Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Navyhunter on August 18, 2010, 10:08:52 AM

Title: Huckleberries?
Post by: Navyhunter on August 18, 2010, 10:08:52 AM: Hey all, I haven't had but once chance to get out after bears and we were WAY too low because where I was going to go was 5-7 miles behind a locked gate and was entirely too hot to be walking in there. For you guys that have been able to get out and up high, how are the berries doing? Are they just ripening up or are they on the downhill slope already? Any information you could give would be greatly appreciated, I'm taking a buddy that's home on leave bear hunting on the 25th and 26th (his first time)...I'm a little late in getting things prepped for his arrival. Any help would be awesome!

Navy
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: boneaddict on August 18, 2010, 10:25:23 AM: not ripe yet even in mid elevation areas. This heat is helping. Up high, nothing yet. (IME)
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Navyhunter on August 18, 2010, 10:35:52 AM: Thanks bone!
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: elkoholic on August 18, 2010, 02:08:26 PM: picked a gallon on sunday around 3500ft carson washington area....sunny south facing areas.. semi shaded areas about a week out....
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: longstevo on August 18, 2010, 03:15:54 PM: There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak.

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: boneaddict on August 18, 2010, 06:06:59 PM: Alot of them frosted out this year. Sounds like the mid-late July berries are good to go. The Aug berries still need a little.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: DeerThug on August 18, 2010, 09:14:45 PM: not many and just the ocassional was good to eat. Quite a few were VERY small and green.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Navyhunter on August 19, 2010, 03:45:33 PM: Thanks for the info guys!!!! I'm headed up mid next week to the north/central cascades. Hopefully it's like every other year up there and there's hundreds of acres of them...we'll see.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Kain on August 19, 2010, 03:53:20 PM: Quote from: longstevo on August 18, 2010, 03:15:54 PM
There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak.

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.

I saw the same thing north of Carson. One or two berries on each bush, that was it. I was thinking it must be a whole heard of bears that had eaten them all. :yike: :yike: :chuckle: :chuckle: I dont think we will get any this year down here but we will see if a couple of weeks will do anything for them.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: longstevo on August 22, 2010, 09:15:03 PM: Quote from: Kain on August 19, 2010, 03:53:20 PM
Quote from: longstevo on August 18, 2010, 03:15:54 PM
There were just about ZERO berries around the Mt. St. Helens area to the northeast of the peak.

I don't know if they're being eaten or just aren't growing yet.

I saw the same thing north of Carson. One or two berries on each bush, that was it. I was thinking it must be a whole heard of bears that had eaten them all. :yike: :yike: :chuckle: :chuckle: I dont think we will get any this year down here but we will see if a couple of weeks will do anything for them.

Funny.

I was up near Lookout Mountain today and the berry bushes up there were doing pretty good. It certainly wasn't a bumber crop, but you could have picked a lot of berries if you put your time in.

But yeah. I think the whole herd of bears mowed through the bushes and ate all the berries. :P
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: one-eyed Ross on August 23, 2010, 07:27:13 AM: Was up near Mt. Adams over the weekend, same there. There were berries, and some were ripe, but it certainly didn't seem like there are a lot of them this year...

