2021 Huckleberry Spring Bear Thread

[hunter399]

CONGRATS 👌

[shmacker]

Saw a small bear yesterday just north of Hunters at 2,000 feet.  Still very little sign around me though.

[Jharristealth]

Just got back home from spending 5 days in the unit.  I saw a total of 5 bears. Passed on a 150lb jet black one the first morning. Third day I glassed up an absolute toad around a mile across the valley in the middle of a sprayed cut at 10:30 am.  After navigating the landscape to get over  there we were unable to relocate. The remaining 3 were a black sow with two 80 lb cinnamon cubs on the last day. I will be headed back over again in a couple weeks to try again.  Also, we ran into Wanttohuntmore and his dad. It was a pleasure chatting with you guys and best of luck to your son with his tag.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Just got back home from spending 5 days in the unit.  I saw a total of 5 bears. Passed on a 150lb jet black one the first morning. Third day I glassed up an absolute toad around a mile across the valley in the middle of a sprayed cut at 10:30 am.  After navigating the landscape to get over  there we were unable to relocate. The remaining 3 were a black sow with two 80 lb cinnamon cubs on the last day. I will be headed back over again in a couple weeks to try again.  Also, we ran into Wanttohuntmore and his dad. It was a pleasure chatting with you guys and best of luck to your son with his tag.

Nice meeting you too!  We explored further south of you,  some awesome canyons but little sign.   I think they need a few more years to recover.   Where we saw you is probably the better location.    Looking at bikes now.... ha! 

[trophyhunt]

Just got back home from spending 5 days in the unit.  I saw a total of 5 bears. Passed on a 150lb jet black one the first morning. Third day I glassed up an absolute toad around a mile across the valley in the middle of a sprayed cut at 10:30 am.  After navigating the landscape to get over  there we were unable to relocate. The remaining 3 were a black sow with two 80 lb cinnamon cubs on the last day. I will be headed back over again in a couple weeks to try again.  Also, we ran into Wanttohuntmore and his dad. It was a pleasure chatting with you guys and best of luck to your son with his tag.

I wouldn't be surprised if those 80lb cubs were to get ran off by mom anytime soon, I watched a sow kick the crap out of her older cub last year.  I'd say you were probably good to go on that sow but I prob would have passed as well.  you might see her again alone or with a boar soon.

[Rob]

Interesting.  I saw a Sow with what seemed like a very large cub for this early in the year.

The thinking is, the sow did not get bred and the bear with her was a yearling, not a fresh cub?  That had not occurred to me

[trophyhunt]

Interesting.  I saw a Sow with what seemed like a very large cub for this early in the year.

The thinking is, the sow did not get bred and the bear with her was a yearling, not a fresh cub?  That had not occurred to me

Yeah, those cubs want to stay with mom too long.  She instinctively will force them away when they are ready to mate again, or if a boar kills the younger cub she will go into heat.

[Seabass]

I don't have a tag but was poking around the unit on Sunday. I didn't see any sign but I spent all my time between 3,700-4,400 feet.

[pianoman9701]

Nice bear!

[HillHound]

Hopefully there are some tags getting filled with the long weekend. Looking forward to some success updates. Seeing lots of sign at my place in central wa. 2500-3500 ft. Piles of scat are packed with grass and they tore a stump up 100 yards away from my camp that we have the trailer at.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Saw 2 tonight.   No shot taken.   We'll be out next weekend in the same clearing looking for the repeat.  Not seeing much sign.

[hunter399]

My son and I walked about 4 miles behind closed gate on Thursday. We was sitting eating our lunch before we walked out. PB-J sandwich . Bear pops out on road maybe five yards from us. With a gun in hand I walk over to look into the creek swamp area . I hear a cub climbing a tree dang near right next to us. Then I hear moma calling for her cub.
OHH $!#@.
So we grab all our stuff ,had a bunch of stuff pulled out of our packs.
We moved up the road a few hundred yards.
We could hear the cub climbing down ,sticks breaking,all that good stuff . I was pretty much ready if they decide to come up the road and continue to follow us.
We had to go back through that stretch of road to walk back out ,made a bunch of noise about an hour later when we came back through.

My son learned a few things about bear encounter.
That you don't wanna be anywhere near a tree with a cub in it!!!
I'm very glad how the situation turned out ,and that they decided to go a different direction after they reunited.
I won't play games with a bear that continues to follow me after I have made some noise and gave them plenty of space and time to move on.

With all that said ......
I do have a spring bear tag for huckleberry.
I'm gonna be taking off to get a load of firewood in a few minutes with rifle in the truck maybe I will see something.
I've been trying to stay positive about filling this tag.
But if I could just get past the spoting part so I can stalk something would be great.

Just so there's no confusion ,I always keep our food in a sealed zip lock ,and I just happened to be a bear in close proximity to where we where eating lunch. And them sandwiches went back into that ziplock in a hurry.

[hunter399]

Shot at on this mourning clean miss ,no blood.
I get back to the road above that a shot from look down where the first bear was moma and cub standing right where the first one was .
Still watching the cut right now.

[hunter399]

Better pic maybe.

[HillHound]

That’s awesome you are seeing them.. You probably don’t need me to tell you but If you’re taking long shots make sure you support the rear of the gun as well as the front. Makes a world of difference especially at a distance when every little bit counts. But that’s easy to say and hard to do most times when they’re moving and you constantly have to reposition and have little to no time. Stick it out I’m sure you’ll see him or a different one and get another chance.