Bear Scouting.

[Evol]

Hi All,

I've never actually gone bear hunting and I'd like to try my luck this year.

I've seen them when deer hunting but out of season. I've located an area that's a swamp, done some googling and found some information that seems like it's there are bear in the area. I'm going to scout this week. Anything specific I should look for? I'm going to put up some trail cams as well.

Thanks!

 

[JohnnyB]

Tracks and scat are great indicators as to quantity of bears in an area as well as size of bear. It takes a little looking to gauge freshness of sign, but you will quickly develop a feel for it.

When you see a track that looks fresh, try to follow it as far as you can. If you find an area with lots of tracks, focus on that area. When you see scat, look at the contents. When you know what they are eating, you find that food source and watch it.

 

[JohnnyB]

Also, pick up Douglas Boze book “Ultimate Guide to Bear Hunting”. A wealth of knowledge in that book. He also posts here on Rokslide as Saylean and will answer questions occasionall.

 

[Evol]

That sounds good. This area is a swamp surrounded by evergreens that are surrounded by oak trees and about a 1.5-mile hike in so I think it'll be a good place to start.

I actually have that book already and read over it a few times. Thanks for the tips. I'm going to set out a few trail cams as well. I'll keep posting what I find in this thread when I go.

 

[Squamch]

Around here, southern BC, we look for a low elevation, south facing slope, and look for clear, grassy areas. Skunk cabbage is what they feed on in the swamps and river edges.