How Have the California Bears Reacted?

[RDUB]

Hey guys! I am curious if anyone has some thoughts on how the crazy winter we just had here in CA will affect how the bears will move around. For me I know that my original hunting plans have gone out the window because I haven't been able to find access to the area I wanted to go due to road conditions and other factors. So now I am transitioning to maybe going for black bear solely, but I am wondering if the bears are going to be on a different schedule because of the snowpack still abundant in the Sierras (oops now you know). Thoughts?

 

[ehayes]

No need to be specific, but are you asking about the Sierras or the Northwest part of the state?
If you are asking about the Sierras, if you find the podcast episode on the Huntin Ain’t Easy podcast about bears in the eastern sierras, the guest in the episode offered up his contact for questions. He is a retired biologist I believe. I think he also held a bear hunting class last year for that area.

 

[RDUB]

No need to be specific, but are you asking about the Sierras or the Northwest part of the state?
If you are asking about the Sierras, if you find the podcast episode on the Huntin Ain’t Easy podcast about bears in the eastern sierras, the guest in the episode offered up his contact for questions. He is a retired biologist I believe. I think he also held a bear hunting class last year for that area.

Haha yea Jonathan is his name. I was in contact with him last year and also reached out this year to pick his brain on what he thinks, waiting to here back. Great guy though.

 

[Bubblehide]

From what I know (limited areas due to conditions) I doubt the past winter had any significant impact on bears, as there seems to be plenty around based on incidental sightings. There was plenty of carrion over the winter in some places. The current conditions are very good with many areas having some serious water flows, and abundant food.

Deer on the other hand, is very dependent on migration routes and areas, as some subherds faired very well, while others in the same zones experienced significant loss, again depending on migration areas.

But back to bears, there is going to be an abundance of food this year for a prolonged time, as such, bears may not need to cover as much ground to meet their needs.

 

[RDUB]

From what I know (limited areas due to conditions) I doubt the past winter had any significant impact on bears, as there seems to be plenty around based on incidental sightings. There was plenty of carrion over the winter in some places. The current conditions are very good with many areas having some serious water flows, and abundant food.

Deer on the other hand, is very dependent on migration routes and areas, as some subherds faired very well, while others in the same zones experienced significant loss, again depending on migration areas.

But back to bears, there is going to be an abundance of food this year for a prolonged time, as such, bears may not need to cover as much ground to meet their needs.

Yea that's sort of what I was thinking. They might be up in higher elevation for longer too maybe. Just a thought.

 

[kickemall]

I also doubt the winter effected them much as ones in those areas just hibernate. Its all about feed. Like always they’re going to be looking for grass then berries then acorns with bugs, garbage, fawns and whatever else they can find along the way.

 

[Bubblehide]

Yea that's sort of what I was thinking. They might be up in higher elevation for longer too maybe. Just a thought.

With the heat, yeah, they have to be moving up. Granted a few spend the entire on the eastern slope.

 

[COLD SMOKE]

I’m seeing blackberries in the lower (3k-5k) elevations that are quickly ripening.
I’ve seen larger bear scat at mid elevation ( 6-9k ) in the past month that was all grass.

I’ve got a few wilderness spots at elevation to scout that should be good bear country. I gotta get my Sierra scooter ( Yamaha wr250r witha lot of mods ) out there and do a little moto camping with some fly fishing/ hiking once get in.

I’m doing a 4x4 trip out to X zones in a week, we usually see bear out there ( attached is from 2022, this smaller bear was scouring the banks for dead trout the day after a downpour that turned the river black with ash from a previous fire )

While it’s fun to think about a big Sierra open sky hike/hunt in the mtns. I think I might focus on smaller jungle drainages at low elevation early season. No one’s out there and there’s water holes, berries and acorns.


There’s also stickers, poison oak, lots of leaves and twigs, thick buck brush, hot dusty temps and a massive pack out.

I’ll post any pics in this thread if I turn up anything out in the woods.

Please do the same, no reason to share locations just general what they are eating, how they are moving.

 

[AlpineRidge]

I hunt D5 mostly and I see on average 5 bears a year while hunting for deer, I generally hunt around 5.5-6k elevation in both of my spots. I'll be going out in a couple of weekends to scout for deer activity and I'll let you know what I see.

 

[YungHoneydew]

Hey guys! I am curious if anyone has some thoughts on how the crazy winter we just had here in CA will affect how the bears will move around. For me I know that my original hunting plans have gone out the window because I haven't been able to find access to the area I wanted to go due to road conditions and other factors. So now I am transitioning to maybe going for black bear solely, but I am wondering if the bears are going to be on a different schedule because of the snowpack still abundant in the Sierras (oops now you know). Thoughts?

I've seen bears out and about in usual numbers compared to previous years. Northern CA.

 

[N9Line]

I live in the D5 zone and have seen an abundant amount of bears lower, earlier than I've ever seen before. We have always had a couple resident bears, but not this volume..

 

[RDUB]

UPDATE-
Hey guys, I was up in the Sierras scouting for rifle and winging an archery hunt. I saw lots of fresh bear sign in the 8000ft-10,000ft range. There was a mix with some of the scat being super fresh and on grass and the other being super fresh and on berries. This isn't really anything out of the ordinary though from my understanding, it was super green up where I was and I was even seeing spots of snow still hiding in some covered areas. There seems like there is tons to eat right now and I wonder if the bears will stay up higher longer if the food is still there. Curious what some of you guys found.

