Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Bullets_n_Octane on August 28, 2013, 10:00:17 AM
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I have searched the woods from Bacon Creek to Cascade River to Illabot to Darrington to Barlow Pass to Skykomish to Rieter/Spada to Pilchuck and all locales in between... I have never seen so little sign of Bears... as in I've seen nothing... Dismal year for Bears... I don't even know a single hunter in my friends group that has even seen one... anyone else being completely Skunked on the west side?
I've likely spent $400+ on fuel so far.... :bash:
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im very new to bear hunting so its probably not saying much ive only seen 1 in three years but ive burned lots of fuel and called and called and havent seen a thing. only found one are with multiple piles of scat in it.
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I am no stranger to getting Skunked on seeing an actual Bear, I think we're all used to that... However I at least expect to see some scat, tracks, Blueberry bushes that have been lipped clean... etc etc... It's like they're just still hibernating... maybe it's just time to go East.... everything... seeing how I haven't seen a single deer this year either!
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More boot time, less windshield time! :chuckle:
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They have all moved to the east side. Lol. I have seen 6 this last 2 weeks. :dunno:
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I'm not a Road Hunter by any means... That crap drives me insane! I have the blisters and sore ankles to prove my boot time... it's been almost a month since the season started and I've spent nearly three weeks straight in the bush... I've seen 3 rabbits,a Skunk and a Burly Wolverine... yeah, a wolverine... and no bears...
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You saw a wolverine?
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Yes, in the same place I've seen one in the past. Scary *censored*s... especailly when you sneak up on em!
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I've been out scouting (pre season) 9 out of 10 weekends since April. Been out every weekend in August. I did see one bear back on father's day. Haven't seen any wolverine. I did spot a cougar at the Mt. Si Tavern. :chuckle:
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I've only ever seen Wolverine very high up in the North Central Cascades... in Grizzly country.
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The best advice I can give is as tempting as it is, stay away from open gated roads. Your chance of seeing bear go way up when you walk in behind closed gates. That's just what I've noticed.
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Find the food. I've seen a couple and haven't even been trying. We were after the same food source. :)
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Find the food. I've seen a couple and haven't even been trying. We were after the same food source. :)
:yeah: follow the food
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Hiking around on StHelens we did not see any bears. But they seem to leave a pile in the trail every 1/8 mile minimum anywhere near the huckleberry fields.
We covered a lot of miles and elevation so I am thinking it took lots of bears to generate the amount of scat we stepped over. :o
Can't hunt the areas we hiked but there are lots of areas close to the mountain that would have ripe berries. Find a big berry field and wait they will show up.
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I've likely spent $400+ on fuel so far.... :bash:
That's means roughly 4 days for me of gas in my truck! Keep on looking. Just last week I seen a bear just too small and I had the wife and two kids under 3 with me never even left the truck. It was more just driving around and a little trout fishing for the kiddo. Don't hunt so hard for them and I seem to see them more often. The days I go hiking and looking hard for them I don't see too many. :twocents:
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Im new to bear hunting as well and have not seen a bear but I've noticed there's a ton more sign behind the closed gates. I've spent $ on fuel lately but that's bc I don't have a sitter all the time and end up wanting to get out so I drag along my kiddo. Still take my gear and rifle for that off chance I see one.
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Find the food. I've seen a couple and haven't even been trying. We were after the same food source. :)
So you like rose hip tea, eih? :chuckle:
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:yeah:
:chuckle:
Maybe a little more on the purple side..... :)
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:lol4:
Speaking of, it's about time I burn some calories and go high above 20 to a favorite patch of my own to get purple fingers. ;)
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Man if they are eating berries, I've been in every patch they haven't been... just a wierd year... I sat in the biggest Blueberry patch last week.. wind 100% favorable, from sun up to sun down... saw a Robin and a few hundred dragonflies...
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It is an odd year. I went up to a place that I saw a huge chocolate last year. The place was loaded with sign last year. Last week I went up there and all the blue berries were dried up and dead. No bear sign what-so-ever! There are ripe blackberries and huckle berries, cover and water, no bears! Keep at it though, like has been said, get further behind the locked gates. After a half a mile you will be in almost unhunted territory. Most hunters never get past 1/4 mile.
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The chokecherries have come in and around nicely in Curlew.
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You are def not crazy. I hunt alot of those same areas I managed to spot 4 before the opener this yr.. The areas that held bears last yr are strangley void. They were in there real good until about july 28th. The berries started wilting due to lack of rain right before the opener. A lot of those areas itt seems only stay good for the 1st week or so then you really have to hike back. I have done some long road walks and zilch. I think the bears are def there just not active in the open right now. Give it a few more weeks and hit the lower areas for blackberries or the higher for blueberries :twocents:
I saw 4 bears the 1st 4 mornings of the season up there last yr.... I missed a shot and a buddy had one down 1st week of season
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Just go berry picking with a rifle across your back.
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Hit the high country, i never had much luck finding bears in the lower elevations
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:dunno: The best bear hunting is yet to come ....September is my favorite time to be bear hunting ...The areas you mentioned hold a lot of bear ...you have the river where salmon will be plentiful and the blueberries are getting ripe ...If you want a big fat stinky bear :chuckle: keep hitting the river banks ...early in morning or late in the evening ...if you want a nice fat bear with a beautiful hide , and one that is fit to eat hunt up high in the blueberries !! I am actually pumped to go bear hunting this year ...I will start this weekend ...after that rain we just had they should be on the move ...Find a good advantage point where there are blueberries and sit and glass ...I usually sit for hours just glassing and when I spot one I move in for the kill ....just need to find that sweet spot and it sounds like you are on the right track ...killed bear in both of those areas for years :tup: No I do not give out exact locations ...I spent years hiking those hills to find my honey holes :chuckle: Thousands of miles hiked and gallons of sweat pouring from my head !
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I have seen 3 since the 15th at lower elevations including today. Passed the first one because of size and the other two really did not have a chance at a clean shot. Always nice to see though!
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I was up at Illabot a couple weekends ago, there was bear scat everywhere! Unfortunately our hunt was cut short by some nasty fog...couldn't see 20 feet in front of us. Keep trying. More gated roads is the key! I'm heading out tomorrow with my mtn bike behind some gated roads to get me up a ways and then hoof it from there.
Good luck. Don't get discouraged!
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I have seen 3 since the 15th at lower elevations including today. Passed the first one because of size and the other two really did not have a chance at a clean shot. Always nice to see though!
just cleaned all the blood from my pack, hip bruises are nice and dark, lets go! :tup: :drool:
:hello:
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Never Discouraged... just shocked that I havent even seen sign. I know of some rather huge berry patches up high... just need to get up. Like said before, this time of the month always seems to be quiet.
Gonna try East on the Teanaway unit this weekend during the Deer Archery Opener... :tup:
