BLACK BEAR HUNTS

The second week of May is a beautiful time to be in the mountains, and perfect time for a spring bear hunt.  Everything has come back to life after lying dormant through the winter months, and at the right time, the hills are so green it almost hurts your eyes to look at them. 

In the spring, bears beautiful shiny coats, making a very nice rug.  Spring bear meat usually tastes better than fall bear meat, as it is much leaner, all fat reserves were burned over the winter, and usually, all they have eaten since emergence is grass and other plants.  Fall bear is somewhat greasy, and might taste a bit like what they have been eating.  That’s fine if it’s been huckleberries, but not if it’s been a dead elk or cow, or fish.

The way we hunt bears is by watching and glassing parks, clear-cuts and clearings, and creek bottom areas that we know the bears are using.  We stay a good distance away so our scent doesn’t ruin the hunt because of a bad “swirl.” Once a bear is located, we determine if there are cubs around, if the bear is of adequate size, and if the hide is in good condition without any bald, or severely matted spots.  If we decide to take the bear, and if we can get a good wind, we stalk within 200 yds or closer for the shot.

While we prefer to hunt bears in the spring, the fall Season (opens Sept 15), can also be very productive.  In ‘07, while guiding archery elk hunters, I saw at least 14 different bears in a two week period.  Most were black, several were some shade of brown, some with a white “chevron,” and 3 of them where huge.  Two of them came in to the elk calls.  The closest one, a large cinnamon, came within 15 yds of me before we saw each other.  The fall season, however, is not as consistent as the spring season.  If there is a better berry crop somewhere else, there may not be many bears around.

Bears are most active early and late in the day with evening hunts generally more productive than morning hunts.  They seem to “timber up” at, or just after, first light and 4:00 pm till dark is prime time.

We seldom hunt all day.  We usually return to camp after the morning hunt, and late morning to mid-afternoon hours are spent fishing, sight-seeing, napping, or just relaxing.

Expect to see at least 2-3 bears on this hunt.  Success depends greatly on weather, the hunter’s physical condition, and his goals.  A hunter willing to shoot a well-furred bear that will square out to 5- 5 ½ feet is more likely to be successful than a hunter holding out for a trophy that will “square” out 6-7 feet.  One out of 4 bears we kill square at 6 ft or better.