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Thread: Bear help!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
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    66

    Bear help!

    First year hunting big game and the bears have been illusive. I've gotten out about a half dozen times (mostly I was too early in the season, was eager to get out April 1st.. Then 15th...then 21st...). I'm finally starting to see sign, like this today:



    And I did see this juvenile crossing an fsr in front of me:



    I was able to get out, load my rifle, and stalk him to get within 25 yards and snap the pic. But he was the first one I've seen in the wild while hunting and looked small (much smaller than the picture appears, like a mid sized dog), and it all happened quite quickly. I wasn't sure and eventually as I climbed the hill the bear took off.

    I'm in region 2 and I'm looking for some help with what else I can do. I've come accross fresh scat on fsr's a couple times and the areas I've found them in are super thick and steep (in these areas of region 2 I can't see anything through the trees beyond a few feet outside of cut blocks). There haven't been any cut blocks within a few km of where I've seen the fresh scat.

    So, I end up getting out of the truck, walking the road, and hanging out in the area for a while. What else, if anything, should I be doing in these scenarios?

    I'm also really new to finding decent glassing areas. I don't know if this is a common problem in region 2 as everything seems so thick, or if I just suck at it. Any help appreciated.

    I can usually get out for half to full days during the week, if anyone else has that kind of weird availability and wants to get out, I'm definitely open to it.
    Last edited by MZac; 05-14-2021 at 08:51 AM.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    4,368

    Re: Bear help!

    Nice job on getting close and snapping a picture!!!!

    Glassing is all about patience and picking an area apart piece by piece. Then sit some more and pick it apart again. With some experience, you'll start to learn areas to concentrate on. Good optics definitely help, but add little advantage if you can't sit still long enough to put them to use.

    If you don't have a good memory, keep a log. We see bears in the same spots year after year. And we are starting to see a pattern with bigger bears in those same spots. Over about 9 years of hunting my bear spot, we have found 2 killer glassing perches that always pay off in bear sightings.

    Look for foliage moving when there is nothing else moving round it. This is often what gets us looking very close at a spot and I've seen many bears while creeping down a road by seeing a small limb swinging around.

    Creeping along old deactivated roads after everything is greened up works well. If you are not seeing allot of scat on the road, look in the ditches. You'll know a hot spot when you see it.

    Evening tends to be the most productive. And a dry evening after a morning/afternoon ra​in seems to be the money. Keep the wind in your favor and don't waste your time if it's not.

    Lastly, lots of traffic is not conducive to a good bear spot. The less traffic a particular spot has, the more bears you'll tend to see and more bigger bears.
    Last edited by Ron.C; 05-13-2021 at 05:46 PM.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    419

    Re: Bear help!

    Glassing region 2 is hard. Find a spot with sign and sit. You would be amazed that you can walk into a spot with lots of sign see nothing leave come back 15 minutes later and there’s a bear. Give that tactic a try. They can’t tell what’s new or old scent and will occasionally brave it if they are hungry enough

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Langley
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    Re: Bear help!

    Doing the right thing by getting out and walking. Road hunting in Region 2 is difficult for the most part. Bears usually run for the next time zone when they hear a vehicle coming. There are tons of bears, but I only see about 1 bear driving for every 50 I see walking the same places. I can go a year or two without seeing a bear while driving versus seeing 1-3 a day walking or having a little sit down.

    And usually when we do see them near the road, it's a busy main line and they are very small likely young bears. Sound of an engine driving up a spur road in R2 and they know what the deal is. Even bear infested places where we commonly see them while walking, at most and very rarely we catch a glimpse of one a few hundred yards away running at warp speed. Bears are taught and learn behavior differently (and I speculate genetically) in different areas. In an area with a lot of people, not a ton of roads and endless amounts of cover, their reaction to an engine on a spur in R2 will be different than in say PG or Quesnel.

    What Rayne said is good advice. If you sit in a nice grassy feeding pocket or poke in and out of a few different ones throughout the day or weekend, even respectable boars will walk right up to you from down wind. I often camp where I hunt shoot bears right around camp.

    That's a respectable and reasonably fresh (24hr tops) scat btw. Any good grass / dandelion action bear by? Check to see if there are missing dandelions heads and nipped grass? Might be a good place for a sit.
    Last edited by caddisguy; 05-13-2021 at 07:14 PM.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    region 9
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    Re: Bear help!

