No bear scat around Colville

[smithkl42]

I just got back from the Colville area (for my first turkey hunt). One of the things that surprised me was that I didn't see any bear scat on the roads. My buddies and I covered a lot of miles, both on wheels and on boots, between 2000 to nearly 4000 feet in elevation, and we didn't see a single pile of bear crap. That was surprising to me, since that seems like pretty good area. From my experience bear hunting in Idaho in similar terrain, I would have expected to see dozens of piles this time of year. Just fewer bears in Colville? I was looking in the wrong places? They're at higher elevations by now? Or...?

Curious what other folks think.

[Machias]

These are Washington bears, they carry poop bags with them and clean up after themselves.  They're not like Idaho bears who just poop where ever they want to and don't pick up after themsleves! 

[jrebel]

Bears are just now starting to get out and move in my area.  Depending on where you were, they could be hanging very close to the den still.  It has been an abnormally cold spring and until a week ago hasn't really started to green up.  I have only seen one bear on camera.....in the last couple weeks which validates my suspicions that they are just now starting to move.  Most spring bear hunters of the past wouldn't start hunting that area till the last week of may first couple weeks of June. 

[hunter399]

These are Washington bears, they carry poop bags with them and clean up after themselves.  They're not like Idaho bears who just poop where ever they want to and don't pick up after themsleves! 

That some funny bear scat. HAHA LOL 😆.

[hunter399]

Probably to busy peeling trees with no spring season.

[Machias]

Bears are just now starting to get out and move in my area.  Depending on where you were, they could be hanging very close to the den still.  It has been an abnormally cold spring and until a week ago hasn't really started to green up.  I have only seen one bear on camera.....in the last couple weeks which validates my suspicions that they are just now starting to move.  Most spring bear hunters of the past wouldn't start hunting that area till the last week of may first couple weeks of June. 

 

[KFhunter]

Some areas are devoid of bears, even where they’ve historically been thick around old homestead orchards the apples are sitting rotting

Other areas still have lots of bear

I’ll let you guess at the thing that’s changed

[Ridgeratt]

My Guess is the WDFW game commission following their science on rule setting.