Either that, or I'm seeing what is left after commercial harvesters have gone through...
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: quadrafire on August 23, 2010, 08:33:40 AM: In the Mt. Spokane area on friday, we found a few. They were sparse. Some bushes had none, some very small, occasionally we would find a bush with several large berries. Some type of worm was eating the leaves, and some bushes were 50% stripped by the worm.
Sunday am I went back in the area for a long jog on the trails. Didn't take any buckets or bags. I found the Mother load of berries. My wife and kids will be going back up today to get them. So they are out there but sporadic. This was at about 4500ft
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Kain on August 23, 2010, 09:17:18 AM: I went up to a bout 4000 feet and there was a good amount of berries. Down at 2500 feet there was a few but they were all shriveled and wilted.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Pauly on August 23, 2010, 10:01:30 AM: Was on the Pacific Crest Trail near Lake Cle Elum this weekend, a few berries but not many. Some green berries, and some bare bushes, so it's probably just early yet.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: halflife65 on August 23, 2010, 10:04:40 AM: Was up fairly high this weekend and the berries are mostly small and green with a few plants starting to get some that are close to ripe.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: high country on August 23, 2010, 03:40:32 PM: Quote from: quadrafire on August 23, 2010, 08:33:40 AM
In the Mt. Spokane area on friday, we found a few. They were sparse. Some bushes had none, some very small, occasionally we would find a bush with several large berries. Some type of worm was eating the leaves, and some bushes were 50% stripped by the worm.
Sunday am I went back in the area for a long jog on the trails. Didn't take any buckets or bags. I found the Mother load of berries. My wife and kids will be going back up today to get them. So they are out there but sporadic. This was at about 4500ft
I picked a 1/2 gal up there sat. I noticed it was hit or miss, then I stumbled on the motherlode. there were truckloads of vietnamese folk picking as a group....I doubt they left much. up north I did fair, I noticed the area close to the road had berries, but get back a bit where you can't see the road....wiped, my guess is the bears feel safe there
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Pathfinder101 on August 23, 2010, 03:44:43 PM: Took PathfinderJR and Tinypathfinder berry pickin' Saturday. We found lots of berries around the 4,000 ft level, but still lots of green ones. Got a bit less than a gallon in 3 hours (Tinypathfinder eats more than he picks.. :chuckle: ). Tried to find some in a different area yesterday when we were out getting wood, but found empty bushes. Might have froze out earlier... :dunno:
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Ironhead on August 23, 2010, 07:25:42 PM: I was up hwy 2 sunday at 4800 ft and they are starting to get ripe next 2 weeks should be full swing.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Wazukie on August 23, 2010, 09:59:49 PM: Was up today about 4500 ft level. They are getting better up there. If the weather holds out for a couple more weeks they should be pretty good. I dont have my hopes up though as it was 32 degrees this morning. Did see some bear sine though :) lots of elk too!
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: longstevo on September 20, 2010, 06:04:11 PM: I know its a little late, but on Labor Day weekend, my sister and I were up on Col. Bob peak south of Quinault, and there were a million berries up there.
And an adult black bear to boot! You think I had my rifle? Heck no!
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: quadrafire on September 20, 2010, 06:27:36 PM: Long
They are way done on the east side! Pick a bunch and bring them over. I have heard they are $50/lb!
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: longstevo on September 20, 2010, 06:28:57 PM: Quote from: quadrafire on September 20, 2010, 06:27:36 PM
Long
They are way done on the east side! Pick a bunch and bring them over. I have heard they are $50/lb!

Whoa! That might be worth the four mile hike up there! :drool:
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: quadrafire on September 20, 2010, 06:37:08 PM: Let me know. I will split it with you 50/50. ;)
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: high country on September 21, 2010, 04:51:47 AM: quad, I picked a bunch last weekend in the NE, they are still there.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: quadrafire on September 21, 2010, 07:51:42 AM: Geez I had better get back out there. I was bear hunting a couple of weeks ago and the bushes caput where I was. I just figured that would be all over. Sorry to mis-inform.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: high country on September 21, 2010, 08:13:06 PM: you are not really misinforming.....this year some areas are the exception, most years they are the rule.....it has been a poor year fo sho
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: shedcrazy on September 21, 2010, 08:23:01 PM: Up on Sugarloaf today 5800ft and the few berries we did find were very very small and ripe, not a good berry season this way.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: Skyvalhunter on September 21, 2010, 08:48:34 PM: Stevens Pass has a piss poor berry year. Few berrys here and there and even still some green ones.
Title: Re: Huckleberries?
Post by: BlackRidge on September 23, 2010, 09:46:41 AM: Theyre just starting to rippen around the N.Bend/Snoqualmie area, pretty much happened overnight