Looking ahead to August...

[h20hunter]

 Back on track.....

7mm......Time is your friend and D-Rock will attest and I'm proof....I swear it takes forever for the first. Just keep putting boots on the ground.

[D-Rock425]

Not for are friend Bobby

[h20hunter]

Yeah but you basically held his hand, walked him to the draw, and said shoot the bear.

[D-Rock425]

Yeah but you basically held his hand, walked him to the draw, and said shoot the bear.

yep I'm that good 

[h20hunter]

Probably the first and last bear he will ever shoot.

[billythekidrock]

My buddies and I have been doing a little bear hunting the last few years, and one in particular has shot a few bears now at this point, but I still feel like we are kind of just walking around in the woods and glassing clear cuts hoping a bear is there. I've never been the kind of guy that likes to leave anything to chance, I would much rather have a plan of attack and know why an animal is where it is. So here is my question...

The area that we hunt always seems to turn on around the last week of August when the berries start to ripen. Where are the bears before that, and more importantly, what are they eating? For those of you that have been doing this for a long time, do you see a change in a bears diet from mid July - September? Are they spending more time on stumps and grass earlier in the summer?

Any insight is appreciated. I'd really like to broaden my search area and know what I should be focusing on earlier in the season especially.

August is a great time to call bears, especially when the berries are late. If you don't want to call, then look for older cuts near creeks that afford comfort from the heat. They spend a lot of time grazing on black berries and grubs at this time. They also eat a lot of Salal. Both berries and leaves.