Questions for biologist

[mtnrunner260]

Hey guys and gals I drew a spring bear tag in Utah and wandering what are some questions that would be good to discuss with the area bio.
Its no bait but dogs allowed. I have some "friend of a friend" dog connections but spot and stalk will be the strategy.
So far
-with the 4/3 - 5/31 season is there a window that you would suggest focusing on?
-are there any food sources that bears will be utilizing besides new grass growth?
-do these areas (away from roads) provide a benefit in bear numbers or bear maturity? Or is the benefit solely getting away from hunters with hounds?
-would backpacking into one of the few areas not laced with roads provide much benefit?
-water seems to be a limited resource, do you agree? Do bears utilize the man made water sources such as guzzlers?

Any suggestions to add to the list?
I am getting really excited to spend some time out in the hills!

 

[Sask hunter]

Later in the month the closer to the bear rut. First week of June it really gets rolling. Big boars move a lot in the rut which I could see being good and bad during spot and stalk

 

[nrpate05]

As someone who has never hunted bear, I would ask what the snowpack is like. ie how deep the snow is in the area you want to go. I'm not sure how that impacts the bear activity, but could be the difference between getting/not getting to different spots. With that, I'd ask what elevation the snowline is. I assume they follow the snowline up the mountain to access the greenest grass?

 

[trb]

I recently did the same in preparation for an ID spring bear hunt. Your questions are pretty similar to what I asked, and it was an enlightening conversation. I'm not familiar with UT bear tags, but if there's a risk of pressure, it might be worth asking if there's any commercial outfits that us the area that you are asking about. That led me to talking to the local outfitter, who doesn't operate spring bear hunts, and was happy to give me as much insight as the bio did.