mcseal2
WKR
- Joined
- May 8, 2014
- Messages
- 2,726
We just returned from our first CO bear hunt, we got skunked but learned some things that will help next trip.
Three of us spent 2 days scouting 2 weeks ago, and went back to hunt the 2-7th.
On our scouting trip we located some acorns but never found a huge amount. We found one good area of berries and a few lesser ones too.
On the hunt we located some acorns, but they were all immature and there wasn't much sign around them yet. They were not thick in the areas we saw, pretty scattered.
The hunting trip the only place we found fresh bear sign in quantity was the area with all the berries. It was mostly waist high to armpit high and had few clearings. It was really loud to try to still hunt in and glassing was tough, so I tried "listen" hunting quite a bit. I sat for a while between moves, and then slowly moved to the next clearing. Like still hunting but with longer stops. This resulted in some successful stalks ending in shot opportunities on cows, but not bears. Since I wasn't hunting cows I passed on all those shots. I tried glassing and calling on the edges of the berries where things opened up a bit, but I wasn't successful there either.
Joking aside, if cows are in the area, be sure to be very careful. One guys said he saw a calf that must have been playing, rubbing his head against a big berry bush and really thrashing it around. He was thinking it was a bear from a distance, but as he got closer and got a better look he found out different. I know it sounds obvious, but I figured I'd add it in case it helps keep someone from making a mistake. I'm still a rancher and the other guys grew up on farms/ranches and it would be an easier mistake to make than we'd have thought. Positively identify your target and what's behind it before considering shooting or even aiming a rifle is one of the first things we all learn, but a reminder never hurts.
From talking to locals, it sounded like the bears had been hard on the sheep ranchers, and the sheep ranchers in turn had been hard on the bears. It may have been a factor in how few bears we saw, and how few shots we heard.
Late in the hunt we spotted a bear about to cross the road, a really pretty reddish tinted bear that was pretty good sized. He dove back in the thick brush and I had a buddy drop me off there the next morning before daylight. I spent the morning slipping through that area and dropping elevation toward the area we had been hunting. Where we saw the bear was an obstacle course of downed aspen, brush, vines, and grass. It was a great place for a bear to hide during the season, it was impassable except for the cow trails. Bear sign was thick in this cover and the berries that bordered it. On that hike I found a small pond with a seep leading into it that had a lot of sign and a clearing around it. I tried calling there but didn't have any luck and my wind kept turning worse. I ended up leaving and never had a chance to go back in the time we had left with a decent wind.
We saw quite a few other hunters in orange, mostly on the roads as we went to and from camp. One guy heard 3 quick shots one day, but that was all the shooting we heard between all 3 of us. 3 guys, mostly split up and hunting different areas, and nobody heard much shooting. Nobody was having much luck where we were with a rifle.
It was still a good trip, I learned quite a bit about what not to do. I found that pond that I think would be a good spot to return to on another trip, it's not on OnX and I only saw one set of human tracks around it. Research had shown me that it's extremely important to not only find bears, but to find bears in country you can hunt. This proved true on our hunt and we failed to locate such an area.
I'm usually rifle hunting later in the fall and enjoyed the September mountains. The temperature swings were big, highs near 90 and lows dropping into the 30's at times. A lot of times we returned to camp during the hottest time of the day for a lunch and maybe nap, and I'd change layers into a lighter top and pants. Rain pants were handy a couple mornings after showers or a really heavy dew, but the extra noise they make needs considered too with the day's plan. I never used more than a really light merino base layer or a zip off Kuiu 200 base under my pants in the mornings, but carried a down vest, or on windy days a Superdown Pro jacket for mornings glassing. We all had a Onewind XL poncho or Wilderness Innovations version for a tarp/poncho in our packs. One morning packing the ponchos paid off for several hours.
At base camp my Thermacell came in handy some nights and some it wasn't needed. I took a big Kelty Outback 6 tent for base camp I bought for family camping and used it just for myself. I really liked having the big tent with a lot of mesh for ventilation and the fly pitched high for extra air flow. It seemed to stay much cooler than our Seek 8 man tipi the other guys used. The Outdoor Vitals sleeping pad was another thing I'd plug for a base camp, it is pretty comfortable for a side sleeper like me. I thought I'd sleep warmer and packed a down camping blanket instead of a sleeping bag so I had to add layers some nights. It was never an issue but without the layers it would have been. Even when not packing my spotter or bino adapter in or around the thick stuff I took my tripod and shooting rest. A lot of places a big enough tree to steady myself with wasn't available if needed. Also calling I like to have some sort of rest that lets me keep my rifle ready for coyotes, figured I would do the same for bear. I mostly carried my normal hunting rifle with a bigger scope and longer barrel, but I was glad I took my 308 Ruger Scout rifle with a Sig 1-10x for the days spent in the thick stuff. It was much easier to maneuver a 16' barrel than a 24" with a brake.
