Colorado Black Bear Acorns

[silver15tacoma]

Hello, I am thinking of heading to west/southwestern Colorado hopping to fill a rifle Black Bear tag.

My plan was to hunt in acorn rich areas and hopefully stumble upon a bear. I have heard from a few sources that the acorn crop is really bad this year due to how dry it’s been. Can anyone confirm or deny that? Worth giving it a shot or waiting until a better acorn year? I’ve done extensive e-scouting on areas I’d like to hunt just can’t tell how the acorns are doing on a computer screen haha. Thank you in advance.

 

[Poser]

Can confirm: There are very limited acorns in the Southwest this year. All of my usual spots except for one are devoid of acorns. The area that has some is spotty at best with many underdeveloped in size. You can find some acorns right next to roads where there is more water seepage. If you can find some concentration of acorns, you will find bears, but what mast is there is going to go quick. If you're going to to do it, I'd get out there asap.

 

[JohnnyB]

Not Colorado specific but I have had success in the past by finding the limited resource. In heavy years there is too much ground to cover. One thing is certain; the bears will be eating something.

 

[stalkingwolf]

My daughter got this one this morning. It was the ninth bear we saw. If you can find the pockets that produced acorns this year the bears will be thick. CPW estimated he is a 5-6 year old boar. Not her biggest but a decent bear

 

[CoMtnMike]

Yeah, all the spots I hit through last night in the southwest were devoid of any mast to speak of. All the sign I found was completely desiccated and crumbly to the core... good on you stalkingwolf for finding the spot - 9 bears! way greener than anything I found. Maybe I should have kept at it like I planned...

 

[justinspicher]

Can confirm: sw Colorado is not bear friendly for hunting this season.

 

[stalkingwolf]

Not so sure about that went back in where my daughter shot hers saw five more and killed this book bear last night

 

[justinspicher]

That dude is a toad.

 

[stalkingwolf]

Here is my book bear from last year one canyon over. This area produces every year. Bear aged at 30-32 years old had absolutely no teeth left his incisors were worn to the gums. He had an ear tag from 2014 and CPW aged him between 16-20 on there notes back then.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Looks like someone is dialed in, congrats.

 

[Poser]

Here is my book bear from last year one canyon over. This area produces every year. Bear aged at 30-32 years old had absolutely no teeth left his incisors were worn to the gums. He had an ear tag from 2014 and CPW aged him between 16-20 on there notes back then.

Dang, dude. I think I recall you posting this last year, but that's an old bear.
I'm heading out in about 20 minutes to bear hunt for the next 4 days. They are absolutely eating up town right now.

 

[Trogon]

Im heading out Friday to sit on a pond that has had one bear coming in to it regularly. Hope he is still there, but it sure doesn't look there is much to keep him around.

 

[UncleBone]

No acorns around where I saw this guy this year. But berries everywhere, even with how dry its been.

 

[trapper.robi]

I'll be in West Central Colorado from Sept. 13th-28th for my first fall bear hunt. Will they still be focused on eating acorns and berries then? What other food sources should I be on the lookout for? Any advice on elevation or slope orientation for later in the month?

 

[Poser]

I’m up pretty high around 9600 feet this morning on a ridge full of rose hips. Had a mama bear + cub move through. They hit a little scrub oak but didn’t linger. It’s promising to see bears somewhere besides town, though.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

My son has a tag, hoping to get out this weekend but we'll see. He's busy with school so tight schedule and some illness is rolling through our house.

 

[Poser]

I just got back from 4 consecutive days of staging off a glassing point at 9,600 feet. Nice mornings and rainy/stormy afternoons. I saw 3 bears, went after 2. Seems as if they are still nocturnal as my sightings were all before sunrise and the bears, while they would pause to eat a few acorns here and there, were on the move. Every morning, I'd find a plethora of fresh rose hip colored poop full of seeds, but never saw them being eaten during the day. We were a group of three spread out glassing and were looking at thousands of acres of terrain all day. Saw a few elk and deer here and there, but they were only active before sunrise as well. Big, bright full moon.

The Trailhead was full of elk hunters and a horse packer who was staging 3 outfitter camps out of the parking area. I checked in with him daily and no bears had came through the parking area that he saw. Granted, he was about and about on his horses some through the day, but he was posted up in his camper and seemed to know everything that was going on in addition to giving us all of the drop camp daily drama: guy who talked a big game of being a tough, experienced hunter called in for a pick up on his first morning at his drop camp because "a bear knocked over his camp chair" and he was freaking out and didn't want to spend another night out there.
Another guy only made it a thousand yards down the trail on horseback before deciding it was in over his head and went home without even seeing his drop camp. I did hear 3 gunshots, but the outfitter said those were all grouse hunters. Only one elk was killed in the area during the first week of hunting. To be fair, its not a place I'd hang my archery elk hunting hat on even though there are definitely some elk in there. Its just too thick and loud getting around for effective archery hunting.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

I just got back from 4 consecutive days of staging off a glassing point at 9,600 feet. Nice mornings and rainy/stormy afternoons. I saw 3 bears, went after 2. Seems as if they are still nocturnal as my sightings were all before sunrise and the bears, while they would pause to eat a few acorns here and there, were on the move. Every morning, I'd find a plethora of fresh rose hip colored poop full of seeds, but never saw them being eaten during the day. We were a group of three spread out glassing and were looking at thousands of acres of terrain all day. Saw a few elk and deer here and there, but they were only active before sunrise as well. Big, bright full moon.

The Trailhead was full of elk hunters and a horse packer who was staging 3 outfitter camps out of the parking area. I checked in with him daily and no bears had came through the parking area that he saw. Granted, he was about and about on his horses some through the day, but he was posted up in his camper and seemed to know everything that was going on in addition to giving us all of the drop camp daily drama: guy who talked a big game of being a tough, experienced hunter called in for a pick up on his first morning at his drop camp because "a bear knocked over his camp chair" and he was freaking out and didn't want to spend another night out there.
Another guy only made it a thousand yards down the trail on horseback before deciding it was in over his head and went home without even seeing his drop camp. I did hear 3 gunshots, but the outfitter said those were all grouse hunters. Only one elk was killed in the area during the first week of hunting. To be fair, its not a place I'd hang my archery elk hunting hat on even though there are definitely some elk in there. Its just too thick and loud getting around for effective archery hunting.

I'll chock up my lack of seeing any bears for 5 days while glassing service and choke cherries on the bears being nocturnal. Lots of sign, just never saw one pop up. Acorns are spotty with the drought so not sure how that terrain will pan out.

 

[csrichardson97]

Northern Colorado: Harvested bear on Saturday around 8,000 ft. Saw 2 bears the day I was out. Both eating berries, All the bear scat I saw was dark purple. Some areas had Acorns that were ready for eating, other hillsides were too early. Mixed results for Acorns, but berries seem to be where I find bears.