Montana or British Columbia spring bear archery

[Blind Squirrel]

yes I do......

Very jealous. Other than taxes and other political stuff, BC seems like heaven on earth. I love going up there.
The only thing I’ll add to your previous post, the bears out early in the season (late April/early may) will likely have perfect coats. So people might want to consider that if they want to use the hide for something.
Have you found them to be rubbed out later in May? You’ll know more than me.

 

[Ron.C]

Very jealous. Other than taxes and other political stuff, BC seems like heaven on earth. I love going up there.
The only thing I’ll add to your previous post, the bears out early in the season (late April/early may) will likely have perfect coats. So people might want to consider that if they want to use the hide for something.
Have you found them to be rubbed out later in May? You’ll know more than me.

Good point.

I'm a meat hunter and toss the hides so I really consider that when pulling the trigger. That said my buddy and I have shot allot of bears from mid April to the last day of the season and all but one had decent coats. I can recall one that was rubbed pretty bad and he was shot the first week of May.

I believe its because here on the island we don't experience frigid winters like the mainland can. Matter of fact it can be quite temperate in the lowlands not far from the coast. Not uncommon to see bears at the end of our blacktail season (10 Dec) or even later down low on salmon rivers if there are caracass to clean up. So not sure they hybernate as long as mainland bears or if its because its warmer/wetter here when they wake up????

Anyhow for VI, if a good hide was a hunters priority, Mid May for Vancouver Island is a real good bet.
If size is a priority, I'd say go as late as you can.

Either way, you could see a book bear and you will probably see lots of bear.

Much of our bear hunting is spot and stalk. We get up high and spot clearcuts/old skidder roads then move in, try and relocate and get a shot. I rifle hunt and most of my shots are less than 30 yards. Perfectly suited for bowhunters!

I got this guy last weekend. He's a real good bear but there are bigger. About 10% of the bears wee see are of this size or bigger and this is a pretty well hunted area thats no secret.

The last thing I'll add is if I were booking a guided Island bear hunt, I'd be asking the outfitter how much hunting pressure thier territory/areas see from resident hunters and its proximity to Victoria/Nanaimo/Campbell River. Vic/Cambell River are about 3 hours apart with Nanaimo in the middle, all on the east side of the Island. I'd say the farther it is away from any of these and the degree of difficulty to access, the better.

 

[moewells100]

Another user DM’d asking about Pacific Bear Outfitters. I can’t reply because I don’t have 10 messages yet so I’m posting publicly.

They have a freezer in camp. There’s no cell phone reception, and we only came down the mountain to reception every two days.

They have pretty much whatever you need. That said, I brought a Crazy Creek Camp Chair, which was fantastic for the long glassing sections. You’ll want a day backpack as well

 

[razorsharptokill]

That is probably me you are referring to. Heading to B.C. to hunt with Pacific Bear Outfitters soon. Really looking forward to it! What is the best mode of transport from the airport to the hotel recommended by Devon?

 

[moewells100]

Just an Uber. It was only about a 20 min ride from airport to his recommended hotel

 

[razorsharptokill]

How long does it take to get firearms paperwork submitted to the Rcmp in Vancouver airport?

 

[Blind Squirrel]

How long does it take to get firearms paperwork submitted to the Rcmp in Vancouver airport?

One year it took about 15 minutes, the next 45minutes to an hour.. Good luck.

 

[razorsharptokill]

My hunt went great but never saw a shooter. I think the boars were locked down with sows. My buddy shot a 6-6 1/2 ft boar. The camp was great and my guide Tim, really put in the effort to get me a bear. We probably logged a 100 miles a day. I would go again but probably earlier in the season. I think I was the only hunter that didn't tag out out of 20.