Bear Question

[G.A.]

so im invited out for a day hunt on saturday, question is...is it worth hiking high yet, like alpine elevations. im new to this but everything ive read up to now has been to stay lower..obviously for grasses an so on. ive been taken up higher on previous trips and just feel im wasting my time up there with all the brown.
i know it sbeen getting greener as the season goes but do you think its worth the hike yet?. my self i dont think it worth it yet....but im still a noob.. i dont drive so im at the mercy of the people that are kind enough to take me out, but im almost thinking of taking a pass on this one, i only have 1 or maybe 2 outtings let that i can afford to do an want them to be better odds than just driving or quading and hiking up.
im also leaning to go to boston bar area. done so much local fraser valley stuff and 2 signs of poo so far, just way to bussy down here to be worth the effort i feel

[Wild one]

Follow the food I find sticking to the elevation that is just starting to green up to a respectable level. No food I find they head lower too much food they spread out. Key in around water even more so in areas lacking water

Myself I would stay out of Boston bar and any other popularly mentioned area. If you keep hearing the same areas from multiple people it means it sees high pressure. Yes there are bears in these areas but because of the pressure they will be more spooky. I find going into the areas not talked about I find more bears that are less spooky.

I find the bear hunting pressure is really minimal once you get past Lytton

[G.A.]

kinda same how i felt, no green up there to me is a waste of a hike, ive even been taken up there a month ago in heavy snow..i just didnt understand that thinking...lol
ya im on the fence about boston bar area, i know its hunted hard. just its close..but not..lol. id love to get further, wished i had a day or 2 more on my weekend hunt. right when i find the honey hole its time to come home...lol..oh well.
if this fails again im hitting my local bow only spot, trying for a week on my own in the bush.

[srupp]

no food no bears..nothing in alpine I was there try down where their food is..Stteven

[warnniklz]

Not sure about the coast. But last weekend in the interior, I seen more bears up "higher" than I did lower(surprising to me). But I've been seeing lots of bears down low up near Terrace here.

[Steeleco]

All the bears I saw over the long weekend were higher than 4000' lots food at all levels!!

[G.A.]

thx for the info guys

[RayHill]

In the LML. They are higher from what I have see also. Hunted all morning down low, nothing. Went up top and had them running on the road.

[Colinofthewoods]

Bear or no bear, you will probably have more fun searching up high than down low. Thats how I do it, but then again I havent cut a tag yet...

[G.A.]

im going with they are all over then. ive yet to see any sign up higher in fraser valley...and my sign on long weekend was also lower...lol now seeing some say they saw up, ill go with they are all over now...or at least started their way back up with the feed


now its looking sat is out..for me anyways, not to keen on hiking and being in the rain all day. working on a sunday trip out of town now...still not 100% where yet

[elitehuntergreg]

I have been seeing 5-8 bear every night and it is at about 2400 ft elevation. fairly high and if you can find a logging road with green grass to walk down you are set.! good luck

[G.A.]

2400..ok..for me i dont call that to high..for my locations ive been to, think even my local hike place is about 2000 foot, so far for me most the...good sign has been in the trees with grass. and specificly aspen tree, havent seen any skunk cabbage patches even touched on any ive found. was told thats usualy one of the firt they go for..and the grasses. havent seen that yet


actualy just looked up my local hike spot and its at 3400 foot. last time i was there it had snow mainly in the shade areas but was still about 3 foot..this was about 2 weeks ago

[hunter1947]

Bears always like the new greens stay low and you will do good..

[G.A.]

are they keen on the burn blocks as deer are for more nutrient rich feed?.

[warnniklz]

are they keen on the burn blocks as deer are for more nutrient rich feed?.

Only if it's an easy target. Chasing critters burns fat that they need for winter. Not saying they won't chase critters, but if they don't have to.

Burns tend to supply fresh plant shoots and new growth grass, which makes them a good spot to check for bears. Also easier pickins for grubs that are high protein content.

[G.A.]

easy target?..and chasing critters burning fat?...kinda lost me what that means if they feed in burn blocks

[Fella]

I think he meant they are opportunistic. MOstly eating things that either don't move or don't require them to work too hard to catch ie. fawns, wounded critters, bugs etc

[G.A.]

ok..maybe i didnt ask right either...was meaning would they preffer a burn block over a cut block for the nutrient rich reasoning for the grasses an so on...like the deer like them more than a reg block

just feels like im doing something wrong with being out every weekend since opening day and only had 1 actual bear sighting, and minimal signs till this recent long weekend, so far from tips here and another place im doing and going to the area that are recomended....getting frustrating....and expensive....lol

[Fella]

I'm no expert but everything I've read suggests cut blocks that are a couple years old due to the growth that's happening, so I guess you could translate that into any open area that has all sorts of tender green things growing, and old logs full of ants and the like.

