Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: luvmystang67 on May 27, 2015, 01:49:17 PM

Title: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: luvmystang67 on May 27, 2015, 01:49:17 PM: I've seen lots of deer beds, but never a bear bed. Has anyone ever seen a sleeping bear in the wild anywhere? For bonus points, does anyone have a pic that isn't from google images or taken from a zoo?
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Woodchuck on May 27, 2015, 01:56:25 PM: Jager on here has, he has a pic of it through his rifle scope. I have a pic of the bear after the shot but can't find the one through the scope anymore.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: WSU on May 27, 2015, 01:56:54 PM: Yes. I saw one asleep on a big rock in the sun once. That was the most obvious.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Curly on May 27, 2015, 01:58:51 PM: Billythekidrock shot one while it was sleeping.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: RadSav on May 27, 2015, 02:01:28 PM: The wife almost landed on a sleeping bear when she took a tumble up Stevens about ten years ago. Not sure who was more scared. She is still angry with me for laughing. :chuckle:

We see a lot of them sleeping in the fall. All that sugar and sunshine makes a bear vewy vewy sleepy apparently.

I have seen a few sleeping in deer beds, but usually they sleep where they are when they get tired. They don't seem to care too much once they leave their dens cruising for ripe berries. We probably don't see many bear beds now that there is no baiting because they are always on the move. In fall that probably means a different bedding place every couple of days.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Woodchuck on May 27, 2015, 02:06:53 PM: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,86374.msg1086798.html#msg1086798
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: luvmystang67 on May 27, 2015, 02:14:20 PM: Quote from: Woodchuck on May 27, 2015, 02:06:53 PM
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,86374.msg1086798.html#msg1086798

I never read that before, looks like an awesome trip. I just was curious how they sleep and what they look like. Kind of looks like they just pass out about how a person would.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: 180-GRAIN on May 27, 2015, 02:21:25 PM: I took a buddy out a few years back and I spotted a nice bear asleep on a downed tree about 130 yards away from us. I tried to talk him into grabbing a rest for the shot but being the first bear he had actually seen hunting he tried a free hand shot and pulled it. Bear woke up in a hurry and got outta dodge quick!
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on May 27, 2015, 02:42:04 PM: A wildlifer friend in Wyoming was sneaking through some doghair lodgepole on a moose hunt when he heard a sound he didn't recognize, repeated every few seconds. An avid birder, he was excited that maybe he would see a new bird species, as he was in high wilderness outside Yellowstone. He eventually focused in on the big boar grizzly sleeping 30 yards to his right, snoring.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: buglebrush on May 27, 2015, 02:48:17 PM: Have seen several napping on rocks in the sun.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: RadSav on May 27, 2015, 03:08:41 PM: Quote from: DOUBLELUNG on May 27, 2015, 02:42:04 PM
A wildlifer friend in Wyoming was sneaking through some doghair lodgepole on a moose hunt when he heard a sound he didn't recognize, repeated every few seconds. An avid birder, he was excited that maybe he would see a new bird species, as he was in high wilderness outside Yellowstone. He eventually focused in on the big boar grizzly sleeping 30 yards to his right, snoring.

Wholly &*^% :chuckle: I'd be leaving a pee trail in a hurry. I don't mind being face to face with blackbear, but I like distance between griz and I!
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: boneaddict on May 27, 2015, 03:27:48 PM: Yes. I jumped over a log one time and landed on one.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Jonathan_S on May 27, 2015, 03:34:08 PM: I have some trail cam pics but they'd be too graphic...
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on May 27, 2015, 05:02:34 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on May 27, 2015, 03:27:48 PM
Yes. I jumped over a log one time and landed on one.
Did you mark him out the gate and hang on for 8 seconds?
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Woodchuck on May 27, 2015, 05:05:15 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on May 27, 2015, 03:27:48 PM
Yes. I jumped over a log one time and landed on one.
I would pay good money to see that. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: RadSav on May 27, 2015, 05:15:10 PM: Back when we could bait we had a large boar that was only coming in at night. I started to increase the amount of red meat and cheese while reducing the overall amount of bait. After a few downsizes I started spraying the area with coyote urine. I had gotten the bait size down to about one gallon volume every other day when the boar started coming in early. Time to get the wife her first bear!!

