Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Jim at NineTrees on November 01, 2010, 08:22:31 PM

Title: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: Jim at NineTrees on November 01, 2010, 08:22:31 PM: Soooo .... went out about 3 times now. Seen black bear sign just not the bear. I have been up in the OP and Kitsap most sign has been up high 2200-2600 feet. Tried predator calling for hours :bash: .... still nothin. I wash all my clothes in scent free detergent, mask with sprays, etc. so what am I doing wrong. Are these bears denned up for the winter. I have read that they do around the beginning of Nov. I am no quitter and will go at it again. Any suggestions?

Jim
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: billythekidrock on November 01, 2010, 08:36:29 PM: I just got some tcam video of a sow and cub at about 1000 feet the other day. With the mild weather we have been having they may stay out for a bit longer this year.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: Hangfire on November 01, 2010, 11:10:54 PM: I have seen fresh bear tracks, in the snow, in mid November, in NE part of the state and the Yakima region, in the late muzzle loader elk season. I don't know if there is a precise time, but suspect most are Denned up by December.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: fishwhackin on November 01, 2010, 11:28:59 PM: I have seen the bears in Kitsap quite regularly into December. Daily on trail cams when I had them through the month of November. Just remember.....there aren't that many bear out there. Not like deer anyhow so you aren't going to see them just because you see some sign. Might take quite a few trips and a lot of patience. Good Luck!
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on November 01, 2010, 11:32:22 PM: Bears do not "Den Up" in Washington like they do farther north into Canada and Alaska.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: billythekidrock on November 02, 2010, 06:02:49 AM: Quote from: Michelle_Nelson on November 01, 2010, 11:32:22 PM
Bears do not "Den Up" in Washington like they do farther north into Canada and Alaska.

That would be true on the coast and in the lowlands, but in the high country they will. Especially sows. Just not for the lenght of time that they do farther north.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: runamuk on November 02, 2010, 06:08:33 AM: Quote from: Jim at NineTrees on November 01, 2010, 08:22:31 PM
Soooo .... went out about 3 times now. Seen black bear sign just not the bear. I have been up in the OP and Kitsap most sign has been up high 2200-2600 feet. Tried predator calling for hours :bash: .... still nothin. I wash all my clothes in scent free detergent, mask with sprays, etc. so what am I doing wrong. Are these bears denned up for the winter. I have read that they do around the beginning of Nov. I am no quitter and will go at it again. Any suggestions?

Jim

Listen to BTKR and also have patience...not all people see bears...3 trips is nothing.....even though I see bears I still haven't seen one at the right time in the right place and I am a bear magnet of some sort. I haven't had near the time I put in last year but still have managed to get out there a little....and I will keep going until the season ends at which point I shoot my tag full of holes if I haven't been successful :chuckle:
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on November 02, 2010, 06:09:48 AM: Healthy bears den when they stop gaining weight, or start losing weight. If they can maintain weight, they will remain active. The exceptions are starved bears, due to age, injury or other infirmity; if they don't have the fat reserves, they will continue to try and find food. When denning begins depends on food resources, and how much energy it takes to remain active. Once they go into a negative energy balance, they den.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: saylean on November 02, 2010, 07:40:35 PM: My bro saw a bear this last weekend up at the north cascades...in a rock slide...they're still out.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: shanevg on November 03, 2010, 08:26:10 PM: Hopefully they haven't denned up yet, I need to fill my second tag still. I'm heading up high this weekend and then I have a backup bear that my father-in-law saw around 3200 feet elevation last week that I'm going to try to get next weekend if I don't have luck on Saturday.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: Gutpile on November 04, 2010, 07:31:01 AM: Quote from: billythekidrock on November 02, 2010, 06:02:49 AM
Quote from: Michelle_Nelson on November 01, 2010, 11:32:22 PM
Bears do not "Den Up" in Washington like they do farther north into Canada and Alaska.

That would be true on the coast and in the lowlands, but in the high country they will. Especially sows. Just not for the lenght of time that they do farther north.

They do over here unless the weather is very very warm and snow free.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on November 04, 2010, 08:19:25 AM: What Doublelung said! What BillTheKidRock said! I'm surprised not to read the word 'Hibernation' in this thread. Blackbears will take extended sleeps, and come out occasionally. Not necessarily to feed but they may. You'll see this most often with lowland bears, where-as the bears at higher elevations or at least colder climates will sleep for longer periods. (Gutpile's environment or above the no-snow line) I've seen bear tracks in fresh snow in late December and as early as late January. I know that Strutnrut1984 was huffed at by bears in the brush at low elevations this year in mid February.

Jim at Ninetrees, this is prime bear time. I doubt that many are denning just yet. -Except maybe the younger ones or some sows. Some lowland bears don't 'den' at all. Big boars will still be out until we have some significant weather or 'like Doublelung said', they need to use more energy than its worth to find food. We haven't had any significant weather to eliminate food sources yet. Bears out right now are on the move. They're looking for food, just as they've been out trying to fatten up for the last month. Find their scat. Look at what they're still eating. Grubs, grasses, roots, bee larva/honey, grouse, coyotes, pika and other rodents. Locate transition areas between food sources.

-Steve
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: grundy53 on November 04, 2010, 08:48:25 AM: When they get really really sleepy..... :P :P
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: d-rock on November 04, 2010, 05:11:05 PM: Bear tags taste best with some A-1..... but not quite as good as deer or elk tags......They don't need sauce if BBQ'd properly.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: Balladeer on November 07, 2010, 08:17:43 PM: Quote from: grundy53 on November 04, 2010, 08:48:25 AM
When they get really really sleepy..... :P :P
HA!
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: high country on November 08, 2010, 05:40:28 PM: not yet. I was face to face with one on sunday.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 08, 2010, 05:43:20 PM: a lot of them have been hitting the ground in the last few weeks. i think it depends on the weather a lot.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: sivart33 on November 08, 2010, 05:43:48 PM: a lady got attacked sunday by a bear in gig harbor, they are still out.
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: hogsniper on November 09, 2010, 11:38:16 AM: I was up in the snow here at about 6500ft and saw where one had walked in the road a ways! Had bedded twice in the ditch but was nowhere to be seen! Headed down into a big rock basin to go to sleep for the winter I imagine!
Title: Re: when do bears start denning for the winter
Post by: GoldTip on November 09, 2010, 11:53:42 AM: They will den up give or take a few days of whenever they did the year previous. Much like the will come out of den the same way. Got this info from a F&G guy who was the predominant bear trapper in Montana for the state, lived next door to me growing up. He said it may seem later one year than the next, or that they came out earlier one year than the next, but it just isn't the case according to the guy I knew.