CO archery bear (while elk hunting)

[Poser]

Ill add a little and highlight what others have said.
1) You wanna see some bears, dont put a tag in your pocket.
2) Scub oak will hold mid age to young bears usually going back and forth to water.
3) A poor mast year will cancel #2
4) We hunt near a elk calving area and find the bigger bears close by. Plently of feed, fresh grass, on the edge of the scrub, conifer and aspen line. Be able to ID what they are eating.
5)Pattern one going to water. If you find where he likes to drink then more times than not he has been there 2 times a day. Hunt the gut pile from a kill when able.
6) They seem to move at dawn and dusk. We cant find em any other time. It doesnt really take away from the elk hunting as there is a 45 min window twice a day to get on one.

Just my opinion and what has worked for us. Thats a P& Y for size reference.

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In the SW corner of the state, at least, I’ve seen no correlation on #2. My observation is that all bears are in and on the scrub oak because it is the single most abundant and available source of fat. The last bear I killed in sept was in scrub oak, belly full of nothing but mast and was aged at 14 years old.

I only hunted one weekend last year, but saw 5 bears in one day, 3 of them mature boars, all in scrub oak, all within 200 yards of one another, and all gorging themselves throughout the day in the direct sun on south facing slopes, with the exception of the very hottest part of the day, 2-4 pm. Once they lay into the mast feeding frenzy, they’ll spend the vast majority of the day feeding on it.

 

[mia-elk-chaser]

September isn’t for bear hunting.

True - you got a great point there!

 

[mia-elk-chaser]

I would wait until someone shoots an elk and then hunt the carcass a few days later.Put flagging tape 100 yds straight above the carcass so you can start there and drop down on them in the afternoon with the wind in your face.I've even cleared a trail from the flagging tape to the carcass.You can also sit there and wait but stay back a bit so they dont come in behind you and spot you.I would go archery, it's easy to sneak in while they are feeding.I dont do it anymore because the time required to pack out and check it in is not worth it to me in September.

Great insight @Raghornkiller , appreciate it!

 

[cnelk]

We call in quite a few bears when archery elk hunting when using cow/calf mews

Heres a couple clips while sitting in tree stands