I found bears. now what?

[Angry Perch]

Sorry, this ended up a little long...

I decided to take advantage of the rare clouds, rain, and cool temperatures, and take Tuesday off work to head up to Hancock Snoqualmie and look for a buck. I also have a bear tag, so I take the 30-06. I get to the first spot that I marked on the map (I’d gone on Google Earth the night before), and realize the clearcuts I’d marked were fresher than I thought, with nothing growing in them yet. I continue on. I get to an area with some reprod that’s probably 8-10(?) years old. Looks like a Christmas tree farm, with trees from 8-15 feet tall. I walk a skid road to the place where reprod meets some older forest, and see a big pile of bear poop. Looks like somebody dumped out a jar of Smuckers. I start into the reprod, and it’s absolutely loaded with ripe blackberries. I see bear pile number 2, and 3, and 4…I continue slowly working my way through, a light breeze in my face. Visibility is anywhere from 5-50 feet, depending on how thick the trees are. 5 piles, 6, 7, 8… I think I have the wrong weapon in my hands. I back out, and head back to the truck to exchange the bow for the Model 70. I head back in. 9, 10, 15, 20, 30 piles. I get near the edged of the reprod, where it meets a clearcut, and hear movement. I slow down, and try to pinpoint it. Then I hear something big crashing away from me. I get out into the open, and see a doe and a fawn moving slowly off to the left. OK, maybe my senses are on overdrive. I watch them for a minute, and then hear a crash in the timber 75 yards ahead. Ah, it wasn’t mom and her baby I heard. I head into the timber, but find nothing. Moving on. I drive for a while, get out at a few places and look around, but see nothing.   Then I see an area of reprod about the same age as what I’d been in early. It’s smaller, and surrounded by older forest, with the dirt road running along on side. I can see it is thick with berries. I hop out, and immediately see sign. 31, 32, 33. I find a way through the berries. They are thicker than the last place, so finding a way through is interesting. 35, 40, 50. OK, I’m done counting poop piles now, as I should probably be looking up. As I get near the top, I start hearing movement in the timber. I finally find a way to get out of the reprod without losing too much blood to the blackberries. I get onto an old, overgrown skid road and follow it 50 yards into the woods. The underbrush is super thick, so visibility sucks. CRASH, off to the side, back towards the reprod. CRASH, on the other side. Pickle in the middle. Neat-O!  OK, bears are more scared of you than you are of them. That doesn't help. I work back into the reprod, but hear nothing else. Time to get out of here and formulate a plan…

Questions:
My bear hunting experience is minimal. As a matter of fact, you just read 100% of my bear hunting experience.

Is that much scat a sign that there are a lot of bears, or do bears just poop a lot?

Do bears move back and forth between feeding areas and bedding areas like deer? (Not that this means much, as my deer hunting experience stretches way back to 2013.)

How, where would you set up to hunt an area like this?

I know you guys talk about calling. Will bears come to a call if they have an unlimited supply of food right in front of them? I have a cheap Primos call. I think it’s a distressed cottontail rabbit.

[jasnt]

My bear hunting experience is short too. But I have learned alot sofar. It sounds like this area has plenty of bear. When foods super plentiful I think they put up with each other more. I would set up where ever you can see the furthest and can stay down wind. Move very slow and stop often during your approach. Don't really need to be silent just NO unnatural sounds though. Few steps, stop,few steps stop.  Move a little less than your stopped and keep eyes and ears open. You'll get a chance at a bear

[sirmissalot]

If you have an area that has 50 or more piles of poop that is probably more than one bear and it is spending a lot of time there. Bears poop more like us, 1,2 maybe 3 times a day unlike a deer or elk where they poop all day long. If there's that much poop in one small area there are bears spending a lot of time there.

I'd set up down wind and wait.

I'd love to see pictures of all this, I've never seen anything like it. Not calling BS, just sounds pretty phenomenal.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Yes, they move between bedding and feeding areas. That feeding area will only last as long as the berries are good and plentiful. You're in a good spot. They're winding you. Set up down wind with a good view of transition routes. Elevated if you can. Yes, they are more afraid of you than you are them... You're a foreign smell. They are more nocturnal than you may think. Going in during the dark to set up on stand, you could still encounter one.
 
BearmanRick has some great calls for Bears. There are others on this forum that call bears with good success.
 
-Steve

[h20hunter]

What they said. Post pics of poo....we love that kind of stuff. Also, sounds like a great spot. Shoot one and shoot it well.

[Angry Perch]

Will post poop porn tonight. Hmmm, something's very wrong with that statement.

[h20hunter]

Not around here it isn't!

[Angry Perch]

Let's see if this works...

[Angry Perch]

And the area...

[h20hunter]

Thats some serious poo alright. Looks like a great area for a tree stand.

[Angry Perch]

kind of what I was thinking, as there is no place to go and get a view down. There is a big a$4 stump at the top, probably 5Ft diameter and 7-8 feet tall. I could go hillbilly tree stand with a lawn chair.

[jasnt]

Thats some serious poo alright. Looks like a great area for a tree stand.

[BOWHUNTER45]

He is a nice one .. looks like he been there taking a dump a couple different times ..may want to hang right there .but looks like a tree stand maybe the way to go so you can see him coming    I seem to have issues this year trying to kill a bear but decided tomorrow is my last chance ....hopefully I can get it done ...good luck ..stick with it and if its meant to be then it will be 

[Payne]

Man, sure sounds like a great area! I'm happy if I see one pile in a day!

[Angry Perch]

Made a last minute decision to take yesterday off and try to find these guys. Set up on a stump in a clearcut next to the first area before sunrise and watched for a while, then called for 1/2 hour. Absolutely no idea what I was doing, just tried to sound like something dying and excrutiating little rodent death. Got a few groups of crows to come in and circle, but no bears. Went to the second spot, and the wind dictated that I go in through the thick berries. Kind of hard to be quiet. Found a place where I could see a decent amount of the area, and hung out for quite a while, but nothing. Atill lots of berries, so hopefully they'll still be around. Will try again tomorrow.