Spring Bear

[electroman]

I don’t know about anyone else but I’m getting ancy waiting for the spring. Haven’t connected on a bear yet but I hope this is the year. I’ve heard some good things about Harrison but have only seen one bear on the west side and never had much of a chance before it ditched into some steep down hill bush.
I’ve heard some good things about east of Boston Bar and am looking forward to checking the area out. Is there any real strategy for black bear? Things to look for? I have read that road hunting is kind of the way to go because of the need to cover ground.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[308 win]

Road hunting does work for bear as long as they dont here ya coming ,drive slow alot of bears are shot on the road . best advise is good binos and glass alot . many hunters miss bears they dont glass the slashes enough and dont even no they are there. a visual in the binos then get the wind and stock him till you are close enough for a good field judge to see if he is big enough or not having a cub in the grass somewhere. many sows get shot by accident i no but thats just cause guys get excited and wana shoot to soon .

[NitwiT]

I'm looking forward to the spring as well, found a decent area that contains a fair amout of smaller bears, and well, I'm not picky. As to shows that get shot by accident, do you mean someone didn't see cubs? or should you ethicly wait till the bear rears up so you can see the udder carriage.. (ahah, get it?)

Mark

[KB90]

If you really want to get you your first bear, take a quick weekend trip a little further north.

In the month of May here in Quesnel I can go out on any day and see easily 10 or more bears a day.

It's a lot of fun, bears everywhere, pretty well a guarantee. I probably looked at well over 100 different bears last spring, just driving around, and I didn't get out a whole heck of a lot.

Whatever you do, ensure you get a good look at a bear on a road before you shoot, the last thing you want is a sow with cubs just off in the bush.

[Buck TraX]

Spent some time in boston bar this season ,its a good choice saw a few by chance while hunting deer.All the places i hunted had plenty of sign of very recent bear activity.Stumps torn apart an scat all over just gennerally tearing the hillsides up.This was in the fall ,not sure where to look in the spring ?just starting out for bears myself,but id suspect them to be hungary and feeding heavily!

[308 win]

KB90 is right mant times the cubs are playin in the ditch when she is walkin on the road , i have seen it my self .i no here on the island in heavy bear areas theres lots of sows around with cubs and they seem to be seen alot more during day hours just cause they feed more often then a male . just gota do your best to look around just watch them for a bit if you can .

[killer]

Electroman,come on over to the island there is enough bears over here for everyone .A usual day in the spring we see 10 to20 with a couple that would be shooters.We hunt all over nanaimo lakes , copper canyon which is by chemainus, horne lake produces well, mount arrowsmith,pretty much anywhere above campbell river .

[BromBones]

.This was in the fall ,not sure where to look in the spring ?just starting out for bears myself,but id suspect them to be hungary and feeding heavily!

Scout out your area and figure out the first areas to green up after the snow goes - south slopes or cut blocks, old skid trails, logging/spur roads, cut lines, anywhere the sun hits and gets the grass growing quick - the bears know these areas and will hit them year after year for their first spring feedings. Find green grass thats been chomped down flat, tracks, and shit, and work those areas. The last few hours of daylight are usually the most productive, but you can find them out at all hours of the day.

If a bear has just recently come ouf of his den, I find they usually don't feed too heavy for that first week or so, as their system is still getting back into the cycle. They'll feed a bit and go for a nap, then go for a crap, then probably another nap, then back to feeding. They are pretty groggy after coming out of the den and like their nap time.

Once they get the system back in order, they start stuffing their bellies and really feeding hard. On hot spring days, look for areas with lots of grass, evening shade, and a little water close by. Also higher elevation slopes as they like to get up in the breeze to stay cool.

Spend plenty of time glassing the slopes, bears are very easy to spot and a lot of fun to stalk.

[bsa30-06]

South facing slopes as they will green up the fastest and provide some good food,as said before watch carefully for cubs.If you find a bear feeding you will generally have ample time for glassing,so take your time have a good look.Hope this helps you,good luck.

