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Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: 6.8mmARHunter on September 22, 2013, 09:14:28 PM


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Title: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: 6.8mmARHunter on September 22, 2013, 09:14:28 PM
Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating now, where are they now...

Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: fly-by on September 22, 2013, 09:17:37 PM
Today I hunted some steep reprod with a few berries left at 2200 ft and had one come into a fawn distress call within 5 minutes.  Busted before I could get a good shot....
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: saylean on September 24, 2013, 07:16:39 AM
As the berries die out, look for secluded patches that still are hanging on. Calling bears will be working better and better now that berries are on the way out. Stumps with grubs will be getting hit again. Carrion, coug kills etc will be a hot spot....

best bet (at least IMHO) is calling now. Plus it is bobcat season... ;)
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: bankwalker on September 24, 2013, 09:30:24 AM
I've been hunting a deep open canyon full of ripe salal berries. 3 bears in the last 4 trips, missed one. I didn't know the barriea were ripe I just figured being such a huge open area I would get lucky and spot one passing through. After the 1 stalk on the first bear last week I realized the entire south side was full of berries. Lots of torn up logs and stumps. and tracks all over the canyon.
I checked multiple of canyons in the same elevation and finding quite a few big salal patches with ripe berries.

That's what I'd be looking for right now at higher elevations. 2000k feet or so.
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: sivart33 on September 24, 2013, 02:31:26 PM
i still have blackberries at 500 foot elevation.  they are around just have to find them.
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: bobcat on September 24, 2013, 02:36:27 PM
I've been seeing tons of ripe Himilayans. I'm sure the bears are feeding on them. And this is in lower elevations- 500 feet and less.
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: Crunch14 on September 24, 2013, 05:02:05 PM
At 3000ish elev. I've seen evidence of them mostly tearing up stumps and eating shrooms.
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on September 24, 2013, 09:05:03 PM
if your on the wetside I would be looking for Oregon Grapes ....if you know what they are .... :tup:



Here ...not sure who knows what I am talking about but this is serious bear food right now !!!
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: Bullets_n_Octane on September 24, 2013, 10:55:27 PM
I hunted 437 all weekend, by the the time the weekend was up, I had put crosshairs on two HUGE boars. 1 was flat out haulin ass, the other 1 just kept slippin in and out of log piles in a nice cut, then he hit a timber stand and vanished. From what I noticed is that these two were feeding on Mountain Blackberries. The ones that grow on those razor sharp vines in low vegetation clear cuts, and in thick reprod. The 2nd one was literally sitting on his honches and feeding on them like a 5 year old child, munchin on Cheerios from Ziplock. Another thing, is this is my  :twocents: on the second half of Bear season, is to either Road hunt or find a nice spot to call, but the key is time of day. Up until this weekend I had seen ZERO bear all year. 5-7pm (this will become earlier with the sunsets) is prime time. In my personal experience, the last couple hours of the day, holds more bear spotting in Oct-Nov than any other time of the day.
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: fly-by on September 25, 2013, 09:23:08 AM
  5-7pm (this will become earlier with the sunsets) is prime time. In my personal experience, the last couple hours of the day, holds more bear spotting in Oct-Nov than any other time of the day.

Mine came in at 5:45
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: Bullets_n_Octane on September 25, 2013, 10:30:11 PM
Nicely done! I swear, overcast days with minimal rain, after 5, they are everywhere!
Title: Re: Berries seem to be gone now, what are they eating, where are they now...
Post by: justaguy on September 27, 2013, 12:45:55 PM
I'm hunting an area with decent bear sign and lots of fawns. I'm trying to scout for deer and bear hunt at the same time. Any thoughts on how aggressively to blow on a fawn distress call? When I'm calling for deer, I'm pretty conservative and call for 10-15 min, bleating every 30 sec to a min, and then let it rest for 5-10 min.
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