Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: jrebel on August 04, 2011, 10:07:46 PM

Title: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: jrebel on August 04, 2011, 10:07:46 PM: I have been out twice and as usual have not seen a bear. I know I am in good bear country but cannot seem to find them. Something that has been really weird is there are no berries. The huckle berries are about the size of a BB and are still green. It appears they may never ripen. The salmon berries may ripen by early September....but that is really late. I am finding bear scat, but cannot identify what they are eating.

Without berries, where would you look and what do they normally eat? I am hunting north east of Stevens past. Chiwawa river and white river. Really weird year.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: PlateauNDN on August 04, 2011, 10:19:22 PM: Its just that kind of year with the huckleberries. The snow stuck around longer than usually and its put the berries back a few more weeks. Usually end of august is when they ripen out but now early to mid september. Good luck!
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: fair-chase on August 04, 2011, 10:35:26 PM: Strange, I was under the impression that bears would consume berries wether they were ripened or not. We (humans) wait for berries to ripen because that is when they are at their peak of both nutrition and flavor. An unripened fruit may not be as palatable to us but does still offer some nutritional value (albeit less) to bears. I suppose it would just depend on wether or not their was another available food source that offered the same or more nutrition with less effort exerted to obtain.

I'm in no way an expert on the forage habits of bears. More or less just rambling to mark this page. :chuckle: Like you I would like to hear more on this subject. If I'm way off base on the berries I would gladly accept correction on this matter. Hopefully some of our resident bear experts can enlighten us on this subject.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: bankwalker on August 04, 2011, 10:51:48 PM: i spent the last 2 days over around easton and found alot of blue berries today and alot of strawberries.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: Instinct on August 05, 2011, 01:07:37 AM: What about wild strawberrys do they like wild strawberrys
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: bankwalker on August 05, 2011, 02:02:02 AM: Quote from: Instinct on August 05, 2011, 01:07:37 AM
What about wild strawberrys do they like wild strawberrys

im curious about that too. becuase i would find blue berry bushes that were stripped clean and at the base of them would be wild strawberries everywhere completely untouched. :dunno:
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: Bean Counter on August 05, 2011, 04:19:01 AM: I'm no botanist, though I play one on t.v.

I believe blueberries and huckleberries are significantly higher in sugar content than strawberries and I imagine that a bear trying to get fat for winter is focused on mealtime economy.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: bearpaw on August 05, 2011, 04:29:14 AM: Quote from: fair-chase on August 04, 2011, 10:35:26 PM
Strange, I was under the impression that bears would consume berries wether they were ripened or not. We (humans) wait for berries to ripen because that is when they are at their peak of both nutrition and flavor. An unripened fruit may not be as palatable to us but does still offer some nutritional value (albeit less) to bears. I suppose it would just depend on wether or not their was another available food source that offered the same or more nutrition with less effort exerted to obtain.

I'm in no way an expert on the forage habits of bears. More or less just rambling to mark this page. :chuckle: Like you I would like to hear more on this subject. If I'm way off base on the berries I would gladly accept correction on this matter. Hopefully some of our resident bear experts can enlighten us on this subject.

Bear will only eat berries that are ripe after they sugar up and are nutritious. The same is true of orchards, they won't touch fruit until it ripens. They eat green grass, roots, some leaves, insects, amphibians, small animals, dead animals, mushrooms, inner bark on trees, and other vegetation until the berries ripen.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: huntnnw on August 05, 2011, 06:18:35 AM: same with deer..they leave apple trees alone till they rippen
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: Shed Stud on August 05, 2011, 06:38:38 AM: The kids and I picked a nice mess of hucks last week about 3000 ft. Seem to have a much better crop than last year, down lower though.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: runamuk on August 05, 2011, 06:52:46 AM: down here in the klickitat the oregon grapes are on full strength...bears like berries so look for whats ripe or ripening and look for stumps that have bees or other bugs...I saw lots of stump damage the last time out
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: jrebel on August 05, 2011, 08:41:04 AM: Shed Stud

Were you on the east side? I don't want to know your exact location, but I have been from 2000 feet to almost 6000 and nothing. I am looking in places that usually have tones of huckleberries / blueberries this time of year. Just curious is you were in the Lake Wenatchee area.

