Stucko's 2014 Bear Season - Updated

[StuckoYota99]

Hello all, Hoping to connect with my first bear this year!
   Finally got out for the first time yesterday. Work, social engagements, & heat kept me at home in august. Went out to an area I've been hunting for the past 2 years which has held bear both years. However I've never been able to line up a shot mostly due to inexperience.  I scouted this area several times in July but there was still snow & no berries. I did find a nice 3 point & a smaller 2 point that was awful curious as to what i was & got within 30 yd of me. 

  Anyway, woke up early & got up onto the hill side at the crack of dawn and before i could start glassing 2 deer broke out of thick cover near a creek bed like bats out of heck and disappeared over the next ridge. Glassed the area that they where in but couldn't see or hear anything moving down there. I was a good 300 yd away and on the hill side figured they where not running from me.  Got the blood pumping at the least.
   Once everything quieted down I sat against a stump at about  5000 feet and preceded to glass a sea of blueberries for several hours until the sun was high. Hiked/picked blueberries for a bit but could not find any fresh bear scat.  My thoughts are that i was too early for the area & the bear may be lower down. Also it was in the 80's so nothing was moving or shaking.
  What are your guys thoughts? 

  Not too surprised I didn't get lucky my first time out. However i am considering a different area next weekend.
   
  Either way i had a blast getting boots on the ground & enjoying creation.

Thanks
  Stucko

[StuckoYota99]

Hello all,
Hit it again last Saturday, woke up around 4 & beat the sun up.
Glassed the usual spot but had no luck at first light. The blueberries are very dark and getting bitter.
Hiked around after lunch & nap. Walked out onto a spur and decided to go up a small grassy hill that had good sign in it last year. Had taken about 3 steps and found a pile of poo, reasonably fresh, last nights. found several places where the grass was pressed down into large beds, found several other piles of poo. decided to set up on the landing below.
  I am no tracker but it was easy to see that the bear had moved down into a thick draw that morning.
So i figured there had to be a bear down there some where.
  I was glassing the downhill side of where i was sitting. Then i saw a large black head and shoulders come up out of some thick brush, ranged it at 200 yds, brought up the rifle but it was gone, i could see the brush moving but surprisingly couldn't hear it. watched as it gradually fed down hill. Not sure if it winded me. or what. But got the blood pumping for sure!
Sat on the spot until dusk hoping it would feed into a clear spot that was level with me.
  Decided to pull out for the night and went back up the grassy hill and cut a game trail that leads back down the other side. Came out of some thicker brush into another small chunk of grass and a large puddle.
  more bear poo, fresh bear poo, still warm bear poo.
now adrenaline was back, i move toward the large puddle to find another smaller pile of bear poo, still warm
at the puddle i found a large set of prints, and a small set of prints.
  Now the hair on the back of my neck stood up. My gut feeling was that there was a sow with a cub in close proximity.
 Not sure if the bear i saw earlier was the same bear that pooped by the puddle. It could have made a large circle through down and back up the draw in thick cover. I also didn't have enough time to see if there was a cub with the bear i saw.

Hope to hit it again this Saturday, each time out is one step closer.

[ROCKWHEELER]

Keep on it you will get one.

[StuckoYota99]

Thanks rockwheeler, heading out tomorrow morning with the girlfriend, maybe she will be the little bit of luck i will need!

[jasnt]

Good luck.  Sounds like you found em. Now its just a matter of time

[StuckoYota99]

Well couldn't find any bucks during modern despite my efforts in the pnw rain.  may get out one more time for bear, will probably try calling, Even if I don't come home with meat and eat tag soup  this season I still learned and had a blast in the hills.