SW Oregon Bears in Clearcuts

[sierrastalker]

I've got a SW OR spring bear tag. I've been looking through all the threads I can find here and a few other sites. I've been e-scouting, talked to a few people, but still can't seem to find some very specific info I'm looking for on hunting clearcuts in SW OR in the Spring. Everything I've read says to hunt South facing clearcuts, or West facing as a second choice.

I've found quite a few good looking areas for clearcut S/W faces, but my question is this: what is the ideal age of a clearcut in this area? Will there be green up the year after they log it out, or should I focus on clearcuts that have a year, 2 years or more of regrowth? I'm imagining that in the Coast Mtns the undergrowth comes back fairly quickly with all the moisture, but being out of state and having never hunted the area, I'm just guessing. Also, seems like there would be lots of green on all aspects by the 1st week of May, when I've got time to get out there in the Coast mountains....but maybe I'm wrong?

Hoping to get some clarity so I can narrow down the choices I've mapped out. Planning to hunt on foot behind closed gates, so I won't be driving around covering tons of country. Planning to get into an area I can walk/bike that has multiple clearcuts to hunt, and if I exhaust that area move on to another, but I'll run out of time pretty quickly.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Grape]

I have spent most of my time hunting bears in Western Washington which has many similarities to where you are planning to hunt. As for timing of Greenup I won't be able to offer any information. Generally speaking, the bears will be looking for fresh greens and in my experience, the spring after a clear cut doesn't have a ton to offer. I would target cuts that are at least 1 year out from the cut and up to 4 years. The Golden age is about 3 years because the berries will come in later in the year, yet the vegetation isn't too high to spot a bear. Another spot you can watch is avalanche chutes, although that's a lot more work. Also, powerlines are a great maintained cut with food for finding bear. I personally choose timber roads that are behind locked gates that atvs can't get behind. I look for the highest density of clear cuts in a days' hike, where the average age of the cuts is around 2 years old. If you find lots of scat along a 1/4 mile stretch and it's within a couple of days old, set up a trail cam and spend most of your time walking through that stretch of road. Try to get the bear on a schedule if possible.

 

[sierrastalker]

Thanks so much for the info. I’ve just never really hunted clear cuts before and I’m not familiar with the area I’m headed into…the e-scouting can get a little overwhelming when you’re looking at an area as big as the unit is. But I think I’ve got a decent list of spots with a high density of clear cuts. Thanks again.