Western Black Bear Hunting

[HighDesertHunter]

Oregon, our deer could use all the help they can get. Good spot and stalk hunts.

 

[TheYukiYama]

Good points, you thought it through a lot more than I did. Biggest negative of CA in my view is the one tag and no spring season.

Very true. CA could benefit from a spring season and more tags and the bear population supports it, but it’s CA so won’t happen. Also being able to hunt when more of the fruit is ripe and more time to hunt while they’re active is certainly an advantage. Other negatives for me is the lead free ammo. All my guns have been sighted in using lead ammo and it’s more effective imo. And CA in general sucks politically in many ways and other hunting opportunity can be limited.

Appreciate the success rate analysis. Pretty interesting and sounds like if you really parsed out the data if it were available, it may be pretty similar. One thing I’ve noticed is that like many species, some people that have it figured out will harvest every year, and others will never kill despite hunting the same areas and time committed. In areas I’m familiar with I’ve had great success in statistically low success areas for deer, and no success in better areas that I was unfamiliar with. I know people that probably have close to 100% chance of harvesting a bear this year in CA. Certainly the same for some people in those other states.

For me CA is certainly the best state to bear hunt because I live here, enjoy large scenic backcountry mountain glassing, good bear density, it’s very cheap, fall time availability, and I can put more time in. For someone living in Idaho with dogs, Idaho is the best place to bear hunt.

 

[yellowbeard]

One thing I’ve noticed is that like many species, some people that have it figured out will harvest every year

the best state to bear hunt because I live here

Two extremely true statements!

 

[stv117]

cool days of early spring when bears wake from their hibernation, looking for food, will make them venerable to bait.

 

[David Gough]

California in the spring will be my favorite...one day.

 

[Don Fischer]

Used to hunt bears in Montana, Alaska and Oregon. Lived in Alaska about two years and never saw a bear out hunting up there. Lived here in Oregon most my life and I haven't seem two bears since coming back from Montana. In Montana seeing them was almost a daily occurrence! If I wanted to go hunt black bear today I'd definitely go back to Montana!