Bear Behaviour Question

[7mmWSM]

We were out bear hunting in Reg. 3 last weekend, and thought we had the timing worked out on snow cover versus green growth etc. This was not the case, and we spent three days with sightings of only 4 bears, none of which were any older than 2 years old. Next too no sign on the roads, clear cuts either. We tried to get as high as we could, figuring the bears were following the snowline back up, but even up high we saw very little sign.

3,500ft – everything very green and growing, no sign
4,500ft – sparse green with a tiny bit of sign
5,500 ft – snowline, no green.


Question is – when things are greening up substantially at lower elevations, do the bears hang out down low, but spread out into the timber and thus are not concentrated and harder to find? Or do they follow the snow up and stay as high as possible?

Any input from the seasoned bear hunters is appreciated…

[horshur]

dominant bears get to choose....big bear right now would be thinking some young venison would offset his palate nicely. Deer will be fawning now.

[dana]

Worst week to hunt mature bears is the week after the long weekend. With deer fawns and moose calves dropping mature bears hit the timber and hunt for a solid week or more. After that they will have their bellies full and will start covering a ton of ground looking for a sow in heat. I've found the time to kill a big boar is the very end of May and the first couple weeks of June. You normally have to cover a lot ground as they are making big moves. I've seen some boars cover 30-40 kms in a day.

[7mmWSM]

Dana - that's interesting. So finding big boars in heat is more about finding the sows they are chasing correct? And sows are still working the green stuff? Up high?

[dana]

It isn't like deer hunting during the rut, sitting on does waiting for a buck to show up. Sows are solitary as they have kicked out their full grown cubs within the last few weeks. The bear rut is a fairly long process. They mate for upwards of 3 days. And most of the time this is in the timber away from prying eyes. If you found a dry sow there is no way to tell that she has been bred already so there would be no point on waiting for a boar to show up. The best way to find the big boars is to cover a ton of ground. Like it or not, road hunting is the best method to get that accomplished. And it just is a matter of timing. With a lot of green they aren't held to one spot. The only bears that you will see still hanging out in the same spots again and again are young kickouts or sows with cubs.

[bighornbob]

Following the green is tough especially later on. Early on the roads, slides and opening are the only real spots that green up fast so that's why they are productive. But as it gets into the season the greens start growing in the timber opening etc. So the bears can still be down low they are just avoiding the real open busy areas because they can. There is now food in the private areas. Same reason why its tougher to find them in the fall, food sources are plentiful and they don't have to feed in a ditch along the road. BHB

[dana]

Elevation doesn't play much of a roll in where a bear lives. Only in the early spring, as bears wake up, they will head down to where they hit the first green. In late March and early April I've seen bear tracks in the snow go down down down until they find some green to hold them. As the sumer progresses and they move off of green and onto berries, some will follow the berry crop back up the mountain and will den high in the late fall. Other bears spend the entire summer low and den low. The low bears are the ones you normally see first in the spring.

[G.A.]

ive noticed my last trip any eaten grasses on road sides was just below snow line, nothing was touched down low and nothing up in snow

[BlacktailStalker]

Only certain foods grow at certain elevations. Bears will browse if they have to but they target specific foods and they know when/where to find them.
The bigger the bear, the farther they will travel. You can cover a million miles of lush green veg just to see two bears in a 20 yard patch of something specific. And usually one of those bears has a vagina :lol:

[G.A.]

in my reading researchers say a boar travels 150 mile sq...sow is onl 10 to 15mile sq

i was also told by many their usual first food is skunk cabbage..in all the patches ive seen not once have i seen any of it touched

[dana]

Skunk cabbage only occurs in wet microsites in certain Biogeo zones. It doesn't occur in many areas where bears live. Where it does occur, bears hit it first as it helps to blow the plug out. In non-cabbage areas, they hit different veg that does the same thing.

[dana]

In April and Early to Mid May many bears hit roadsides due to the simple fact they are good eats. Our current forestry practices have road sides and landing and skid trails grass seeded for erosion control. Some of the grass seed mix has clover and other yummy eats that bears like. And because roadsides are openings, they get good sunlight and see early melt. Thus the reason the bears flock to them early. As others have said, as the spring progresses, other greens and good eats start growing within the timber and you see less and less bears on roadsides. During the rut however, boars travel long distances using the path of least resistance, ie roads.

[7mmWSM]

All good info guys. Dana - I've heard the same thing about skunk cabbage blowing the plugs out. What other vegetation does that? I've heard fiddleheads?

[dana]

Yes, I've heard fiddleheads do indeed do the same thing as cabbage. I'm sure there are many plants that are in the list. When you look at the grand scheme black bears have one of the largest distributions of any mammal in North America. From the tundra to the desert and coast to coast. They have the most diverse diet as well. They can pretty much eat anything. Each individual area and each individual bear will see a variety of different feed.

[G.A.]

Skunk cabbage only occurs in wet microsites in certain Biogeo zones. It doesn't occur in many areas where bears live. Where it does occur, bears hit it first as it helps to blow the plug out. In non-cabbage areas, they hit different veg that does the same thing.

ya i get that it grows in certain areas..been patches at every single location ive hunted..in patche. and not 1 has been touched...that i saw. most everything else was still brown a ive been at this since opening day, i mention it cause that was ll that was there for food and nothing had been touched.

[dana]

I've only caught bears on skunk cabbage when they are just waking up. I don't think they really hit it hard as a food source but rather as ruffage to blow that plug out. From what I've seen it is the yellow flower that gets munched on more than the leaf.

[G.A.]

ok i was wondering what part they ate..i still saw full plants. one site even had a scat right at it but nothing had been touched

[srupp]

fiddleheads are also used..same as the cabbage to remove the fecal plug..the fiddleheads are a bit more effective...

steven

[aggiehunter]

I can't argue with Dana's findings but will add this....I do mostly video of bears while my buddy hunts and eats them...what we have found year after year in our area is that like clockwork the bears wll be in the exact same spots that we saw them for years...Saturday we saw 3 dif bears in the same little green spots that we visit..for...ouch....over 30 years....now even with the wind right we were not lucky that day...I will add that as we live in a semi-desert clime that the green spots may not be as abundant as in other regions. They aren't like whities but try finding some...marking the dates....like late May....then go back year after year...you might just be surprised..

[Good2bCanadian]

Great points everyone!

[boxhitch]

What other vegetation does that?Read that the lush moist young shoots of a variety of plants works. tender vittles with lots of juice to wake up the hole tract.

[Mr. Dean]

I can't argue with Dana's findings but will add this....I do mostly video of bears while my buddy hunts and eats them...what we have found year after year in our area is that like clockwork the bears wll be in the exact same spots that we saw them for years...Saturday we saw 3 dif bears in the same little green spots that we visit..for...ouch....over 30 years....now even with the wind right we were not lucky that day...I will add that as we live in a semi-desert clime that the green spots may not be as abundant as in other regions. They aren't like whities but try finding some...marking the dates....like late May....then go back year after year...you might just be surprised..I concur...

[hunter1947]

I find that the first week of June is a prim time to find a big boar in this area you saw very little the bears most might have been in the timber when you where there..