Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: steeliedrew on July 17, 2014, 10:30:30 AM

Title: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: steeliedrew on July 17, 2014, 10:30:30 AM: So 2 years ago I found a piece of DNR land 2 miles behind a locked gate. The first year the clearcut back there was pretty fresh and I was scouting the area for deer in the late winter. Last summer I went in there in early July to start poking around and what I found was that the entire hillside was covered in boysenberries with a good amount of blackberry bushes near the logging road. It didnt take me long to find a good amount of bear scat amonst the berries. Due to life getting real busy last year I wasn't able to spend more than a couple days hunting that bear and I've been hoping all year that i'd get back on his sign this summer.

Fast forward to a week ago when I went back in there for the first time. It's a damn jungle in there now and is void of any deer or bear sign. I couldn't even get into the clearcut last week to look for sign because it was so thick. I bought a machete and went back in there last night. Working the tree line I hacked my way in about 100 yards and didnt find a single game trail or scat of any kind in there.

The only thing different is that the ground cover grew like crazy in the last year and I did notice that there aren't as many ripe boysenberries right now as there were last year. I'm about to give up on this location until mid winter when I'll be able to see better if the animals have been using it once ground cover dies off a bit.

My question i guess is this...Even with all the berries in there, could the vegetation have gotten too thick and the bear moved out? Or maybe somebody harvested him. I also find it really odd that I'm not finding any deer sign in there. Before there were hard trails going in and out of the timber along the logging road and a bunch of beds in the tall grass along the road...This year there is NONE of that! Maybe a cat moved in? Maybe all the animals wanted a younger clearcut? I'd like to hang my camera but want to see the bear sign before I commit to it.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: D-Rock425 on July 17, 2014, 10:31:49 AM: You should be good for a few more years.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: WSU on July 17, 2014, 10:47:41 AM: No, the cover won't get so thick that the bears move out. An area I hunt is a jungle of blackberries. The bears literally make tunnels.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: liljozie495 on July 17, 2014, 04:44:50 PM: Hang your camera that will tell ya what's up, but thick won't push those bears out, any way to get your self above like a good tree stand tree?
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: Turner89 on July 17, 2014, 05:11:57 PM: I think you basically said why you haven't found any bear sign. The berries aren't ripe yet. When that happens the bears will be there regardless of how brushy it is. Sounds just like places I would hunt for bear.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on July 17, 2014, 05:16:00 PM: Heading says it all ... at least from my experience .. as long as it does not get so grown up that you can see them ...
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on July 17, 2014, 05:20:43 PM: if you can find higher elevation clear cuts they take a lot longer to get over grown ..I have hunted on clear cut for over 20 years now ...you just need to find a good advantage point to look down on them ...
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: X-Force on July 17, 2014, 05:35:08 PM: Quote from: Turner89 on July 17, 2014, 05:11:57 PM
I think you basically said why you haven't found any bear sign. The berries aren't ripe yet. When that happens the bears will be there regardless of how brushy it is. Sounds just like places I would hunt for bear.
:yeah:
A couple areas I hunt have bear basically year-round other areas are only huntable when the berrys are in thick. Don't give up on the spot just yet. You may have a good one in a couple weeks.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: billythekidrock on July 17, 2014, 06:15:42 PM: Quote from: Turner89 on July 17, 2014, 05:11:57 PM
I think you basically said why you haven't found any bear sign. The berries aren't ripe yet. When that happens the bears will be there regardless of how brushy it is. Sounds just like places I would hunt for bear.

:yeah:
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: steeliedrew on July 17, 2014, 07:52:38 PM: thanks everyone. I do have a climber stand now and planned on using it for sure. I won't be able to see the whole cut from any one tree in there due to the topography. My plan was to find the area with the most sign and prepare a stand site based on that but since I haven't found any sign yet...I may just pick a tree based on ease of slipping in undetected. Hopefully the berries bring the bear(s) cause when the ripen there'll be a TON of food. :)
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: jason stevens on July 20, 2014, 11:44:19 AM: Hey drew if this is the spot I sent you too my buddy that live up there says there in there just find a good spot between the berries and the lake and get ready.find a trail ir an access point might be just past the fork in the road where there's lots of timber.good luck bud.
Title: Re: once a bear spot always a bear spot?
Post by: steeliedrew on July 20, 2014, 02:47:32 PM: Jason,

The spot I'm talking about here is actually on the other side of the valley but the lake spot is where I found all the bear hair in the road the other day. I might have to poke around the lake spot a little more.

Thank you,

Drew