Best Time of Day??

[Young Blood]

So, I've hunted my whole life for deer/elk/antelope, but have never really gone bear hunting specifically (just always have a tag in my pocket in case I run into one in the fall). I'm planning on changing that this year here in a few weeks. My question is, when is the best time of day for bear hunting? My coworkers seem to think the afternoon is best. Is it still worth it going in the morning or would I just be wasting my time? Are you expecting a lot of activity at first light like you do with deer and elk? Also, does early morning activity change as the season goes on? My thought is that early in the season (last 2 weeks of April) that the bears won't be as active in the morning as its still pretty chilly out. Is that accurate? Sorry for my ignorance... you would think I would have all these answers growing up in Montana but I have simply never pursued bears with any intentionality before. Thanks!

 

[CApighunter]

I’ve seen the most activity between 8 am and 11 am. But I’ll be hunting daylight to dark regardless.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

https://research.wsulibs.wsu.edu:8443/xmlui/handle/2376/805

 

[EastMT]

That’s a pretty nice chart, wish they would have included all 24hrs instead of just the nighttime.


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[Oregon]

I am strictly an afternoon hunter. Helps that I’m 10 minutes from my hunting spot and I’ve seen more bears on sunny warm afternoons than any other time.

 

[Hudge]

Since I started bear hunting, I have seen more bears in the afternoon. Actually the bait stand I helped a friend run before I got my own stand last year, has only had evening kills on it. Since it's in Alaska, 9pm seems to the highest time for kills on the bait site. Give or take an hour.

 

[khart_6882]

What I’ve found is in chilly weather mid morning-afternoon is a great time to spot bears out feeding. Once it warms up or especially if your hunting over bait I’ve had best luck in the evenings. Every time I’ve tried hunting over bait in the morning no matter how slow and sneaky I am the trail cam pics show that I spooked a bear out of the bait on my way in

 

[Young Blood]

Thanks for all the great info so far! I will be hunting around town here where I live in Montana so sitting bait isn't allowed. It will be spot and stalk. Makes sense though that if you're sitting bait the afternoon would be better for the reason of not spooking bears already at the site. Based on what is being said, it seems like the bears are still out and active in the morning feeding, so if doing spot and stalk you could have a decent chance of spotting one on a green hillside.

 

[stxdeer hound]

Problem with mornings if your not real careful you will bust the bear off the bait and never even know it till you check your cameras. Its hard to slip in on a bear. We only hunt the bait in the afternoon unless we have a bait getting hit mid morning. I would find somewhere to glass for moving bears in the morning and hunt bait in the afternoons.

 

[Scottyboy]

Afternoons/evenings only. No sense in glassing during the day as you won’t see any (too thick in the forests) where I hunt

 

[crowinghen]

Go ahead and sleep in, the bears do!
that's what we say around our house. They might be out in the early but we aren't there to see them.

 

[Xenomorph]

Early morning, early evening walk in slowly.
Noon if you don't want to sleep walk around and look for sign, if you find fresh sign follow it slowly. Many a times if you do so you'll bump the bear sleeping. Careful not to crap your pants stepping on the sleeping furball. Or if you do, make sure someone's filming it all, it'd make a good footage.

 

[Wrench]

I've killed 3 spring boars, none over bait. All have been between 2pm and 6pm. It gets dark at 8pm in my area.

I've seen bears at all hours, but afternoon seems to be more movement.

 

[Xenomorph]

I've killed 3 spring boars, none over bait. All have been between 2pm and 6pm. It gets dark at 8pm in my area.

I've seen bears at all hours, but afternoon seems to be more movement.

I've taken a dozen so far, most of them were in the early morning hours, spring bears, SW slopes of green. Usually pre scouted the area for sign, soon as I found sign followed in slowly the morning after right at sunrise. They're like us, come out from slumber, feed 6-8am then tuck in the forest.