Oregon spring bear

[SouthernCharm]

8 more days till the draw

 

[CamoPirate]

I'm pretty certain I'll get my spring bear tag...now... this mountain goat tag is the really pressing one

 

[roosiebull]

I’ve done pretty well over the years in NW.
Seems like my successful hunts revolve around a few things.
1. Warm afternoons. (60 deg plus)
2. Hunting til I can’t glass anymore due to darkness
3. Hunting areas behind gated roads
4. Hunting any areas that don’t face north
5. Starting around Apr 20.
6. Being extremely optimistic every time I go.
Bears just seem to show up. Go 8 times, and on the 9th, there he is. Always seems to work that way for me.

that'll work!

those are good rules. i still don't follow the rules.... but the rules are sound. i still go in the rain (unless it's hard non stop rain) i like showers with sun breaks... i hunt mornings, despite it rarely ending up with an encounter.... i see a couple morning bear every year, and that's a couple i wouldn't have seen if i wasn't there. i often use mornings to put eyes on country i'm curious about, or looking for sign. late in the season i'll turn up bear on north facing slopes occasionally. i always am chomping at the bit when the season starts, and early april i'm seeking out that early green up.... find that and it can be good.

this prior season was good for me early, i saw bear the first 2 days, and a pig also that first week.... found a few spots with good feed early, and those places were holding bear early.... you are right though, it can be slow early.... i just can't help myself.

if i had limited time to hunt, your rules are sound.... as it is, if i'm not working, i'm hunting.... nasty weather days i'll fish instead... i love spring bear season

 

[MSHJR]

Having my fingers cross for the 20th

 

[Elkdreamer]

All this snow will keep me out of the high country for a while.

 

[roosiebull]

the past week i have noticed skunk cabbage blooming, and the bottoms are getting some new chutes of canary reed grass.... though skunk cabbage isn't a staple food source for bear in the spring (can be a really good food source early fall bear hunting) it's that first sign of spring i see every year, which is exciting!

the canary reed grass IS a good food source for bear, especially early before the clear cuts and landslide chutes green up.... those swampy bottoms that have lush canary reed grass can be really good, the problem is, it's generally really hard to hunt.... it's thick and close quarters, and you NEVER get steady wind in those bottoms.... find a vantage above one of those swampy bottoms you can see into is a really good strategy for the first 2 weeks.

spring is coming, even though it hasn't felt that way the past few days.... a couple days ago we had a bunch of freezing rain, yesterday i spent a few hours cutting big trees out of the road on the road i live on.... it made a mess.

pretty soon though, bear season will be in progress, buzzards will be circling the sky, and the coast will gradually turn green into a jungle like scene

a word of caution though..... hopefully it isn't a sign, but i think it is... i currently live on the central coast, have lived around here since i was really young, and this is the first year ever that i have seen ticks in the winter.... i have had 2 deer ticks dig into me this winter, one in Dec, one about 5 days ago..... up until 6-7 years ago i would not see a single tick other than field dressing deer and elk, the past few years they have progressively gotten worse, and now i have to treat my clothes in the spring..... this year makes me nervous, because winter ticks have never been a thing, it's only been mid April-June.

the other day i was driving some logging roads coming back from steelhead fishing, pulled off into a grassy pull out to take a leak.... literally one step out of my pickup on a cold rainy day.... i get into town, feel some pain under the seatbelt and pull my shirt up....****!!! had one buried in right at my waist line.... the one in Dec i was just making a little hike to glass an area cross canyon for a late youth cow tag, had one bury into my hip.

take it for what it's worth, but if you are hunting the stott/Alsea or NW tag, may want to treat your clothes with Sawyers, or at least treat your gaiters and always wear them.

for those hunting other parts of the state, you likely already know ticks can be bad, especially the SW tag, which i'll be hunting this year since we're moving there. the Stott/Alsea, and the NW zones have always been pretty tick free until the past few years, but it looks like we're catching up with other regions now. 2 ticks this winter may mean it's gonna be a bad year.

