Unit 62 Colorado

[Primal-Understanding]

Hey Roksliders. I have a Unit 62 Bear tag for Colorado. I specifically chose this unit because it looks to have high bear numbers and a lot of roads. I am bringing along my wife and another couple. Plan is to set a basecamp near the vehicles and then push out from there on 1-2 day hunts. Having hunted bears in Idaho previously, the terrain in 62 is far different. It looks to be a series of large mesas separated by steep/ thick creeks. My best guess is that the bears are typically holed up in this cuts near water. I have seen a few areas that look like they might oak flats.

Can anyone shed some light on bear habits in this type of terrain? Ive heard scrub oak with acorns is some of the best to hunt in September, but seems kinda few and far between?


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[benclimbing]

Plenty of scrub oak and chokecherry if you're at the right elevations, and plenty of bears too.

 

[Alpinedrifter]

I have bear hunted 62 several years with no luck yet. Got a rifle bear tag for September this year myself. 62 is loaded with Gambel oak that may or may not be bearing acorns come early September, depending on whether there is a late freeze in spring of that year. Cover as much ground as you can, and find the berry patches and sit them. Really pay attention to fresh sign early in the mornings and evenings and stalk from there.

 

[gbflyer]

Go find someone sitting on a horse. The working kind not the pet kind. They’ll be happy to tell you where they are seeing bears. Play your cards right and they might even give you a key to the gate.

 

[benclimbing]

This. The folks that run cattle and sheep up there are the ones who know the most about the bears due to the predation they deal with.

 

[Primal-Understanding]

I have bear hunted 62 several years with no luck yet. Got a rifle bear tag for September this year myself. 62 is loaded with Gambel oak that may or may not be bearing acorns come early September, depending on whether there is a late freeze in spring of that year. Cover as much ground as you can, and find the berry patches and sit them. Really pay attention to fresh sign early in the mornings and evenings and stalk from there.

Have you been seeing bears and just not getting on them after stalking or having trouble turning them up altogether?

Ill be there mid September. Things could change but it seems like I ought to be looking for acorns and berries around 9k elevation?

How has weather and driving conditions been for you?


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[wildcat33]

I'm in the same boat as you. Will be up scouting this weekend.

 

[Lucas22]

I'm in the same boat as you. Will be up scouting this weekend.

Any willingness to share what you learned? I got a tag and plan to drive up solo for 2-3 days before I switch to primarily elk with my brother after that

 

[wildcat33]

Any willingness to share what you learned? I got a tag and plan to drive up solo for 2-3 days before I switch to primarily elk with my brother after that

I learned some about where bears had been previous (torn logs, dry scat), where the weren't presently, but not much about where they will be in a month.

Acorns are coming in now, but not as heavy as last year. Chokecherries are starting to ripen. But honestly that country is covered in oak and berry bushes as far as the eye can see. Zeroing in on a specific spot to sit and watch has been tough though. Water is key obviously, but there is plenty of water around. So which water to watch is a mystery to me.

I still think the best option is to sit on an elk carcass from a bow hunter.

 

[Lucas22]

I learned some about where bears had been previous (torn logs, dry scat), where the weren't presently, but not much about where they will be in a month.

Acorns are coming in now, but not as heavy as last year. Chokecherries are starting to ripen. But honestly that country is covered in oak and berry bushes as far as the eye can see. Zeroing in on a specific spot to sit and watch has been tough though. Water is key obviously, but there is plenty of water around. So which water to watch is a mystery to me.

I still think the best option is to sit on an elk carcass from a bow hunter.

Was it fairly dry this year?

 

[ckleeves]

Ponds are key in that oak country just for an open spot where you can actually get a shot and see a bear for more than 3 seconds. It’s not hard finding bears up there by any means, it’s hard getting a shot and ID’ing (boar/sow/no cubs etc) in the oak. You can have a big bear walk thru a 10’ opening and then simply vanish until you glass him again an hour and one mile away as he goes thru another opening.

Find oak flats that are holding acorns with a pond that preferable has some grass between the water and the oakbrush with a canyon rim you can glass off of and sit. Bonus if you can watch multiple ponds from the same spot.

There is tons of bears up there. If you’re on good feed and good on the glass it’s not unreasonable to see 5+ bears a day. Seeing and shooting are two very different things. If your not at least seeing a bear a day I would move spots.

 

[benclimbing]

Berries and acorns are going to be good this year. Plenty of water around too. It was dry for a while but we've had a ton of rain recently (monsoon downpour as I type this). There is enough topography to be able to gain some decent vantage points, just takes a little work.

 

[wildcat33]

Whats a decent size boar look like in this area?

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I'm in the same boat as you. Will be up scouting this weekend.

Did you go up the divide road from the north by chance? If so is that decently graded? I have a bear tag over in 61 this fall (just want to try something different and hopefully enjoy watching elk too) and was wanting to pull in a camper from the north to use as a basecamp.

 

[wildcat33]

Did you go up the divide road from the north by chance? If so is that decently graded? I have a bear tag over in 61 this fall (just want to try something different and hopefully enjoy watching elk too) and was wanting to pull in a camper from the north to use as a basecamp.

No, i haven't been up that way in a long time. I remember it being fairly steep with a some tight bends that were easy in a pickup but no idea how trailer friendly it is.

 

[AlleghenyPaddler]

Whats a decent size boar look like in this area?

I listened to a biologist say the majority of harvested animals are in the 2.5 year range after mom kicks them out. Bears in the west tend to be smaller than eastern bears (but greater prevalence of color phase). I took a boar this age that the rug squares 5' on the nose, and probably weighted around 150lbs (very rough estimate).

 

[Lucas22]

If you had a .308 and a 7mm mag; both shoot well but the 7mm comes with 2# extra weight which one would you take?

 

[benclimbing]

If you had a .308 and a 7mm mag; both shoot well but the 7mm comes with 2# extra weight which one would you take?

The one that gives you the most confidence.

 

[Lucas22]

I feel confident with both but power wise it is my impression that I would not shoot the 308 past 300 yards, not sure if I need any more range than that or if the range estimate is correct

 

[Poser]

I feel confident with both but power wise it is my impression that I would not shoot the 308 past 300 yards, not sure if I need any more range than that or if the range estimate is correct

If you are hunting in scrub oak country, longer shots can be very difficult to come by. There are, of course, exceptions and they will usually/almost always involve steep shot angles. I hunt black bear with a 25-06 myself. They aren't very tough animals, but, obviously, a larger caliber will give you more margin of error. I wouldn't overthink either of these 2 caliber options. Take the one you enjoy shooting the most.

When it comes to September bear, you are looking for fresh sign and elevation profile. 2-3 day old sign is too old to be relevant so keep moving if that is what you are seeing. If you are seeing slightly older sign at an elevation, drop elevation by 1,000 feet or more. Don't let the appearance of "good looking" terrain fool you into staying in a spot unless you have cleared the higher elevation profile are waiting for bears to show up at your lower elevation. They move fast through these profiles when they are feeding on oak and an area can be vacuumed up in 24-36 hours and then its over.

You're looking for very fresh sign and always be willing to adjust elevation dramatically, as in packing up and driving 45 minutes down the road adjustment.