2021 California Bear

[Chandler10e]

Good luck everyone for CA bear this year, I was super excited for last years hunt in D7 but the Creek Fire had other plans. Praying the fires stay down and don't close all of the public land in the state again this year!

 

[amassi]

Went up to check cameras and cache some water
Cameras- 1 vandalized(appears to have been smashed with a rock) and 2 stolen. Guess I'm done with trail cams in California-- These were nowhere near roads or trails but are in obvious game transition areas--
Did find a really pretty cinnamon phase bear but he's small like 75-100#. He was acting like top dawg though scent marking every brush on an entire slope.
Coincidentally a spring that was bone dry 4 weeks ago had a small seep this week- maybe new groundwater from snow melt?? The other dry springs remained dry

Interesting- this "trailhead" isn't marked or have a big parking lot and parking is done along an established pull out on a fs road. The other trucks there parked slightly inside of me(forest side) had parking tickets on them, mine had nothing and the other trucks got there after I did. Anybody know if this is a fire danger protocol or what?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Hunt_Jefferson]

Went up to check cameras and cache some water
Cameras- 1 vandalized(appears to have been smashed with a rock) and 2 stolen. Guess I'm done with trail cams in California-- These were nowhere near roads or trails but are in obvious game transition areas--
Did find a really pretty cinnamon phase bear but he's small like 75-100#. He was acting like top dawg though scent marking every brush on an entire slope.
Coincidentally a spring that was bone dry 4 weeks ago had a small seep this week- maybe new groundwater from snow melt?? The other dry springs remained dry

Interesting- this "trailhead" isn't marked or have a big parking lot and parking is done along an established pull out on a fs road. The other trucks there parked slightly inside of me(forest side) had parking tickets on them, mine had nothing and the other trucks got there after I did. Anybody know if this is a fire danger protocol or what?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Sucks about your cams, but hopefully the jackasses that did it were the ones who got the parking ticket. If they were parked more than one vehicle length off the roadway (road -> you -> them) that’s probably why, technically you can’t do that on land with vehicle restrictions which is most of the forests in CA.

Eldorado National Forest for example:

• Parking outside of developed trailheads and other recreation sites is restricted to turnouts, landings, or within one vehicle length of the road or trail.

 

[Wags]

Went up to check cameras and cache some water
Cameras- 1 vandalized(appears to have been smashed with a rock) and 2 stolen. Guess I'm done with trail cams in California-- These were nowhere near roads or trails but are in obvious game transition areas--
Did find a really pretty cinnamon phase bear but he's small like 75-100#. He was acting like top dawg though scent marking every brush on an entire slope.
Coincidentally a spring that was bone dry 4 weeks ago had a small seep this week- maybe new groundwater from snow melt?? The other dry springs remained dry

Interesting- this "trailhead" isn't marked or have a big parking lot and parking is done along an established pull out on a fs road. The other trucks there parked slightly inside of me(forest side) had parking tickets on them, mine had nothing and the other trucks got there after I did. Anybody know if this is a fire danger protocol or what?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

That SUCKS! I'm sorry to hear that. That's been my concern with using them on public areas but I guess you never know until you try.

 

[amassi]

That SUCKS! I'm sorry to hear that. That's been my concern with using them on public areas but I guess you never know until you try.

I normally lose 1 a year. Honestly until now I think they've been do-gooder hikers. I have a feeling this was a hunter who thinks they own entire drainages

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Wags]

I normally lose 1 a year. Honestly until now I think they've been do-gooder hikers. I have a feeling this was a hunter who thinks they own entire drainages

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

That would be my guess as well. Lot's of entitled D bags out there.

 

[Cahunter805]

Went up to check cameras and cache some water
Cameras- 1 vandalized(appears to have been smashed with a rock) and 2 stolen. Guess I'm done with trail cams in California-- These were nowhere near roads or trails but are in obvious game transition areas--
Did find a really pretty cinnamon phase bear but he's small like 75-100#. He was acting like top dawg though scent marking every brush on an entire slope.
Coincidentally a spring that was bone dry 4 weeks ago had a small seep this week- maybe new groundwater from snow melt?? The other dry springs remained dry

Interesting- this "trailhead" isn't marked or have a big parking lot and parking is done along an established pull out on a fs road. The other trucks there parked slightly inside of me(forest side) had parking tickets on them, mine had nothing and the other trucks got there after I did. Anybody know if this is a fire danger protocol or what?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Sucks about the cameras. Usually lose at least 1 a year also but normally it’s due to heat/malfunctioning or a bear biting it.
Could the damage be from Pot growers trying to cover their tracks?

