Grizz draw 5-15 A help

[pupper]

Hey guys, I got drawn for the Quesnel highlands in 5-15 A from April -june

I was wondering if anyone has had some success in this area and knows some places to start scouting. What is the grizz population like in this area? is it mostly public land? will I need to travel on boat? WHen does the snow melt in this area?

[dana]

I'd focus up the Mackay River if I had that draw.

[pupper]

thanks alot Dana! Ill check it out on Google earth

[dana]

As for your other questions, I don't think that subunit includes the big lakes, so you won't need a boat. You might need a good rubber raft or canoe depending on how bad the spring run off is when you are in there. Like most units, it doesn't melt out until well into May. A beater sled or quad with winch and chains might get ya in earlier. I don't know if any road systems in there have seen winter logging this year, probably not given the state of the industry right now. Access will be the classic dirt for 2 kms, 500m of deep snow and then dirt again. Sometimes a beater sled is your best bet as riding on dirt might not be too enjoyable on a good sled. ;) That area is in the Interior Wetbelt, so it sees a lot of rain and the area is prone to slides. Many roads are only passable by walking or some serious quad work.

[allykatt]

Like Dana said there will be lots of snow I worked up the Mackay until the middle of jan and we had well over 7 feet down in the bottom of the valley.Also keep in mind that the Eureka side of the valley is closed to motor vehices past the 1500m mark. You can use sleds till the end of april.

[srupp]

I guided up there for G bear..

LOTS of snow up there LOTS..

Steven

[dana]

Steven,
Is it possible to hunt grizz early near timberline with snowshoes? I've heard stories of guys doing this in these heavy snowbelt areas. They sled as high as they can get, then start out on snowshoes and glass up lone grizz tracks that are emerging from their highcountry dens and then get on the track and follow it until they catch up with the bear. Always wondered if these are just folklore stories or if it is possible to hunt G bears this way.

[The MAN]

Why would you put in for a draw when you don't even know the area? Thats a tough hunt but good luck, hopefully you get a big boar!

[jessbennett]

Why would you put in for a draw when you don't even know the area? Thats a tough hunt but good luck, hopefully you get a big boar!


why not???? get someone out and learn some more country. thats half the fun dont you think???? :-?:-|

[srupp]

Dana..usually not done like that...BUT that being said I have in fact been in on one that does break "the rules"

These big bears den up high , the more experienced bears..ie older bears have a much better idea of where to den...a great denning site does not get early melt water running into it..a good choice will also have snow at that level but green somewhere else..on the coast that will involve a tidal flat..yet the Kwatna bay bears actually do stop of by the west side of and north edge of Kwatna Lake ..why? FOOD there are some very reliable slides there that allow the bears to do some chowing..then they head straight down to food central...the tidal flats..and river banks

Now the Cariboo highlands are different in that the bears also den up high and come down to food also ...however the only food that is available is slides..there are no "other sources" but one thing must be done by all bears...remove that solid "plug" lodged in their lower ...very lower digestive tract..this is accomplished with lots of water and 2 main sources of food..fiddleheads and skunk cabbage.. the combination is er explosive..:roll:
Dana is absolutely right the HARDEST part is the access.., exactly open road or trail then deep deep snow ..then open..we have usually resorted to dog sleds or ATVS in the middle of the nights when the snow surface is hardened up ....travel when the wolves do...
We have seen bears coming DOWN out of the snow fields...and playing on the edges of the snow but my experience has been that after 6 months of no food..once out its a bee line for the grub.

I have many times followed grizzly tracks back UP into the snow and found dens the tracks do not meander, or wander the head down and towards water and slides..
For the areas that have steep south facing exposure these slides are a 100% guarantee to find grizzilies working them. If there are not steep slides then water courses rivers and lakes where it opens up by big openeings and winds effects also strip the snow covering.

If it were me and my draw was the cariboo mts..and I had never been there I would look for the slides..Google works better than anyone could ever imagine:wink: ALL bear hunters should be using this tool.
Then I would be looking at accessing these slide areas...trails or rds are your best bet try to saty out from among the trees..pretty tough going..

Then watch these slides KEEPING THE WIND AND THERMALS always in mind the wind must be blowing from the slides to you or away from the slides...the thermals are the daily changes in temp.. at approx 10 am the air heats up and your scent goes uphill ..later in the afternoon the thermals switch and the colder air "sinks" and comes down off the slides.

These bears WILL BE somewhere very close on the slides tucked into a shadey hidden nook where they rely on their noses wind AND thermals to give them advance notice of humans as they dont really have any other enemies..
Once a grizzly has been alerted to your presence in these slides, its over they will move or turn nocturnal(night feeding)
On some hunts we have been kept out of a special slide for days due to winds..thermals are easy to deal with in early...glass..then leave back in the afternoon once the thermals have switched..glass till DARK out via flashlight.

Its pretty hard to intercept grizzlies on the way down to the food source I have seen them but from such a distance to make an interception not possible...a much better plan is to wait for them at their food source when they are busy and preocupied eating.

Cariboo mts also have plenty of cutblocks that break up sooner than surrounding areas..and greens appear and draw bears in...


cheers

Steven

[dana]

Steven,
The reason I asked is years ago one of Maitland's guides told me this is how they got the big boars in that area. I thought it was a line of BS and then several years later I was told that same story of guys doing this in the Seymour area of the Shuswap. Since I ain't never drawn a spring tag, I wondered if it was possible.

