Bears - When do you start hunting them?

[o2fish2day]

When do you typically start hunting them. Is the weather a major factor or more daylight, time of year etc.

I am wondering if there is a time that is too early even though the season opens April 1 in Region 3.

[Steeleco]

Just this afternoon in Mission they had to lock the school down because they had two bears eating in the playground!!!

But I think with all this snow May will the soonest you'll see bears in the hills.

[mark]

when you start seeing them! It largely depends on weather in yer area. I wouldnt be surprised if bears start coming out here anyday in tropical Kelowna 8-), PG on the other hand you might have to wait a while! :icon_frow

[Rob]

April 1st is still a bit too early where I live in region 3, But if the weather stays the way its been we may see some bears coming out earlier than normal. Rob

[elkdom]

South and southeast slopes warm first,start glassing hillsides as soon as bear season is near, even though you cant see growth of plants on south slopes, the plants are active under ground near the surface, this is what bears like in first feedings after they come out from dens!,tender plant roots get the stomach system working after long absence of food!

[FlyingHigh]

good to know. a buddy of mine wants to come out with me. but neither of us have ever hunted bear before. we'll mostly be winging it in the chilliwack river valley, hemlock valley and jones lake area. i assume we're looking more for meadows than logging slashes?

[todbartell]

2nd week in May around here is when I found the hunting to get good. Sightings are common and for the next 3 weeks it's usually peak, until the foilage is up all over

[jjensen20]

middle to end of may

[Wolfman]

Just this afternoon in Mission they had to lock the school down because they had two bears eating in the playground!!!

But I think with all this snow May will the soonest you'll see bears in the hills.

Eating what?!!!! ;-)


Wolfman

[tomahawk]

I'll start as soon as I can get time after April 01, if nothing else it will be a good day of fresh air.

[hunter1947]

I myself wouldn't head out for them till the first of may ,buy then they are all about and moving around ,weather is nicer then as well.

[Mr. Dean]

My strategy is to give them the better part of a month to graze. IMO this will give'm enough time to get their metabolism back on trac and yield for better table fair.

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

the bears start coming out with the warm weather. i look for green patches and go from there, i find the sows with cubs start showing first, the bigger ones seem to come out latter, but if you want the hide don't leave it to long , they start rubbing their winter hair off as soon as it get's hot

[RiverOtter]

What time you start, also has a lot to do with what your expectations are.

In my area (Vernon), if you like to see higher numbers of bears then stay home until about the first week in May. If you are after a big boar and don't mind going out and quite possibly not seeing a bear, then mid to third week in April is good, if you hit the new spots about the same time as the dominant bears.

Green up can easily vary by a week or more from year to year, depending on snow level and spring weather. Find a good area, get to know it intimitly and then hunt it seriously. I have taken 6 mature bears, ranging from 6'1" square to 7'1" square, all within a 1 km radius. 3 of those bears were shot within a 50 yard circle, off the same patch of grass, in three different years. Get on an area when you see the first tinge of green and pay particular attention to border areas with good cover and water nearby. Big bears don't just crap all over the place, so when you start seeing that, it means that the smaller bears have moved in and the bigger bears are likely feeding a little higher up in the newer growth. Remember, big bears don't get big by accident, scout areas during the middle of the day on a quad/truck and hunt them in late afternoon, on foot, with the wind in your face or overlook them from a vantage point and plan a stalk after sighting. If you are just starting to hunt bears, judging is tough, so take a good look at the head/face and pay close attention to the amount of space between the ears. Big bears ears appear to sit almost on the side of their head and don't stand out as a main feature. A truly big bear(6 1/2 plus) can't hide its mass, you will know right off, but the 5 1/2' foot variety will take some effort to distinguish from the 6 footers. Lastly, old mature sows without cubs have fooled more than a few hunters, largely because they look filled out and not lanky like a young bear, but the head don't lie and even though their ears may not be big, they will be relatively close together. Take your time and get a little closer when in doubt, if nothing else, you will learn a lot from watching them and how they react to wind, sound, other bears etc.

Good luck and safe hunting this spring.

RO

[RiverOtter]

the bears start coming out with the warm weather. i look for green patches and go from there, i find the sows with cubs start showing first, the bigger ones seem to come out latter, but if you want the hide don't leave it to long , they start rubbing their winter hair off as soon as it get's hot

I have found just the opposite, as I start cutting good tracks already in March, before the snow has gone and long before green up. Tracks are where you find them though and usually just coming out of the timber, across a road and back into the timber. The bigger dominant boars come out early and still have plenty of fat left over from winter. The younger boars are up fairly early too, but they are skinny and looking for food, a late spring can often spell the end for smaller bears that get run off the better feed areas. I don't see sows with first year cubs until much later, after the second year cubs and mothers make their appearance.

RO