at least in the east part of the state it's more wood ticks than deer ticks, and they don't dig in as quick, and they are bigger so you feel them crawling around more often.... and as i understand, they don't carry Lymes (though they still carry some nasty stuff)

just a word of caution..... it's almost here and i can't wait! first order of business for me is head to NE Or and kill me a mountain bird, then i'm all about bear

 

[jstahlberg]

This is a really informative thread, and I'm glad I took the time to read through it. I'm hoping to maybe start hunting bear in Oregon (Montana native) and would probably just be farming points for some of the more "choice" units at this point, especially for a shot at a nice color-phase bear (I've been wanting to shoot a blondie for some time now). Seems like the NE part of the state (W Blues) and the Hells Canyon area are the coveted areas. Being that I'm very unfamiliar with the state and these area, would anyone please confirm what hunt you'd be applying for in order to get either of these tags. I've deep-dived the statistics and units, so there's a good chance I already have identified them on my potential application list and just haven't realized it. Here's the areas I've looked at so far: 754A Mt Emily - Walla Walla, 756 Weneha, 759A Snake River, and 757A Sled Springs - Chesnimnus. Again, as of now I'd just be applying for the point, cause I'll have plenty of time to narrow from there to hopefully make the hunt a success. I've also looked into the coastal units (722A mostly), maybe as something to try after getting a harder to draw tag.

 

[Jgill19]

I think I have enough points to draw Mt Emily but would prefer to wait until a later date and instead hunt the Western OR unit with my partner who doesn’t have any spring bear points.

Western Oregon is my backyard. I could get out more often, take the kids, too, and help reduce predation in my hunting area.

Could I put in for Mt Emily as a party with my partner, which would drop my chances of drawing (hopefully eliminate) and then do Western OR as 2nd choice?

yes, as long as its drawable as a second choice, or otc.

 

[Jgill19]

It could be a very good year for access, we have a much lighter snow pack then the last couple of years at this point. Still have plenty of time for snow but long range forecasts don’t look like there will be significant amounts. Already seeing open south hillsides in the blues at 4500 feet or so.

Had to say it didn't you!! lol
That's ok we needed the moisture.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Dumb dumb dumb. I’m at 3500 feet and I have 33 inches on the tape measure.

 

[541hunter]

the past week i have noticed skunk cabbage blooming, and the bottoms are getting some new chutes of canary reed grass.... though skunk cabbage isn't a staple food source for bear in the spring (can be a really good food source early fall bear hunting) it's that first sign of spring i see every year, which is exciting!

the canary reed grass IS a good food source for bear, especially early before the clear cuts and landslide chutes green up.... those swampy bottoms that have lush canary reed grass can be really good, the problem is, it's generally really hard to hunt.... it's thick and close quarters, and you NEVER get steady wind in those bottoms.... find a vantage above one of those swampy bottoms you can see into is a really good strategy for the first 2 weeks.

spring is coming, even though it hasn't felt that way the past few days.... a couple days ago we had a bunch of freezing rain, yesterday i spent a few hours cutting big trees out of the road on the road i live on.... it made a mess.

pretty soon though, bear season will be in progress, buzzards will be circling the sky, and the coast will gradually turn green into a jungle like scene

a word of caution though..... hopefully it isn't a sign, but i think it is... i currently live on the central coast, have lived around here since i was really young, and this is the first year ever that i have seen ticks in the winter.... i have had 2 deer ticks dig into me this winter, one in Dec, one about 5 days ago..... up until 6-7 years ago i would not see a single tick other than field dressing deer and elk, the past few years they have progressively gotten worse, and now i have to treat my clothes in the spring..... this year makes me nervous, because winter ticks have never been a thing, it's only been mid April-June.

the other day i was driving some logging roads coming back from steelhead fishing, pulled off into a grassy pull out to take a leak.... literally one step out of my pickup on a cold rainy day.... i get into town, feel some pain under the seatbelt and pull my shirt up....****!!! had one buried in right at my waist line.... the one in Dec i was just making a little hike to glass an area cross canyon for a late youth cow tag, had one bury into my hip.

