Yesterday's Bear Day

[Elkhunter]

Well I got up at 4:00 in the morning and got the horse and headed into the hills. I spent 4 hours looking for a bear or even just a sign a bears in the area. All I saw were some moose, elk and grouse. I did see lots of ATV tracks going up one canyon and dirt bike traks in the canyon I was in. The canyon I was in was closed off for watershed restoration, but that did not stop these riders. I did ride up the other canyon for a couple of miles and the ground has been torn up by what looked like dirt bikes and Fat Cats. Well it was a good day ou there anyway. The sun came up and warmed the crisp morning air, the sky was blue and it it warmed up to about 60 degrees by afternoon.I will head out again next weekend and try another place.

 

[Big Sky]

Just a thought but you may want to switch your routine around and hunt the afternoon. It's been my experience along with most of my friends that there usually isn't much bear activity in the mornings, much better in the afternoon.

 

[Elkhunter]

Thanks Big Sky, I will give that a try.

 

[ELKCHSR]

That's the same thing my neighbor told me. So I glass the hill sides around here. There is supposed to be quite a few in the hills close by. I have yet to see one...

 

[Ithaca 37]

Prime time for Spring bear spotting is 4PM until dark. You'll see a few in the AM but ten times more in the PM.

 

[whitedeer]

Elky.....as much as it rubs my fur the wrong way, I have to agree with Ithaca on this.....I like to be in position by 2:30, 3:00 at the latest.....A bear will always take the path of least resistence, so I like to find a hillside with old logging roads or skids which have completely grown over that lead up to the various elevations where the bears have been feeding. They will actually have travel tunnels on the up hill side of these travel lanes that they can travel for long distances then pop out to feed. In my experience, I have found the spring bears in Montana to come back day after day to the same hill sides in the afternoon to feed, unlike the fall bears who travel quite a bit around while they are gorging.....If you are really desperate for a bear this year, if you are unsuccessful next weekend, shoot your horse out in the open and come back the following weekend and set up downwind of the carcess. I quarantee, that after a week of ripening, if there is a bear present, you will find it feeding on that old worthless horse that you shot for biting you......honest officer!

 

[Moosie]

ALL though I'll have to agree with the masses..... I will have to say that the bear I took this year was in the AM.... I didn't take a bear last year but the year before it was Deer season and it was in the AM as well.... the 2 prior to that were over baits and I took them in the evening....

THATs what my PAST has shown.....

 

[Elkhunter]

The place i went to yesterday has always held bear. A rather large one came out of there last year and in when I was baiting in there I had night feeders hitting me heavy. I was hauling up 100 pounds a day on my ATV and everyday it was empty. Had 3 sets of tracks at it and timers went of between 1:30 and 3:30 every morning. Because of the new regulations on baiting I am not baiting in there anymore. So this year is all spot and stalk, providing I get to spot one.

 

[ELKCHSR]

Well good luck Elky. Spot and stalk bear is supposed to be a total different ball game..