grass growing places 200M below.
Big trips can be a bit much,,, I guess what I'm saying is if you want to get out more don't be afraid to go for a rip up the Cochahalla ( sp lol ) day tripping
some buddys and i shot 4 in region two first week of april and they all tasted like shit...better to let them get the grass flowing through them first...after mothers day is good and dont go bear hunting take the family for a picknick and bring your gun..