[jessbennett]

Steven,
The reason I asked is years ago one of Maitland's guides told me this is how they got the big boars in that area. I thought it was a line of BS and then several years later I was told that same story of guys doing this in the Seymour area of the Shuswap. Since I ain't never drawn a spring tag, I wondered if it was possible.


was his name leo?? i have heard the same thing from him.... he guides for eureka as well.

[srupp]

In "learning " Grizzly hunting and guiding from Betty Franks, Clayton Mack, Bob Kopp,and others..in spring when their coats are long and warm they "may " spend some time on the snow simmilar to caribou..but in my experience in both the coastal area and the quesnel highlands and yes lol even down in Maitlands area find the food ..ya find the bears...

I have a video from Alaska of them hunting sleeping bears up in the open snow amongst the alders brush basically out in the open on the slopes however that is not the process we use locally..

cheers
Steven

[wlbc]

Lot of snow there this winter. A couple of guys I work with were skiing up near Eureka peak about 3 weeks ago, they poked down 3 meters and didn't find bottom.

Some some good size tracks when I was walking a couple of blocks in the Mackay last spring. And I was the slowest guy in the group. :-)

[srupp]

Chris this is THE HIGHEST snow pack in that area in 25 years...bloody amazing .....from 15 kilometers east of Likely and West it is awesome snow..but that will help the grizzly hunters as ONLY the slides will show green=food ..making locating a g-bear much much easier.

Steven

[mark]

Hey Steve man, what about green grass and dandilions??? Ive seen grizz eating that stuff out that way before, and been told that is the first stuff they eat out of the den???

Also Pupper, I know 2 people that have had that draw, they both saw grizz right from the truck!! (BTW, thats where I applied also :mad: )

[srupp]

Yes bears eat dandilions and grass..the secret to grass is the nutrients found in grass are found in the fresh 'LIGHT COLORED " Grasses..and the bears follow this fresh grass up the slopes as it sprouts..

The caribou mts have lots of bears and some of them are huge... and lots are the wonderfully colored silvertips..

steven

[srupp]

YAWWWWWWNNNNNN well after a 15 hour nite shift I took my wife Susan for Timmies :roll:...

Anyhow we met one of Maitlands guides...so I asked him about their Grizzly hunting..and the "conversation " on this site..I admit I dont know everything about grizzlies and this seemed a"new" way to hunt them???

Well I was reasurred that the way we hunt them is the exact same way they hunt them.. on the slides...on the food..

Just thought I would pass this along....

G'nite..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

stevennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[pupper]

Thanks for the great info, I have been looking at google earth for slides and will begin to plan out some routes.

Do you really think I need a sled? Will a quad not be enough in this region?

[tufferthandug]

I was up in Wells last week and there is a HUGE amount of snow up there this year! Weather depending, a sled may be your only choice for the next few months. It would be nice to bring both a quad and sled...

Here's a guage of what the roads look like up there in the spring. This is Cariboo Mountain, May 29 2006. Similar snow pack, a little less snow than this year.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/tufferthandug/YankeeTuesday017.jpg

[dana]

Tuffer,
Were you able to pull a Grizzwald tag this spring? Nada for me this year. Guess I'll just have to focus on the Blackies instead.

[pupper]

Just to revisit this thread, I appreciate the help and direction from Dana, and Srupp.

I am going up to Horsefly on on friday to hunt for grizzly so any help would be welcomed. I wonder if anyone has been in 5-15a recently and has seen any promising sign?

[shortroot]

Pupper,

We were out and about on Sunday. Saw 7 blacks, but no grizz. Still a lot of snow up high. McKay has a ton of snow still. South slopes are bared off good. Need some rain and warm weather to finish melting some of the slides and roads. The 500 road was greening up nicely, but the south side is out of 5-15.

Most of the upper end was still brown and under snow, definately bears out and about, but it was a quick scout trip for us. We covered a lot of ground to figure out where we want to go and camp in a bit. The 100rd is open all the way to 3km on the Eureka. Could only go about 2km up the 100rd from the McKay Junction before too much snow.

Good luck, we may be back for a couple days this weekend.

[trapman]

Just returned from 5-15 D Still lots of snow hard to get to all the good areas . Not much for greening up yet . Saw 3 blackies 6 moose 78 deer and a fox but no sign of griz . Going to head back up on the 28 good luck

[srupp]

As I said earlier.its STILL got a hell of a lot of snow up there..BUT the GRIZZLIES ARE OUT...:biggrin: yes with my very own eyes.. more towards QUESNEL LAKE...

The problem is ACCESS..the bears are there...

Steven

[LYKTOHUNT]

I cant add much to this in terms of hunting Grizz as I can see there is alot of experience and wisdom being posted on here but I have been driving around some of the back roads in region 5 lately an d have found many of the higher roads hav e at least patches of snow you will not get through in a pickup, you might find a kilometer of passable road only to come around a corner and find 2-3 feet of soft snow

[allykatt]

Srupp have you ever seen snow like this around this area? We were fishing up the north arm on saterday and there is still close to 3 feet of snow on the east side of the lake.

[srupp]

yes believe it or not going back 15 years or so this was the NORM..lol the past decade have been low snow years the last 2 have been historically typical.
While WEST of the POND the snow levels were below average,,,,

This has always been the case in the QUESNEL HIGHLANDS...patches of snow and a km of open... still if you travel like the wolves at night its not too bad...:shock:

steven