Uncompahgre Plateau September Bear Tag Keep or Turn In?

LoneGriz

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Oct 25, 2012
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Highlands Ranch, CO
I'm hoping for thoughts from the group on surrounding hunting bears on the Uncompahgre Plateau this September, given the drought conditions?

I need to make a decision by end of week whether to turn in my Uncompahgre September bear tag and hope for better conditions next year or move forward with the hunt.

I hunted the tag about 5 years ago. I don’t recall the reason (spring freeze or drought), but the mast crop completely failed that year. My buddy and I hunted 2 weeks, 1 week at beginning of September and 1 week at the end of September. We definitely put in a solid effort! I didn’t see a single bear outside of very thick riparian environments (along creeks in thick cover). I didn’t see a single bear out in the open from vantage/glassing locations. My buddy finally saw and took a younger bear the afternoon of the last day. I’m hoping to avoid a similar experience, if at all possible. I drew the tag last year but turned it in due to mast crop failure due to spring freeze (?). I was out on hike on the front range this weekend in a gamble oak habitat. There was some acorn, but little, and what was there was stunted (small).

Question(s) I have out to the Warden and Biologist on the Uncompahgre: What are the conditions of bear feed on the Uncompahgre Plateau this year? Do you feel there will be an opportunity to glass up bears from vantage/glassing spots this year or will they all be down in riparian areas similar to what I experienced several years ago? In your opinion, given conditions, is this a year to turn in the Uncompahgre September bear tag or to hunt it? If to hunt it, where would you expect to find bears and how would you hunt if it was your tag?

Any thoughts/input? I've never taken a black bear, but it isn't from lack of effort! One of these days the bear god will smile on me...

Thanks! Jim
 

ckleeves

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Feb 25, 2012
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Montrose,Colorado
I wouldn’t let the acorns dictate if I kept the tag or not. On thick acorn years the bears don’t have to move much so it can almost make them tougher to hunt.

Killing bears in oak is kinda a losing battle. By the time you determine that it’s a mature bear, no cubs, range it, get on the gun, etc 9 times out of 10 they disappear (in mature oak). It’s easy to see bears in oak brush but killing them is an entirely different matter IME.

Hunt water on hot days. Don’t try and sit to close to it, stay whatever distance your comfortable shooting away from it.

If your not seeing bears then move. Sometimes the drought years concentrate them on a food source so it can be feast or famine. When you do find them it can be crazy though. A few years ago I found a spot that the acorns were thick while many areas had none. In one evening of glassing I saw 17 different bears (I think, I was trying to not count the same bears twice) out of that many I could have realistically killed maybe 2. That just shows how tough they are to actually kill in the oak.

Good luck, the plateau needs the bears thinned out. Hope your successful.


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LoneGriz

LoneGriz

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Highlands Ranch, CO
ckleeves,

You sound like a man who knows what he is talking about. And based on your location, I expect you are intimately familiar with the Uncompahgre Plateau.

Your input/feedback is matching what I am getting from the wildlife officers and biologists... don't tie your hopes/expectations/predictions to the acorns. That is hard for me to do after my experience in 2009. The mast crop failed that year. We hunted for 2 full weeks without seeing many bears. The only bears I saw in the 14 days were in thick cover along a small stream. I had a cub jump across the narrow trail just 20 yards in front of me. Mom wasn't far behind him chomping her teeth. I decided to back out of there but bumped what appeared to be a boar on choke-cherries in thick cover... I only caught a glimpse of him.

Maybe predicting a bear hunt quality is like reading a woman's mind... nearly impossible? Maybe it is whether a spring freeze get's both the mast and the berries? Apparently last year the mast was a bust but the berries were good. So apparently the spring freeze got the acorns but not the berries. Maybe in 2009 a spring freeze got both? From what I am hearing, the 2017 harvest was very good... so the absence of acorns didn't negatively impact the bear harvest.

Sounds like I need to add sitting water holes to the mix and cover more country to find the best feed and sign? I have a Rokon this trip, so will be able to utilize the Uncompahgre single tracks. With luck, this may allow me to get away from some pressure, and cover more country is search of good feed in a patchy food scenario.
 

swampokie

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Jul 8, 2017
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oklahoma
I have the same season tag in the San Juan. I just scouted yesterday and found a lot of acorns that were absent last year. Saw a little bear sign but not a lot. Most tanks are dry and really dry ground for the most part. I fear it may be a tuff year but I’m Gona give it a shot. I mostly scouted lower elevation oak areas. I wonder if the bears will concentrate there later if they are still high now. I archery hunted them here last year and it was tuff. I hope this year is a little better.
 

XPLSV

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Aug 19, 2018
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Colorado Springs
My friend and I had been talking about heading down Black Bear Pass the past couple months (he has been down it in his Wrangler before, I have not) and we ended up picking up some bear tags for GMU 60/70 yesterday...so it is becoming a bigger trip than before. Neither of us have hunted these two GMUs before and we are doing some initial research right now. Looking at the first half of September. Not at home right now and have limited resources, but one area that is gathering my initial interest is the south side of 70, kind of south-southwest of Norgood before the elevation gets too high. The primary use vegetation map I have here looks like it might support good bear fodder. Need some other maps to overlay and just getting started, but if anyone has some additional info for 70 (or 60), would appreciate it as there won't be any boots on the ground scouting for this trip :)
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
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XPLSV,

I'm a newer bear hunter (~5years) but live around those parts. In the eastern part of unit berry crop is good - cherries, june berries (Saskatoons), rose hips, twin berries. But no Currants of either kind up high. Riparian areas are looking real good. Though I have not seen, I've heard of areas that are loaded with acorns, Mid-elevation. Hope it helps.
 

danarnold

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Feb 16, 2014
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Missouri/ and 81252
ckleeves is a great resource

I archery elk hunted there the last couple years and met some residents with bear tags, I knew of an elk carcass and we provided a couple more to the bear hunters which turned out to be very productive... you might to be able to find some archery guys that'd be willing to put you on a fresh carcass. good luck
 

gbflyer

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Feb 20, 2017
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I’ve got an old friend who’s a cattleman in 62. He tells me that he used to see 3 bears a summer now it’s at least that many a week.

Go find yourself a cowboy up there and ask. They’ll most likely put you right on them, maybe even behind a locked gate if you ask nice. Coors Light can be your best friend
 
Joined
May 10, 2017
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You've always got a spring bear hunt in MT or ID as a backup option. The hunting is probably higher odds. I can't imagine having to draw a tag for bear as required in UT and CO.
 

XPLSV

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Aug 19, 2018
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Colorado Springs
XPLSV,

I'm a newer bear hunter (~5years) but live around those parts. In the eastern part of unit berry crop is good - cherries, june berries (Saskatoons), rose hips, twin berries. But no Currants of either kind up high. Riparian areas are looking real good. Though I have not seen, I've heard of areas that are loaded with acorns, Mid-elevation. Hope it helps.

Thanks Carbonaero!

We're heading up tomorrow for several days and will hope to spot bear...if not, I know there will be lots of natural beauty and we'll learn more about area!
 
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