How Do You Find/Look For the BIG BOARS?

[JIL_24/7]

Hello all,
It has become quite routine at this point for me to find and stalk bears. This year I have been as close as 8 yards from a bear that would certainly qualify as a shooter. I have held out to this point, however, because I am in search of my first big boar. I keep thinking if I locate bears, some of them sows with and without cubs that eventually given it is rutting season I will find a big boar. To this point I have seen two big boars. One on a ranch and one off the Coq. The one on the ranch was tending to two sows, but even as I locate and sit on sows (sometimes over a couple of days) I am still waiting to come across a good sized boar. I know they are out there and perhaps I need a new strategy? Two weeks left at this point and the weather is getting hot! Climb to the top now? Rut over?

[Jagermeister]

Find a good vantage point with cover and start tweaking a fawn in distress call. Of course lesser bears may show up instead.

[srupp]

Hmm start off with likely locations big bears get that way by living long..that doesn't happen in easy access able areas..
Start by heading off main rds into back secluded areas..the more secluded the more the bears feel more secure..
Then they need a food area..small little openings with clear access to sky..=greens..grass..usually be close to water little sign of constant human interruption.
Then timing..most big bears only show themselves at low light..seldom in AM ..I concentrate on 3 pm and later..but best is last 45 minutes of legal light.
Of course during the rut BIG bears get first dibs on hot sows..so anytime there is a hot sow..big boars can be possible.
I am thinking of 10 areas locations that constantly hold big boars..over 6 1/2 feet..300 pounds..very small areas trucks can't access and hunters usually won't walk that far..quiet..always have standing water close by..that's where and why.
Then give me that last hour..usually 15..30 minutes before dark and then the big boys feel comfortable enough to come out to feed.
During the rut..big sow drooling..in heat.ya the big boys can be found at any time and some bears that are never seen during non rut timing..
If your NOT coming out in PITCH BLACK you left too early..missing those big brutes.
45 years..it works.
First year meeting Tyler/James. .I suggested such a location..first evening..they missed a 7 footer..the second year T got a 7 footer..
Sometimes on private property remote alphalpha.fields will pull in big bears due to quality and quantity of feed and no pressuse because of it being private property.
I have shot a 8 foot black bear in such a location with permission.
Last 8 footer was in same quality food source. .private property. .I could not get permission..DAMN.lol
Srupp

[srupp]

Hmm get in to within 75 ..100 yards..watch the wind..some evenings wind is wrong..playes cards at camp or different location.
Buy a GOOD bee keepers head gear..constant bugs will cause you to swat,,hands are so noticeable when moved.
Use camo.
Moving around will disperse your scent..you may be in a great location but movement and scent..you will never see the BIG OLD BOARS..they have scoped out the opening from inside the tree line and if your visible or moving or stinking up the area..it will be a no show for big bears.
The biggest bears are found by searching for these honey holes..food/water combos remote at dusk.
Oh yes check your rifle is sighted in WINK.
Srupp

[walks with deer]

Or blare a old classic song and drive it like you stole it until you see one on a fsr.

[ab3]

when you are mentioning standing water, are we talking small ponds etc, or much smaller bodies or water, like muddy puddles and small creeks?

[JIL_24/7]

I think we all want that one epic story, right? To hike, find a brute, stalk close, pack him out fighting fatigue, mosquitos and terrain. I mean it's a pretty common thing, right? I see it on hunting shows all the time. I love hunting in all honesty and I love finding game. I've done a pretty good job of that because I am not a road hunter, but I haven't been able to find that big boar yet and I thought I might get a tip or two. Srupp of course comes through, but the fsr blaring classic rock was a tip I hadn't heard before!

[srupp]

when you are mentioning standing water, are we talking small ponds etc, or much smaller bodies or water, like muddy puddles and small creeks?

Smaller bodies of water puddles standing pools..small creeks..not many lakes have green feed areas next to lakes..think smaller..doesn't take much water..lol or filtration needed..
I often travel up to 13 kms from camp to various locations..of course I can bump a bear anywhere in route to and from..
Due to age,injuries,health I use a quad to cover the distance to chosen location.
TIP. check out Google Earth look for trails..skidder trails look for those remote openings .
Big bears Usually come in at last light...and big bears tend to hug or be close to tree line edge with feeding areas...usually farthest away from humans trails rds.
However I know where 3 big grizzlies frequent a main FSR..but being 500 pounds each..they tend to have confidence..size does matter.
Tip..try reading the suggestions several times then use those ideas based on decades..access Google Earth maps..you will be able to hone your attempts.
Glad to try and help in your quest.you are welcome to PM me with ideas..Gps locations. .I will check them out..
Good luck
Srupp

[BCHunterFSJ]

Those are great suggestions from srupp. He's obviousy an old hand at bear hunting!