    What the others said...and judging by your scat pic, that's a big bear left that pile....don't know about reg 2 but where I am they like eating dandelions and clover it seems when it's out...

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    Re: Bear help!

    All great advice so far. I would emphasize that right now at this specific time of year when they're just waking up, to focus on the freshest patches of green grass you can find, because that's what they're keying in on right now. Eventually they gradually start eating dandelions and other forage like that, but right now I would say its all about grass.

    Also, Region 2 is a pretty difficult area to cut your teeth in bear hunting, for a variety of reasons not the least of which is the rugged terrain, so don't get discouraged. Its a steep learning curve, but there's definitely a good number of bears and plenty of colour phased ones too.

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  8. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
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    PoCo
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    Re: Bear help!

    I'd be interested in going out together. I had a great hunt Sat-Tues where I learned a tonne, saw a lot of bears but don't think I ever came very close to a good shot.

    I found a few glassing spots overlooking some marshy areas. I'm sure it was a big boar as well as many others in this one swamp. The boar kept coming out to feed like clockwork every few hours. He'd come right out broadside in it was so frustrating wishing I was down there instead of 1.5k away.

    When I finally made a play, I knew the wind was iffy. Good thermals in the cut block but light and swirly in the swamp. I waited for hours in a spot until sun dipped behind the mountains and then got ready hoping for a 150yd shot. Sure enough within minutes of the sun going down, that damn bear circled behind me. Must've been within 20 yards wide open at the closest. I saw it at 40 heading away into the bush. I ran to try to cut it off but couldn't find it through the brush.

    Scared the crap out of me thinking this was some Einstein bear coming to scout me out. I didn't stay to last light. I got the f out of there. It was a 200m slog up to the truck. Lots of pooh, tracks, trails.

    From what I could see they were all down around the rivers/marshes in amongst thick willows. And they're thick! I tried going back in there the next day but through the willows. Took me 3hrs to get 400m. I turned around halfway and called it a hunt.

    Nothing holding them on the road. I appreciate what caddisguy said about driving vs walking. I'll try that next time. I camped up in the blocks. I think the smaller bears go up there at night and come down. That big guy just stayed put all day. He's probably still there but the wind was never right. Probably why he's there.

    There is a lot of skunk cabbage that I've read they like. Couldn't find any dandelions or fireweed though. Skunk cabbage looked thick and at perfect bloom at 600m elevation.

    Also saw a moose, a pine marten get a squirrel, tonnes of hummingbirds, many spooked grouse and some other cool birds. No ticks yet though Caddisguy. I don't think there are any here in BC. Knock wood I've never gotten one. They'd be stupid to waste their time in those willows. I'm the only living thing stupid enough to try to go through there.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    Langley
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    Re: Bear help!

    Quote Originally Posted by RainyLaker View Post
    No ticks yet though Caddisguy. I don't think there are any here in BC. Knock wood I've never gotten one.
    Oh there's a few ticks around... just a few. I only picked up around 70 this season. Another HBCer watched me pick off 4 of them while we were standing there talking. We concluded they only like me, but his buddy ended up with one stuck to his neck.

    They do hang out in the willows, but usually adjescent to openings and animal pathways. Grassy areas are the worst. Good grassy areas and they're all over the grass, sapling branches, dried maple leaves, etc.

    Anyway sounds like an awesome trip out seeing all that wildlife. Spring is really a great time to be out.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Pemberton BC
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    1,521

    Re: Bear help!

    Drive around. Find where there is a number of poo piles. Walk the road, find where they might be feeding.

    Also, drive over the poo so you know next time what is fresh and what is not.
    Knowledgeable shooters agree- The 375 Ruger is the NEW KING of all 375 caliber cartridges. ALL HAIL THE NEW KING!

  11. #10
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    Re: Bear help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Gateholio View Post
    Drive around. Find where there is a number of poo piles. Walk the road, find where they might be feeding.

    Also, drive over the poo so you know next time what is fresh and what is not.
    Am I the only guy that scoops it and tosses off to the side so other hunters pass on by due to the lack of sign in the area?

    (Another Fraser Valley tactic brought to you by caddisguy)

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