Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: westside103147 on March 10, 2016, 01:03:31 PM

Title: Drew Copalis!
Post by: westside103147 on March 10, 2016, 01:03:31 PM: I drew a Copalis spring bear tag, with one point to boot! This will be my first spring bear season, any knowledge of the area would be extremely helpful! I leave the 10th of May for the summer to fight fire so I wont have a ton of time to hunt. Does any one of past experience with the area?
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: notellumcreek on March 10, 2016, 01:28:13 PM: look for roads with grass. That place is thick. you will have to put your work in or get extremely lucky to get one in there. good luck.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: NW-GSP on March 10, 2016, 01:29:40 PM: I hunted it without success a few years ago, the thing I found out after being drawn is that they contract guys to hunt the bears in there with dogs.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on March 10, 2016, 01:41:00 PM: Pack abunch of sardine sandwiches and eat them real slowly as you wander around looking for BOO BOO. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: Smossy on March 10, 2016, 01:45:06 PM: Me and my lady hunted copalis spring bear last year. Only seen one bear and didn't see it long enough for her to get the scope on it. Gonnee. Just get to clearcuts. Theres not many..And relax. We had one walk out of the trees 60 yards from us as we parked to take a nap.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: kckrawler on March 10, 2016, 02:08:52 PM: Also note that they do, or have in the past, charged a fee to access the land you'll be hunting on. Lot's of folks aren't prepared for that and end up not hunting it.

Good luck :tup:
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: westside103147 on March 10, 2016, 02:12:43 PM: Sounds like Ill be in for some hard work! I have almost a full month to hunt so hopefully the hard work will pay off.

I already called the Olympia office to get the info for the pass.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: NW-GSP on March 10, 2016, 03:14:25 PM: When I was drawn there was a $100 access fee.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: Becky on March 10, 2016, 03:40:50 PM: Rayonier will mail you permit fee information so keep an eye out, you won't get access until season starts though. It was $100 last year, then you'll get a little welcome packet with access maps outlining the open areas.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: XJcoug13 on March 10, 2016, 04:12:57 PM: Copalis was my 3rd choice and I got picked(1. Long Beach 2. Bear River.) I also drew it last year for spring bear. Very thick and flat area. Last year I didnt see any bears but I dont think I really did the tag justice. I just did a couple day trips on my days off, maybe hit the unit 5-7 times over the season, this year I'll camp up there and really put in some time. I have alot of weekdays off so i rarely saw any hunters but the people I came across said they were seeing 1-2 bears a day. I also drove past a couple gut piles, so people do kill bears up there.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: MisplacedAlaskan on March 10, 2016, 05:03:38 PM: I drew it also. I live close to the unit so I'll probably hit it in the evenings after work.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: treefarmer on March 11, 2016, 01:49:23 PM: I've drawn twice. Only saw one bear between both seasons and harvested it. Worked up there for years and most of the Bears we saw were close to the reservation The hound hunters avoid hunting along the line because the Bears just run into the res whenever they hear hounds. Careful not to shoot a brush picker. Quite a few out there in black rain gear
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: bearmanric on March 11, 2016, 02:29:41 PM: Had it last year. . seen several bears lots of activity. Will be camping again. Rick
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: JimmyHoffa on March 11, 2016, 02:37:01 PM: Quote from: Smossy's Girl on March 10, 2016, 03:40:50 PM
Rayonier will mail you permit fee information so keep an eye out, you won't get access until season starts though. It was $100 last year, then you'll get a little welcome packet with access maps outlining the open areas.
I think Rayonier changed some policy. Not sure if it is all lands or just some. But what they did previously was $100 and only covered the hunting season. The new version (if I heard right) is $100 for the hunting season(s) and $35 for the rest of the year--so you can scout/hang trail cams/shrooms and berries/fishing/etc. I think it was to start this year. Maybe someone has the good info.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: Humptulips on March 11, 2016, 02:38:31 PM: Just so you know the Indians guide bear hunters and have the boundary lined with bait stations. Used to be a lot of bear on the Res. Not near the same anymore.
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: westside103147 on March 11, 2016, 02:41:00 PM: Thanks for the info guys! So if in understanding this right, your not allowed to go in and scout prior to the April 15th opener ?
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: Bob33 on March 11, 2016, 02:48:11 PM: http://property.rayonierhunting.com/Permits/PermitsHome.aspx
Title: Re: Drew Copalis!
Post by: Becky on March 11, 2016, 03:34:18 PM: Quote from: westside103147 on March 11, 2016, 02:41:00 PM
Thanks for the info guys! So if in understanding this right, your not allowed to go in and scout prior to the April 15th opener ?

Last year no, you couldn't. However, what JimmyHoffa said is correct, follow the link Bob posted. You can get an ADDITIONAL $35 pass to go scout, then the $100 hunting pass. I emailed them last year to see if smossy and I could share a pass since we both were selected and would be in the same vehicle etc but no we each had to have our own. You can name add-ons to your hunting pass (not the recreational one) if they're NOT hunting but I don't remember how many. Hope they didn't change that for this year.

hunting@rayonier.com is their email address and they were very nice and helpful last year with all my questions.