 

[Bubblehide]

What I have found over the years(differing conditions over the years) is that bears pretty much follow the highest caloric value foods as they come into season. However, with the overly abundant food supply, and variety (that I have been seeing) the bears might not have a need to follow the food supply, as they normally would during a typical year. But time will tell, and there may be (most likelt will be) some specific areas that hold bears significantly longer than the norm, and other areas that apper to sustain typical patterns. But, with thst said, this should be a good season for those that locate bears.

 

[COLD SMOKE]

in regards to n9line. Maybe all the beers are in his neighborhood. Or maybe I need to get in the woods more.

It’s raining today so I’m gonna go scout bucks as all the deer are going to be active. I’ll Head to some lower spots and berry patches and see if I can spot a bear or at least some signs.

I did see an amazing bear in the x zones a few weeks ago. Pure yellow blonde on top with a dark black underside. 350 # +/- and one of the most unique coats.
He was eating native choke cherries that were overgrown along a steam. This was august 9th.

 

[COLD SMOKE]

Hiked into a draw where a little spring fed stream meets a larger creek. Had my dog with me so only saw one deer.
Likely it was a doe but only saw the backside.
Saw zero bears.

Found 2 bear scats.
1st was older at least a week and mostly berries. There was a patch of blackberries And some shrub twin berries ( not sure 100% on the taxonomy, it had dark black berries growing in sets of two. Was fairly edible if fully ripe ) scat was firm/about 2” in diameter
Pic 1

the waterfall section is a place I’ve found bear scat before. They sit/shit right on the rocks.
Pic 2

Twin berry shrub where 2 waterways meet. There’s an Indian camp near here and some grinding rocks. Also lots of yew trees here. Yews are rare in this part of CA.
Pic 3

This is a small old growth Doug fir , maybe 300 or 400 years old. The whole Sierra was trees like this historically.
Pic 4

Scat that had some hooves and bone in it. Definitely a fawn and I’m thinking a bear. Cats usually will bury their waste and probably wouldn’t eat the bones. I put a 22 in their for scale. You can see the hooves in the pic and chunks of undigested bone.
Coyotes? .. but the fact that it whatever ate it gulped It hooves ans all points to a bear. It was 100 yards from the other scat.
Pic 5,6

And a gratuitous buck shot from yesterday. He’s a backyard buck and got some funky antlers. There’s a massive 5x5 that runs the herd but he’s pretty elusive and Likely nocturnal by now.
He was with a big forky and I have a pic of him from earlier this summer right after his right antler got busted off. Looks like he’s almost hard horned. The big fork with him was still velvet..
pic 7

Any comments or IDs on the scats? Or can ID those twin berries Id appreciate it.
this is a fun place to hike and I ride bikes back here. If I do hunt this section I’d likely have to wear water shoes it’s a lot of shallow streams to ford and explore.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

the scat to me isn’t bear, I’d say cat or dog

 

[COLD SMOKE]

Agree I thought cat initially mostly due to the shape and hair. It “looks” like it.


- it was on a prominent place. Not buried.

-Would a cougar eat hooves and bones?

-all the cougar kills I’ve found were selectively eaten and hidden. All these kills were adult sized animals though.
The carcass remained and I found it by smell
And then a grid search.

-If you look in the photos the hooves Are still undigested and we’re not chewed on.
Which means they were swallowed whole.

-I’ve seen my domesticated cats swallow larger ground squirrels and gophers whole.. just gulp them down in 4-5 big swallows. No chewing.

so perhaps cougars can employ a similar method with small fawns?
Sounds wild but if 10 pound cat can swallow a 1 lb squirrel whole,

A 200 lb cougar could swallow a 20lb fawn?

There are chewed bone fragments in the scat though.

There are coyotes but very few in this area.
And this was in the thicker jungle. Far from a meadow or any edges.
I usually only see/hear them in the meadows.

?
Side note I have not seen a live cougar in over 10 years. I know they are in the woods and likely I’ve been within distance. But none have came out to show their presence. You can hear them screaming at night occasionally. Last one I saw was almost dead and it was huge. It had just gotten hit but a car on highway 50 a little east of fresh pond. I was 1st on the scene and it was still alive with no mobility.

Unfortunately it turned into a scene within 2 mins. I wish it could have have a quiet and more dignified death. I had to leave as there was little to do ans I didn’t want to be apart.
We don’t have many Apex predators left on land and it was a indelible moment to share for a few minutes alone with this dying lion.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Talking to a big game bio here in CA, he mentioned there was a higher than average incidence of mortality in bears this winter. A combo of the drought sending them to the den in poor body condition and a long winter killed a few. It’s been a few months since we chatted but I believe that’s about what he said.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Headed out this weekend to try and turn up a few, any others been out lately?

 

[N9Line]

Headed out this weekend to try and turn up a few, any others been out lately?

Yes. Had a guy shoot a sow within 100 yards of me. Kinda discouraging since I had followed the bear for about a mile before I ever had a chance for a clear shot. Saw 4 on Friday and a TON on Saturday. 2 with cub/cubs.
There's more bear than I've ever seen. Let's do our part to help the deer population.