Colorado fall bear hunt w/o bait

[jhg]

I want to do a little more than just hope this fall for bear. We can't use bait or attraction scents of any kind here, but we can call, spot and stalk etc.


Any insights appreciated and in the meantime I will do a search on Pow Wow.

Joshua

[ChuckC]

Berries grow in the mini drainages near the tops. This is a dry year,  mudholes and wallows would be a great place to sit.  Look at the map and see if you can locate some places where several ridges run together.  These are used by all large wildlife and routes of travel.

Go get em.
ChuckC

[Gehrke145]

Watch for birds over dead animals and talk to other hunters!  Most guys will help you out for bears, and will let you know of kill sites.  This is by far the easiest way to get them and shot opps are high!

[JimB]

If you have oaks,work the acorn crops.If you can locate a few springs or waterholes in otherwise very dry country,hit those.Bears need to drink daily and when it is hot,they need to soak to cool off.

[JPE]

Water holes. Bears love them . They drink swim and play.   By this time there coats are getting thick and they have to cool off. Also I agree with old kills.

[monterey]

Will you be hunting during Sept bow season?  

I reccomend that you get ahold of the Parks and Wildlife (PAW) and inquire about a book written about Colorado bears by a biologist named Tom Beck (now retired).  He researched Colorado bears for many years for the div of wildlife.

Also gonna pm you with something.

[Geezer]

I've dealt with a lot of bears in Colorado; both in research but mostly from dealing with of nuisance calls.  My experience here is that if you find the food source, you'll find the bear.  One project I was involved in showed that they can, and will move, many miles to energy-rich micro environments (mast crops mostly). These will be areas that have frost-free pockets in the spring with a history of excellent mast producing plants.  In Colorado that'll be Gambells oak.  I've sat on hillsides and counted over 15 bear in one evening as they vacuumed acorns from these areas.  We responded to one small town that had 22 bear in it in just one night - all eating dropping apples (caused a lot of damage too).  Send me a PM with some information on your bear unit and I'll see if I can't put you in touch with some good people who may be able to help.

[YORNOC]

Originally posted by Geezer:
I've dealt with a lot of bears in Colorado; both in research but mostly from dealing with of nuisance calls.  My experience here is that if you find the food source, you'll find the bear.  One project I was involved in showed that they can, and will move, many miles to energy-rich micro environments (mast crops mostly). These will be areas that have frost-free pockets in the spring with a history of excellent mast producing plants.  In Colorado that'll be Gambells oak.  I've sat on hillsides and counted over 15 bear in one evening as they vacuumed acorns from these areas.  We responded to one small town that had 22 bear in it in just one night - all eating dropping apples (caused a lot of damage too).  Send me a PM with some information on your bear unit and I'll see if I can't put you in touch with some good people who may be able to help.

   

[ron w]

While Elk hunting last year my partner saw a chocolate phase bear and got pretty close, we didn't have tags. He said it wasn't to big but really neat to see. So I guess you don't need bait if you do your homework and have a bit of luck! Good luck on your quest!!

[Geezer]

Originally posted by jhg:


Any insights appreciated and in the meantime I will do a search on Pow Wow.

Joshua

Josh:  I sent you a PM with names and email addresses. Happy to help and stay in touch.

[FerretWYO]

I would say gezzer gave some great information there.

[ChuckC]

Al, been talking with Kirk M. over the past ten years or so of coming out to the Redstone area (very general area).

I have been very impressed with the information sharing that your counterparts in CO do.  Not every state is blessed with folks like you guys and gals.

Thank you
ChuckC

[Butts2]

Find water.....Can't be much different in us that we can go DAYS with no food but have to have water. As dry as it is the Berry crops and acorns will be minimal at best

[owlbait]

While elk hunting several years ago I had a bear run in to my elk call. I would imagine that predator calls would work too but I wouldn't want a lion to answer too.

[Daz]

Calling is a great way to hunt black bears, but i prefer to call AFTER a bear has been spotted and watched for a while.

This ensures that cubs or yearlings are not with the bear, and that it is a bear that i feel is 'what i am looking for'.
Sows will quite often respond to calls alone, leaving cubs up trees or elsewhere.

Fawns in distress are good, and i'm sure that calf mews would be good as well.

[jhg]

Thanks everyone! Great information.

[Geezer]

Originally posted by ChuckC:
Al, been talking with Kirk M. over the past ten years or so of coming out to the Redstone area (very general area).

I have been very impressed with the information sharing that your counterparts in CO do.  Not every state is blessed with folks like you guys and gals.

Thank you
ChuckC

Thanks, Chuck.  Lots of my fellow employees, and some very strong leaders have never forgotten who really pays for wildlife resource management.