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Help with Bear

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Help with Bear

Postby larry83 » 10 09, 2016 •  [Post 1]

I drew a bear tag for unit 51 Colorado. Outside of spot and stalk do you guys have any other tactics that might help? This is my first time hunting bear and man I hope to be making bear chili soon? Thank you for your help in advance.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Lefty » 10 09, 2016 •  [Post 2]

I just placed 180 lbs of apples and pears for bait here in Idaho.
Talk to the local CO or government trapper.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby stringunner » 10 19, 2016 •  [Post 3]

In Oregon you can't bait them. I get as many bears on my cams as elk at water holes. Maybe try a stand at a water hole?

We have one stand that had 3 different bears coming to it throughout archery season, at a water hole. Over the course of 45 days that the camera was there, there was only 4 days that a bear didn't show up.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby VT Sasquatch » 10 27, 2016 •  [Post 4]

Sounds like fun. I would think that it would be like finding a needle in a haystack unless you can bait in Colorado. Otherwise, I would think still hunting through a natural food source might work. (I don't know what the Colorado food sources are but, this time of year, I would imagine some kind of hard mast like oak).

I have tried the still hunting in Pennsylvania but never have had any luck on bears. Out this way, a large proportion of successful bear hunters get theirs through organized drives.

Good luck
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Lefty » 10 29, 2016 •  [Post 5]

A buddy of mine is as nuts about bears as some guys are elk. He hunts Montana spot and stalk He looks for rich green grass,.. and torn stumps near thick timber
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Roosiebull » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 6]

Lefty wrote:A buddy of mine is as nuts about bears as some guys are elk. He hunts Montana spot and stalk He looks for rich green grass,.. and torn stumps near thick timber

there isn't a much better approach in the spring, grass and dandelion are what I look for, nothing seems to steep for bear it seems.

fall is a different ball game, we still have berries in October here, find a good concentration of berries, there may be a bunch of bear hitting it, there are no acorns around me, but I have heard that is what they target the most after berry season where there are acorns...it gets tough here after berries, they start eating mushrooms, and are on the move in the thick reprod, out of sight. when I see them in November, it's on accident.

tore up stumps are always easy to spot, and a good indicator there are bear in the area.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby wawhitey » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 7]

stringunner wrote:In Oregon you can't bait them. I get as many bears on my cams as elk at water holes. Maybe try a stand at a water hole?

We have one stand that had 3 different bears coming to it throughout archery season, at a water hole. Over the course of 45 days that the camera was there, there was only 4 days that a bear didn't show up.


My elk wallows get tons of bear activity. 2015 i had a big bear come into the wallow while i was elk hunting and i didnt shoot him, because im an idiot. 2016 i was up in alaska all sept, so before i left i showed my friend that wallow and how to approach it. Told him hed get a bear there. He sat it for 3 days and sure enough killed his first bear ever from 20 yards with an open sight lever gun. Bears love water holes. Definitely a good tactic for a guy with some patience.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby wawhitey » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Roosiebull wrote:
Lefty wrote:A buddy of mine is as nuts about bears as some guys are elk. He hunts Montana spot and stalk He looks for rich green grass,.. and torn stumps near thick timber

there isn't a much better approach in the spring, grass and dandelion are what I look for, nothing seems to steep for bear it seems.


I know youve called for yotes and cougs. Ever try calling bears? I had a spring bear permit last year and called a bear in to 10 yards with a closed reed distress. Was only calling for like 5 minutes or so. Was an 8-10 year old brown sow, posted in the 2016 meat pole. Distress calling for bears is an underrated tactic.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Roosiebull » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 9]

I have always meant to, just have not yet....I have accidentally called in two...of all things, back to back days elk hunting.

I do want to experiment with it, I do know it can be effective...i'm still kind of addicted to learning their natural movement and trying to learn how much ground they cover day to day in the spring...but plan on mixing in some calling next year (didn't draw a spring tag this year :x )

I did call to one once, a very big boar I was chasing, he came through an old grown up cut, I closed the distance, had a facing away shot with my rifle at about 50 yds, but didn't like the angle, he went into the really thick stuff. I climbed the ridge and got above him, he came down in front of me and stayed put making all kinds of racket feeding, I remembered I had an open reed call with me and started distress...he was about 90 yds, I kept it up for about 5 minutes straight, he went silent...I quit, and he went back to making a bunch of noise, I tried 2 more times to pull him out of the brush, but he would listen, then when I quit, go back to feeding.

It got dark and he never came out....I didn't see him again until the last day, spotted him at 400 yds right before dark, made a hasty stalk, and shot him at 12 steps...lucky

it is something I want to put in the tool box, and agree with you that it's under utilized...I know some bear hammer fawns, any bear that comes to fawn distress is a good one to shoot if it's big enough, I have seen small bears chase deer on 2 occasions, so it's not just the big boars.

one of the ones that I called in to cow calls was a small sow with 2 cubs, and she charged in and wouldn't leave, I stood up when I saw it was small, then saw the cubs, she didn't care about me at all, circled me at about 20 yds until she got my wind, then was gone....but she planned on an elk dinner.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Dorobuta » 10 16, 2017 •  [Post 10]

I've called in bears with a varmint call. Of course I didn't have a bear tag...

they will come into calls.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Timber » 12 04, 2017 •  [Post 11]

Is your hunt in the spring or fall?
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Timber » 12 04, 2017 •  [Post 12]

Nevermind....sorry just realized CO does not have a spring hunt. In MT the spring is glassing open areas and logging roads where the fresh green grass is coming up. I know in the Fall(Never hunted there then) I was told to concentrate on a good huckleberry area.
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Swede » 12 05, 2017 •  [Post 13]

Isn't it getting late in the year to find a bear out and about? I would go to the butcher shop, buy some beef and make my chili with that if I did not have my bear by this time..
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Re: Help with Bear

Postby Timber » 12 14, 2017 •  [Post 14]

Swede wrote:Isn't it getting late in the year to find a bear out and about? I would go to the butcher shop, buy some beef and make my chili with that if I did not have my bear by this time..


Planning stages...planning stages! :D I am currently planning my spring hunt in MT.
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