Bears: Where to look?

[Chromaflage]

I'll be out this weekend for the opening of coastal buck season. Nearly every year, we've seen bear sign in the area where we hunt. Some days, we've seen more bear sign than deer sign. But we've never seen a bear in the area. This year, I have a bear tag - just in case. So, I'm looking for some tips on where to look for these critters. Under logs? Up in the trees? In the briar patches? In the ditch along the road? Where do these animals hang out during the day? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

CrF

[rojo]

Well last year off hiway22 coast range we saw 1 opening day at daylight and another 3 weeks later around noon in the sale area.Know there 2 different bears because of size....Roger

[fishgetter]

SLEEPING IN TREES AND UNDER LOGS!!!

That is too funy!!!!

I have had good results glassing clear cuts looking for deer, they like berries and if there are no berries they wander along looking for food. Definatly do not look up in the trees

Good Luck

[usmyrmss]

At the Bears Lodge . . . right next to the Elks Lodge and down the street from the Moose Lodge

[pdxkevin]

Da bears...

One thing I have learned about them... the surest way to never see one is to get a tag and have it with you.

Those I have encountered were crossing skid roads and near salal berries. Black bears seem to have a thing for doug fir trees, too. They bite chunks of bark off the trunk.

Now you can not put scent out to arttract the bears - unless... you are wearing the scent. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be walking around smelling like bear breakfast though.

[tag-a-long]

What a bunch of jokers...

They eat between 14 and 18 hours a day this time of year. Find out what seeds are in the scat and look in those patches. Good luck.

[Myles]

When glassing a drainage look for a recently killed tree, a red tree, rangers call them a red flag. They'll peel the bark off a tree and kill it. BTW I used to see bears every year so I stared buying a tag, haven't seen a bear since.
Good luck
Myles

[ajfishfinder]

With the fresh snow they should all be moving from their summer tree houses to the wintering ground cellars under large root balls. Best bet is to catch them during the move.:grin:

[sliverslinger]

get a deer and then go back to the gut pile and wait, you will either get a bear or at least coyotes. You are not baiting them, its just nature, my .02

I got my deer this year during archery season and went back the next day to check out the gut pile, But I was too late. The whole dang thing was already gone. Dont know if it was coyotes or a bear. I could see where it was drug off but there was nothing there except for what was in the stomach.

[Don Becker]

Originally Posted by sliverslinger2001

. . . . I got my deer this year during archery season and went back the next day to check out the gut pile, But I was too late. The whole dang thing was already gone. Dont know if it was coyotes or a bear. I could see where it was drug off but there was nothing there except for what was in the stomach.

Did you check for tracks? 'Probably did. Our experience with having them drug-off almost immediately has been with cougars. Others' experience may differ but, I've not seen a lot of evidence of coyote's messing with a fresh gut pile. We have seen evidence of bear chowing-down and/or covering them in place. But, more often than not, west side, we've found cougar track . . . . Don

[stlhdr1]

We used to hound hunt them a ton.. In August we'd find the most bears around the huckleberries and salmon berries. The first 2 weeks of September they seemed to always be around the choke cherries...

Ideally find the "berries" and you find bearies...... I was up last weekend sighting in my new muzzleloader and seen one about 120 pounds eating some older wilted huckleberries that were still on the bush... I could have shot him but he was in a hell hole and I didn't feel like packing him out...

Keith