Spot and stalk spring bear tips

[Sasquatchewan]

Hunt Talkers! With the Cad/US border closed and limitations on movement, most of us will be hunting close to home, at least this spring. Last year's regs announced that they were considering raising the quota to two bears in some zones in Saskatchewan, which include the zone I regularly hunt. This got me thinking (because that's all I have to do right now), that I don't feel like sitting over bait all spring season and would like to make the best of this possible opportunity and add a spot and stalk bear hunt. This is NOT a coastal/mountain/alpine bear hunt, this is a relatively flat, thick Boreal forest and Canadian Shield hunt.

Those of you who have done similar hunts, what has worked for you? Any tips on chasing bears in thick cover with no elevation to glass from? I've started e-scouting and I've already identified some clear cuts, swamps, river edges, etc, that I would like to hunt. Is mid-April too early? I normally don't start batting until late Apr/early May and won't hit the stand until the first/second week of May.

2018 Spring Sasky bear for distraction:

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I would talk to @Joe Hulburt, he finds some real nice bears in thicker country, my sense is a little more coastal but probably far more applicable habitat than most of us.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

All we can do here on the Oregon Coast is spot and stalk and I can always find a nice bear to kill if I put in some time. The spots you mentioned e-scouting are exactly the spots I would hunt around here. I usually can kill a bear in April but would imagine up North bears might be a little later getting out and around but all it takes is one.

I did call in a really nice bear on May 1 using a fawn distress call one year. Once you get to fawn or calf dropping time that is worth trying for sure.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

All we can do here on the Oregon Coast is spot and stalk and I can always find a nice bear to kill if I put in some time. The spots you mentioned e-scouting are exactly the spots I would hunt around here. I usually can kill a bear in April but would imagine up North bears might be a little later getting out and around but all it takes is one.

I did call in a really nice bear on May 1 using a fawn distress call one year. Once you get to fawn or calf dropping time that is worth trying for sure.

Predator calling is definitely something I will try.