California bear otc non res

[jfs82]

B zone has literally millions of acres of national forest. One of the sectors of B has a good bit of private, but theres endless public.

Mendocino NF
Shasta Trinity NF
Six Rivers NF
Klamath NF
Parts of Siskiyou NF

 

[Moserkr]

All around tahoe has a ton of fat big bears if you want a trophy garbage bear lol. But echoing everyone else... bears everywhere if you can find em. A&B zones have a higher density than the sierras, which still have a ton. I believe B zones have the reputation for the most seen. A is just thick n steep but also tons of bears. I chase em in the sierras as soon as it snows - drive around, cut a track. Manzanita is a good place to look in the foothills. Junipers up high if weather permits. We dont have a spring season, no dogs, no baiting, and few hunters compared to our land mass/population. Quota never gets filled either... we need help in so many ways lol.

 

[280Ackley]

Just curious why would you leave Idaho to hunt bears? There is no shortage of them here!!

 

[Hungry like the Wolf]

Going up to where we talked about today for a evening sit and ill hunt tomorrow. Its supposed to snow tonight up there so we will see. I'll let you know. Im not familiar with B zone but isn't it alot of private land?

Most of the B zones are a mix of public and private land. I'd advise OnX or some similar app that you can use to keep track of who's land you're hunting. The last thing you want to do is to unknowingly leave National Forest land on to private land and get shot by some guy with an AK protecting his garden or stumble upon someone's guerilla grow operation. Therefore being aware of your surroundings is key

 

[Hungry like the Wolf]

I agree and highly recommend you check out the USFS website to see the status of the individual NF closure due to the numerous fires that burned up half the state this year...

 

[oakdeiros80]

Despite the countless threads and posts bashing California hunters visiting other states.....we welcome you to come out bear hunting in California! I agree with the good advice posted by various folks above. I see a ton of bears in NF and wilderness lands in B and C zones, although they tend to be smaller than the bears I've seen in the Sierras (D zones).

I actually recently moved to southern Oregon after 40 years in CA. Not sure how the NR prices for license plus bear tag compare between the two states, but bear and cougar hunting is surprisingly cheap in Oregon for NRs. I have seen at least as many bears in southern Oregon as I've seen in northern California. I think you can get 2 fall bear tags and a spring draw tag in Oregon.

 

[JNDEER]

There are lots of bears in CA- but success rates are not fantastic. They are around- but not under every oak tree. I see a lot more bears during early archery season, after that glimpses.

Use the statistics to guide you to an area that holds more bears and you may just get lucky.

 

[CApighunter]

Getting some snow today, I’ll be up in D zone chasing them tomorrow. Fingers crossed I’ll get a chance to let the 338 eat!

 

[manchild125]

Forgot to give my update O.P.
Sierra Pacific's land was closed last weekend so I ended up going to a place called cherry lake in d6. One set of tracks in the fresh snow. Turned out to be a sow with a cub. Never did see the cub tracks though. More rain and snow this weekend and turkey opens so ill be up there. Sierra Pacific also opened most their land up today

 

[CApighunter]

Day one update, covered a lot of miles in the truck and on foot, mainly cruising FS and logging roads looking for fresh tracks. Lots of week old tracks on every North facing slope we checked but nothing worth following. Moving down in elevation tomorrow morning.

 

[Tleek]

Is it still worth hunting bear in the B zones late in the season. Im a new hunter, and a teacher, so its tough to get out much during deer season. I bought deer and bear tags and got out for opening week b4, but wondering if its worth looking for bears in late November and December when I get time off of work. Or should I just stick to squirrels

 

[kickemall]

They're not moving as much but they are still around. Generally better eating because they've been feeding heavy and have put on weight, unless they've got on salmon then they're not so good. If you can find an area with an acorn crop they will be around although that late most of those will be ate up unless its a heavy crop. They are still out good on the coast side of B zone now and probably all B zone with the lack of snow and cold weather.

 

[Tleek]

They're not moving as much but they are still around. Generally better eating because they've been feeding heavy and have put on weight, unless they've got on salmon then they're not so good. If you can find an area with an acorn crop they will be around although that late most of those will be ate up unless its a heavy crop. They are still out good on the coast side of B zone now and probably all B zone with the lack of snow and cold weather.

Thanks!
One of the spots I go for squirrel is still full of acorns. It’s been frosty but no snow yet. Maybe this week. It’s also super thick though. Would you just look for sign and sit and hope something walks by? I’ve come across a couple of bears out there while I’ve been walking trails but that was earlier in the season.

 

[kickemall]

Thanks!
One of the spots I go for squirrel is still full of acorns. It’s been frosty but no snow yet. Maybe this week. It’s also super thick though. Would you just look for sign and sit and hope something walks by? I’ve come across a couple of bears out there while I’ve been walking trails but that was earlier in the season.

If I were in some feed and there was fresh sign I'd watch for a bit but I can't sit long so I'd start slipping around looking. As long as the wind is right you can sneak around on bears pretty well. Good luck. I've run into a lot of feed with no bears because there are so many places that have feed this year. If you not seeing sign start moving.

 

[Tyler C]

I never saw a bear my first 6 years hunting in California and now see at least a half dozen every single year.

 

[FrozenFox]

Some great info here. I'm really interested in getting into bear hunting. Always need another reason to get out in the woods!