Anybody hunted bear in Chelan mountains?

[ivankom]

Do you see bears there often?
I live in King county and didn't want to drive all the way to north east corner of the state.

[h20hunter]

I'd say there are good odds you could hunt bears a bit closer?

[ivankom]

Indeed I can, but I read that bear is more discoverable on the east side where woods are not so dense. I read that even though west side has more bears you can find one easier on the east side.

[h20hunter]

I would disagree to an extent. I would suggest hunt closer to home, hunt more often, take the time to learn and work over an area, and your chances would be higher than driving the distance and hunting what I believe is a lower population density. Lots of good areas that you can day hunt. Find the food....berries especially.

[luvmystang67]

Indeed I can, but I read that bear is more discoverable on the east side where woods are not so dense. I read that even though west side has more bears you can find one easier on the east side.

I would hunt on the West side where bear densities are much higher.  If you want to see them in the open, get up high at the edge of the tree line when the blueberries/huckleberries are ripe.  I believe that in the foothills on the west side there are nearly as many bears as deer (if there aren't as many, you still see as many due the the gray ghost effect of blacktail).

Like H20 said, find a place that has a lot of berries and throw a trail cam up somewhere.  You'll likely be surprised at the number of bears that walk by.