Judge My Failed Hunt Locations!

[jakeaba]

Hey all, new to the site and well, to hunting really.

I spent a week in montana last week and didnt see any bears. I took photos of areas that i was glassing from and would like to get your opinions on whether they were worth the time. I notice people tend to not appreciate asking anyone for places to go, so I thought this would be a good way to get some feedback. I also bought Douglas Boze's book on bear hunting and have been reading that.

Maybe it was bad luck, or maybe it was poor choices! Any help is appreciated, I must say I am hooked on hunting. I was an avid backpacker before, but this adds a whole new level to the enjoyment of being in the backcountry. I'm currently stationed in Louisiana, but am a PNW guy. I don't find appeal in hunting from a blind so I am trying to learn as much as I can so that flights back west yield some results when I am able to take leave and get out there.

Thanks!

 

[Wrench]

I See more brown than green. Bears gotta eat non stop. I've killed quite a few springers and always in good grass.... and lots of it.

 

[TL406]

If you really can’t find bears in the glass, go down in the bottom and see if you can find tracks on game trails. If you aren’t seeing tracks, pick up and move to a new spot completely. Bears stomp when they walk and stay on trails, if you aren’t cutting tracks keep moving until you are and then pull out and glass that elevations band until you find the bears in that drainage. You can’t kill bears that aren’t there.

 

[jakeaba]

Thank you for the help ! I appreciate it

 

[Slugz]

I See more brown than green. Bears gotta eat non stop. I've killed quite a few springers and always in good grass.... and lots of it.

My thoughts also. Check the forage. No mast in the spring so its a pretty limited feed bag made up of probably only 3-4 main grasses in your area they like. Or maybe less.

Example: We have no spring bear here in Colorado however if I glass some big bluestem patches on a southern ish facing slope its usually a good bet in the spring. Fast forward to fall and when it looks like " turkey feet on the top and they wont touch it.

 

[Slugz]

Check the burn year also and research if it was a very hot quick burn or slow smoldering for days. I've seen those hot quick burns ruin the top soil for longer periods of time, expose a lot of rock and not provide a good bed for seeds to regrow as fast. Limiting maybe the grass they want.

 

[Wrench]

I normally look for skunk cabbage, then add 500-1000 feet of elevation.

 

[Jon Boy]

Creek bottoms and keep moving till you see them.

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[jayhawk]

Looks like pretty country even if you didn't see any bruins!

 

[jakeaba]

My thoughts also. Check the forage. No mast in the spring so its a pretty limited feed bag made up of probably only 3-4 main grasses in your area they like. Or maybe less.

Example: We have no spring bear here in Colorado however if I glass some big bluestem patches on a southern ish facing slope its usually a good bet in the spring. Fast forward to fall and when it looks like " turkey feet on the top and they wont touch it.

Very interesting, thank you very much!

 

[jakeaba]

I normally look for skunk cabbage, then add 500-1000 feet of elevation.

Thanks! I will keep an eye out for that

Check the burn year also and research if it was a very hot quick burn or slow smoldering for days. I've seen those hot quick burns ruin the top soil for longer periods of time, expose a lot of rock and not provide a good bed for seeds to regrow as fast. Limiting maybe the grass they want.

wow thank you, I’ve got a lot to learn!

 

[roosiebull]

i agree with others, i don't see much feed.... that's #1 in the spring, not all areas are created equal.

common knowledge for spring bear is the south faces green up first, that's not always the case, they can be too open and vast, and never really get good feed..... don't get hung up on directions in open country.

in that type of big country, ideally you will find bright green meadows with close cover. avalanche chutes, slide chutes are often high value feed spots for spring bear, something about them makes them attractive to bear.

i like rocky faces as well, but if you can't see green on them, you are just hoping to see a bear wander through, and that's not a good strategy.

even when you find some good feed and habitat, you still need to be there at the right time, your wind can't be blowing where the bear will come through.... bear will wind you from way farther than you think, so pay attention to it, it's a big deal.

if i'm going to spend a lot of time somewhere, i want to know what else is around, i can't leave good enough alone... if i'm looking at a big ridge with some nice bright green meadows, how do i know that the back side of a ridge in front of me isn't a stair step of perfect habitat that all of the bear are in? i really cherry pick, and like sitting over the best of the best when i decide to sit and glass the rest of the evening... only way to find those spots is to cover ground and put eyes on it... satellite images can give clues, but they leave a lot to the imagination.

