Where are the bears?

[Dumb New Hunter 81]

Classic tail of woe. I’ve been hiking, camping and fishing in Washington since before I learned to walk and I’ve seen black bears from the Idaho border all the way out to Forks. Once I decided to take up hunting? They all disappeared.

I’ve sat all day on a prime berry patch, I’ve come across a gut pile and sat on it for two days, but a bear never comes to pay me a visit. Is it me? Do I secrete the aroma of a dangerous predator? Or am I screwing up something really basic?

Any tips that I can’t find in a Google search?

[Gobble Gobble]

It's not you it's the weapon of death you carry that is emitting a scent of fear and death. Try going into the woods without said instrument of death and Not during bear season and I can promise you you will start seeing bears. The same goes for all species of game animals. My bow does the same thing.

[Chesapeake]

You don’t need just any berry patch, you need one with fresh bear sign. And they tend to like to show late afternoon, and some in the morning. Generally not much going on in the middle of the day.

[syoungs]

Classic tail of woe. I’ve been hiking, camping and fishing in Washington since before I learned to walk and I’ve seen black bears from the Idaho border all the way out to Forks. Once I decided to take up hunting? They all disappeared.

I’ve sat all day on a prime berry patch, I’ve come across a gut pile and sat on it for two days, but a bear never comes to pay me a visit. Is it me? Do I secrete the aroma of a dangerous predator? Or am I screwing up something really basic?

Any tips that I can’t find in a Google search?

If you don't trick a bears nose, you will never see the bear.
Sitting on berry patches/gutpiles is great, until you realize you have cut off the route that bear was using to access the food by being upwind.
Scent blockers might buy you an extra moment, but imo they don't work as advertised for bears. Gotta play the thermals and the wind constantly.

[GASoline71]

If only it was that easy... 

Gary

[Rob]

Get a copy of this book.  written by a member from this board (Saylean?) and covers PNW bear hunting about as well as I have seen.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1510709797/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[dilleytech]

Last resort always carry a predator call and give it a shot. Eventually you will call one in and that’s the funnest way to kill one I think. I have killed a few bears that smelt me and didn’t care. But that’s probably the advantage of hunting closer to
Town. They always smell people.