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Thread: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

  1. #21
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Holy big boys are out

  2. #22
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Quote Originally Posted by caddisguy View Post
    Holy big boys are out
    i got my big boy June 3 last year in my region 9 honey hole; It is time. Go get ‘em!

  3. #23
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    So we're finding this little spot definitely holds a few bears. I was starting to question myself after just seeing the one 3 legged bear on the first real go, but on the other hand, no way that one bear could be covering so much distance hitting that amount of grass, plus all the variance in scat piles.

    Seems like the busy quad weekend last week was only a May long one off. I talked to a local (only quad we saw all weekend) rippin around with his 80+ year old mother in law (who definitely digs going for riddes) then once again later with his wife. Had a good long chat. They'd been up that road back in the day, but nobody has busted through in years despite the odd one poking in the first switch back.

    First thing we noticed, the place we camped last time, a bear tore the ground apart, unearthing a bunch of wood that was buried there rotting and just tore everything apart. Left some decent holes and a big old pile of scat a few yards away. Would have to do some leveling to tuck the jeep there now haha.

    Couple new bears on the trailcams. One cruised by 3 hours before we passed by there on Friday. Other one looks like a tank by my Region 2 standards. Figure he's the one leaving most of the sign.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wTtnF_leUw

    Heard a bear walking around the Jeep a few times during the night. Didn't want to try to see it and spook it off, so I just listened getting a little excited. Guess I must have got nice and used to it. Apparently caddisgirl woke up at one point with a bear walking around, tried poking and prodding at me to wake up but I was out. Not surprised, I was getting by with just a few hours a night all week. Surprised I even woke up before 8, figured I'd probably sleep until 10 or maybe noon.

    Anyway inspired by these bears around and seemingly some good ones, we pounded the area all day. It felt more like a blacktail hunt than a bear hunt. These bears don't seem to spend more than 20 minutes on the best pocket and seem to always travel into the wind/thermals. Tried the whole get up high, even other side of the mountain type deal and hit the best pocket right before the thermal switch. No dice. Found a few new nooks and crannies with broken saplings and hair.

    Sat for a couple hours one place, tried calling with a blade of grass and we heard steps coming from down wind but then nothing. Also heard some munching just like you hear in the video coming from down in a thick drainage, but no visibility or approach.

    Gonna try to get out there again soon. Having a ton of fun and good exercise. I figure next time we'll try working a circuit that will have the wind in our face whole way through and pick up the pace vs still hunting. Figure other than that pocket, grass is few and far between (it gets hit the whole way though) it doesn't stop a bear for long, plus there are all sorts of rotten stumps to go after grubs and boars are cruising for sows. Been a learning curve but thinking we might still be able to cross paths with a good one if we get out for another weekend or two. Having a friggin blast either way. Probably one of my favorite all time hunting trips this last one.... but maybe when I get the Kammy Lake sheep draw (I know a guy) that will be just as new and fun
    Last edited by caddisguy; 05-29-2022 at 05:09 PM.

  4. #24
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Looks like you're getting dialed in caddis and having a good time at it! Some cool footage there...
    its gonna take a life time to hunt and fish all this

  5. #25
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    We walked right into a gooder around a blind corner / hill surprise at 6-7 yards a few hours ago... some commotion there ... all parties involved had a good startle. Trailcam footage picked up a fair bit of the story.

    Bear has been hitting that pocket most if not every day this week so tomorrow will be interesting.
    Last edited by caddisguy; 06-04-2022 at 12:05 AM.

  6. #26
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Dear HBC Diary,

    We had an interesting one this weekend. Rolled up there Friday night and hiked up bear mountain to caddis ridge. We're trying to snake through the grown in alders into the feeding pocket, trying to make as little noise as possible. Paying more attention to weaving through branches the last few steps than looking for bears, turns out we missed the one that was appearing about 6-7 yards from us on the blind corner partly concealed by a little mound. It was like when a grouse flushes by your feet, except add a couple hundred pounds. The bear bolted down hill and I know it was going to head behind us to wind us. Thinking pretty quick, started back down for the intercept. No dice, it already got in behind us and headed down into thick stuff on a steep incline.

    Went on to check the trailcams, then headed back down to see if we could find that bear feeding in plan B and C pockets. Poke around until dark, no dice. We settle in joking around about the commotion we just went through while looking at the trailcam footage. At least three (maybe 4) different bears, all good by my standards and at least one bigger than anything I'd ever taken.

    Next day, we poked in and out of all popular grass hangouts. Spent the evening, 4:30pm until 9pm "sitting" in one spot overlooking the place that seems to see the most activity. It was painful... steep place to "sit" (and sitting in one spot for more than 30 minute is tough for me... moving at a snails pace, I can do that, but ass planted is a tough go) but we had dug out some trenches that resemble deer beds lol

    Settled in for the night again. We had a visitor. Despite engine idling, talking, some music and such, friggin bear starts messing about in and around camp. Came and went, I feel asleep but caddisgirl tells me there were a few more after that.

    This morning is where it gets the most fun. I know caddisgirl is not a fan of me shooting bears on pack-up-day aka gotta-work-next day, but I go to check the trailcams while she's sorting the jeep to head home. I "joke" about shooting a bear and she tells me to go for it. Serious? Well it's a lottery ticket but I'll play it. Maybe she's figuring we have been up here a few times and despite bears all over, no bears down this won't be any different.

    I go hike up to caddis ridge, nothing there, check trailcams, nothing. Head back down to the main "road" and radio caddisgirl... "nothing going on up there, I'm going to walk a little north"...

