Kitsap bear hunting

[Dbax129]

I saw that kitsap county has pretty decent bear numbers in it, from the harvest reports.  Where are these bears being taken from? It's not a big unit, but 20 a year?  Thats better than 80% of the other units out there.  Olympic is huge, and I am curious about the southwest corner of the unit.
Anyway, this post, about Kitsap. Is this all from the green mountain area? or the north end like indianola or hansville?  Thanks

[ghostshell]

do not know that area.... go scout, i have not seen any on my trail cameras yet this spring even near their dens.... not sure whats up with that?

[Dbax129]

I live here in Kitsap, and there are almost no places to get very far from people. I have lived here and my whole life. I also build homes, so I work everywhere out here. I know there are a few bear, just surprising to see how many are taken here compared to other units.

[snowpack]

lots of food for bears in Kitsap.  Homes with big yards and gardens backed up to wooded lots with salmon creeks.  Golf courses next to woods.  Lots of roads cutting the area up with tons of blackberries along them.  I would say that bears are probably spaced evenly throughout the west half of Kitsap, but you probably have better luck with access on the southern half--Seabeck to Green Mt and down to all the lakes around the forest to the south.

[Rooster1981]

I would say out by seabeck, near the mason-kitsap line on the pope land. Thats were I would start looking.

[fishngamereaper]

Kitsap has more bears trapped and relocated than killed by hunters. A huge overpopulation problem. Alot of bears come from private property in the north end. Most public land bears come from DNR, Pope and Menke land. Get out in the woods in July and August, find some berries and your golden.

[Dbax129]

Great! Thanks for the very productive advice fishngamereaper.  I'm glad to hear the north end of the peninsula is good, because I live in Suquamish, just between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island.  There is a plot of state land up there, and the only signage is a little sign at the gate that says public trail.  Its just an old logging road.  If I get off the road and look in the timber I suspect there may be bear up there.
.357 or 12 gauge?  Its firearms restricted... or should I break in my new (to me) CVA .50 muzzle loader?  Choices choices... 
Gosh, it really feels good to know there is something big here on the peninsula that I can get out and hunt.  Thanks again!
Any other ideas are helpful...
I don't know if I know how to identify bear scat in spring and again in summer.  Or if its even worth scouting in spring, will they be in the same place come august 1st?

[Jonathan_S]

It's up to you but I would narrow it down to .357 or .50 CVA 

[DoubleJ]

Seems to be at least one bear hit by a car on the hill between Gorst and Belfair every year.  A 400+ pounder was taken out of that area last fall if I remember correctly

[bobcat]

A 12 gauge shotgun with slugs is pretty potent bear medicine. I think I'd take that over the muzzleloader. With a scope and a rifled barrel you're good to 150 yards, maybe even a little more.

[Dbax129]

A 12 gauge shotgun with slugs is pretty potent bear medicine. I think I'd take that over the muzzleloader. With a scope and a rifled barrel you're good to 150 yards, maybe even a little more.

Damn, now I wish I had a rifled barrel! That sounds pretty darn good!

[Dbax129]

Seems to be at least one bear hit by a car on the hill between Gorst and Belfair every year.  A 400+ pounder was taken out of that area last fall if I remember correctly

Yeah, I know that hill well. There 2 logging roads either side of it that are not gated. I wonder who owns that land. I think it backs up against all that state land south of green mountain though...

[Jonathan_S]

A 12 gauge shotgun with slugs is pretty potent bear medicine. I think I'd take that over the muzzleloader. With a scope and a rifled barrel you're good to 150 yards, maybe even a little more.

Guess I was thinking a less formidable form of 12 gauge 

[oldschooltrucks]

Last fall I hunted morgan's marsh in kitsap county.  It's really thick like copalis unit but the clear cuts are great and back up against several ponds.  I saw lots of bear poo.  It was everywhere, but I never actually saw any bears.  That was my fault though, being my first bear hunting I wasn't to familar with when the best times to go out was and well, I was out in the mornings.  Probably would have had better luck out there in the evenings.   