Bearpaw

I thought that would be the case. This makes it really hard to find them becuase the entire east slopes have what you have listed in mass. They could be anywhere and they are not where they should be.....berry patches.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: high country on August 05, 2011, 08:43:52 AM: we have had good berries for 2 weeks around here
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: jrebel on August 05, 2011, 08:52:33 AM: High country...Where is "here". I don't want directions, just general area of state (west side, east side, north, south etc.) I have heard that the west side has tons of berries as usual. That is why it is so wierd for where I hunt not to have berries.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: bearpaw on August 05, 2011, 09:05:49 AM: Try looking for the lowest elevation southerly or westerly exposed hucks that you can find. They are starting to ripen at lower elevations. Service berries are another early ripening berry.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: runamuk on August 05, 2011, 09:06:55 AM: are you seeing currant or elder berries? the elder berries are gonna be good when they finally come on what about oregon grape, salal, cascara, hawthorne, blackberries, red huckleberries, wild cherries, etc...? you arent seeing any berries :dunno: most I am seeing are a little late but look like they will produce well.....again I have been down in the klickitat canyon areas and mount adams so south end of the cascades
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: high country on August 05, 2011, 09:17:04 AM: here is as bearpaw described, any place that saw sun early. priest as usual, is doing well
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: mkcj on August 05, 2011, 09:32:19 AM: The blueberries in Winthrop on our property along the river are just about done as of last weekend about half were starting to dry up.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: fair-chase on August 05, 2011, 01:18:56 PM: Thanks Bearpaw, and everyone else for chiming in on this. Very helpfull information.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: fillthefreezer on August 10, 2011, 09:17:05 AM: ive been in the same boat it sounds like, ive been out around 3-5k ft down lake rimrock area and nothing...
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: boneaddict on August 10, 2011, 09:41:37 AM: huge service berry and chokecherry crop. Mountain hucks are late, very late but present. Elderberry looks fine.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: shedcrazy on August 10, 2011, 10:29:05 AM: I've only been out twice, yesterday up where you have been. The berries are coming on. In my usual spots it's just a little late. I haven't seen one yet either, and not alot of sign yet
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: gasman on August 10, 2011, 02:33:04 PM: Seen lots of berries this weekend but none were ripe.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: jrebel on August 10, 2011, 09:13:21 PM: Just got home from Skykomish area. Lots of running blackberries (wild blackberries), salmon berries and service berries down low. I didn't see any bears, but did eat a lot of blackberries :EAT: . All the huckleberries are small and green yet.

Now I just need to perfect my calling techniques and maybe I will harvest my first black bear ever.....
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: MtnMuley on August 10, 2011, 10:39:14 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on August 10, 2011, 09:41:37 AM
huge service berry and chokecherry crop. Mountain hucks are late, very late but present. Elderberry looks fine.
:yeah:
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: nwalpineguide on August 10, 2011, 11:23:03 PM: Bears in the area(s) I hunt are eating, amongst other things, the inner cambium layer of doug fir, lodgepole pine and sub-alpine silver fir for nutrition. Berries in the alpine areas are as previously described; small BB sized and green. Some berry bushes above 4,800 feet elevation have just sprung up from the snow that had them packed down.
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on August 11, 2011, 11:43:44 AM: Hberries won't grow much below 3,000 feet elevation. You may be up too high if they are still green.
Here in Blues they are just getting ripe at the lowest elevations. Up high they are still green bbs. Everything is about 2-3 weeks behind. The boys and I were picking yesterday where we usually find them in July. :twocents:
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: WilliamWallace on August 11, 2011, 07:02:20 PM: I know where the berries are! :)
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: boneaddict on August 13, 2011, 05:28:48 PM: I believe these are at 4500.....We picked 3 gallons today.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv47%2Fboneaddict%2FAntler%2520Images%2Fhucks.jpg&hash=5c9c561565addf78ee5c0a9de6e0a6681e4bb5a4)
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: Kola16 on August 14, 2011, 09:03:59 PM: I was just hunting that same area! Get out out of my stomping grounds. JK :chuckle: But seriosly. I traveled about 150 to 200 miles in a truck on the back roads there and only spotted two bears. One a nice big chocolate that I busted and a smaller bear. Both I seen from my truck. I hiked about 5 miles and didnt see a thing. Also nice bucks, but back to the berries. There was only one place where I found quite a bit of blueberries. All of the other areas had green blueberries and/or huckleberries (whatever you would like to call them, they are both blue and tasty to me) just like you said. I was about at 3500 to 4000 feet when I found the ripe berries. That is also were I seen the 2 bears ;). I also seen a pile of scat that was beat red with berry seeds in it. If you can't tell I am not an expert on berries :dunno: good luck
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: MtnMuley on August 14, 2011, 10:04:24 PM: I take my comment back on the choke cherries. I did not see a single berry in my travels this weekend. Lots of bears though. There might be one less tomorrow with a large white V....
Title: Re: Unless I am blind...There are absolutely no berries on the east side.
Post by: high country on August 15, 2011, 05:46:43 AM: Made a trip to idaho....20 miles from home, lots of hucks!