Late October Bear Hunts. What can I expect?

[MadSwami33]

I'd like to thank anyone who has contributed to the forum first of all, it greatly helped me become successful in my first hunting trip last spring for bear. Everyone here seems to love a spring bear!


Alternatively, I've noticed a slight lack of fall bear hunting information. Aside from "find the berries, find the scat, shoot a bear," which has worked great, I walked into a meadow with momma and 2 cubs, and next day hiking I used a distress call and a separate mom and cub came in HOT, but the big boar I'm after is still hiding.

Hopefully I'm able to get the boar before season ends (Region 8 ends Nov 30th) but it's a lot of land to cover and I'm really after this one bear, yes I could fill the tag but I want the king. I see a good amount of bears at my job frequently and this guy would be largest one I've seen.

Back to the business, I know that now the bears are in the berries patches, staying cool in the hotter days and walking in the morning and nights.

But what about later season when theres no berries left? Another reason I'm asking about late season is my dad wants to come hunting bear, but only has time off near end of October and I'm lost as to where to go with the change in seasons.

What area will the bears be in? I'm currently hunting from aproximatly 1500-1900m. All 3 encounters were at 1800m, nearby peaks get up to 2100m. Do they stay up high up or should I head down into the valleys? Snagging the bear will mean a lot of boots on ground which I'm prepared for no doubt about that. I'm just at a loss for the hotspots in late season.

Any tips or tricks is greatly appreciated!

[Fella]

Find food. In my experience bear hunting dries up in October. Bears are in hypophagia in the fall aka packing in as many calories as possible. You could try lower down in the valleys, try salmon bearing streams

[srupp]

Hmmm think you mean HYPERPHAGIA..hypo= low..
don't go for salmon streams..makes the meat terrible..yuk..
bears are omnivores..grass, fish, meat..so eliminate salmon..berries..highest calories sugars get concentrated after first frost..carrion..hunter kills..and grasses..
Find a hill..glass the openings..nothing to eat under the canopies of large trees..
Low light ..ie morning evening now gets expanded to all day long..desperation..the NEED to put on weight to survive hibernation..so with lower temperature they will be out and comfortable put on the miles and calories...once high calories are located..they will clean it up prior to moving on...a day..a week.

.cheers
Srupp

[MadSwami33]

Sweet thanks for the tips. Unfortunately theres no streams nearby that hold any fish. I'll just have to climb and slide between valleys when it comes to late season.

I hear the area holds decent lynx population, plus the occasional wolf and cougar so maybe I'll get even more lucky then a bear!

[MadSwami33]

Thanks Srupp! I can really picture me holding this bear now. With that information I'm going to be able to pin point what I consider "hotspots" in the area to stalk and use my calls.

[srupp]

Hmmmm decent lynx population..= decent rabitt population..something else to consider.
good luck..
helped 3 members get 3 black bears this spring. .great guys..
some basic strategy..repeat PRN....as needed.
Srupp

[RyoTHC]

Hmmmm decent lynx population..= decent rabitt population..something else to consider.
good luck..
helped 3 members get 3 black bears this spring. .great guys..
some basic strategy..repeat PRN....as needed.
Srupp

you are one wealth of information new hunters and members alike here are lucky to have!

keep doing what you do, as I’m too anti social to do it haha

[Piperdown]

Any ranches around, if so hunt the edges, if they had oats or other crops there is always some left, in one field at the cabin there were 14 of the big black buggers on it this week

[two-feet]

The late fall scat is usually full of rose hips, i would guess it is one of the last food sources available

[Wild one]

The late fall scat is usually full of rose hips, i would guess it is one of the last food sources available

^^This

My best results for October bear has been targeting rose hips but after rose hips are done I find it much tougher to locate bears in the fall.

[russm86]

Find food. In my experience bear hunting dries up in October. Bears are in hypophagia in the fall aka packing in as many calories as possible. You could try lower down in the valleys, try salmon bearing streams

x2... Definitely tends to slow way down after mid to late September...

[Quiet Hunter]

Great info for the newbs like me ...Thanks a lot guys.

[Wild one]

My best advice is target bears in May, June,August(in the MUs that open early), and September theses are the most productive months of spring and fall season in my opinion. Timing makes a huge difference on success rate of each species and there are times you are better off to stop hunting 1 species and target another

[srupp]

Hmm I find bears active in spring..then sort of head high for the rut.then just try and stay cool for the summer. .however come fall they are found alng roads, skdder trails, cutblocks moving from one food source to the next..some times miles apart.sometimes just different elevation..but they WILL be in secluded locations not wanting to be interrupted from chow down time..
Each location, elevation will hold different amounts of bears for different food sources..
Slow and quiet..it may result in an opportunity for rabitt, or deer or bear..
Good luck
Srupp

[Quiet Hunter]

Well if you really want to see one come by my place lol. it was 430am this morning heard the garbage can go down look out the window and this boy must have been 600lbs fat like anything. was there till 600am then left up the block. every year this guy comes back fatter then the last. and im in port coquitlam far from the river. I think he probably just owns a house in the area lol. I cleaned up today and locked those bins down super tight. if he comes back tonight ill try and take a few pics. lol last year he came with a coyote following behind cleaning up what garbage the big guy didn't want. coyote was sniffing his but he would turn quick and swing at him lol funny to watch

[MadSwami33]

Thanks for all the suggestions. This is the final update for this thread from me.

I was out hunting September and saw quite a few bears with cubs, and on my way home one night I saw an xxl boar but it was way past shooting light. I did my best to track him down but after 3 weekends and a few day trips I stopped looking for the bear and went after deer.

November 17th I was out hunting deer and miraculously came across fresh bear tracks in the snow. The tracks went across a FSR so I hopped out the truck and followed them for a couple km until I had to turn around since I wasn't ready to spend the night in the cold. I ended up coming across 4 separate bear tracks.

Now I know where/when they are going up hill, I would really like to spot one in November.

[srupp]

Hmmm fall bears are desperate to gain enough weight to survive their winter hiatus...so important that the females have delayed embryo implantation..and IF they are not carrying sufficient weight..they lose the pregnancy.
If no salmon.then yes berries.other than meat berries carry the highest caloric content.especially after the first frost which concentrates the sugars..
This drive for food a counts for bears in the neighborhoods come fall.desperatly seeking food ...survival.
Bears in fall travel from one food source concentrations..then move on....all day long..with brief breaks and numerous dumps to process more calories..using the easiest travel routes..trails.roads.streams..conserving what they already have aquire. ..it's not what they get its what they keep..for most of BC highest caloric concentrations are berries come fall.bears are less likely to run..even less likely to run far again counting the cost of each action.berries are usually found in moist areas..
Farmers fall alpha ha fields..good bet..
Pretty funny to watch a bear wrap his face around a berry branch ? Stalk? And strip the entire length eating leaves and all.
Cheers
Srupp

[IronNoggin]

Largest two bears I ever killed were both taken on November 4th - a year apart.

Nog