[Wild one]

Find an old washed out road where the bends or landings now grow large grass patches and if there is a a water source near by even better. I find 99% of the time a bear or bears will be using locations like this. If the washout is too much for an ATV even better. This gives them a peaceful area to feed and most often thick bush near by to bed in and most bear hunters are too lazy to walk into these areas.

I get a lot better results hunting areas like this over clear cuts and often find larger bears hiding in these areas. Yes you can find bears in clear cuts but I much prefer smaller feeding areas out of the way. Out of all the black bear kills I have been on only 3 I can think of were in clear cuts and were bears taken well heading to other locations.

They are creatures of habit so if you find good sign of a bear using the area it will most often return and most likely in the last few hours of light

You mentioned using a bow well it is a pain in the arse stalking into bow range on bears in clear cuts because of all the dead branches which is another reason I don't target clear cuts as much. It can still be done but the crap in clear cuts makes it harder to be silent.

[Jtt]

how do you start a new thread on here? I'm new on here and have some bear questions myself. Thanks

[olympia]

how do you start a new thread on here? I'm new on here and have some bear questions myself. Thanks

click the tab at the top of the page that says "forum" and underneath it hit "start new thread" you will see it at the top of the page on the left side of screen.

[HarryToolips]

Look for green stuff and you'll find em..I've been seein bear crap at high elevations now too...

[G.A.]

ok its sounding like im looking and going to the right areas, and the only thing i havent been able to do is push it to the dark time or end of day..and when i have i think was just still to early in the season.
and with the bow shooting, i only do that if im on my own, or if the opportunity presented itself to use it, so far with my hunting partner ive had his 30-06, did my pal just havent sent it in. went through the noise thing lat fall in crunchy snow for deer. bit my butt to...lol
if i was going to do the bow hunt id be sitting somewhere and not doing the road hunt style i think

[Wild one]

ok its sounding like im looking and going to the right areas, and the only thing i havent been able to do is push it to the dark time or end of day..and when i have i think was just still to early in the season.
and with the bow shooting, i only do that if im on my own, or if the opportunity presented itself to use it, so far with my hunting partner ive had his 30-06, did my pal just havent sent it in. went through the noise thing lat fall in crunchy snow for deer. bit my butt to...lol
if i was going to do the bow hunt id be sitting somewhere and not doing the road hunt style i think

Even with the rifle if you are in popular areas they will be less alert if you are on foot. Just ask your self would you like to see 5+ bears run away or 1 that stays still for a shot? Plus with gas prices road hunting is getting expensive

Missing out on last light hunting black bear is like shooting your self in the foot. This is very true in region 2 as I rarely see bears before the last 4 hours of light. Other regions I hunt I do see them all hours of the day

As long as you are enjoying your self hunt how ever you please though

[BCKyle]

I can't say based on experience actually bear hunting (this is my first year) but I will be looking long and hard at fresh burns... experience working in the bush tells me that some of the greenest healthiest looking fresh growth pops up in the burns. Really noticeable in cutblocks where you see the difference from the general block and the growth in the burn piles. Like little green ponds in the middle of grey and brown when seen from a heli. Whether the stuff that grows healthy in the burns is stuff that bears like or not... I'll be learning that this year I guess.

Good luck!

[hunter1947]

are they keen on the burn blocks as deer are for more nutrient rich feed?.


Yep you got it..

[G.A.]

Even with the rifle if you are in popular areas they will be less alert if you are on foot. Just ask your self would you like to see 5+ bears run away or 1 that stays still for a shot? Plus with gas prices road hunting is getting expensive

Missing out on last light hunting black bear is like shooting your self in the foot. This is very true in region 2 as I rarely see bears before the last 4 hours of light. Other regions I hunt I do see them all hours of the day

As long as you are enjoying your self hunt how ever you please though

would be nice to have my own wheel so my outtings are at others decisions for when and wheres. beats sitting at home watching opra, and being new im learning stuff everytime im out.

getting picked up tonight after buddy is off work and we leave in the morning for a day outting, see how it goes this time. i got duct tape this time to....no leaving before dark...lol

[G.A.]

Yep you got it..

ok thx, knew it was hi in nitrogen from the excess carbon from the fire

[G.A.]

well skunked again...lol. went with one buddy for a day trip local and still snow where he wanted to take me, so back don and to the green stuff and again, not 1 track. tons of deer, again..so my hunting partner shows up wher we were trying and the first guy had things to do so i jumped in the jeep with my other buddy and headed further out of town. was sorta worth it to. lots of bear sign, just no bear. but was about 3 or 4 on 1 road then next road off main had close to 10 poops on it...old and new. i shared some of them in the vid clip.,...oh well. we may head back to this newer place we saw all the poop and try again.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrSfF5vpca4

[Dour]

Bostan bar or westherrison fsr top by loggers dock. Take all side roads you will get one and you can stop at the hot springs

[G.A.]

done harrison..same thing..to many off roaders and target shooting and just general to bussy with non hunters...and hunters. saw 1 pooh in 4 diff trips out to 20 mile bay