New bear hunter here, a bit lost.

[rasbo]

still hunt or sit on them...

Or predator call. 

didnt want  to suggest that to a newbie I have several people that wont go with me when calling anymore,,little to intense for them here on the wet side...

cart if ya have one,or bone it out

Yeah in all seriousness... Pretending to be bear food is probably the last thing in the world I'm interested in doing. 

Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming.

Any good suggestions for getting the bear out if you're a couple miles in on foot? I'm thinking about keeping a frame bag in the truck and just going down to get it...

[Ripper]

I've had to pack a couple out some deep nasty canyons before. Now I always carry a 600' spool of rope, a pulley, a 10'section of chain and a come along. I've been able to pull one out with my truck with that stuff. Other than that, always carry some game bags, a good selection of sharp knives, a sharpener, and I love my Gerber butchering hatchet. It's sharp enough to shave with. Make sure your pack frame fits good before you pack out an animal. I suggest getting a 50-80 lb bag of concrete, strap it on your pack and take a walk with it. Make sure that thing is properly adjusted and fits comfortably. You don't want to find out in the field that it sucks to wear.

[ICEMAN]

If the OP is serious about bear hunting, please be absolutely sure you are viewing a bear and not a brush picker or hiker or anything else not a bear... Please!

Also, please be sure you are not targetting a mama bear with cubs.

[DoubleJ]

I've had to pack a couple out some deep nasty canyons before. Now I always carry a 600' spool of rope, a pulley, a 10'section of chain and a come along. I've been able to pull one out with my truck with that stuff. Other than that, always carry some game bags, a good selection of sharp knives, a sharpener, and I love my Gerber butchering hatchet. It's sharp enough to shave with. Make sure your pack frame fits good before you pack out an animal. I suggest getting a 50-80 lb bag of concrete, strap it on your pack and take a walk with it. Make sure that thing is properly adjusted and fits comfortably. You don't want to find out in the field that it sucks to wear.

I have 1200' of 1000lb braided rope just for this.  Jack the back of the truck up on the drive wheel side, loop the rope around the axel a couple of times, put the truck in drive and it'll winch out whatever animal you have down.  Make sure you chock the other 3 wheels though, front and back just to be sure.

[h20hunter]

Reagan............C-Post is a real area indeed....kind of like pointing somebody to the Snohomish river for humpy fishing....

Mainly it is something we joke about with newbies.

Some very good advice so far. I was serious about the westside bear hunting thread.....top of the bear section...can't miss it.

Like most have said.........find the food and the sign and you will find bears. They are very much creatures of habit. Look for crossings to and from areas and across old logging roads BEHIND gates. They make little bear tunnels that are different from deer paths. Check the droppings for signs of what they are eating.

Also many good points about getting the bear up and out of wherever he goes down. Take a buddy along. It is more fun, and extra pair of eyes never hurt, and an extra pair of hands go along way. Even a smaller bear....125 lb'er or so is a lot to deal with.

Think before you shoot. Is it a boar? Will I be able to get to him? Can I make the shot and make it count? How much light do I have left? That kind of stuff.

[D-Rock425]

The first bear is the hardest one to get it seems.  I've been able to shoot a few the last 4 years and it seems like the first bear I shot was the hardest one to get.  Once you break the ice the others seem to just want to get shot.  I've had them run across the road and just stand and look at me even ran one up a tree once.  Yes I am that intimidating.

[Machias]

I would still always carry a predator call.  Lots of times you cannot close the distance or you see a bear go into cover, predator call can save the day, it is an excellent tool to have in the bag.  Good luck!!

[reagansquad]

Reagan............C-Post is a real area indeed....kind of like pointing somebody to the Snohomish river for humpy fishing....

Mainly it is something we joke about with newbies.

Some very good advice so far. I was serious about the westside bear hunting thread.....top of the bear section...can't miss it.

Like most have said.........find the food and the sign and you will find bears. They are very much creatures of habit. Look for crossings to and from areas and across old logging roads BEHIND gates. They make little bear tunnels that are different from deer paths. Check the droppings for signs of what they are eating.

Also many good points about getting the bear up and out of wherever he goes down. Take a buddy along. It is more fun, and extra pair of eyes never hurt, and an extra pair of hands go along way. Even a smaller bear....125 lb'er or so is a lot to deal with.

Think before you shoot. Is it a boar? Will I be able to get to him? Can I make the shot and make it count? How much light do I have left? That kind of stuff.

Thought that might be the case.

Thanks for the tips man. I plan on being as careful as possible with shot selection. Goal #1 is to sneak around the woods in camouflage. Goal #2 is to see some animals. Goal #3 is to shoot said animals. If I just achieve #1 and #2, it's a success.

Where do I find a butcher and a taxidermist? Preferably in the northern half of the great Seattle metroplex...

[h20hunter]

Search the forum for the topic....a ton of discussion. I've used Del Fox and Sylvana Meats...both a bit north of you though.

[reagansquad]

Search the forum for the topic....a ton of discussion. I've used Del Fox and Sylvana Meats...both a bit north of you though.

Thanks for the tips. That's a little too far north for me, but I'll go hunting for that thread.

[Cascader74]

Not north of Seattle but Lind's Meats in Kent does game animals, they're a family run business.