Black Bear Hunt Need Ideas/Help

[Camp Cook]

I was out the last 6 days with my 3 year old son black bear hunting/fishing/camping on the second day I saw the largest extremely fresh bear scat pile that I had seen in a long time figured it had to be a grizzly so started being a little more bear aware.

The next morning we road our quad over into a new area basically the ridges of the logging cuts are sub-alpine that I hadn't been in before and there standing perfectly broadside to us @ 437 yards was the largest (had to be close to 7 feet) once in a life time red/cinnamon colour phaze black bear that I had ever seen I mean I had to look a few times to make sure it wasn't a grizzly.

After deciding due to the wind conditions not to shoot and after it started running up the cut I buzzed around to get above it but the road ended I jumped off the quad to do a 100 yard dash to where I could take a shot when I looked back at my son and he was standing beside the quad crying his eyes out so I immediately stopped and went back to him.

I spent the next few days hunting that area looking for that bear again without any luck but having the little guy with me made it tough to do much...

Black bears are something that I deal with a lot but I do not hunt them much so don't really know their behaviours here is my questions...

The bear was standing in the middle of the lushes green growth on the entire side of the Mtn there is only one other spot like this that I know of on those ridges.

How would you guys hunt this bear or will it even be on the same ridges?

What is the home range for a fully mature bear like this could it be on the other side of the Mtn by now?

If I can pull it off I am trying to get back up there late Sunday night for Monday/Tuesday to look for this bear again but this time my little guy is staying home so I can really hunt the area.

Thanks for any help/thoughts... :-D

[bigwhiteys]

How would you guys hunt this bear or will it even be on the same ridges?

I've been in the same situation with a great big boar on the Island... I went after him several weekends in a row, same spot and he was there every time. Wind screwed me on the only good stalking opportunity I had... Then one of the outfitters guides took the bear with a client.

If it were me, I'd be back there and prepared to sit for days if need be... That is if you really want this bear!

Carl

[bruin]

Pretty good chance he'll be in the same area as Carl said. But, remember that the rut is still on and the boars will be travelling so you may have to wait a few days to see him again. Also, if he's found himself a sow he may be tucked into a corner somewhere. Also, if he was spooked pretty hard it may be some time before he shows himself again. Was there much sign in the area? Broken trees, scat, feeding, did you see any bear trails to and from the area? If not, he may have just been passing through. If so, he'll be back. I would hunt the surrounding roads and slashes and be sure to stay off his main food source (avoid spreading scent)(have you actually gone into his main feeding area?), just watch it from a distance. I know that where I hunt you may only see a big/old/smart bear like that once or twice a season. Its hard to predict without being able to look at the area.

[Camp Cook]

I don't think he was that spooked and I didn't go closer than 300 yards of where he was standing I now know the lay of the area very well and the cuts are huge going right over the top and down the other side.

There was very little scat from any bear let alone this one but like I said he was in the middle of the lushes/wettest 100 yard spot on that side of the ridge and there was only one other spot which was only a mile or so away over and down the other side of the ridge from this spot and very close to the huge pile of scat I had seen earlier that was lush like this one.

[bighornbob]

Early in the season the big boys will stay on a food source. But since the rut is in full force now he will wander around. All the big boars I have ever seen were always in the last week of may/first week of June and they were never seen again. They are looking for sows and will wander until they find one. Once found they will hole up with her for a few days. Then its on to the next sow. Obviuosly you found his home range but how big it is, is anyones question.

Just this past weekend I found a big boar following a big sow in a older burn area. I spotted them from about 1km away and I tried to get close but there were no roads to get me anywhere close. I watched as the sow led him up and over the hill. It would have been a 2 hour hike just to get to them and by then you have no clue where they went. Thats the game at this time of year.

BHB

[gutpile]

Tell me which mountian he's on than i can help you find him. :-D

[Mr. Dean]

All I can say, is; hunt the shit out of the area you've seen him in. If it turns out he's chasing sows (gone), revisit it next spring, perhaps before the love hormones get vamped up - I have found that matures are very reliable in their 'seasonal' movements and can usually find them in the same areas, as the year before (until they get "pushed" out by another dominant or killed by a G/O). If the feed resource is as you say (lush and localized), he'll be there next spring.

[Camp Cook]

Tell me which mountian he's on than i can help you find him. :-D

Good try but not going to happen... :mrgreen:

Here is the main reason there were tons of mule deer bucks and even more does even saw 3 bull moose as well and very little sign that many hunters go into this area so I'll be heading back in this fall for an opening morning deer hunt...

Not even going to tell my best friends exactly where this place is especially after last year when a bud snuck into my honey hole for blacktail I had worked on that area for 2 months and when the rut happened and I finally let slip where the spot was he went in the next morning and scooped me on 1 of the biggest blacktails I have ever seen he then went back in the next day with another fellow he knows and shot another one that was just as big.

[Gateholio]

Big boars don't spook. Sure, they will run away at first, but then they remember they are the baddest dude in the valley, and wonder why they ran in the first place. He'll be back...Although as others have stated, the rut is on, and he might have just been stocking up on groceries before chasing some more sows...

best bet is to keep hunting the area. Bear hunting in the Lower Mainland hasn't been easy this year, although to be honest I haven't put a real effort into it. Lots of vegetation, they aren't confined to small food sources this year...

[srupp]

get "close " to that area , then DITCH the quad..and unfortunatley the youngster will have to stay @ home..


Watch the wind, use complete camo..even hands and face..hunt that area lots..again being careful of wind and thermals..

The bear will be back... I really dont see blacks leaving a good nutricious food source...hit the area... slowly check the area out leaving that last hour sitting glassing that food source..

I have seen bears hit a area for 10 days before moving higher to greener pastures..

good luck

Srupp:-D

[Camp Cook]

It will be a while still before it greens up any higher I was on the tops of the ridges already and the next ridges up still had snow or it had just melted off.

Thanks for the ideas I have another question are there sow in heat scents available?

[BiG Boar]

It will be a while still before it greens up any higher I was on the tops of the ridges already and the next ridges up still had snow or it had just melted off.

Thanks for the ideas I have another question are there sow in heat scents available?



Bait - means anything, including meat, cereals,
cultivated crops, restrained animal or any
manufactured product or material, that may
attract wildlife and includes plastic or other
imitation foods, but does not include a decoy
as described under these regulations.

They sell it at wholesale sports though. Which dont make a whole lot of scents.

[BiG Boar]

However I would hike in for 10 minutes as they do spook with the sound of a quad. Then just sit and spot for the last 3 -4 hours of light. He WILL be back.

[835]

They sell it at wholesale sports though. Which dont make a whole lot of scents.


ahh ha Scents.... sense :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Camp Cook]

Was just talking with the wife sounds like she is going to call the baby sitter for Monday/Tuesday next week so it's a go... :D

I have my house up for sale and selling it privately, I'm holding an open house this Sunday afternoon so can't leave until after its over.

Weird feeling I'm having right now I have never intentionally targeted a trophy black bear before.

I'm taking either my 300RUM with 200gr Accubonds @ 3200fps or my 375RUM with 260gr Accubonds @ 3020fps and both of these rifles/loads have been worked on/shot enough to accurately reach out to my personal limit of 500 yards and yes of course only if conditions are perfect enough to warrant a shot at those kinds of distances.