Fall Bear Tips

[kodiak10]

One of the stickied posts on spring bear hunting by saylean is hands down the best resource I have encountered on bear hunting. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share some similar tips and guidance for someone trying to harvest a bear in fall.

I know it is a lot to ask, but I feel that this could be a great tool for everyone here to harvest more bears, which the community seems to agree would help our overall wildlife situation. I would never ask for tips like this of a non predator game species, but I do feel that this would help us all.

I have a general idea and think I know where to start... Look for large berry thickets and other food sources that bears cant resist. Get out and scout and be very mindful of bear sign. Spend a lot of time glassing areas that could be productive. But at the end of the day, as a newer hunter I have ideas and strategies but no real concept of if they will be effective.

What do you all think? Would it be a good idea to compile these tips and guidance ? Should we help and encourage newer hunters to go into the field looking for bear this fall?

[cougforester]

This has been a pretty productive spot in the past. I picked this spot after a bunch of e-scouting for a few reasons:

1) Over a half mile from the road, and can't be glassed from any road.
2) Perennial water in the creek running through the middle of the canyon.
3) Broken terrain and varied vegetation offers a good mix of food/berries and security. The brushy draws opened up in small patches of lodgepole pine reprod, wild currants, blueberries, and kinnikinnick.

I learned that Cal Topo lets you look at false color images to get a better idea of the productivity of vegetation in the area too. That allows you to focus areas that have less just grassy cover and have more shrub cover. Takes some studying to figure out but it's a good tool to have in the tool kit.

[kodiak10]

Thanks a bunch! some awesome tips. I will have to spend more time with caltopo!

[johnnyaustin44]

Definitely find food sources. Clear cuts that have blackberries and lots of them. Thicker cuts that bears can move through without being seen are what we normally target. Thy usually come from big timber and we almost always hear them them in the cuts before we get a look at them. They feel much safer I think in the older cuts. But that brings in other challenges of getting a clear shot. It usually happens fast and you have to be ready to capitalize. Hunting in the evening has worked better for us also. Just find the sign and food and the bears will show up eventually. Not much more is as exciting as sitting on a cut waiting for a bear to show itself when you’ve been listening to them moseying around in the thick stuff for a while.