Where'd the critters go?

[chandler]

I seemed to have a pretty populated spot picked out on the west side, south of Hwy 2, pretty much every day a bear or deer or both (even a cougar one day) would go by through about the end of June. But since then, maybe once a week at best. Did they run and hide when the temps went up? Will they come back? Is this typical? Any thoughts?

A spot about a mile away has stayed pretty popular with the deer, only seen a bear on that cam once though.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[boneaddict]

wolf 

[RadSav]

Berries are starting to rippen up.  In that area they very much follow the berries.   Or any change in feed for that matter.  Although if you see one cougar there are usually many more you don't see.  That could also effect the deer travel quite a bit in that area.

[chandler]

Thanks Rad....sounds reasonable, and hopeful...I saw a bunch of not-yet-ripe berries today when I went in, so hopefully they'll come in and the critters will come back.

[RadSav]

There are a lot of berries in that area.  Your area may have had a high concentration of what they needed earlier.  Does not mean they will return when the berries rippen as there may be a better concentration of that or another food source elsewhere.  And the high berries will sometimes stick around until after October 1.  I've taken bear up in that general area in six inches of snow and had the berry bushes still full of plump fruit.  So if you are waiting for them to come back down you might have to wait a good long time.

Try to think like the quarry you are after.  Think of what is on the menu now and where you would go from here to get it.  Terrain, people, traffic, proximity, etc, etc, etc.  I feel it is better to hunt where they are right now than to take your chances on where they will be later.  In that area you shouldn't have to go too far to find them.

Good luck and keep my posted.  I'd very much like to find out how things turn out for you.