That's the big things I can think of to share. Hope it helps someone else and I look forward to reading your stories and learning from you all as the season progresses. Good luck everyone.
Three of us spent 2 days scouting 2 weeks ago, and went back to hunt the 2-7th.
On our scouting trip we located some acorns but never found a huge amount. We found one good area of berries and a few lesser ones too.
On the hunt we located some acorns, but they were all immature and there wasn't much sign around them yet. They were not thick in the areas we saw, pretty scattered.
The hunting trip the only place we found fresh bear sign in quantity was the area with all the berries. It was mostly waist high to armpit high and had few clearings. It was really loud to try to still hunt in and glassing was tough, so I tried "listen" hunting quite a bit. I sat for a while between moves, and then slowly moved to the next clearing. Like still hunting but with longer stops. This resulted in some successful stalks ending in shot opportunities on cows, but not bears. Since I wasn't hunting cows I passed on all those shots. I tried glassing and calling on the edges of the berries where things opened up a bit, but I wasn't successful there either.
Joking aside, if cows are in the area, be sure to be very careful. One guys said he saw a calf that must have been playing, rubbing his head against a big berry bush and really thrashing it around. He was thinking it was a bear from a distance, but as he got closer and got a better look he found out different. I know it sounds obvious, but I figured I'd add it in case it helps keep someone from making a mistake. I'm still a rancher and the other guys grew up on farms/ranches and it would be an easier mistake to make than we'd have thought. Positively identify your target and what's behind it before considering shooting or even aiming a rifle is one of the first things we all learn, but a reminder never hurts.
From talking to locals, it sounded like the bears had been hard on the sheep ranchers, and the sheep ranchers in turn had been hard on the bears. It may have been a factor in how few bears we saw, and how few shots we heard.
Late in the hunt we spotted a bear about to cross the road, a really pretty reddish tinted bear that was pretty good sized. He dove back in the thick brush and I had a buddy drop me off there the next morning before daylight. I spent the morning slipping through that area and dropping elevation toward the area we had been hunting. Where we saw the bear was an obstacle course of downed aspen, brush, vines, and grass. It was a great place for a bear to hide during the season, it was impassable except for the cow trails. Bear sign was thick in this cover and the berries that bordered it. On that hike I found a small pond with a seep leading into it that had a lot of sign and a clearing around it. I tried calling there but didn't have any luck and my wind kept turning worse. I ended up leaving and never had a chance to go back in the time we had left with a decent wind.
We saw quite a few other hunters in orange, mostly on the roads as we went to and from camp. One guy heard 3 quick shots one day, but that was all the shooting we heard between all 3 of us. 3 guys, mostly split up and hunting different areas, and nobody heard much shooting. Nobody was having much luck where we were with a rifle.
It was still a good trip, I learned quite a bit about what not to do. I found that pond that I think would be a good spot to return to on another trip, it's not on OnX and I only saw one set of human tracks around it. Research had shown me that it's extremely important to not only find bears, but to find bears in country you can hunt. This proved true on our hunt and we failed to locate such an area.
I'm usually rifle hunting later in the fall and enjoyed the September mountains. The temperature swings were big, highs near 90 and lows dropping into the 30's at times. A lot of times we returned to camp during the hottest time of the day for a lunch and maybe nap, and I'd change layers into a lighter top and pants. Rain pants were handy a couple mornings after showers or a really heavy dew, but the extra noise they make needs considered too with the day's plan. I never used more than a really light merino base layer or a zip off Kuiu 200 base under my pants in the mornings, but carried a down vest, or on windy days a Superdown Pro jacket for mornings glassing. We all had a Onewind XL poncho or Wilderness Innovations version for a tarp/poncho in our packs. One morning packing the ponchos paid off for several hours.
At base camp my Thermacell came in handy some nights and some it wasn't needed. I took a big Kelty Outback 6 tent for base camp I bought for family camping and used it just for myself. I really liked having the big tent with a lot of mesh for ventilation and the fly pitched high for extra air flow. It seemed to stay much cooler than our Seek 8 man tipi the other guys used. The Outdoor Vitals sleeping pad was another thing I'd plug for a base camp, it is pretty comfortable for a side sleeper like me. I thought I'd sleep warmer and packed a down camping blanket instead of a sleeping bag so I had to add layers some nights. It was never an issue but without the layers it would have been. Even when not packing my spotter or bino adapter in or around the thick stuff I took my tripod and shooting rest. A lot of places a big enough tree to steady myself with wasn't available if needed. Also calling I like to have some sort of rest that lets me keep my rifle ready for coyotes, figured I would do the same for bear. I mostly carried my normal hunting rifle with a bigger scope and longer barrel, but I was glad I took my 308 Ruger Scout rifle with a Sig 1-10x for the days spent in the thick stuff. It was much easier to maneuver a 16' barrel than a 24" with a brake.
That's the big things I can think of to share. Hope it helps someone else and I look forward to reading your stories and learning from you all as the season progresses. Good luck everyone.
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