She's all excited and instead of climbing into the stand with her bow while I dumped bait she wanted to walk in with me to check things out first. We get about 15 yards from the bait and there is Mr. Cinnamon Mellonhead sound asleep on the bait pile. No bow, no gun :yike:

I quietly set the bucket down grab her by the shorts and spin her around saying, "Go get a gun or your bow. He's sleeping on the bait!" In her excitement I think she pulled every single pop can, cow bell and fog horn out of the truck trying to get her bow. The big fella wakes up, stretched, yawns and walks off just before she gets back. I think she is still upset I didn't let her see him before I spun her around. He was a dandy! Someone released hounds on that spot a few days later and we never saw him again. >:(
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: bearmanric on May 27, 2015, 05:50:07 PM: Billythekid shot a sleeping bear with Al stover years ago were I got my Elk last year reminded me of it every time I watched those ridges. Like Curly said. Pretty cool story. Rick
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: ghostshell on May 27, 2015, 07:11:23 PM: saw one bedded saturday, fully sleeping, head down on the ground, must have been sunning himself....... got to 333 yards, full broadside. had my grandpas 56 model 70 in 308 with a fixed 4x scope. zeroed at 100 yards with 180's. i had not shot at 300 yards with this bullet choice so i opted to not shoot granted it shoots lights out with this round, federal trophy bond. holding over a animal guessing is not my thing, would have had to use the boxes info not real world testing i should have done, figured i would use it as a brush gun so had not shot past 200........ was wishing i had my other rifle with a nightforce nxs on it witch i have spent the time behind it at longer distance. in the end i tried to stalk closer but i had to leave site of him to do so and the wind changed on me, i changed my route, made some noise. in the end i missed a great chance on a stud bear but learned from it. should have waited him out and watched witch way he was going to go and try.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: benhuntin on May 27, 2015, 07:23:11 PM: Found one in a den a while back. Got some pretty good video at 5 yrds.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Turner89 on May 27, 2015, 09:33:23 PM: I have found 3 obvious bear beds over the years. One of them, this bear spent a lot of time there. He had all the sword ferns within a 20ft radius cut down to the roots. He piled them all up for a bed. It was a little Erie when I realized what it was. I haven't found one sleeping yet.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: heronblu on May 27, 2015, 10:07:10 PM: I woke one up a few days ago. Got within 20 yards of it, and was able to take a cell phone video of him grumpily standing there looking at me. If someone can tell me how to post videos (or pictures for that matter) Ill put it up.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: jasnt on May 30, 2015, 02:48:40 PM: I have found spots were a bear has been bedding. Scat all around it and even some that was laid on. Like said I don't think they sleep in the same place for very long. Once the foods eaten up they move to the next food and bed near by
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Alan K on May 30, 2015, 02:55:43 PM: I shot one just inside the timbers edge that was sleeping against the uphill side of a tree. I actually spined him right in the neck the first shot, then put two more in him since he didn't move and thought I was missing! My only bear to this point, shot him while elk hunting a few years back. Got it all on video too.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: Firedogg on May 30, 2015, 09:33:29 PM: Sleeping? Or passed out after a hard night partying? lol

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpic20.picturetrail.com%2FVOL74%2F99005%2F7253137%2F94393793.jpg&hash=39c3f5fbda4ee99097e3929c6e0b46efa945356b)

Sorry, could not pass this one up. Northwest Trek griz.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: WA hunter14 on May 30, 2015, 09:48:44 PM: Quote from: Alan K on May 30, 2015, 02:55:43 PM
I shot one just inside the timbers edge that was sleeping against the uphill side of a tree. I actually spined him right in the neck the first shot, then put two more in him since he didn't move and thought I was missing! My only bear to this point, shot him while elk hunting a few years back. Got it all on video too.

would love to see that video!
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: FeatherFanatic on May 30, 2015, 10:43:44 PM: few years ago one of my buddies walked up on a den that was in the middile of a clearing he thought it was a blow down tree.. well it was but when he looked down there was a 230lb bear sleeping away he shot it at 6 feet with a 30-30. ill try to find a picture of it
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: danderson on May 31, 2015, 07:53:30 AM: Here's 2 from shed hunting this year, it had 2 large cubs come out right after she ran off, I was 5 feet away from the den at first looked inside and all I could see was fur, backed out of there in a hurry. I found another den that had a sleeping cub at 5 feet, but I'm not able to post the video.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on May 31, 2015, 08:29:57 AM: Look us up if your ever down this way. I have some awesome video of a sleeping beer me and the wife stalked to on a rock ledge and she misses the bear with her smoke pole! Its one of our most favorite videos to date!