Tips for spring black bear

[zdavgoldman]

Hey y'all

I didn't see anything on the forums (to be fair didn't go super deep so it might be there) that had a collection of useful tips for spring black bear so I figured I'd make this post.

I'm gonna be up in region 7a for the spring and wanted to do a spring bear hunt. I am still very new to hunting (went looking for mule deer and black tails last fall but only found grouse, lol) and I've never gone out looking for black bear.

I've got a 30.06 with a decent scope and plenty of time to kill on the weekends after planting.

Any tips folks may have for finding black bear, and how to cook 'em would be very much appreciated.

Thank you!

[sjhawes]

Drive low traffic backroads/spur roads looking for multiple concentrations of scat piles in an area. Come back to that area closer to dusk parking well enough away (few kms) and walk to it preferably with wind in your favor.

[Harvest the Land]

Beginning of May - mid May, focus almost exclusively on patches of fresh green grass that are a decent ways from traffic. Focus on areas where you can get up high and see a long way and focus your glassing on these patches of grass on hill sides. Also walking along deactivated or less used roads or skidder roads with patches of grass on the sides of the roads or decent patches of grass in the middle of these roads. Look for sign like eaten grass, fresh claw marks up the sides of aspen are evidence that the bear was climbing up there to eat the fresh buds growing on the branches higher up, or peeled/stripped bark off of small coniferous trees like pine, tracks in the mud near water sources or puddles, and most obviously large concentrations of scat. Once you find a high concentration of scat in one area then you know you've found one of his feeding areas. Then figure out how best to hunt that spot (prevailing wind, thermals etc) and make sure you're definitely there at the prime times, but they can also appear at any time of the day. Later in the season during and post rut they seem to really key in on food sources like dandelions and balsam root, so a good idea is to focus more on large dandelion patches and balsam root patches and/or areas where there are tons of them lining the sides of secluded roads in early June until the end of season.

Take the time between now and then to practice shooting as much as possible. Its much less stressful dropping a bear quickly with a good shot, then having to good searching for a blood trail in thick rhubarb for a wounded animal (not fun). That said sometimes you can make the perfect shot and they will still run 100 yards or more. Their fur seems to absorb blood like a sponge and can be tough to find a blood trail. Always take some time to make sure it doesn't have cubs before you pull the trigger.

We cut almost everything into roasts (neck roasts are my fav) and steaks and make some burger/sausage with the scraps. When we want to eat bear my wife pulls it out of the freezer and sets in on a small wire rack that sits on top of a plate (so there's space between the roast and the plate). Place it in the fridge for 5 days and let the blood slowly drain out and the meat develops a bit of crust on the outside. I think some folks marinate bear steaks and roasts, but because we like the taste and texture of bear so much, my wife doesn't marinate it and she uses asian spices (korean) and garlic before putting in the oven. Make sure to cook it until the inner temp reaches 165F and you won't have to worry about trichinosis.

Spring bear season is an awesome time of year to be out in the wild. Oh ya, bugs aren't very bad at beginning of May until mid May, but they can be vicious at the end of May and definitely through much of June. Good luck

[RackStar]

7a is the easiest unit to plug a bear man. Like said above. Walk down ANY road, and find a bear or 3

[walks with deer]

Hmmm site gun in find bear shoot bear 7a has a very high bear density. Please shoot a few. Bowling for blackbears. Ps if you leave your house you will see bears anywhereband everywhere in 7a

[rageous]

Yep, further north you go the better your odds will be.
Second week of May is historically one of the best times to go.

Instead of going on 2 or 3 shorter trips at a closer destination. Take an extra day or two and go on a 3-4 day trip in region 5 or 7A. You won’t regret it.

Find and observe a picture of a bears vitals. I try taking a slight quarter away shot.
If your getting it butchered consult and find your butcher prior to a successful harvest

biggest tip…take the extra time to make sure there’s no cubs around.

[Huntingtyler123]

Anchor that black bear with a shoulder shot. Pain in the butt to track, bullet hole can clog up and the pads on there feet can leave zero tracks. By far my absolute favourite hunt is spring black bear. Also cook yourself a nice breakfast in the morning then head out. Don’t need to be up at the crack of dawn

[Ron.C]

biggest tip…take the extra time to make sure there’s no cubs around.

^^^BEST TIP SO FAR^^^

I watched what I assumed was a boar (big bear) repeatedly chasing trying to breed an unreceptive sow (smaller bear) from a distance and decided to make a play at the big bear. As it turned out, the smaller bear was the boar and the bigger bear was the sow (with yearling cub I never saw). I had unknowingly snuck up to withing about 10 yards of the cub when it starting balling and the sow (big bear) came charging. Luckily she stopped short collected her cub and ran off. I'm really glad I didn't have to shoot her in self defense for a situation I created by misreading what I saw and assuming the bigger bear was a boar and there was no cub (even though I had watched them for some time).


Anyhow,

back to the fun stuff, like Huntingtyler123 said, no need to be up at the crack of dawn. Spring bear hunting is a pretty relaxed affair for many. If the area you are hunting is conducive to glassing all the better. Better yet, if you can camp in a spot that you can glass from.

I'm not in reg 5 or 7 but in the area we hunt we will see them pretty much everywhere. That said, secluded or hard to get to skidder trails on a west facing slopes with good exposure to the afternoon sun are money.

I've shot them with 30-06, .303 savage, .7mm08, and muzzleloader. Doesn't seem to matter which ,they are not tough to put down. I generally prefer heart/lung shots if the bears are in a fairly open spot where I can see everything clearly but will shoot shoulder if it's in a nasty spot.

Lastly, if you are bored or see a bear in a nasty spot you don't want to hike into, try and call. It's really hit or miss but every now and then works really well (just watch your 6 )

my favourite recipe is chedder jalapino bear burgers

[Frank grimes]

I find most bears through glassing slides and green patches on hills. Or just cruising around logging roads.
unfortunatly last year I only saw grizzlies in the elk valley. And one small black bear. Hopefully this spring I’l out some sausage in the freezer

[Gateholio]

The best tip is to shoot them on the UPHILL side of the road.