Hunting Methods

[jgoetz]

I have a question for some of the members that are far more experienced than myself at the art of bear hunting.  I now have 1 season of bear hunting under my belt.  From the many hours I spent reading over the forum and what other information I could find and the hours of scouting I think I found some pretty decent spots for hunting bears.  Plenty of bear sign in the areas I was in.  Plenty of really fresh sign as well.  But I never had the opprotunity to lay eyes on a bear.  I was doing mainly evening hunts.  I hunted mainly the first part of the season.  I hunted until early September.  Unfortanetly, a car wreck put a halt to the rest of the season for me.

I was wondering what the chances of success would be for a slow hike type hunt.  Instead of sitting on a clearing for hours just slowly walk along the clearcuts and grassy meadows.  Any thoughts?  Or do I run more of a risk of spooking them off before I would ever get into range/sight distance/smell distance?

Thanks for the help.

[D-Rock425]

I normally kill all my bears well walking stop at a good veiw point and glass for a while then move on to the next.

[saylean]

Thats usually how i hunt them...walk slow along roads, lookin down into cuts/meadows...calling...rarely do I ever glass for hours anywhere for bear.

Hunt how you're comfortable....success will come.

[boneaddict]

Thats how I always hunt now that hounds are out.

[WilliamIV]

I usually sit in one spot for quiet a while. My dad and I would watch an area that had a couple bears in the same area. When they would show up, they would vanish in the brush then suddenly appear in a totally different spot. It was crazy how elusive they are. Never got a shot off this season though.

[swalker]

I'm with D Rock . Just move slow and quiet when in an area with sign . Listen carfully because most of the time you will hear them before you see them. They are not a quiet animal in the brush.

[skagitsteel]

If you have a good vantage point and can see a ways (more than 300 yards) it's not a bad idea to sit on it for a while, just make sure there is recent sign and a food source where you are glassing  First year bear hunting for me this year too, but did see 9 during the season three down for my buddies and myself.  We saw 4 while walking 5 while glassing.  If you are in the alpine glass, hike to a new vantage point and glass again.  if you are in clear cuts or timber you will almost always hear them first (at least for me).  Get a set of walker game ears. they make a considerable amount of noise when tearing stumps and working brushy areas.  When glassing don't forget to change angles, often times you will see into low spots and depressions that you couldn't see from another angle.  Of the 5 clear cut bears we saw, all but one were working a depression in the cut that could only be seen from one angle. 

[3nails]

 Find berries where no one else is going and you'll find bears. Boringly easy critters to hunt.

[Jonathan_S]

I'm with D Rock . Just move slow and quiet when in an area with sign . Listen carfully because most of the time you will hear them before you see them. They are not a quiet animal in the brush.

Definitely not a quiet animal in the bushes.  They crash around even when just walking.

Find berries where no one else is going and you'll find bears. Boringly easy critters to hunt.

Definitely simple, the "easy" part is knowing HOW to hunt them.  Most folks aren't willing to hike in and pack a bear out.  I totally agree though.

[D-Rock425]

I'm not so sure about that easy part.

[LBES]

Are your guys' tactics the same between a Spring bear hunt and a fall bear hunt? Obviously there are no berries in the Spring... Do you call in the Spring too?

[LBES]

Are your guys' tactics the same between a Spring bear hunt and a fall bear hunt? Obviously there are no berries in the Spring... Do you call in the Spring too?

Nevermind... just found the "how to" guide for West Side Spring Bear...

[deaner]

I'm with D Rock . Just move slow and quiet when in an area with sign . Listen carfully because most of the time you will hear them before you see them. They are not a quiet animal in the brush.

           my opinion is that they move more quietly than deer...... not that deer are quiet

[D-Rock425]

They can certainly be quite when they want to be. 

[bankwalker]

Two years ago, my first year bear hunting, I got lucky and called in some bears but never got any shots. This year I moved towards the coast and could now hunt every single day, tried calling all August and had no luck. Then I started hunting high mountain berry patches at the end of August/beginning of September and seen multiple bear from one particular vantage spot over the course of 2 weeks. Some bear were as close as 500yds to a few miles away on different mountains. But it gave me new spots to hunt this coming season.

I'm 100% sure my method of choice will hunting the high country from now on. With the new area I'm hunting I have confidence I'll see a bear every single day (I seen 13 last season)

[mountainman]

August, find the huckleberries up high, early September look for the chockcherries. then a couple weeks later they usually start hitting the elderberries. All depending on the summers berry crop tho!  (and any fruit trees!)

[3nails]

August, find the huckleberries up high, early September look for the chockcherries. then a couple weeks later they usually start hitting the elderberries. All depending on the summers berry crop tho!  (and any fruit trees!)

That must be an east side thing. On a typical year on the west side the hucks don't ripen until mid September, peaking end of the month. First two weeks of October are unreal good. Most people have either tagged out or given up by then.

[skagitsteel]

August, find the huckleberries up high, early September look for the chockcherries. then a couple weeks later they usually start hitting the elderberries. All depending on the summers berry crop tho!  (and any fruit trees!)

That must be an east side thing. On a typical year on the west side the hucks don't ripen until mid September, peaking end of the month. First two weeks of October are unreal good. Most people have either tagged out or given up by then.

very true statement  at least up high