Commercial Huckleberry Picking Survey--Gifford Pinchot

[fireweed]

The Gifford Pinchot paused Commercial Huckleberry Picking but are considering returning it.  They are seeking comments.


https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/giffordpinchot/newsroom/releases/gifford-pinchot-national-forest-would-hear-about-your-2025

[chukarchaser]

Thanks for posting

[Bullkllr]

 

And not a bad survey. Hopefully if they open commercial harvest back up it will be better managed. If they can't do that then leave it closed imo.

[MADMAX]

I’ve never seen so much trash as some of the out of state commercials camps

[teanawayslayer]

I think commercial picking of anything in the nf should be illegal!

[Kingofthemountain83]

I went down GP last summer for our yearly bear hunt/camping trip/hike... It was definitely the latter two... We usually try a new area for about 4 or 5 days every year... There were so many people and so few berries I see why it was cancelled last year... Did find some bear sign in a small area... Saw some deer, elk, grouse, and a coyote... I won't be going back for another hunt... I can't imagine how crowded it would be with commercial pickers... Went down to the ranger station in Trout Lake one afternoon and they said it was about half the people as normal because of a low crop... And there are rarely any bear sightings reported...

[actionshooter]

And not a bad survey. Hopefully if they open commercial harvest back up it will be better managed. If they can't do that then leave it closed imo.

100% it has become insane how many people are there and how much garbage is being left.

[Ac04]

I went down GP last summer for our yearly bear hunt/camping trip/hike... It was definitely the latter two... We usually try a new area for about 4 or 5 days every year... There were so many people and so few berries I see why it was cancelled last year... Did find some bear sign in a small area... Saw some deer, elk, grouse, and a coyote... I won't be going back for another hunt... I can't imagine how crowded it would be with commercial pickers... Went down to the ranger station in Trout Lake one afternoon and they said it was about half the people as normal because of a low crop... And there are rarely any bear sightings reported...

This year was my first time really targeting gifford pinchot for bears, from what i had heard usually it’s crazy with berry pickers and I did see a few just out recreationally picking but the amount of berries i saw didn’t seem to be a bad crop, it seems like everything ripened at once but i didnt see a lack. I could see how it would vary from area to area throughout though. I really hope they don’t open it back up, i think it would benefit everyone lol

[Kingofthemountain83]

I went down GP last summer for our yearly bear hunt/camping trip/hike... It was definitely the latter two... We usually try a new area for about 4 or 5 days every year... There were so many people and so few berries I see why it was cancelled last year... Did find some bear sign in a small area... Saw some deer, elk, grouse, and a coyote... I won't be going back for another hunt... I can't imagine how crowded it would be with commercial pickers... Went down to the ranger station in Trout Lake one afternoon and they said it was about half the people as normal because of a low crop... And there are rarely any bear sightings reported...

This year was my first time really targeting gifford pinchot for bears, from what i had heard usually it’s crazy with berry pickers and I did see a few just out recreationally picking but the amount of berries i saw didn’t seem to be a bad crop, it seems like everything ripened at once but i didnt see a lack. I could see how it would vary from area to area throughout though. I really hope they don’t open it back up, i think it would benefit everyone lol

Went early September... There were a lot of people... Indian Heaven Wilderness was where we found the most recent and abundant bear sign... Off trail... There's some in there... A FS guy saw two while surveying lower elevation in the timber... SE of Indian Heaven... A couple weeks before he said... We hunted that area too... Saw some deer...

[Ac04]

I went down GP last summer for our yearly bear hunt/camping trip/hike... It was definitely the latter two... We usually try a new area for about 4 or 5 days every year... There were so many people and so few berries I see why it was cancelled last year... Did find some bear sign in a small area... Saw some deer, elk, grouse, and a coyote... I won't be going back for another hunt... I can't imagine how crowded it would be with commercial pickers... Went down to the ranger station in Trout Lake one afternoon and they said it was about half the people as normal because of a low crop... And there are rarely any bear sightings reported...

This year was my first time really targeting gifford pinchot for bears, from what i had heard usually it’s crazy with berry pickers and I did see a few just out recreationally picking but the amount of berries i saw didn’t seem to be a bad crop, it seems like everything ripened at once but i didnt see a lack. I could see how it would vary from area to area throughout though. I really hope they don’t open it back up, i think it would benefit everyone lol

Went early September... There were a lot of people... Indian Heaven Wilderness was where we found the most recent and abundant bear sign... Off trail... There's some in there... A FS guy saw two while surveying lower elevation in the timber... SE of Indian Heaven... A couple weeks before he said... We hunted that area too... Saw some deer...

Where i was at I saw a few deer and no bears up high, Tons of bear sign though, berries were there but it seemed they were so abundant at a large band of elevation I didn’t see any on the berries up there. I was closer to st helen’s and the soil there may have played a part in the amount of berries i saw but all the bears i ran into this year were low elevation in private timberlands but still saw quite a few scouting and during season especially for my first year targeting them.

[JakeLand]

I think commercial picking of anything in the nf should be illegal!

exactly 100%

[Kingofthemountain83]

I went down GP last summer for our yearly bear hunt/camping trip/hike... It was definitely the latter two... We usually try a new area for about 4 or 5 days every year... There were so many people and so few berries I see why it was cancelled last year... Did find some bear sign in a small area... Saw some deer, elk, grouse, and a coyote... I won't be going back for another hunt... I can't imagine how crowded it would be with commercial pickers... Went down to the ranger station in Trout Lake one afternoon and they said it was about half the people as normal because of a low crop... And there are rarely any bear sightings reported...

This year was my first time really targeting gifford pinchot for bears, from what i had heard usually it’s crazy with berry pickers and I did see a few just out recreationally picking but the amount of berries i saw didn’t seem to be a bad crop, it seems like everything ripened at once but i didnt see a lack. I could see how it would vary from area to area throughout though. I really hope they don’t open it back up, i think it would benefit everyone lol

Went early September... There were a lot of people... Indian Heaven Wilderness was where we found the most recent and abundant bear sign... Off trail... There's some in there... A FS guy saw two while surveying lower elevation in the timber... SE of Indian Heaven... A couple weeks before he said... We hunted that area too... Saw some deer...

Where i was at I saw a few deer and no bears up high, Tons of bear sign though, berries were there but it seemed they were so abundant at a large band of elevation I didn’t see any on the berries up there. I was closer to st helen’s and the soil there may have played a part in the amount of berries i saw but all the bears i ran into this year were low elevation in private timberlands but still saw quite a few scouting and during season especially for my first year targeting them.

FS said hunting was better closer to St. Helens for everything...

[timberhunter]

It should be left closed along with the commercial picking of anything. The amount of trash that some commercial pickers leave behind is unbelievable at times. I have seen pickup loads of garbage left behind when they have broke down camp.