Never seen a bear in Utah. Where do I go for the best chance?

[Jbrow327]

Whether it's seeing one from a vehicle on a road or on a trail, where do you think the best spot is? I am not hunting them I just want to see one and get some pictures. I really don't want to end up too close to one for obvious reasons.

Is there a science to spotting them? I have lived in Utah my whole life and been through a lot of mountains and I have never seen one. How are they so **** elusive for such a big animal? Or are there not that many bears in Utah and that's why I don't see very many.

 

[Blockcaver]

Saw bears when I had an Elk Ridge deer tag in mid August. Uneventful.

Also had a pissed off Bookcliff’s sow stick her head into my truck canopy when I was getting up in the dark to go mule deer hunting. I’d heard her outside the truck sniffing at my near empty cooler and yelled at her, “GET OUT OF HERE”. She instantly stuck her head in my open back hatch window, inches from my face. She’d been eating current berries by the smell of her breath. I yelled into her face and she dropped down.

I closed the window. She then tried to break in for a minute. Luckily the tailgate was up or chances are she’d have mauled me for sure.

Bow was in the truck cab, leaving my weapon of choice a short handled shovel. After I thought she’d given up and left and it was just getting ligh, I opened up and got out of the canopy. Sow was 10 yards away in the oak brush popping her teeth at me.

Instantly threw the cooler and folding chair in, shut the tailgate and leaped into the cab. Noticed her cub up in a large aspen right in front of the hood.

Mom was being mom, but she sure was a crotchety one!

There are bears in eastern UT!

 

[roadrunner]

San Juan/Abajo and Elk Ridge. Lots of bears in that unit.

 

[Schoolhousegrizz]

Seen them on the San Juan and the book cliffs. They are not that big there's not a ton of them. I heard there's a quote a few on the lasals.

 

[f16jack]

I sympathize. Been out in the woods here the last 20+ years and have only come across tracks. I've never seen the bears.