Got Drawn-Now What

[Rufous]

JWRoberts is asking for help. To me that means he wants to make the most of his special opportunity. I applaud that. While he may not have as much time to put forth as some of us he does want to fill his spring bear tag. Otherwise he would not have even bothered to post here. Give him a chance to make good on his tag. Let's help him. If we help him he is more likely to make good on that tag and to be thankful to us the great community of WA Hunting brothers.

I know it really burns my ass when I look at the hunt statistics and see that so many of the hunters who draw special tags do not even bother to hunt. I suspect a lot of it is anti hunters putting in and drawing those tags but maybe it is bonified hunters who just "put in on a whim" and did not really plan to utilize the tag.

I hope we have not run JWRoberts off. I encourage you to read through the thread I started about bear hunting tips. That will get you started. If you have more questions send me a PM (private message). I hunt the east side so I really do not know you area but I will help you all I can. One thing you should consider is to get a copy of Ed Flowers book titled "Education of a bear hunter". I read it and it was quite interesting and informative, especially for hunting over on the west side.


I wish you the best of luck, Rufous.

[Alan K]

At least the guy is a hunter and plans to go out. . . I say be happy the anti's aren't getting their hunting licenses and drawing our tags with the intention of letting it go to waste.

[Geno]

I would be surprised if Weyerhaeuser didn't have hound hunters with depredation permits out there chasing bears.

They do...I know one of them.

[jwroberts]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses, both positive and negative.  Yes I am a hunter, have been all of my life, thanks to an awesome dad who taught me to respect, enjoy and take advantage of our rights.  Maybe my post was a little off.  I have bought a bear tag every year I have hunted, "just in case" I saw one.  I have never seen a bear in the wild until last year when I saw one while archery hunting in Montana.  He came down a hill within about 25 yards and stared at us.  It was pretty intense.  We did not have a tag so we had our bear spray ready.  That event really convinced me that I would like to get one.  I have put in for spring bear for a few years now not knowing much about the hunt.  This year I put in for Lincoln "on a whim" because it is close(I live in Buckley).  I would prefer not to drive across state for something I don't have any experience in.  My thought was that if I got drawn I would use this as a stepping stone into bear hunting and hunt hard.  Keep in mind that I have put in over 50 days deer and elk hunting each of the last 2 years. Now the bad news, due to budget cuts I may be losing my teaching job at my school.  Being proactive and trying to be prepared, I decided to go back to EMT school to give me another job option just in case.  Unfortunately I signed up for school before the bear drawing and now I will be in class on several Saturdays.  Hope this explains my situation a little better.  I fully appreciate my opportunity and intend to take advantage of it as much as possible.  Thanks for all of the suggestions so far and hopefully I will be back to ask for ideas on how to have the meat done, looking forward to bear pep & jerky.  Thanks again

[alanger]

I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe I should not have been so honest, I apologize. I hope you get a bear, I really do.

My point on this is not new, many have voiced the same thing time and time again. There are so many people that put in for special permits that do not have time to even hunt. They waste a tag for the guys who have been trying for years to get one. I knew a kid who drew desert A a few years back and never hunted one day, he didnt have time. And how many guys have invested all of their points for the last 15 years for that tag and to see it go to waste. It sucks. If you dont have time to hunt and scout, dont know the area at all, and really dont care if you hunt or not, then why put in for the special tags? Maybe a new topic should have been started instead of jacking this one but I though it related.


I will offer advise that you are looking for.
1) take 2-3 weekends off and go scout before your hunt
2) buy all the maps you will need to ge to know the area.
3) Go hunt hard for a week and fill that tag.

Well if you have 15 pointsw thats great, it means your about due for a draw and your time will come, luck of the draw man.

[Elkstuffer]

Remember the saying "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all".

This is really pretty simple. If you can't offer congrats or some decent info (which is what he asked for) then don't waist everyones time by posting a bunch of crap and making us read through it!

Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off.

[BIGINNER]

AFTER READING THROUGH SOME OF THESE POSTS,  I'M SCARED TO APPLY FOR SPECIAL HUNT PERMITS.....       LOL. 

HOPEFULLY YOU GET ENOUGH INFO TOGET YOURSELF A NICE BEAR..  CONGRATS   

[wastickslinger]

Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off.

me too

[Ghost Hunter]

JW
Maybe I'll bump into you in the Lincoln unit.  I'll be happy to share info, it's my first year in that unit too.  Put in for it because it was close and new for spring bear.  I have had help from others on this site, and feel it's only right to pass it on.  Hoping to get lucky in the hunt this year, instead of the draw   Good luck!
GH

[ICEMAN]

Remember the saying "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all".

This is really pretty simple. If you can't offer congrats or some decent info (which is what he asked for) then don't waist everyones time by posting a bunch of crap and making us read through it!

Congrats jw. I hope you shoot a record book bear after doing your own research. Then you can tell a couple people to screw off.

Elkstuffer, puhlease...  We are mostly big boys here. We have opinions. Personally, I am not going to always sugar coat a response or just keep quiet. There is value in expressing our opinions, as long as it is mostly respectable. No one is telling anyone to "screw off" but you. Hunters often feel aggravated over scenarios like this, whether you like it or not.

[Curly]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses, both positive and negative.  Yes I am a hunter, have been all of my life, thanks to an awesome dad who taught me to respect, enjoy and take advantage of our rights.  Maybe my post was a little off.  I have bought a bear tag every year I have hunted, "just in case" I saw one.  I have never seen a bear in the wild until last year when I saw one while archery hunting in Montana.  He came down a hill within about 25 yards and stared at us.  It was pretty intense.  We did not have a tag so we had our bear spray ready.  That event really convinced me that I would like to get one.  I have put in for spring bear for a few years now not knowing much about the hunt.  This year I put in for Lincoln "on a whim" because it is close(I live in Buckley).  I would prefer not to drive across state for something I don't have any experience in.  My thought was that if I got drawn I would use this as a stepping stone into bear hunting and hunt hard.  Keep in mind that I have put in over 50 days deer and elk hunting each of the last 2 years. Now the bad news, due to budget cuts I may be losing my teaching job at my school.  Being proactive and trying to be prepared, I decided to go back to EMT school to give me another job option just in case.  Unfortunately I signed up for school before the bear drawing and now I will be in class on several Saturdays.  Hope this explains my situation a little better.  I fully appreciate my opportunity and intend to take advantage of it as much as possible.  Thanks for all of the suggestions so far and hopefully I will be back to ask for ideas on how to have the meat done, looking forward to bear pep & jerky.  Thanks again

Wow, Buckley is close.   I figured you lived in Chehalis or something.  Anyway, congrats on drawing the permit. 

If I drew a bear permit for that area, I'd concentrate on DNR lands since the Weyerhauser land has probably been hunted (and will be hunted again this spring) by contract hunters with hounds.  Start your scouting trips out now with any free time you have looking over the DNR lands for peeled trees (probably not any fresh ones yet, but look for peeled trees from last year).  You should be able to spot the dead trees fairly easy just driving around.  Then get out and check the area out a little closer on foot.  Try noticing where possible food sources are like grass and skunk cabbage.  Learn to use a predator call and you might just find yourself a bear.  Good luck.  (BTW, I've never hunted bears myself so take what I say with a grain of salt.........)  I have called in a few spring bears and helped pack one out though if that counts.

Has WDFW even said where the Lincoln boundaries are yet?

[GoldTip]

Good luck on the hunt and congrats on drawing the tag.  I've never even been in that unit but have killed quite a few spring bears growing up in Montana.  Look for the area's with the young green grass, if you can find an area with fresh blooming dandelions that would be an area I would spend some time in.  As the green moves higher up the hills, move higher up the hills as well.  Hope you kill a biggun.  Also good luck with EMT school.

[jwroberts]

Thanks again guys.  I am not sure if the boundaries have been established yet.  The email I got from the game department says I should get a packet of info.  Hopefully it will have a map and explain where I can and can't go.  If nothing else this will be a good learning process and fun experimenting.  Let's see if I can start some more controversy, what are your thoughts on which predator calls are best?  I have never used one (use deer & elk calls) so something on the simple side would be good.
EMT school shouldn't be too bad, just time consuming, more of a refresher for me since I use to be a firefighter until I got hurt.  Hoping I can get back in the department, especially if my teaching job gets cut

[Elkstuffer]

Iceman,
 This wasn't the usuall senario were a guys 1st post is "hey, I drew ____ tag. What rock do I go and set on till the _____ show up". jw has been on here for awhile now and contributed like most. I thought that's what these site were for. To help your fellow hunter. I guess I was wrong.

[billythekidrock]

JW
Maybe I'll bump into you in the Lincoln unit.  I'll be happy to share info, it's my first year in that unit too.  Put in for it because it was close and new for spring bear.  I have had help from others on this site, and feel it's only right to pass it on.  Hoping to get lucky in the hunt this year, instead of the draw   Good luck!
GH

Let me know where you guys will be camping and I will swing by.