Spring bear anyone?

[coastalarms]

We are thinking of putting in for spring bear tags this year. I have only hunted bears while out deer/elk hunting. Probably only make it out a couple weekends during the season. We live in Harrisburg so we are thinking of applying for the N Cascades hunt. If nothing else we will at least get in some good hiking
Anyone else applying for spring bear?

 

[rcfireninja]

I have some friends putting in for coastal black bear in Alaska. Price tag was a little much for me this year. I'm looking at Montana now.

 

[Iron Mike]

I hunt the SW Oregon unit. First come first served on tags. LOTS OF BEARS Coastalarms. You do a lot of driving and glass from Log decks/Landings. Pretty easy hunting until you get one down across the canyon - then their is hell to pay!

 

[CoHiCntry]

I've always wanted to do a spring bear hunt. Unfortunately no season here in Colorado, which means heading out of state. I know some guy's get it done but there doesn't seem to be a real high success rate in a lot of places. That being said, it's definitely on the list! Maybe this year???

 

[Travisitguy]

I think spring bear would be fun. contact Weyhauser for permission to hunt on any of their lands.

 

[DRUSS]

possible permits required now in certain areas weyerhauser owns too. so make sure of checking first

 

[ore hunter]

ive never done the n cascades spring bear,,,but have done southwest ore,and n e oregon a few times,,,usually for oregon bears about mothers day week seems to be when they pop out,,,good luck,high,rocky steep slopes,and look for the purple flowers,,they like em.

 

[Timberstalker]

My daughter drew the N Cascade spring bear tag a few years ago. We had a tough time getting anywhere from all the snow. I would rather take the time and go to NE Oregon where you have a much better chance seeing a bear.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

Spring bear is one of my favorite hunts of the year! Always gets my heart pounding the first time I see black on green. Here on the coast all our beats are jet black and the grass is always green!

 

[gonhunting247]

I've had success west and east. Totally different types of hunting, but both are great fun and get a guy out in the woods at a fun time of year. Calling has also worked great both places, late in the season.
I'd definitely say you should go, even if you only have a couple weekends. Warning, it is addictive!

 

[Joseph]

I plan on going out for spring bear again this year, my hunting partner and I will probably do a couple or three short weekend backpack trips into an area we went into last spring. We saw bears but just couldn't make it happen, even when they appear to be just wandering along they can really cover ground and disappear in no time. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[gjensen]

I am a non resident and just put in for the Starkey unit. I then was looking at success rates and saw out of 220 tags, only 4 bears were taken. It looked as if success rates were on the lower end on most hunts, however it looked as if people are regularly successful on youtube videos. If I hunt hard and glass the green am I going to have a good chance seeing a bear in Starkey? Or should I change the hunt to the west Blue Mountains and wait it out a few years???

 

[Tim McCoy]

I am a non resident and just put in for the Starkey unit. I then was looking at success rates and saw out of 220 tags, only 4 bears were taken. It looked as if success rates were on the lower end on most hunts, however it looked as if people are regularly successful on youtube videos. If I hunt hard and glass the green am I going to have a good chance seeing a bear in Starkey? Or should I change the hunt to the west Blue Mountains and wait it out a few years???

I bet both areas are managed out of the ODFW LaGrande office, call em. What I do know for sure is the W Blue MT. area, in the unit 54 section, has a bunch of bears that end up along the east side of MT. Emily between LaGrande and Summerville/Elgin. We see them and their sign cow elk hunting from August into the Fall. Plenty of color phase and large bears there. When they get there I'm not sure, but could make a call to a landowner I know and see when his bear show up. I know nothing about bear in the other 3 units, there could very well be much better areas. SW and some Cascades units offer an additional fall general season bear tag. I am not sure if that is due to excess population, timber company complaints, some of both, or what, but that may be worth checking out
too.

 

[Iron Mike]

Guys I hunt SW unit. It is OTC till all tags are sold which may be soon. There are a ton of bears there. Mostly Black but you will see a color phase once in a while but not often like on the East side. It usually takes a few points to draw east but there are a lot more bears west. Plenty of public land and timber company land to hunt. I hunt in the Coos Bay area. The hunting itself is actually fairly easy. You are driving around and glassing from log landings. Most shooting is long range. The hard part is when you have one down - steep a** country that can be chock full of brush and timber. You may have a bear down 400 yards as the crow flies and could take you an hour or two to cross a canyon. But I love it!!

 

[Tim McCoy]

Guys I hunt SW unit. It is OTC till all tags are sold which may be soon. There are a ton of bears there. Mostly Black but you will see a color phase once in a while but not often like on the East side. It usually takes a few points to draw east but there are a lot more bears west. Plenty of public land and timber company land to hunt. I hunt in the Coos Bay area. The hunting itself is actually fairly easy. You are driving around and glassing from log landings. Most shooting is long range. The hard part is when you have one down - steep a** country that can be chock full of brush and timber. You may have a bear down 400 yards as the crow flies and could take you an hour or two to cross a canyon. But I love it!!

I think every western big game hunter should experience the terrain you so ably described, at least once. I grew up hunting it. Learned to love being wet whether it rained or not...almost always got wet in the morning. I suspect any who have not hunted it, will get a whole new appreciation for what we natives lovingly call underbrush. Just make sure you can ID and avoid Devils Club and
Stinging Nettles, lol.

 

[gjensen]

Thanks a bunch for the in put! Im going to look into making the call to the LaGrande Office

 

[ore hunter]

ive spring hunted starky for bear and its not easy to find bears.

 

[lostinOregon]

COhicountry,

I have been blessed with a bunch of help through the years. I can steer you to a great OR bear hunt. I see several bears a day.

Rich

 

[coastalarms]

Doesn't look like we will be chasing bears this year. Work schedules aren't playing along. Hopefully we will get out a chase a coyote or two or four instead...

 

[Screaming Bulls]

Putting in for the Pine Cr Catherine Cr Keating hunt in NE OR this yr great hunt if you hit it right really hope we draw