[Dbax129]

Just an update for anyone following this, I have found out a few places that are not huntable and am working on a few that are.
Pope land off of bond road is not open to hunting acording to the manager of that propery.  The land they own up in hansville is ok to hunt black bear in.  I don't think its open for deer, but I may be wrong on that.
Evergreen or Alpine tree farm is not open for hunting at all.
I read somewhere the state land around green mountain is available, but I'm not sure which areas are and which are not, as I beleive its all state, and working forest, but I know there are heavily used trails, and I'm not sure if you can hunt anywhere near them. It would seem like probably not.
I don't know about the pope land down there in seabeck, I will get clarification on that soon.  They said only hansville in north kitsap, but that's not really north kitsap there.  I have that foresters name and number, so I'll cal this week.
I don't know where any Menke land is in Kitsap.  I'll try their office this week.   If any body else knows of public access land to hunt in Kitsap, I would love to know.  Thanks!

[bobcat]

The state DNR land is all open to hunting.

[atc250r18]

No bears in Kitsap county, at least not that I've ever seen:

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[bmccalister]

There are a lot of bears in Kitsap county. In past years there was a bear seen at Olympic HS, one hit by a car in Silverdale, a record bear was taken in Seabeck and I remember reading a story once about a hunter mauled by a bear she had wounded. A coworker saw a bear on Green MT two years ago when he was mountain biking. The problem about hunting them is they seem to be mostly on private property.

[floatinghat]

DB,

I would get closer to the canal, because the are no bears on BI.  It seams every couple of years one swims or crosses the bridge gets spotted by one of the million walkers a few times and leaves.

I have a friend who live in Silverdale and has one a year in his yard.  Not often but often enough.

[atc250r18]

I will say it one last time....there are no bears in Kitsap

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[Max the dog]

Your probably too young to remember the "big bear drive in". There used to be lots of bears in the north county, nowadays not so much, but there are a few.  I see them in my backyard about once a year (sandy hook). Better off going west and finding some berry patches. PM me and I can point you in the right direction. Do your homework and know what your shooting at.  There's lots of sows and cubs out there, big boar's are much harder to come by.
In general, find a steep gully with a tangled mass of windfall and brush near a clear cut. If it looks like a place you dont want to go...your in the right area.  Use your ears and every bit of shootable light, walk out in the pitch black.  Public land bears are basically (there are exceptions) nocturnal.  wind wind wind

[Dbax129]

I'm headed out to check around the hansville area pope and talbot (ORM) land.  Going to go look for sign and just enjoy the sun with the family. 

[TheFewTheProud]

What bears?

[Dbax129]

Well, something funny happened last weekend.  I had the family in the van, and we were 2 minutes down the road, headed out to go find some land access, when we got a phone call.  A friend invited us over for drinks and food, and they happen to live on the water, and they happen to live just 4 minutes away, in the same direction we were headed.  The wife and kid wanted to go, and at the end of the day, i still had a blast, but no bear scouting.  I did freeze my #$% off in miller bay for an hour or so though.  Good times.  I'll get out there on the 18-19 for a half a day with another member though and post my findings. 
I did however talk to someone who lives in Eglon who says they have a major bear problem.  There is a big boar that several people over there know by name.  And she gets a sow with cubs in her yard every other year.  Problem is she thinks they are her pets, so I'll have to find some open land near by.

[bmccalister]

I was coming back from Port Orchard Friday on Lake Flora and saw a bear just off the road. I thought that was cool considering there are no bears in Kitsap county  .

[Dbax129]

That's awesome.  I grew up out there. It would be a decent place to hunt, but I think Alpine xmas tree farms own most of that land  and they dont allow hunting.  There might be other foresters who own land there though that would. using the autidors website might be a good tool for that area. (thats pd for info on using that)