How to Summer Scout for Fall Bear

[dilleytech]

It’s pretty easy to see where bears were last fall by finding old hard poop. It will still be around this summer. If you find an area a bear was living in last fall you will know it.

[Dreaded Archer24]

It’s pretty easy to see where bears were last fall by finding old hard poop. It will still be around this summer. If you find an area a bear was living in last fall you will know it.

Yeah but that doesn’t guarantee they are still living in that area.


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[bearpaw]

Thick berry patches with trees are far more likely to have bear in daylight hours than wide open berry patches, bear prefer to stay in cover during daylight hours. The other key thing is to hunt where the berries are ripe, they don’t eat berries until they ripen and the sugar content increases. The berries might ripen a month or more earlier on southern exposure than some northern exposure areas. Don’t be solely focused on one type of berry, as the summer and fall progress bear move from one type of feed to another.

It’s a very good idea to get acquainted with the areas you hope to hunt, but I would concentrate putting time in during hunting season. Show up a couple days right before season opens to locate areas the bear are currently using.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

There is 0 reason to hunt bears 10 miles in unless that’s the experience you are striving for.

Mind giving me some of your bear spots, then? 

Bears are going to be where the food source is for that time of year. It’s knowing what bears are targeting at the time when you are hunting a given area. There is so many bears in WA and so little pressure that there is 0 reason to have to pack in to hunt them. I’ve shot or helped wife and friends kill around 30-40 bears and none have been over a mile from truck. Most under 1/2 mi from rig. Lotta bears are spotted glassing from truck and then making a plan to get into range.

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I'm nit a bear expert.
But I have seen more bear when I wasn't looking for them than when I have looked for them.
Most of my "spot and stalk" attempts have turned into "spot and spook"
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I see bear every year, actually it is becoming more frequent.
And usually while I am not even thinking about them..
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Blackberries seem to be better for lowland bear.
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I love blue huckleberries, both high bush and low.
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But in the area I hunt it is mostly high bush..
Scattered patches and not an actual "food source"..
More of a convenience snack.
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But main trails over saddles on ridgelines between drainage are good places.
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Drive logging roads, walk logging roads, get out of the truck at every gate.
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Mark any place you find sign.
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Look at the trees alongside the road.
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I don't know what they are eating up some of them, but if you see trees with a bunch of broken branches..
Pay attention.
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Cascara trees that have a lot of broken branches?
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Wild plum trees, abandoned orchards?
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I don't know where you are hunting, but a bears home range is bigger than you can walk in a day.
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.but..
It is still it's home range.
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If you find a marker tree, or other sign that a bear visits the same spot more than once...
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Your scouting will pay off.
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[dilleytech]

There is 0 reason to hunt bears 10 miles in unless that’s the experience you are striving for.

Exactly correct. There’s basically zero Pressure on bears so long walks are completely unnecessary.

On the point of scouting for fall bear. Bears poop a lot in the areas they spend time in. Going for a walk in suspect spots close to a road for convenience looking for old dried up piles is a good idea. Also I would focus more on calling in a bear then glassing for one. Or a combination of both.  There’s more bears in thicker areas that are tough to glass.

[Dreaded Archer24]

There is 0 reason to hunt bears 10 miles in unless that’s the experience you are striving for.

Exactly correct. There’s basically zero Pressure on bears so long walks are completely unnecessary.

On the point of scouting for fall bear. Bears poop a lot in the areas they spend time in. Going for a walk in suspect spots close to a road for convenience looking for old dried up piles is a good idea. Also I would focus more on calling in a bear then glassing for one. Or a combination of both.  There’s more bears in thicker areas that are tough to glass.

Yeah that’s true but calling in bear during fall is pretty futile they may stand up but they’re not running towards the call at that time of year


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[dilleytech]

It’s pretty easy to see where bears were last fall by finding old hard poop. It will still be around this summer. If you find an area a bear was living in last fall you will know it.

Yeah but that doesn’t guarantee they are still living in that area.

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It’s highly likely a bear will be there again as the food should be there again.