    So I'm walking along. This "road" in the last couple weeks has become more of a bear tunnel. This section is all overgrown, every so rarely a quad comes through. Once in a while there is a "clear view down into thick brush". Still decent grass on the sides as this runs north/south. I'm walking along and here some loud cracking, guessing maybe 10-15 yards down from me. Wind going north for a change this time of day, overpowering the regular thermal action, I scurry about 30 yards down wind and wait, looking and listening. Maybe something is gonna pop up and start munching some of this grass on the sides....

    ...so speaking of grass on the sides, after some waiting I decided to snap off a piece of grass and start with the wounded critter call. I pull off the perfect set, nothing... so I repeat, and repeat again. I'm confident about being down wind and such, it's probably forgotten about hearing my footsteps and catching my wind and there's no way it could slip in behind me without making a whole lot of racket.

    NOPE!

    About 30 yards down wind from me I hear some crashing around. I'm still thinking cool... some action going on here. Some more crash-crash and it's getting closer. What the heck... this isn't how I imagined it at all. You know, I just figure blow out on grass right, bear gonna just pop right out on the trail, give me the perfect broadside shot with a nice safe hillside for a backstop.

    Clearly didn't think this whole deal through, let alone really think much at all. I hear a burst of crashing reminiscent of the last time I was charged by a bear, right toward me and I'm walking backwards quickly. This thing isn't going to pop out on the trail 10, 20 or 30 yards from me. It's lining me up to bust through onto me. I'm backing up quickly remember the last "open" area (area where I can see the down the trail I'm on and see about 15 yards into the line this bear has chosen)

    Then the huffing starts. This thing sounds right cheesed off. I'm still backing up in a waddling fashion keeping bear level to the ground, ready to shoot from the hip. Crash-crash-crash, it just closed the distance again, like 15 yards in a couple seconds, right back on me. It's huffing away while I'm doing by backwards waddling. Once I picked up another 20 yards and could still hear it huffing, I tossed the bear safety manual and ran like a track star that last 30 yards where I'd have a bit of an opening and maybe a couple seconds vs 1/10 second to react.

    So I waited there a bit until I heard the bear start making off in a south west direction, still hearing the odd huff. I radio caddisgirl "might be a large angry bear heading your way... I gotta him all worked up and he's super p***ed"

    Well, I learned a few things on this one. Last bear charge I had was 2017 I think. That was just a bad bear. I didn't ask for it. Not sure if I'd call this one a charge, but man that was a pretty long drawn out ordeal. Difference with this one was I 100% signed up for it this time. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes I guess

    Anyway, here's this weeks footage... lots of nice bears in there. I might still have one weekend left, albeit solo, unsupervised without recovery and pack out support. Should be interesting.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYsqAkIbBpE
    Last edited by caddisguy; 06-05-2022 at 09:56 PM.

  7. #27
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Ha! might have been a doozy if he had you figured as food
    You do like the thrills, tfs
    Glad to say I have hunted Northern BC

    Simon Fraser had pretty good judgement on what he found in BC

  8. #28
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Quote Originally Posted by high horse Hal View Post
    Ha! might have been a doozy if he had you figured as food
    You do like the thrills, tfs
    Not sure if he had me figured as food or was just being cranky and territorial, fed up with my interruptions, creeping around being spooky as such. Though black bear attention spans, who knows, maybe both. Always seems to me black bears don't even know what they are going to do from second to second.

    Dose of adrenaline can be fun once in a while. Makes for some fun memories and stories but hunting and just being outdoors is exciting enough. Could do without the bonus thrills. I'd write it off as bad luck but when I think about it, it does seem self inflicted. I should probably take up backyard bird watching.

  9. #29
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Backyard birdwatching. Hahaha. Yeah, I don't think so. You can watch birds while you wait for a bear And, I see there's a little blacktail scouting in the mix already too Good times....
    its gonna take a life time to hunt and fish all this

  10. #30
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    Re: Finding a honey hole: Awesome weekend scouting!

    Somewhat anticlimactic ending to all this, but good wrap up tying loose ends and putting new stuff together. Feed pockets we were seeing all the action and having some good chances, those bears have moved on. Food is grown in all over so no need for bears to hang around with those creepy caddis folks to make a living. Just a big bobcat showing up on the trailcams

    That pushed us (caddisgirl made it out! I think she felt I should have supervision after the incidents last week lol) to explore a bit more scouting around for late season bear action. Probably did a good 25km on the boots yesterday alone. Sounds like a lot for scouting, but 25km in a 16 hour shift is slow enough to take in a lot of detail. Loop circuit to boot, no backtracking.

    Ended up poking through to that area Salty said would be good and sure enough that's where the action is now (probably would have been 2-3 ago on average but weird year with conditions behind) Decided before we head home today, circle back and drive that one scouting for sign and just plain old places to camp. Found a fair bit of both. Fresh green scat, tracks all over, nice new grass getting hit heavily up high there. Seems they like that a lot better than the knee high stuff below where a lot is going to seed.

    Found the remains of 3 legged Tripod bear. Looks like she was shot May long. I feel somewhat responsible as I believe (intel from locals) that was the next day after we spooked that bear a few times. On the other hand, given the calibre and attitude of some of those other bears, bullet was probably the best way to go!

    2022 Spring bear hunting is in the books for us. First year in 8 years no bear, but by far our best spring bear season in terms of opportunity, exploration and exercise (where we normally take bears seems pretty darn boring now after working this area) and just seeing more bears and larger bears around than we normally do. Late start, mistakes, exploration investment/overhead meant no bear this time around but we're all set to pick this up right out of the gate next spring. I cant friggin wait... we like this new playgroud better than our other spots for so many reasons
    Last edited by caddisguy; 06-12-2022 at 05:17 PM.

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