[deeks1989]

In the spring time anywhere that has green usually will hold a bear. The pipe lines are good although I don't really shoot them on there just beacuse...I find clear cuts and slides with greenery has a lot of bears in the spring and then towards the fall they move to thicker areas to feed on berries... Make sure you do lots of glassing but as said above do not be afraid to rock the roads!
Here are some pics of bears in the spring on open green faces...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs505.snc3/26550_10150192623000425_651515424_12050153_4195905 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs485.ash1/26550_10150192777875425_651515424_12054464_7178106 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs485.snc3/26550_10150192777895425_651515424_12054467_1018951 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs549.snc3/30062_10150197823925425_651515424_12180895_1795251 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs549.snc3/30062_10150197823980425_651515424_12180902_3704813 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)

Hope you get a real dandy for your first!

[deeks1989]

Here are some more spring bear pics to get you pumped!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs284.snc3/27861_10150212353665425_651515424_12530985_3174594 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12050156&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs246.snc6/179408_10150396373695425_651515424_16613573_207817 2_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=10532913&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs015.snc3/12311_10150201721355425_651515424_12263226_1327522 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12263223&id=651515424)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs327.snc3/28961_10150207175520425_651515424_12387435_3594359 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12263223&id=651515424)

[Buck TraX]

This has been a great thread for the rookie bear hunter such as myself.Question for you guys, can you expeienced bear hunters tell a sow from a boar by sight after a while or do you always give it some time and wait to see if cubs come out

[killer]

You will have to watch for cubs unless the bear will let you climb underneath to look at the goods.There is no way to determine sex by just looking at them.Good luck in the spring.

[RJ]

Females look a little more "girly" :mrgreen:

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/education/huntered/bearbaiting/images/male_and_female_bears.jpg

[Buck TraX]

thanks to all for the info to all, iam counting the days!

[nano]

thanks to all for the info to all, iam counting the days!

Me to man!

[MooseWhacker]

Listen to KB90 if you want your bear.He's right on there's lots of them up here.

[Buck TraX]

Listen to KB90 if you want your bear.He's right on there's lots of them up here.

If i dident drive a 460ci f350 i would definatly cosider that, maybe for my 10 day trip come fall.

[electroman]

Thanks everyone. Some real good advice and tips. I did hear about the island being a bit of a hot spot for bear. The new job is 4 tens so weekend trips will not be an issue. Should be able to get in a coupple island trips this spring.Cant wait! Thanks for all the pics to, they will help keep me sane until spring.

[Dolomite]

If you really want to get you your first bear, take a quick weekend trip a little further north.

In the month of May here in Quesnel I can go out on any day and see easily 10 or more bears a day.

It's a lot of fun, bears everywhere, pretty well a guarantee. I probably looked at well over 100 different bears last spring, just driving around, and I didn't get out a whole heck of a lot.

Whatever you do, ensure you get a good look at a bear on a road before you shoot, the last thing you want is a sow with cubs just off in the bush.

Can't wait for the spring. My buddy got a bear last season and thats got me ready to go this season.

Hey KB90, if I'm willing to drive up to Quesnel (from the lower mainland), are you will to show someone around a bit?

[835]

71 sleeps to go!

My own personal bear hunting tip,,,,, Think of somewhere new you would like to see and go hunt bears there. If you see no bears you would at least see new country!

[BigfishCanada]

Guys tons of bear at my cabins near kamloops, Ill point you in the direction of where you will see some.

In fact, last years 4 point was small for me so I didnt get any sausage, this sprinig we are bagging a couple, looking forward to it myself!

You can ad me to your facebook or view some videos on bclakefronts.com

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/British-Columbia-Canada-lakefront-Cabins-near-Kamloops/145712506522

[Dolomite]

hey Bigfish, where abouts near kamloops are the cabins?

I've got access to a cabin on Lac LeJeune and it would be great to head up there this spring for the bear hunt. Any hints on where the bears are hanging out? I've spent quite a bit of time in 3-19 and only seen one small cub.