half of the fun of spring bear hunting is the difficulty of it... not hard like some hunts, but it's a dynamic puzzle as the season goes on, the the prime habitat is changing all season, it keeps you engaged, you can't get lazy.... that's why it's fun (and the mountains are absolutely beautiful this time of year)

keep asking questions and keep figuring it out, it takes experience, but all of your experience is applicable.... you will start seeing patterns, and you will figure out what habitat you're looking for, and will recognize it fast in the future, then it becomes much easier.

i enjoyed that aspect as much as any early on, the difficulty of not knowing, and every bear you glass up is a big win..... at some point, you will be able to spot that prime habitat miles away, figure out how to get there, then go hunt it and find bear (or an even better part of the habitat you didn't know existed)

i haven't hunted spring bear in a lot of places, each place has it's own thing going on, so there isn't a great deal of "one size fits all" info about bear.... there are the basics, but you have to figure out the regional quirks of hunting bear wherever you are.... familiarizing yourself with a lot of country is a good start, then narrow it down from there

 

[jakeaba]

i agree with others, i don't see much feed.... that's #1 in the spring, not all areas are created equal.

common knowledge for spring bear is the south faces green up first, that's not always the case, they can be too open and vast, and never really get good feed..... don't get hung up on directions in open country.

in that type of big country, ideally you will find bright green meadows with close cover. avalanche chutes, slide chutes are often high value feed spots for spring bear, something about them makes them attractive to bear.

i like rocky faces as well, but if you can't see green on them, you are just hoping to see a bear wander through, and that's not a good strategy.

even when you find some good feed and habitat, you still need to be there at the right time, your wind can't be blowing where the bear will come through.... bear will wind you from way farther than you think, so pay attention to it, it's a big deal.

if i'm going to spend a lot of time somewhere, i want to know what else is around, i can't leave good enough alone... if i'm looking at a big ridge with some nice bright green meadows, how do i know that the back side of a ridge in front of me isn't a stair step of perfect habitat that all of the bear are in? i really cherry pick, and like sitting over the best of the best when i decide to sit and glass the rest of the evening... only way to find those spots is to cover ground and put eyes on it... satellite images can give clues, but they leave a lot to the imagination.

half of the fun of spring bear hunting is the difficulty of it... not hard like some hunts, but it's a dynamic puzzle as the season goes on, the the prime habitat is changing all season, it keeps you engaged, you can't get lazy.... that's why it's fun (and the mountains are absolutely beautiful this time of year)

keep asking questions and keep figuring it out, it takes experience, but all of your experience is applicable.... you will start seeing patterns, and you will figure out what habitat you're looking for, and will recognize it fast in the future, then it becomes much easier.

i enjoyed that aspect as much as any early on, the difficulty of not knowing, and every bear you glass up is a big win..... at some point, you will be able to spot that prime habitat miles away, figure out how to get there, then go hunt it and find bear (or an even better part of the habitat you didn't know existed)

i haven't hunted spring bear in a lot of places, each place has it's own thing going on, so there isn't a great deal of "one size fits all" info about bear.... there are the basics, but you have to figure out the regional quirks of hunting bear wherever you are.... familiarizing yourself with a lot of country is a good start, then narrow it down from there

Thank you for taking the time with such a great and thorough response ; a lot of good info in there. Cheers

 

[Bucky44]

I normally look for skunk cabbage, then add 500-1000 feet of elevation.

I agree, skunk cabbage is the best. I have watched bears feed in those patches for hours.

 

[jakeaba]

I agree, skunk cabbage is the best. I have watched bears feed in those patches for hours.

Thanks, I will keep my eyes out for that. Or nose haha

 

[jakeaba]

I agree, skunk cabbage is the best. I have watched bears feed in those patches for hours.

Awesome thanks so much!

Thank you for taking the time with such a great and thorough response ; a lot of good info in there. Cheers

Looks like pretty country even if you didn't see any bruins!

Absolutely gorgeous right!

Creek bottoms and keep moving till you see them.

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ok, good idea, not always up high, good to know

I normally look for skunk cabbage, then add 500-1000 feet of elevation.

sounds like a plan , cheers

 

[TrapMessiah33]

I See more brown than green. Bears gotta eat non stop. I've killed quite a few springers and always in good grass.... and lots of it.

This is super helpful for a new bear hunter!

 

[jakeaba]

Forgot to update this! I went back out and got a black bear, called it in with a predator call. Came running, a rush for sure. First success. Thanks for the help all!

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[jakeaba]

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[Wihunter12]

Awesome, we'll done!