I figured I'd write this one up, share the thought process and some inspiration.
So we hadn't really been out since bear season started except a camping with a rifle type scenario in an area that doesn't hold much in the way of spring bears. Our go to places in a few different MU's are no longer accessible. Couple of them might never be repaired. Between life / family stuff, access issues, was just about to write it off and sit on the sidelines for this year, first spring in 8 years no bear... maybe in the fall?
Then I get this text from an HBC member (anonymous informant, we'll call him Mr X for now unless he is OK with being outed) "Hey you ever consider checking out XYZ place?", "Oh and was thinking would be good for you to have a backup plan, here's another thought" ... "If there aren't bears up around there, I'll eat my hat". He gives me a lot more 411 on road conditions and such "It's not that bad, just looks worse than it is. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you see it and think what the F is this A hole trying to do to me"
Based on the intel and loads of it, we made plan B the plan A. Headed up Friday night. Drove up one road he said might be cool to camp, nice view and such. I drive up there and I'm thinkin... "what is this A hole trying to do to me" haha. Clearly he's not scared of heights? It was a nice place for sure, definitely going to camp there some night, maybe a summer night, but I still have about an hour before dark, gonna zip around and road scout and see if we can camp some place that looks like spring bear turf.
I'm zipping up and down roads/trails/etc trying to find something that looks like it would hold a bear pocket. Not spotting much in the way of grass, at least grass bears would be eating at, except one spot with a little bit that could be a starting point. It's getting dark anyway, gotta pick this up tomorrow. We park the jeep and caddisgirl is setting up the Jeep nest. I notice the grass has been hit, then I notice some bear scat. Okay well that's something. Time to hunker down for the night.
So we just settled in the Jeep, I notice a tick crawling on my hand. Yay? There's ticks here? I was only out of the Jeep for a few mins and 20 mins later one is on my hand? I hold my hand out the window and grab my tick exterminator (lighter, to only be used with unattached ticks) and give him a dose of the BIC treatment as I am hearing the night hawks swooping around and messing about. Yep, I'm thinking we're close to something good. Oh crap, another tick, this one is crawling on my arm? How'd they get there. I give it the lighter treatment and had caddisgirl check my all over so I could sleep without being paranoid.
Wake up the next morning, we hike up the "road" just up from our camp. About 500M up, we're seeing patches of grass on the side that have been hit pretty good. Starting to get a little excited. Then we come up on a big pile of scat, slightly oxidized but mostly green. Holy smokes. We might see a bear today. Walking along, more hit grass, hummingbirds zipping around and messing about, everything is telling me we're on the right track... then we come across the next pile of scat... 100% green and stinky from a few feet away. I'm sure if it was a couple degrees cooler it would have been steaming. I'm almost certain we're going to see a bear about any minute.
We walk this road for about 7km, same deal the whole way, just a bit of grass here and there on the sides, some of it hit. One thing bugging me is that we've seen scat from presumably 3 different sets of plumbing. There's not enough grass on this road (and really the only one we find with patches bears would eat) for 3 bears, let alone 1 to be hanging around there. If we do see a bear, I suspect it's going to be on the move and maybe stopping for a nip here and there. Primary feeding area has to be somewhere else. There's something big going on here but it's hiding. Looking down the bank and such there's a mix of swamp and meadow, but still not much green. I can see a bear hanging out in that type of place maybe 2-3 weeks ago, but not now. Still, we note it and figure out access strategy for if we can feasible recover a bear if we drop one down there.
Rest of the day was just more of the same. Walking back and forth along the "road". At one point, taking a little rest at "camp" (we moved our camp a ways up the road we are seeing the sign) 4 quads roll up, presumably local peeps. They'd been ripping around the area most of the day and late the night prior, just having a good old time. They stop and make sure we're okay (got the front tires rolled up on rocks to level it for sleeping lol) ... they note the rifle and ask if we're hunting back there. I told them I was poking around a bit back there, just casual rifle stroll type thing, but done for now. They're like, "Oh we're so sorry! well you are going to go back and hunt later?" ... I say "yeah maybe in an hour or two I'll pop back there again" ... "Ohhh no we won't go back there. We don't want to disturb your hunt". Okay we feel like we are in the twilight zone or something. I'm like "oooh! it's not problem really. It's a road, it's meant for driving on and we're just casually poking around. Keep goin!" ... "you sure....?", haha you get that idea. Was like the pinnacle of Canadian bush courtesy right there.
Was surprised we didn't see a bear yesterday with all that sign, but the big discover came today. This is BETTER than a chance encounter with a bear on a road/trail in an area that holds bears. I decide to walk up this steep little washed our spur that looks like it goes no where. I'm thinking I see where it ends in 70 yards or so and I can see pretty much all the way and nothing. Maybe I'll get a better look if I walk up 20 yards and so I do. I notice fresh grass hits... so fresh I break off a tip and compare the two for confirmation. There is no difference. That nip just happened. I am intrigued enough to keep walking up, even though it looks like the trail ends. This isn't what it seems. There's something big going on here
I get to what I thought was the top and sure enough, just thick brush all around. What if there was a switchback or something? It's pretty flat way up here, giant bench. I noticed fresh broken over saplings with hair on them (boars dating website equivalent). I am convinced there is a hidden honey hole now. I plow my way through all sorts of brush and trees and find this ally of grass... a strip around 20 yards wide that goes for around 50-60 yards. Every bit of it is fresh hit, scat all over. I'm in disbelief. I'm pretty good at identifying bear pockets, I know when I see one and I have found quite a few.
This is already by far the most impressive spring bear area with the most activity I have stumbled across. I keep going down this strip that also looks like it ends, plow through some more brush and and I think I'd almost call it a dang field. All of it freshly grazed. Everything is fresh nipped. Some dandelions flowering, and hundreds in bud stage getting ready to flower. I'm not even sure it ends there, but at this point I back out. I don't care of there's a bear in here now or showing up any minute, this is better, gift that I know will keep on giving, I gotta hoof it back to camp and get home, but I think you all know where this is going. Trailcam going up and most likely bear coming out next weekend. It will be cool to see just how many different bears are grazing there.
So there's a scout story, start to (almost) finish, how to visit a new area and locate a confirmed spring bear honey hole in one weekend. Hope someone finds this inspiring/encouraging/etc. I know I did. All this hiking, cardio, heart pumping, fresh air, excitement. I haven't felt so good in 6 months. I feel so alive and my brain is filling up with happy chemicals. Amazing what a little exercise can do haha. Can't wait to get back out.
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Just doin my part to share a bit about the underutilized areas of region 9 
Originally Posted by Salty
