Hide thinning in summer?

[aggieland]

So my Northern B.C bear hunt was scheduled for the end of may but due to covid-19 we will either cancel or bump it to June. My outfitter is afraid of possible balding spots or thin coats later in summer.. I am new to bears so what does the rockslide crew say?

 

[JMDavies]

Sorry to hear you're in that situation. I'd be concerned about the hide quality that late in the season.

 

[aggieland]

May have to just cancel for this one.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Ya early spring hides are generally way nicer. Hides can still be nice late season but they can also be rubbed up and more wiry than soft when you put your hands on them.

 

[AK Troutbum]

It’s been my experience that bears tend to try and get their winter/undercoats off soon after exiting the den for good. The warmer the spring, the sooner the bears start showing rubs. Hard to say whether or not you’ll see significant rubs on bears in June, but the chances of see rubs on May bear will definitely be less so.


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[aggieland]

Is the rubbing etc a big problem? Guess I need to do a little googling to see what they can look like.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Shedding their winter coat, coupled with marking trees, etc., during breeding season (June-July), can create some pretty bad areas of damage to their coats. Basically, the bottom line is you’ll find the best fur, on the bears that have just emerged from the den.


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[aggieland]

Thanks AK that does make sense.

 

[Voyageur]

I'm sure you're already doing this, but before you go and cancel the trip don't forget to factor in everything else that goes along with the bear hunt...meat, seeing new country, meeting new people, overall outdoor experience, etc. If a good hide is the driving force behind your hunt maybe it makes sense to postpone. If not, it would make sense to proceed as planned. The more life experiences I accumulate the more I realize it's important to do things when you can rather than wait for the "ideal" situation. Sometimes things change and an opportunity we once had is gone forever. Just my two cents...

 

[aggieland]

I agree 100% it would of course be great to kill a bear but that is certainly not the only driving force for me. Heck i hunt with a longbow so their is a good chance i may not even get a shot. I just wanted to see if anyone knew if the hides are still ok at that point. Would hate to kill one and be told the hide is horrible but I'm betting 90% of the hides would be just fine for me.

 

[idelkslayer]

I've only shot a handful of bears but my first had the thickest coat. Killed him on June 24th.

 

[Theringworm]

I am being asked to bump my hunt next year to accommodate those that got canceled this Spring. I honestly don't mind. My question is similar to the above from OP. Obviously the earlier in the Spring the better the coats. Hunting is the Spring is likely a little easier glassing coast lines versus the fall, hiking into the interior to berry patches and salmon runs. While a great coat is a "want" so is scoring a big boar. I have the options of either moving to a late April hunt or 2nd week in September hunt for SE coastal Alaska. Thoughts?