Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: jhouckwsu on July 13, 2025, 05:37:28 PM

Title: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: jhouckwsu on July 13, 2025, 05:37:28 PM: Looking for suggestions overall, but this area had me interested. About 4k feet. Pretty steep angle. Unripe Berries in the middle of the chute (highlighted). North facing THICK cover 250-300 yards to either side stream at the bottom. Will a bear venture out to the middle for these berries. Saw no scat or any sign.

Over 3 days Son and I went out and put about 15 miles on our feet and 50 + on the truck and saw 0 bears. We found ripe berries at 2500 ft in the dark woods and not yet ripe berries higher in the sun. Looked at avy chutes, and a couple old burns nothing the seemed to be full of snow/tobacco brush not berries. Am I looking I the wrong places?

I’ve always heard find the berries find the bears. Are there certain areas slopes angle / direction/ elevation that carry more berries? Hints for google earth / onx to find them?
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: Jonathan_S on July 13, 2025, 06:27:20 PM: You say they're unripe? There is your answer. A bear doesn't need to walk a berry patch to see if it's ripe, they can walk a mile downwind and do that
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: jhouckwsu on July 13, 2025, 06:50:01 PM: I meant in a couple weeks when the season opens. My guess is they will be ripe then.
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: pickardjw on July 13, 2025, 07:42:58 PM: I wouldn't go back to that spot myself. If a bear does hit those berries it'll maybe take a day to clean em out and move on.
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: pd on July 13, 2025, 10:08:28 PM: Cool spot! No ideas for you, but good luck, and don't coug it!
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: addicted1 on July 13, 2025, 11:24:45 PM: Depends when you plan to hunt. You need to hunt when the berries are ripe, not when it’s convenient. If you have that kind of flexibility then yes go back and hunt bears. Bears will only eat ripe food, so unless the berries are ripe it doesn’t matter. It’s north facing so will likely ripe after southern facing berries, and likely draw bears. If looking to hunt the august opener, search out south facing would likely be your best bet. Every year is different, I just look for ripe food, you find ripe you will find a bears. You’ll know when you’re on a very hot spot, poop on every step and I am not over stating this. You find something like that and just sit on it.
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: jhouckwsu on July 14, 2025, 01:00:08 PM: Quote from: pd on Yesterday at 10:08:28 PM
Cool spot! No ideas for you, but good luck, and don't coug it!
I will do my best NOT to Coug it!
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: jhouckwsu on July 14, 2025, 01:01:09 PM: Quote from: addicted1 on Yesterday at 11:24:45 PM
Depends when you plan to hunt. You need to hunt when the berries are ripe, not when it’s convenient. If you have that kind of flexibility then yes go back and hunt bears. Bears will only eat ripe food, so unless the berries are ripe it doesn’t matter. It’s north facing so will likely ripe after southern facing berries, and likely draw bears. If looking to hunt the august opener, search out south facing would likely be your best bet. Every year is different, I just look for ripe food, you find ripe you will find a bears. You’ll know when you’re on a very hot spot, poop on every step and I am not over stating this. You find something like that and just sit on it.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Should I come back or find someplace else?
Post by: BigredRusch on July 14, 2025, 01:51:29 PM: The lowest ripe berries on the mountain. Most people miss the "lowest" part and just look for ripe berries. My guess is that bears don't need to hit this cause there are "greener pastures" down slope. It would be an ideal spot for you but not the bear.