Huckleberries?

[Navyhunter]

Hey all, I haven't had but once chance to get out after bears and we were WAY too low because where I was going to go was 5-7 miles behind a locked gate and was entirely too hot to be walking in there.  For you guys that have been able to get out and up high, how are the berries doing?  Are they just ripening up or are they on the downhill slope already?  Any information you could give would be greatly appreciated, I'm taking a buddy that's home on leave bear hunting on the 25th and 26th (his first time)...I'm a little late in getting things prepped for his arrival.  Any help would be awesome!

  Navy

[boneaddict]

not ripe yet even in mid elevation areas.  This heat is helping.  Up high, nothing yet.  (IME)

[Navyhunter]

Thanks bone!

[elkoholic]

picked a gallon on sunday around 3500ft carson washington area....sunny south facing areas.. semi shaded areas about a week out....

[longstevo]

There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak. 

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.

[boneaddict]

Alot of them frosted out this year.  Sounds like the mid-late July berries are good to go.  The Aug berries still need a little. 

[DeerThug]

not many and just the ocassional was good to eat.  Quite a few were VERY small and green.

[Navyhunter]

Thanks for the info guys!!!!  I'm headed up mid next week to the north/central cascades.  Hopefully it's like every other year up there and there's hundreds of acres of them...we'll see.

[Kain]

There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak. 

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.

I saw the same thing north of Carson.  One or two berries on each bush, that was it.  I was thinking it must be a whole heard of bears that had eaten them all.      I dont think we will get any this year down here but we will see if a couple of weeks will do anything for them. 

[longstevo]

There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak. 

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.

I saw the same thing north of Carson.  One or two berries on each bush, that was it.  I was thinking it must be a whole heard of bears that had eaten them all.      I dont think we will get any this year down here but we will see if a couple of weeks will do anything for them. 

Funny. 

I was up near Lookout Mountain today and the berry bushes up there were doing pretty good.  It certainly wasn't a bumber crop, but you could have picked a lot of berries if you put your time in. 

But yeah.  I think the whole herd of bears mowed through the bushes and ate all the berries.   

[one-eyed Ross]

Was up near Mt. Adams over the weekend, same there.  There were berries, and some were ripe, but it certainly didn't seem like there are a lot of them this year...

Either that, or I'm seeing what is left after commercial harvesters have gone through...

[quadrafire]

In the Mt. Spokane area on friday, we found a few. They were sparse. Some bushes had none, some very small, occasionally we would find a bush with several large berries. Some type of worm was eating the leaves, and some bushes were 50% stripped by the worm.
Sunday am I went back in the area for a long jog on the trails. Didn't take any buckets or bags. I found the Mother load of berries. My wife and kids will be going back up today to get them. So they are out there but sporadic. This was at about 4500ft

[Kain]

I went up to a bout 4000 feet and there was a good amount of berries.  Down at 2500 feet there was a few but they were all shriveled and wilted.

[Pauly]

Was on the Pacific Crest Trail near Lake Cle Elum this weekend, a few berries but not many. Some green berries, and some bare bushes, so it's probably just early yet.

[halflife65]

Was up fairly high this weekend and the berries are mostly small and green with a few plants starting to get some that are close to ripe.