Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: asl20bball on August 20, 2016, 01:25:16 PM

Title: Mountain berry report?
Post by: asl20bball on August 20, 2016, 01:25:16 PM: Just wondering if anyone has been up high recently and has a berry report? Are the berries dried up in the 4,000 to 5,000 foot range or are they ripe?
Central cascades is my target area.
I have not gotten back up in the mountains for about 3 weeks due to work so Thanks in advance for the report.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: jackelope on August 20, 2016, 01:26:56 PM: I suspect it will be slim pickens' after this heatwave. They'll be more like raisins.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Buck Rub Jr on August 20, 2016, 02:29:53 PM: I ate a lot of berries yesterday in the mid 4,000's. Saw a lot were still not even ripe yet as well.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: dan11011 on August 21, 2016, 10:27:51 AM: A big mixture for me on the east side. Some berries have tasted perfect. Some shriveled and dry. The Bears are out but the food sources to me have been a little all over the place. They're still eating berries but it's a matter of which berries.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Jonathan_S on August 21, 2016, 11:11:45 AM: Quote from: jackelope on August 20, 2016, 01:26:56 PM
I suspect it will be slim pickens' after this heatwave. They'll be more like raisins.

Yeah in that elevation belt, berries are GONE in N Idaho and E (actually Eastern) Washington. Cascades can't be far behind.

The remaining berries I was in yesterday were rock hard little bits of candy. That still taste great but it might take two days to fill a gallon jug with those tiny little things.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: asl20bball on August 21, 2016, 11:27:54 AM: Thanks guys. I'll probably go give it a try this evening in the 4500 ft range.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: buglebuster on August 21, 2016, 12:26:03 PM: This weekend they were very ripe 4000-5000 and at 6000 was very few. 6500 none.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: snake on August 21, 2016, 08:46:29 PM: in the last week i have been to N Idaho, NE WA and Central Cascades. There are good numbers of berries in all these places. It was an early season for sure and not a bumper crop like last year in Central Cascades but lots of berries left. Keep looking, North and West faces will ripen last typically.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: heronblu on August 21, 2016, 09:14:27 PM: west side berries at 4000ft and up were ripe tasty and plentiful.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: buckmaster303 on August 21, 2016, 10:30:35 PM: saw a bunch up bear hunting at 4200ft
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: zwickeyman on August 22, 2016, 06:20:14 AM: North of Snoqualmie pass berries from 2500 to 5000
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Wagglyfawn on August 22, 2016, 08:36:53 AM: South side Baker 2000-4500' full of berries. Untouched and zero signs of bear, but probably need to get farther off trail.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: pianoman9701 on August 22, 2016, 08:49:16 AM: So far, there are still tons of hucks being harvested in the cascades from central to south, at least.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: WAcoueshunter on August 22, 2016, 09:14:05 AM: I picked in central WA on Saturday around 5,000'. No signs of them drying up yet, I'd say the berries are still on the front end of being ripe. They can take a little heat.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: sirmissalot on August 22, 2016, 11:32:01 AM: I've been seeing them in the 4-5,000ft range, but above that has been nothing, not even green berries. Never seen that before? I don't know what to make of it. I'm going to give it another shot this weekend but I might need to look more into the 5,000ft and lower stuff, which is more timber so its tougher to hunt
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: KopperBuck on August 22, 2016, 03:45:42 PM: Yesterday we were finding the most at the 6k-6500 range - NE Oregon
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: snake on August 22, 2016, 08:04:02 PM: Quote from: sirmissalot on August 22, 2016, 11:32:01 AM
I've been seeing them in the 4-5,000ft range, but above that has been nothing, not even green berries. Never seen that before? I don't know what to make of it. I'm going to give it another shot this weekend but I might need to look more into the 5,000ft and lower stuff, which is more timber so its tougher to hunt
I have noticed the same thing in some of my usual places.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Ghost Hunter on August 23, 2016, 02:53:03 PM: Quote from: heronblu on August 21, 2016, 09:14:27 PM
west side berries at 4000ft and up were ripe tasty and plentiful.
:yeah: Picked 19 lbs on Sunday at 4000'. The ones in the shade were the best. More green one's coming on.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: JimmyHoffa on August 23, 2016, 05:02:26 PM: I was at 2700' today and just sooooooo many berries it was ridiculous. Huge red huckleberries, blues all over and even still quite a bit of salmon berries. Some of the sunnier spots have berries that are not as shiny, but plenty sweet.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Ripper on August 25, 2016, 02:18:38 PM: Saw lots of Huck's last Sat. More green one to come.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: Highmountaindan on August 27, 2016, 07:34:49 PM: I was between 4000-4800 last week for three days. Seemed that alpine blue berries were about 30-40% ripe. The huckleberries at lower elevations were starting to dry up but there was still plenty of them. I did come across two piles of bear skat and in each pile their was salmon berries, bottle caps and huckleberries with some blue berries. Looks like it will be a few more weeks till the lower elevation berries are dried up which will encourage the Bears to get up to the alpine meadows and by that time I suspect the blue berries will be about 50-60% ripe. I was hunting the northwest corner of Washington. Also it has been kinda hott lately and the temp needs to come down some before the Bears are really encouraged to be out in the meadows IMO.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: wt on August 28, 2016, 01:08:41 PM: Not to thread jack..... But..... I haven't been up on the mountain roads off Stevens or snoqualmie for years. Does anyone have any advice for road access points to cruise for berries? Thread jack over, you can pm me if you prefer.
Thanks, wt.
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: buglebuster on August 28, 2016, 08:56:40 PM: We picked 6lbs at about 4200 ft today
Title: Re: Mountain berry report?
Post by: robertsjd on August 29, 2016, 04:00:58 PM: was up at 6500 on Saturday and they are NOT ripe turned around and went back to the truck . drove down to 4500 and they were prime and saw a bear :tup: