Bear Bed

[billythekidrock]

I thought I would share some pics of another bear bed I found yesterday. This one is about 150 yards away from the other bed where I got videos of a big boar scent marking a tree. http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,76660.msg938965.html#msg938965

I moved that camera to this bed in hopes of getting some bedding activity on camera. It seemed to be primarily used by a sow with a cub or two and is quite possibly the same sow w/ cubs that I already have video of nearby. Most of the sign is older, but it also looks like another bear is hanging around the bed now. Possibly a boar looking for love.

This bed is on the far side of a tree right on a trail near the edge of a small swamp. A bear or two has walked through the skunk cabbage recently but they have not started to feed on it in this location. I found it funny that a bear would clear out a spot and tear at the stump, but not move the forked branch that sticks up in the bed.



These piles were only feet away.



And these were only a few yards away.



Here is a pic of the bed from the trail cam. The bed is at the base of the tree and you can see scat on the edge of the bed. The trail runs behind the tree from the left to the right.



Here is a pic of the camera from the right side of the tree behind the bed.

[Armadillo]

Nice spot!! I hope you can get snapshots at that turd producing machine

[bucklucky]

Right on, cant wait for some pics!

[ICEMAN]

Nice find Willy! Thanks for posting it up for us.... I am learning alot!

[billythekidrock]

Right on, cant wait for some pics!

Did you see the big bear in the tcam thread? Follow the link above.
Remember the big boar (scarface) from last year? I don't think this is him, but very well could be just as big.

[saylean]

Good lookin spot Billy...looking forward to the pics!

[Alan K]

How often do you find they use these beds?

I found one spot like this a couple years ago surveying where there were piles of scat every foot or so darn near like a carpet. Are they like deer beds where they just use them whenever it's convenient and they're in the area or is it almost like a den where they use it all the time and stick very near this area?  Might be worth a drive back out there to set up a trail camera if it's the latter.

[billythekidrock]

How often do you find they use these beds?

I found one spot like this a couple years ago surveying where there were piles of scat every foot or so darn near like a carpet. Are they like deer beds where they just use them whenever it's convenient and they're in the area or is it almost like a den where they use it all the time and stick very near this area?  Might be worth a drive back out there to set up a trail camera if it's the latter.

It seems as if they use them frequently for a short period of time and then move on.
 
I know that they don’t use these in the fall so I am sure that these are based on travel routes close to spring food sources. They are always close to a food source. Like 100 yards or less close.
 
I have found 8 or 9 bear beds in the last couple years and it seems as if some are used more than others. I have gone back to a couple beds a year later and there is no sign but others seem to be used year after year.
 
The one in this thread is about 150 yards away from a bed that is used year after year. Last year there was a bed only 20 yards away from this one but there is no activity there this year.
 

It couldn’t hurt to put up a cam at the same time of year that you saw sign in the past.

[billythekidrock]

After spending a few days down the creek feeding on grass, the sow and cubs headed for the timber and right past the beds they used a few weeks back. I am not sure if they were going to use the beds or just walking the trail past it, but they did spend a few minutes (at 8:30 am) investigating my recent activity there.

I knew I spent too much time and dispersed too much scent when I set up the camera, but I was scouting and I wanted to take a bunch of photos. Perhaps they would have stayed here if I was more careful, but it is more likely that they were just passing by.

You may not be able to see it well, but the sow has small branch with leaves in her mouth. I am not sure if she was eating or working on a bed, but she carries this for over 2 ½ minutes in the videos and still has it when she leaves.

[bobcat]

Cool pictures!

[KNOXY]

Great stuff! always like your posts!