Bear Habitat

[BowBaboon]

Hi all,

I’m new to bear hunting and have a few questions regarding habitat.

I hiked in to a spot yesterday that had plenty of south facing slopes with tons of rocks on those faces. In addition, there is a decent amount of green grass (for 8200’) with some wildflowers poking through.

The only issue is there aren’t many trees nearby. I think the closest trees are about a half mile away from these faces. Should I be looking in places with closer proximity to the trees or does the timber cover not matter?

Thanks

 

[Agc05]

I ran into a black bear on the muzzleloader deer hunt on the Plateau-Fishlake unit one year. I was walking down a trail with my brother-in-law for the evening hunt. He had recently moved here from California and did not have a tag, gun, or much exposure in the outdoors at that time. A doe bounded out of a clump of thick brush down below the trail. I heard some rustling down in the brush and thought there might be another deer down there, perhaps a buck.

I told my brother-in-law to circle around below the brush and to make noise so that whatever was in the brush would move my way. Meanwhile, I started sneaking down toward the brush. When I got down there I heard a rustling noise and realized that the animal was close. I slipped around some thick brush and there was a great big black bear not ten yards from me!

My legs turned to jello at this point. They say bears are more afraid of you than you are of them. That's bull! This bear just stared me down. I pointed my gun at the bear and backed away slowly. I spoke to the bear in a soft voice, "It's OK, bear. Don't charge, bear. I have a gun, you have claws and teeth; it would't end well. Just stay riiiiiight there, bear." All the while speaking softly and backing away.

Anyway, I made my way back up to the trail and I started walking down the trail, glad to be alive. Suddenly I realized that I had forgotten my brother-in-law and that he was sneaking in on a bear!

I yelled, "Don't go in there! It's a bear!"
"What?"
"It's a bear!"
"What?!"
"It's a bear!!!"

The next sound I heard was footsteps running and the crashing of brush. I didn't see my brother-in-law until I got back to the truck. He had run the whole way back, over a mile. I nearly died laughing when his response at seeing me was, "You didn't tell me there were bears in these mountains!"

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Hi all,

I’m new to bear hunting and have a few questions regarding habitat.

I hiked in to a spot yesterday that had plenty of south facing slopes with tons of rocks on those faces. In addition, there is a decent amount of green grass (for 8200’) with some wildflowers poking through.

The only issue is there aren’t many trees nearby. I think the closest trees are about a half mile away from these faces. Should I be looking in places with closer proximity to the trees or does the timber cover not matter?

Thanks

How close do you have to be to glass into the area? If it’s got the feed, I’d look at it. A half mile is no distance at all for them to travel.

 

[BowBaboon]

How close do you have to be to glass into the area? If it’s got the feed, I’d look at it. A half mile is no distance at all for them to travel.

I appreciate the response. These are relatively narrow "canyons." So, when I glass into them, I'm about 6-700 yards away from the other side.

I wasn't really sure how lazy bears are, so it's good to hear that they'll travel a half mile no problem. That doesn't really surprise me since this country is incredibly open.

Is there a specific amount of grass I should be looking for? Or am I just looking for the highest concentration of feed in an area and hanging out there until I can't stand it?

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I appreciate the response. These are relatively narrow "canyons." So, when I glass into them, I'm about 6-700 yards away from the other side.

I wasn't really sure how lazy bears are, so it's good to hear that they'll travel a half mile no problem. That doesn't really surprise me since this country is incredibly open.

Is there a specific amount of grass I should be looking for? Or am I just looking for the highest concentration of feed in an area and hanging out there until I can't stand it?

Early in the season they will camp out on feed and stay in it all day. They will stop eating to take naps, and may find places to “disappear” in what seems like a wide open place by laying in a slight depression or something similar. Bears are like humans, lazy. If they have zero reason to leave, they won’t. But they can also be picky eaters, and want the freshest green-up possible. If you’re in an area and can see a lot of country, and you don’t see anything after a couple hours, I’d find something else to look at.

 

[BowBaboon]

I really appreciate the insight!

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I really appreciate the insight!

The nice thing about black bears in green fields is that they stand out. The frustration in glassing is you will find there are a lot of black rocks and stumps that like to imitate bears.

 

[BowBaboon]

Hah, I experienced that a good amount. Feel like a clown staring at the black spot for 10 minutes to realize it’s not alive.