Monroe Spring Bear

[arees]

After a few years of applying, I have been drawn for the spring hunt in Monroe.  I hunt elk most years and deer sometimes but this will be my first bear hunt and my first time in the Monroe area.  I will be scouting the area as I get the chance, but the gate keys won't be available until just before the season opens.

What can I do to improve my chances?  Will glassing and stalking be the best bet?  I have heard of calling bears and have done it for coyotes before.  Is it effective?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

[PacificNWhunter]

I know there are a lot of threads in the archives with good information. Go to the search tab and type in spring bear, and see what you get.

Be sure to introduce yourself too....Get to know a few guys, there's a ton of knowledge on these boards but no one gives it out to just anyone on their first post. Good luck.

[zackmioli]

I know there are a lot of threads in the archives with good information. Go to the search tab and type in spring bear, and see what you get.

Be sure to introduce yourself too....Get to know a few guys, there's a ton of knowledge on these boards but no one gives it out to just anyone on their first post. Good luck.

[saylean]

just got my monroe package/map...looks like I got to drive a bit and get to know this area before im able to accurately decifer this map...of course, there are no road signs on the map...except highway2...

I think the WDFW is in cahoots with the oil industry!

[billythekidrock]

arees - Glad you made it over here. Like I said on the other site, there are a lot of great guys here and a ton of local knowlege. But you will need to tell a bit about yourself. Maybe a story or pic before you get the goods.

The Monroe unit should produce some good bears again this year. It is only the second season that it has been open and there are limited permits. I would suggest picking up some DNR Quadrangle maps of the area. You can order them online from the DNR site.

I would also suggest you contact the two timber companies and find out if they have other maps of the area. Especially if they have a map of the most damaged areas.

Then you will want to learn as much as you can about timber damage as well as other spring food sources like grasses, dandelions, skunk cabbage and devils club. You will want to look for grubbing activity and torn up stumps as well as pay attention to when the fawns are dropping.

If you can glass, you are not in the damage areas, but that doesn’t mean it is not a good place to hunt. Though I would not waste time watching newer clear cuts. The edges of older reprod can be great places to look for sign or wandering bears.

Obviously I am an advocate for calling and it will work for spring bears. I would work on rabbit distress and fawn distress.

Do you have a GPS?
One big thing you can do to prepare is to take your paper/online map and take the time to transfer that data to a GPS software package so you can upload it to your GPS. I just spent a few hours converting N. Skagit info onto a GPS map...and I don't even have the permit.

I have heard of calling bears and have done it for coyotes before.  Is it effective?

You be the judge.
WA pring bear called in.




Good luck

[arees]

I can tell you a bit about myself, but I don't have any good local trophy pictures.  For most of my hunting I was not carrying a camera.  Besides, spike elk just don't photograph as well as they taste.  For elk hunting I had been successful along Easton Ridge until TrendWest came through and blocked too much of it off.  I have been up Blue Creek off Hwy 97 for the past couple of years.  The last two years I have met a beautiful bull within 100 yards of the same location three times.  Once scouting just before the rifle season and then again on opening day 2007 and 2008.  The first year he was a 5x5 and last year he was a 6x6.  To bad I only had a tag for spikes.

Here is my best picture with a bear (sort of) in it:



That was shot on the archery range in my back yard.  The two bucks were fighting around the bear target last December.

Here is one from my driveway for the predator callers:



We see him every few months.  The last snow had his tracks mixed with a coyote and a rabbit down by the pond.  It was a bad day to be a rabbit.

As far as the calling, I can't argue with your picture.  I have been coyote calling a few times and use a Burnham Brothers rabbit call.  The technique I was taught was to envision that a small fox had caught a large rabbit but couldn't quite get the job done.  The fox won't let go and the rabbit won't give up.  You just need to play the sound track that goes with the image.  It gets frenetic with bursts and pauses, rises and falls, trying to get a big dog to come in and finish the job.  Is that the gist of what bears are after?

Only have a rather old Garmin GPS.  It has a small black and white screen that certainly doesn't compare well to the current versions.

The maps from dfw show damage areas on the state land but none are shown on the Green Crow land.  I'm not sure if that is because there is less damage on the Green Crow land or just less information on the map.

I expect to be scouting up there next Sunday.  Are all the roads in the area gated or is there some access?  Hopefully I can come back with photos of bear sign.

[PacificNWhunter]

Great pics!

[boneaddict]

Thats a pretty good sized cat isn't it?  Its funny how different west side cats look compared to eastside.

[Huntboy]

Nice pic. of the Cat, man if that thing was in my driveway I'd have to beat the wife to it.

[billythekidrock]

The maps from dfw show damage areas on the state land but none are shown on the Green Crow land.  I'm not sure if that is because there is less damage on the Green Crow land or just less information on the map.

It could be that Green Crow does not track damage. There does not seem to be much interest in tracking or sharing current information. The map provided by F&W and DNR for Capitol Forest is from 2005 with damage dating back to 2000. What about the last 4 years?

[billythekidrock]

As far as the calling, I can't argue with your picture.  I have been coyote calling a few times and use a Burnham Brothers rabbit call.  The technique I was taught was to envision that a small fox had caught a large rabbit but couldn't quite get the job done.  The fox won't let go and the rabbit won't give up.  You just need to play the sound track that goes with the image.  It gets frenetic with bursts and pauses, rises and falls, trying to get a big dog to come in and finish the job.  Is that the gist of what bears are after?

Yes, that is the gist. Only don't take too long of a pause. Bears will lose interest quickly.

[Sideswipe]

Pretty impressive pictures sir.  You're on the right forum for local bear hunting.  A lot of knowledge & experience here.  I have gotten quite an education here myself.  Only part of Green Crow I really know is from the locked gate off Kellogg Lake Road.  It turns northward off of SR 2-you can see the gate about 300 yds up on the right after you turn off 2.  I always have parked there w/o blocking the gate & walked in.  Where the road turns North you will see some trails thru grass & blackberries to the right.  They lead off towards the river.  This is a little past the backside of the hatchery which is on the other side of the small river.  I have found sign here & for the rest of the way up that road.  I told you on the other forum Wallace Falls, but as I am looking at the map now, it looks more like Olney Falls.  There is also an interesting gated road to the right a few hundred yds past the falls which will lead to some grassy areas under the pwr lines.  Good luck, watch out if you walk about a mile further or so for park boundry.  Oh-Kellogg Lake Road is between Startup & Goldbar w/the hatchery just about in the middle.  In years past bears have actually come down by the hatchery & cruised the apple trees in broad daylight-but I'm sure that isn't inside the hunt boundry.

[arees]

I tried calling DNR about road access before the season for scouting.  I was hoping to find out about ungated roads within the the hunt area.  They left a message this afternoon saying that all the roads in the area are gated and no scouting will be possible until the keys are available.

Does anyone know if this is accurate?

[billythekidrock]

I am not sure. I have not looked at a Monroe map, but I would check if their is state land access points. Typically there are a couple gates open year round on state land, though the private land will probably be locked up tight.

[MAGhunter]

Sportsmans sells green dot maps.  Go pick one up, there about 5.50 a piece.  Its got most of the roads I believe.  You might have to pick up a couple of them since they divide them up by areas