2021 Spring Bear Thread

[El Jason]

Drinking beer and splitting wood, what could possibly go wrong

Well, one could clearly run out of beer.

 

[OldSnort]

This weekend is my annual time to get after it in my neck of the woods. Hoping for the traditional 30-40 bear sightings in a day and hopefully put one or two on the ground! Heres a pic of a smoker of a spring bear i would have loved to say hello to but he just would not go to some public land and have a meeting!

If you are seeing 30 to 40 bears a day I am soon to be your new neighbor!

 

[OldSnort]

Travis,

I am going to text you and some other miscreants tonight. We should have some room in the truck, need anything from Minnesota? A loon? A woman of Scandinavian decent?

Mange?

 

[OldSnort]

We should hunt together I like your style

A 6.5 NeedsMore fan? O say it ain't so!

 

[OldSnort]

What am I looking at here? Sow with yearling triplets?

Sow and last years cubs.

 

[RobertD]

Sow with 3 of last years young, all real healthy looking. I see some Grizzlies and find it amazing how many have 3 cubs and obviously these have made it past the hardest part and will likely survive.

Yeah, seeing three is pretty impressive considering the calorie needs of a griz cub have to be pretty high.

It's good to see them thriving but I tend to agree with you, it raises some questions re: management

 

[Trap]

Nice bears so far

 

[Elkwhisper]

Glassed up 2 more last night..... terrible pics. The little one was smaller than the Turkey I shot last week. Still searching for Mr. Right

 

[520 Road Sow]

Four days in God’s Country. First day, I spotted a reddish brown boar. I hot footed/slipped/fell down the mountain to a setup. Range at 390, and I watched him for about 15 minutes while he screwed around in a snow field behind a small clump of alders. I’m all set up, when he finally cleared I flipped the safety off and started to take up the trigger. The boar was sitting down and all of a sudden he slid down the snow field like a damned penguin and out of sight. When I finally relocated him later he was up the hill and over 500 yards out.

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The last day of hunting, Rich and I were sitting on a road glassing this hillside and getting the tops of our feet sunburned. A little bear entered the avalanche chute, faked like he was heading down to where we could climb up and shoot him, then proceeded up the red line and over the top. WTF?

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Out of beer and out of time....

You know if you had a stone glacier Finn wouldn't have to carry your shit...... looks like a sweet trip amigo.

 

[Doublecluck]

 

[Reeldawg]

I will be in NW Montana next week. Can’t wait!

Jay

 

[JV842]

Grandson came by yesterday showing me his “gear” n wearing his boots.
Little dude looks like a ferret on crack, sooo excited!!!
4days n a wake up!!!!

 

[454]

I got rained/snowed out on this weekends hunt. We didn't see much up high while it was clear but this little guy was walking across the road as we were coming out of the mountains.

 

[Werty]

Spent 4 days up in NW Montana, 2 bears in 4 days. First bear winded me after I walked past him in a cut that I couldn't see into. Second bear, saw at 350 couldn't get a shot, moved around and ended up spooking him. Both bears were low in elevation.

 

[Sask hunter]

My weekend bear report food poisoning hit me Thursday night in the bear stand. Spent Friday puking my guts out and rest of the weekend recovering. Unfortunate timing may 8-11 or 12 is my favourite time on the baits and now my baits are sitting empty

 

[Twolftg]

For the montana guys what elevations are you finding snow free? The snowtel reading seem odd this year.

 

[JTHOMP]

Recently spent a week in Arkansas chasing turkeys and scouting new country for fall bear season. Got to see a sow with 2 cubs when I let out a hen yelp and she sent her cubs up a tree...not sure what the says about my turkey calling. Scouted a new mountain that will be PRIME come September when the white oaks are ready. Found old bear scat under the leaves from last season and what appeared to be one hitting a dumpster behind a taco bell. Good luck to yall up north that are able to get out and hunt bears. I'll make it there one day but for now I'll enjoy this thread. Amazing creatures to see in the wild.

 

[Sytes]

For the montana guys what elevations are you finding snow free? The snowtel reading seem odd this year.

Seems in the areas I hunted burnt stumps, snow was fading around 5k-5.5k? Approx. North faced roads still snow clogged up for routing...

 

[westbranch]

Good map for snow: https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/webmaps/SierraSnowDepth/

Although spots can show snow free for a couple weeks and north facing roads are impassable.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Good map for snow: https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/webmaps/SierraSnowDepth/

Although spots can show snow free for a couple weeks and north facing roads are impassable.

That's an interesting map tool. I'm used to using snotel for everything, I like this for a little different big picture view.