[srupp]

Hmm after hunting bears for 45 years hope I learned something..lol
I can look at a place and these years very quickly tell me a lot..even changes year to year or day to day..it's sometime difficult to try and share everything pertinent. .one takes so much information in looking around and can make changes to plans.
Only one thing will trump experience..that is hard work..ever notice the luckiest individuals are the hardest working..
And yes experience..hard work and luck.
Privilege to try and share and try and help.
Srupp

[Drillbit]

I find water/wet areas the best too. Skunk cabbage is also good to see

[srupp]

I find water/wet areas the best too. Skunk cabbage is also good to see

Hmm mm yes skunk cabbage shows wet saturated semi shady area..but I always found grizzlies preferred them more than blacks..fiddle heads too.
I'm sure black bear eat skunk cabbage however grizzlies have a tendency to aggressively defend food sources hence black bears may not challenge..
Srupp

[walks with deer]

I think we all want that one epic story, right? To hike, find a brute, stalk close, pack him out fighting fatigue, mosquitos and terrain. I mean it's a pretty common thing, right? I see it on hunting shows all the time. I love hunting in all honesty and I love finding game. I've done a pretty good job of that because I am not a road hunter, but I haven't been able to find that big boar yet and I thought I might get a tip or two. Srupp of course comes through, but the fsr blaring classic rock was a tip I hadn't heard before!

Epic stories are for sheep,goats,caribou,elk...moose and bear are uphill on fsr hunts lol.same with most mule deer...lol not kidding i wont even shoot a bear downhill anymore.

So hike a old fsr shoot bear drive in and load.

[GEF]

Biggest black bears are off of costal salmon river drainages and streams .Vancouver Island and such .Farther inland you the smaller the bears .Like the greened up slide chutes in the high county and spot and stalk .Pack a lunch find a good vantage point to view a number of slide chutes and glass and glass some more ,makes for a pleasant day until you shoot one 😁.Need two guys .One swatting mosquitos and the other guy skinning and butchering.

[Blockcaver]

Steve gives excellent advice. Follow it and get your boar! And I find them just about the perfect archery animal readily available in BC....so fun to stalk up close to a big bear!

[Harvest the Land]

Hmm get in to within 75 ..100 yards..watch the wind..some evenings wind is wrong..playes cards at camp or different location.
Buy a GOOD bee keepers head gear..constant bugs will cause you to swat,,hands are so noticeable when moved.
Use camo.
Moving around will disperse your scent..you may be in a great location but movement and scent..you will never see the BIG OLD BOARS..they have scoped out the opening from inside the tree line and if your visible or moving or stinking up the area..it will be a no show for big bears.
The biggest bears are found by searching for these honey holes..food/water combos remote at dusk.
Oh yes check your rifle is sighted in WINK.
Srupp

Stellar advice from the expert - thank you Mr Rupp. Could you please indulge us all and elaborate a little more on a couple things?

1) What is your preferred method for hunting these old timers? By the sounds of it, it doesn't seem like you're getting up to a high vantage point from a km or more away, spotting bears and then making a stalk on them. Are you hiking through the timber into these secluded meadows or smaller openings or power/gas lines and ambushing them? Or just waiting inside the timber for one to pop out into the opening? (i.e. close quarters)

2) In terms of spring bear hunting when the bears are feeding on grass and dandelions, if/when free range grazing cattle move into the same areas as the bears in the spring and they eat the same grass and dandelions as the bears, have you ever noticed if those cows push the bears out of the area (because they're out competing them for the same food)?

Thanks again for all the fantastic tips - they're pure gold as always.

[whognu]

Hmm after hunting bears for 45 years hope I learned something..lol
I can look at a place and these years very quickly tell me a lot..even changes year to year or day to day..it's sometime difficult to try and share everything pertinent. .one takes so much information in looking around and can make changes to plans.
Only one thing will trump experience..that is hard work..ever notice the luckiest individuals are the hardest working..
And yes experience..hard work and luck.
Privilege to try and share and try and help.
Srupp


i tell you steven:

i have zero interest in hunting bruins, yet reading your stories and your generous imparting of knowledge over the years is truly amazing

you certainly are 'that guy'..............kind and generous with your knowledge

thanks, from a non bear hunter

chris

[srupp]