take it for what it's worth, but if you are hunting the stott/Alsea or NW tag, may want to treat your clothes with Sawyers, or at least treat your gaiters and always wear them.

for those hunting other parts of the state, you likely already know ticks can be bad, especially the SW tag, which i'll be hunting this year since we're moving there. the Stott/Alsea, and the NW zones have always been pretty tick free until the past few years, but it looks like we're catching up with other regions now. 2 ticks this winter may mean it's gonna be a bad year.

at least in the east part of the state it's more wood ticks than deer ticks, and they don't dig in as quick, and they are bigger so you feel them crawling around more often.... and as i understand, they don't carry Lymes (though they still carry some nasty stuff)

just a word of caution..... it's almost here and i can't wait! first order of business for me is head to NE Or and kill me a mountain bird, then i'm all about bear

I’m down in the Roseburg area and hunt all over the place down here. Ticks are just part of the game now unfortunately. I work in the timber industry for a living and while you get a lot less of them in the winter, you still occasionally find them.

 

[Elkdreamer]

Dumb dumb dumb. I’m at 3500 feet and I have 33 inches on the tape measure.

Thanks for the update. I was supposed to be yote hunting but this dang storm and now I got to work. Ugh

 

[taybou]

Results are up, back to SW for me, hope to see even more bears this year than last.

 

[CamoPirate]

So wack. The area I applied for had 60 leftover tags last year, and I don't draw. Fml

 

[roosiebull]

Results are up, back to SW for me, hope to see even more bears this year than last.

i will be in the SW as well!

i heard some folks didn't draw the SW tag as first choice.... if that's true, that's a bad sign. spring bear hunting has blew up in popularity.... they need to adjust tag numbers or make the whole state otc and close areas off as quotas are reached like they do with lion hunting.... that would be best case scenario imo

 

[roosiebull]

So wack. The area I applied for had 60 leftover tags last year, and I don't draw. Fml

bummer man! i know that feeling

 

[CamoPirate]

I didn't draw NW as my first choice.

 

[taybou]

i will be in the SW as well!

i heard some folks didn't draw the SW tag as first choice.... if that's true, that's a bad sign. spring bear hunting has blew up in popularity.... they need to adjust tag numbers or make the whole state otc and close areas off as quotas are reached like they do with lion hunting.... that would be best case scenario imo

Yeah, I had two friends not draw SW tags first choice with zero points. Their app numbers were both ~7.5mil, the seed number being ~9.5mil, so definitely a surge in popularity. I'm pretty surprised given the increase in the number of SW tags (I think 4400ish to 4800ish).

I didn't draw NW as my first choice.

Shoot, that's becoming a tough draw. NW was predicted to be a tough draw this year, even with the increase in tags, pretty nuts. (https://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/700-series---2021-spring-bear)

While on the one hand, I'm happy folks are getting into bear hunting and hopefully becoming bear hunting advocates, it's definitely concerning for limiting future opportunities.

 

[7718Sallee]

I got the sw as my 1 st choice as did one of my boys

 

[CamoPirate]

Yeah, I had two friends not draw SW tags first choice with zero points. Their app numbers were both ~7.5mil, the seed number being ~9.5mil, so definitely a surge in popularity. I'm pretty surprised given the increase in the number of SW tags (I think 4400ish to 4800ish).



Shoot, that's becoming a tough draw. NW was predicted to be a tough draw this year, even with the increase in tags, pretty nuts. (https://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/700-series---2021-spring-bear)

While on the one hand, I'm happy folks are getting into bear hunting and hopefully becoming bear hunting advocates, it's definitely concerning for limiting future opportunities.

Yeah, it was the one thing I was looking toward. Oh well, back to practicing with the recurve.

I don't get how the draw odds for residents and non-residents are the same, though. P Points piss me off.