 

[amassi]

Sucks about the cameras. Usually lose at least 1 a year also but normally it’s due to heat/malfunctioning or a bear biting it.
Could the damage be from Pot growers trying to cover their tracks?

Not up here, could be an off trail hiker I suppose.
I haven't been back here since the last drought
There's obviously more activity than 6 years ago so my guess is I'm in someone's honey hole- it's a wilderness area and someone took a chainsaw in there and cut a bunch of logs into chairs and made a table, meat pole etc.
Probably just cross this area off the list

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[David Gough]

Not up here, could be an off trail hiker I suppose.
I haven't been back here since the last drought
There's obviously more activity than 6 years ago so my guess is I'm in someone's honey hole- it's a wilderness area and someone took a chainsaw in there and cut a bunch of logs into chairs and made a table, meat pole etc.
Probably just cross this area off the list

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

That sucks. Hopefully a bear tears apart his camp.

 

[dylanvb]

Went up to check cameras and cache some water
Cameras- 1 vandalized(appears to have been smashed with a rock) and 2 stolen. Guess I'm done with trail cams in California-- These were nowhere near roads or trails but are in obvious game transition areas--
Did find a really pretty cinnamon phase bear but he's small like 75-100#. He was acting like top dawg though scent marking every brush on an entire slope.
Coincidentally a spring that was bone dry 4 weeks ago had a small seep this week- maybe new groundwater from snow melt?? The other dry springs remained dry

Interesting- this "trailhead" isn't marked or have a big parking lot and parking is done along an established pull out on a fs road. The other trucks there parked slightly inside of me(forest side) had parking tickets on them, mine had nothing and the other trucks got there after I did. Anybody know if this is a fire danger protocol or what?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Did you have them in security boxes? I’m curious if those actually work or not.

 

[amassi]

Did you have them in security boxes? I’m curious if those actually work or not.

These were, they don't work very well if someone's willing to steal a cam

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[StinkyPete]

Last weekend, my buddy and I went back to the area we had seen some bears about a month or so ago. Nada this time around. Hiked all over the place and found one relatively fresh scat with manzanita berries in it. Meanwhile, found some very nice patches of thimbleberries and currants so hopefully, they wait to ripen until the archery opener. Other than that, it's back to the drawing board...

 

[Sierra Hunter]

A buddy and I saw a nice sow and Cubs up in the high country doing their thing, hard to scout bears now, basically just seeing if the acorns and berries are looking good for the year.

 

[TheGDog]

I'm hopeful for this year. Changing everything up. Put in for D14. Have laid eyes on a nice buck in my area of focus already. We quite purposefully didn't spook him, and even from far away I wanted to convey body language of disinterest and even make it seem like I wanted to go in opposite direction as him to avoid him.

I still want to keep my TrailCam where it's at for another week. But then want to start moving it around every 2weeks or so. My other one is trapped inside Fire area in Northern D11 sorta before Gorman. Bastards closed the gate access to a large amount of area over there.

Thankfully in the handful of times going out there so far, already found a second water source...AND... found a decent so-so sized Bear print by that 2nd water site.

 

[Matthaias]

I saw one on my first day of scouting this summer, haven’t seen any since. I have been scouting multiple options and haven’t hit the same spot twice yet. I didn’t draw anything in NV so I got two OTC deer and a bear tag for CA in my pocket. Cheers

 

[Bubblehide]

I have been seeing way too many bears in my haunts

 

[David Gough]

I have been seeing way too many bears in my haunts

Going to need the langitudes for that

 

[Bubblehide]

Going to need the langitudes for that

All the bears had good tides as they langed around.

 

[amassi]

Lots of bears bailing into new country from the Dixie and sugar fires I'd assume that x8 fire as well.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[TheGDog]

I have been seeing way too many bears in my haunts

Hey man, after I've put in all my effort on this D14 tag, maybe in the after-era we can plan on meeting up back out there at your spot and maybe we can try some hand-calling perhaps? I'll do the calling and you can setup higher where your FOV oversees me.