Looking ahead to Summer/Fall 2017 season

[Eric M]

Although it's a long way off I'm planning on blocking out 2 weeks for black bear hunting in August/September in Wa state. I'm a little undecided about getting further back or doing "day hunts" with a more comfortable camp. Has anyone ever used pack goats for a bear hunt? One of my concerns was calling for bear and having the goats become the meal. I'd be borrowing a friend's goats and they are great animals, but I've never used animals before. Also wondering on how long to stay in a berry patch. I've heard a few hours to a day to take a nap to come back the next day. I have 4 or 5 promising areas throughout the state. Maybe spend 2-4 days at each location? Opinions and ideas welcome. Thanks.

 

[weatherbow21]

I've never had the opportunity to use goats but I wouldn't mess with them myself. The most unappealing part to me about pack goats is they've got to go with you everywhere you go. When I bear hunt I sit and glass berry patches for hours. Bears don't have the greatest eye sight but they could catch movement of the goats and probably hear them at times, I really don't know though. I haven't perfected bear hunting and I go back and forth from having a base camp or just going light and mobile. If you've got berry patches you know the bears are hitting thats one thing, I'd definitely sit and wait it out. If you're still searching for areas that produce or maybe the berries are just super spread out so the bears aren't concentrated I'd tend to just cover ground. Last year my girlfriend and I did a huge 24ish mile loop, originally hoping to have a base camp and sit and glass a huge basin I knew should hold berries... well they weren't there and the berries were still thick down below, up to about 5,000ft. That area held a lot of promising basins and ridges, just didn't pan out as the berries weren't there, I don't know what happened seemed like the berries up high like 5500ft + were way late last year. 2-4 days at each spot would work fine, if you aren't seeing bears after 2-3 days I'd move on most the good areas I've hunted you should see multiple bears a day.