Bear Hunting

[bc_buckshot]

Well April 1 is not too far away for bear hunting.I have been on bike morning and night for the past 3 weekends looking for cats, and looking at later bear hunting areas. I have been watching the weather temperature, and now starting to see areas of fresh grass growing on the cut blocks. There has been a bunch of people saying bears are not hibernating because of the lack of snow and warmer weather, but i'm not sure about that.
I know you cannot harvest a bear until April 1, but there are already sign of the bears coming out of hibernation early. I have already seen tracks of bear. I have not seen one yet, maybe I just missed them. Has anyone seen bears already wondering around half asleep or is this year going to be an early year for the bears?

[Barracuda]

the bears are out and i have seen them first hand . really messing with the hounds and our minds.

[bc_buckshot]

yeah i have no luck either with my hounds. We have been going for cats and maybe they are picking up bear scents and messing up. If the weather starts acting up like this every year, and bears start coming out early, do you think they will open bear season early because of so many bear are out early and trying to cut the number of bears down. We all know they are just as bad as coyotes

[mcrae]

Be May before I can get at em here. The spring bear season can't come soon enough

[300win]

I hunt blackies on the island, they don't really go in to deep hybernation here. You usually don't see them in the cutblocks until the berries start coming out(end of May)!! Mind you this year that could be earlier than May???

[BromBones]

Low snow levels in my spring grizz area this year. May go up around the 25th of April.

[islander7mm]

I've been wondering as well if this is going to be an early spring this year. I'd love to bag a bear early this year. Keep in mind that this is a El Nino year and that the mild winter was expected. Just think about last year and how much that sucked. Hopefully there are no late season surprises and those bears will be out early.

[.303]

Rookie bear hunting question- not to hijack this thread - pretty much on the same lines......

If they come out early enough and the season starts April 1st....theoretically their fur should be in better shape than in other years when they come out at their usual time and there isn't much time in between then and the season start..correct?

[shadow1982]

From what i understand, when they come out of hybernation they have the best fur, usually it is silky smooth. but if they come out early, i dont know how smooth their fur is going to be.

[.330 Dakota]

If they come out early then you should go after them early-before they get rubbed and start losing fur..IMHO

[ratherbefishin]

I don't generally go out until the may holdiday weekend, but with the warmer spring expected, it might be better to go earlier this year

[835]

April 23, is when im going
Why then? because that is when my holidays allow me to! Cant wait, goin to Gold River with the boys to get out. I hope it all works out ( wife doesnt mind the meat) because i would love to have a new season to hunt.

[Caribou_lou]

I'll be out late april. Easier to find when theres no leaves and only a few good green patches.

[7mag700]

Anyone know roughly what it costs to get bear hams made and the rest rendered into lard?

7m7

Edit: I guess spring bear isn't the best for making lard, as they're low on fat reserves eh?

[Surrey Boy]

Yeah, but in most places we're allowed two, so if you're short on lard you're actually short on tags.

[7mag700]

That's good thinking right there :-D

7m7

[Stone Sheep Steve]

The two largest bears that we have shot in the spring had tonnes of fat. They may have had more in the late fall but there was certainly no shortage of fat on them in the spring.

SSS

[drivintrucks_shootinbucks]

i got a 6'5" blackie last spring and he had loads of fat on him. i wasnt expecting to see any but there was lots, so you may just get some good lard out of a spring bear. rendered bear fat is supposed to be the best waterproofing for boots, but i dont feel like getting chased around the block by every dog in the neighbourhood so i havent tried it lol

[gibblewabble]

I will be out on the first of the month with the boy tracking down his first bear.

[835]

40 more sleeps

[7mag700]

My aunt and uncle in Alberta raise wild boars. On our last trip out they gave us a bunch of meat (I have an awesome chop recipe I'll post later btw) and two tupperware containers of rendered lard.

My GF made pastry the other day with some of the lard and all I can say is Wow! If bear lard is supposed to be better than that then I've totally changed my mind about harvesting a bear or two this year.

7m7

[Surrey Boy]

My aunt and uncle in Alberta raise wild boars.

If they're farmed, what makes them wild? Is this a euphemism for disrespectful children?

[7mag700]

Razorbacks. Hogs with a rebellious streak? How about extremely-disrespectful-oinkers? Were-once-wild-but-now-domesticated-boars? Razor-toothed-bacon-on-the-hoof?

Speaking of which you should see the thickness of the leather boot my aunt was wearing that those tusks sliced through like butter. Wow those suckers are sharp!

Tasty buggers whatever they are.

7m7

Edit: Sorry for the hijack :-| Forget porcine, lets talk ursine!

[drivintrucks_shootinbucks]

Razorbacks. Hogs with a rebellious streak? How about extremely-disrespectful-oinkers? Were-once-wild-but-now-domesticated-boars? Razor-toothed-bacon-on-the-hoof?

Speaking of which you should see the thickness of the leather boot my aunt was wearing that those tusks sliced through like butter. Wow those suckers are sharp!

Tasty buggers whatever they are.

7m7

Edit: Sorry for the hijack :-| Forget porcine, lets talk ursine!

just wondering, do you aunt and uncle raise them for bowhunters to come hunt...i am thinking of making a trip to alberta for that hopefully this summer

[7mag700]

Definately not. Although they are raised for meat, my aunt treats them as pets. The ongoing charade my uncle has to play by is that they are 'going on a holiday' - it just happens to be one from which they don't return (at least not on the hoof). :mrgreen:

Again - sorry for the hijack.

7m7

[snareman1234]

I'm only taking my bow out this year for blackies!
hope to stick one!