Hmm I do like getting up on a hill and using binoculars and if needed spotting scope however my most used strategy is to travel and find where the food is..green grass..the lighter colored grass is higher in nutrients..other times it is just quantity.
I hunt areas I know intimately..I know where there are open sky with grass on the ground..I travel to these spots and look for tracks and poop..I Always Drive over bear poop..know if it's not squashed it is freshey dropped.
I find these far back isolated spots which will ALWAYS hold standing water or small flowing water.
Then I settle down and wait for dark..watching the opening/ food quietly carefully..I use total camo..Bee keepers head gear gloves hoping the wind does not shift.. if it does shift I will slowly head home slowly and watch for moving feeding bears along skidder trails off main FSR roads.
Each day I hit a completely different food source.
The place I usually hunt had 30 feeding locations I knew always hold bears.
The new place has 30 separate locations.
After a long hibernation it's about the food..earlier when fresh out of hibernation the food is sketchy so bears feed longer and need to move..before the alders and willows leaf out.
Cows do not chase out bears..I've seen bears feeding close to grazing cows..nervous cows.
I do lIke GEF idea.,it does work island bears are separate species and watching along the ocean on low tide for foraging bears ..moving rocks for shellfish ..or salmon streams however I enjoy bear meat..Bears eating dead salmon is not my Forte.
Notes where there is no wind is great bears move more..feed more confidently able to use their ears.
On first day of a bear hunt I hit Most all feeding areas..finding fresh sign let's me know where I will start the next day/evening
Remote greened up hidey holes in late after noon is where I expect and find big bears.
Black colored I won't shoot if under 6 feet
Colored phase bears need to be over 5 1/2 feet.
Every single year I find 7 footer bears..last year 1 in the spring..Tyler's And 1 in the fall 40 kilometers away.
Srupp

[srupp]

Hmm close quarters..most always 100 yards or less..
It's amazing even after 45 years...finding sign..coming back sitting ..nothing for hours then suddenly there is a bear..right there
When your waiting ready..no movement the elementime of surprise is on your side..I do not sneak through the woods..I use trails,fsr,skidder trails..quiet..stealth..
Most big bears are old..they require solitude..you may indeed see a big Bear on a major fsr,however they more likely will be found 500 yards off the major rds and on secondary tersarary.trails never seen..which is fine by them.
Cheers
Srupp

[srupp]

Hmm one last tip to try..
Whenever you find anything to do with any animal your seeking..ask yourself OUT LOUD....WHY .
why did I find bear poop here ? Why?
Then talk to yourself answer your question..throw out there all the possibilites...slow it down..you probably Do Already know the awnswer.
Srupp

[Huntingtyler123]

And the other tip if hunting bears using an atv, stay on the atv , rubber tires aren’t leaving scent on the ground and scaring bears away, and running over bear scat with atv, is a must for me. I easily forget the next day if that is fresh or old unless driven over.

you do everything Steve says up above and you’ll find bear. My most favourite hunt every year that I look forward to! Sleep in, big camp breakfast , tinker around camp and head out close to 2pm to your spot and sit until dark, or cut it short if you feel like it and hunt all the way back to your camp. Tons of fun!

for the circumstances this year, we put everything Steve taught us in the past two years to use ourselves and came back home with a bear each.

[Harvest the Land]

Hmm I do like getting up on a hill and using binoculars and if needed spotting scope however my most used strategy is to travel and find where the food is..green grass..the lighter colored grass is higher in nutrients..other times it is just quantity.
I hunt areas I know intimately..I know where there are open sky with grass on the ground..I travel to these spots and look for tracks and poop..I Always Drive over bear poop..know if it's not squashed it is freshey dropped.
I find these far back isolated spots which will ALWAYS hold standing water or small flowing water.
Then I settle down and wait for dark..watching the opening/ food quietly carefully..I use total camo..Bee keepers head gear gloves hoping the wind does not shift.. if it does shift I will slowly head home slowly and watch for moving feeding bears along skidder trails off main FSR roads.
Each day I hit a completely different food source.
The place I usually hunt had 30 feeding locations I knew always hold bears.
The new place has 30 separate locations.
After a long hibernation it's about the food..earlier when fresh out of hibernation the food is sketchy so bears feed longer and need to move..before the alders and willows leaf out.
Cows do not chase out bears..I've seen bears feeding close to grazing cows..nervous cows.
I do lIke GEF idea.,it does work island bears are separate species and watching along the ocean on low tide for foraging bears ..moving rocks for shellfish ..or salmon streams however I enjoy bear meat..Bears eating dead salmon is not my Forte.
Notes where there is no wind is great bears move more..feed more confidently able to use their ears.
On first day of a bear hunt I hit Most all feeding areas..finding fresh sign let's me know where I will start the next day/evening
Remote greened up hidey holes in late after noon is where I expect and find big bears.
Black colored I won't shoot if under 6 feet
Colored phase bears need to be over 5 1/2 feet.
Every single year I find 7 footer bears..last year 1 in the spring..Tyler's And 1 in the fall 40 kilometers away.
Srupp

Thank you for the insights Steven. 30 locations in an area is friggin impressive

[srupp]

Thanks T...remember these feeding spots don't need to be huge,nor big..just remote. .no one drives by them you need to work to get into these secondary roads..and the best is usually at the very end of these smaller skid trails..logging landings.
And end of day.
Da da easy peasy..
See one
Do one
Teach one
Srupp

[huntingfamily]

Biggest black bears are off of costal salmon river drainages and streams .Vancouver Island and such .Farther inland you the smaller the bears .Like the greened up slide chutes in the high county and spot and stalk .Pack a lunch find a good vantage point to view a number of slide chutes and glass and glass some more ,makes for a pleasant day until you shoot one 😁.Need two guys .One swatting mosquitos and the other guy skinning and butchering.

Great advice here...