The Crack of Dawn...

[arees]

How important is the first and last hours of light for bear hunting?  I did a search in the forum and couldn't find anything (possibly from not finding the right words to search with).

Do the bears hole up in the thick timber during the day or are they out feeding most of the time?

[bobcat]

All the bears I saw (4) in Capitol Forest were between 10 a.m. and noon. These were all called in. This was in May and temperatures were fairly cool. I would guess that in warmer weather they might not be so active in the middle of the day.

[Kain]

I saw two bears in September both were in the middle of the day and it was hot.  One was out in the open and one was crossing the road moving towards open clear cut.  I have read that late in the year they eat 18 hours a day to get ready for winter.

[shanevg]

I have seen bears at basically all times of the day, it is definitely possible to find them at 10 am, noon, 3 pm, etc.  I would even go as far to say that you are more likely to come across a bear in the middle of the day (when feed is plentiful) or call a bear in in the middle of the day than any other animal that I have ever hunted.  That being said, I still have the most success glassing for bears early in the morning right as the sun is coming up, or late in the afternoon, after the sun has already gone down. 

[Ray]

Last year saw one bear around noon time. It was hot and food was plentiful. This was early September. I saw another one just a week and a half later which was wandering arond at around 9am in the same spot. I could not say that they have a preference for time of day from my experiences. I'm also not a very experienced bear hunter.

[hogsniper]

I think they are active anytime there is food! If the berries are ripe then they will be gourging themselves at all hours of the day! Same with the grass this time of year!!! They gotta pack on that fat and it aint gonna happen in just 2-3 hrs a day!! Good luck!!

[RyanD]

I typically have seen most of my bears from early afternoon till dark.  I have seen a handful in the am.  This past week I  seen one in the evening and one in the morning.  I prefer afternoon to evening though.  (pics are in the spring bear sign 09 thread).  I have seen bears out in the middle of the day when the sun is beatin down.  When they are feeding I don't think it matters.

[Bscman]

Again, I'm one to say all times of the day...doens't really matter.

In the fall they'll be eating 20+ hours a day...so...odds are slim you'll catch 'em sleeping. 

[Curly]

Speaking of catching 'em sleeping.........did you guys see BTKR's post of a bear he killed last year?  The bear was sleeping when he shot it.  Can someone find a link to that thread?? Pretty cool.

[Kain]

Speaking of catching 'em sleeping.........did you guys see BTKR's post of a bear he killed last year?  The bear was sleeping when he shot it.  Can someone find a link to that thread?? Pretty cool.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,10915.msg122316.html#msg122316
 I found this site by looking up bear hunting articles.  This is one of the first ones I read on here. 

[billythekidrock]

A lot of good replies. I think it also depends on the area. Like stated above, they can run midday in the spring and 20+ hours a day in the fall, but will they be in a huntable area at those times is the question I try to answer.

In the CF in the spring you can find them midday if you are in hard to access or limited access areas, but in other areas you better be there early and late as midday is covered with quads or shooters.

On the coast in the fall I prefer daylight to about 10 am. I like to sleep for a few hours then hit it for the last few hours. Most of mine have been in the first couple hours of daylight, a few at the crack of dawn and near dusk and a few in the middle of the day.  All that being said, we have had them darn near in camp at noon and see them crossing the roads at all times of the day with little hunting pressure.

And yes, I did manage to find one sleeping.  lol
 

[rasbo]

I prefer the heat of the day,dark steep and cool,