Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: sled on February 05, 2012, 03:10:55 PM

Title: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: sled on February 05, 2012, 03:10:55 PM: I read alot of posts saying that people see and harvest alot of bears on wilderness hunts or by backpacking in somewhere.
I have not gotten a bear yet and am willing to try one of these hunts. I need some info on trailheads to start from, how many miles i should go and how many days to plan for a hunt. Also best time to go.
I have never backpacked into an area and stayed the night, but a friend of mine has done alot of it but he is not a hunter. We will have all the gear.
Honey holes would be great, but not expected. :chuckle:
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: JimmyHoffa on February 05, 2012, 03:21:38 PM: The Col Bob wilderness has some bears. Not a big wilderness area, but it is located by Lake Quinault and the Wynoochee...areas known for bear numbers. The Brothers wilderness also has bears. Any trail head should do, the bears will be low near the trails early in the season. Later on, you'll have to go in the jungle to find some of them.
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: sled on February 06, 2012, 09:27:37 PM: Thanks jimmy will check it out. Anything else anyone?
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: Houndhunter on February 06, 2012, 09:44:44 PM: my areas got cut back to sept 1st this year, sucks having a whole month cut out of my season in only 2 years.... but that being said sept is when i have my best luck, thats when the berries are out. find the berry patches and you find bears. in august i look for areas that are really green with grass or places with lots of downed logs where they will get after the bugs in the decaying trees. really just need to find the food source for the time of year. i dont think you need to go way back in, but getting off the trails is big. i know ive seen bear tracks on well used human trails but i think alot of human scent will push them out pretty quick espeically if there is not alot of food around. i think bears in the wilderness are not affraid to move, so to many people they will just move on

hopefully this year we will have less snow and be able to get to the high country a bit early then we did this year
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: huntnnw on February 08, 2012, 10:43:10 PM: I know where there is a ton of bears in a wilderness unit...PM if your intersted...its in NE WA.
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: shanevg on February 08, 2012, 10:54:28 PM: Nooksack unit (418) and then the NE corner of the state (Sherman unit 101 in particular) have the highest bear harvest in our state. That's where I would focus my efforts. September tends to be the best time to get the bears. Just find the berries and you will find the bears. The berries tend to grow on south and west facing slopes first so that's where you should be focusing your efforts first. Be ready for some tough hunting and some tough packing but it's a ton of fun!

Here's what you can expect!
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: huntnnw on February 08, 2012, 10:56:13 PM: One thing to know is...dont get in so far that u cant get the bear out that day. bears are delicate after the kill...they spoil and hides can slip fast in warm weather in August and early Sept. Also I recommend that when hunting bears in the evening that if your going to pull the trigger on one be able to get to it and find it...I would not eat a bear left over night. I have seen 2 bears left over night in early Sept that were so rotten smelling by first thing in the am . I had a bear rot on me in the same day in 90 degree heat and there was nothing I could do about it..as fast as I could skin quarter and pack out and get into to town for ice and part of the hide slipped and the meat on some sides had arleady started to stink
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: huntnnw on February 08, 2012, 10:59:31 PM: I am highly surprised that 101 has a high harvest?? 105 and 108 I can see there is a boat load of bears. I and my dad run alot of cams in ferry co and barely get bear pics as opposed to out other areas that have multiple bears per cam. we got only 1 bear pic last year all summer and there was alot of food out
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: shanevg on February 08, 2012, 11:52:54 PM: Quote from: huntnnw on February 08, 2012, 10:59:31 PM
I am highly surprised that 101 has a high harvest?? 105 and 108 I can see there is a boat load of bears. I and my dad run alot of cams in ferry co and barely get bear pics as opposed to out other areas that have multiple bears per cam. we got only 1 bear pic last year all summer and there was alot of food out

Don't know the area well, just know that harvest statistics are high there.

Just looked up the numbers for 2010. These are the units that stood out:

NE:
101 - Sherman - 85 total bears killed
117 - 49 Degrees North- 56 total bears killed
121 - Huckleberry - 60 total bears killed
113 - Selkirk - 49 total bears killed
111 - Aladdin - 39 total bears killed
105 - Kelly Hill - 29 total bears killed
108 - Douglas - 21 total bears killed

NW:
418 - Nooksack - 75 total bears killed
437 - Sauk - 41 total bears killed
448 - Stillaguamish - 73 total bears killed
460 - Snoqulamie - 58 total bears killed
454 - Issaquah - 44 total bears killed

Overall those are the units that stand out for bear kills. A few on the peninsula get into the 30's but not a lot. Definitely want to focus on NW or NE if you are looking and apparently 418/448 and 101 are the spots to be.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/harvest/2010/reports/bear_bmu_all.php
Title: Re: wilderness bear hunting. i need suggestions.
Post by: huntnnw on February 09, 2012, 02:05:11 AM: Ill tell u 105 isnt reported correctly ..most years I know of 10-14 bears killed in just my area I hunt