OTC Bears

[HRM Johnny]

Outdoordan,
Nice bear pictures. I hope that you'll share more.
Johnny

 

[ofbandg]

Sorry if I missed the time of year. Spring bear hunting keeps the same prime times and big bear routines but the best place to hunt them is on south facing slopes that green up quickly. Spring bears head right for the lush grazing. The high country bears are out later because the snow hangs around but they have nicer hides and seem to me to be physically superior bears. If you can find an open green patch surrounded by snow in the timber it's a good place to check out. Bears usually follow well travelled trails, so go down a few and look for muddy spots to see what the tracks look like. If you get in the thick stuff and are surrounded by sign but can't see bears try a dying rabbit call or a fawn distress call and one might appear. Not recommended for solo hunting though.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

Not sure what time of the year you are looking to hunt but California is OTC and the bears are starting to outnumber the deer. Season starts in August when deer season opens and runs until Dec 31st. It closes if they reach a quota, but that hasn't been reached since they outlawed hound hunting. Last year I was backpacking in the marble wilderness and we saw bears everyday. I know California isn't very high on most people's list to hunt but the more people we can get in here killing bears the better off the deer herd will be!

amen

 

[Dan_Dingfelder]

I highly suggest bringing two barrels with you. There are areas in Idaho where a nonresident can get tags for $34. Place your barrels in a good looking spot the day you get.there. Set trail cams and put in plenty of bait. Spot and stalk hunt for 3 to 4 days. Go back, check baits and cams. If you have good bear activity, hunt bears by sitting on slope about 100 yards away in the direction the.bears aren't coming from. Pay VERY close attention to wind. When you first set baits, make sure you set with wind in mind.
Hunt the bears at the time the cams say they are showing up, and spot and stalk other times.

Wow!! Looks like you had an amazing hunt with your daughter and some memories of a lifetime. Congratulations on the beautiful bears!

 

[Buck Buster]

I highly suggest bringing two barrels with you. There are areas in Idaho where a nonresident can get tags for $34. Place your barrels in a good looking spot the day you get.there. Set trail cams and put in plenty of bait. Spot and stalk hunt for 3 to 4 days. Go back, check baits and cams. If you have good bear activity, hunt bears by sitting on slope about 100 yards away in the direction the.bears aren't coming from. Pay VERY close attention to wind. When you first set baits, make sure you set with wind in mind.
Hunt the bears at the time the cams say they are showing up, and spot and stalk other times.

Are they light phased black bears? I am in PA and they are called cinnamon bears here.

 

[Outdoordan]

Are they light phased black bears? I am in PA and they are called cinnamon bears here.

We have mostly colored phase bears in Idaho, the farther up north, the darker they get (although still lots of color phase). We would call the big one a blonde, and the smaller one a chocolate with blonde highlights . We have cinnamon bears here as well but those have a reddish color.

 

[dave_halsey]

If you do decide to ever come back to Idaho and catch a jet boat from Riggins to go up river
for bear, just the jet boat ride is worth the price of admission. Be sure and bring the camera.

I think when we go back up we are going to hook up with red river outfitters or someone just to catch a boat ride up river from riggings. We made it as far as the dixie airport and couldn't get through the snow.

 

[sass2924]

I went on a North ID bear hunt had a blast.

 

[Muddyboots]

Here is an interesting hunt to consider. Bears are OTC in NY and when I use to hunt the Adirondack Mountains for deer I would see bears all the time. Dragged a few out which cured my desire to shoot one! The High Peaks Region is as wild as it gets east of the Rockies and has really good bear population. This is a fall hunt only, no bait or dogs but I saw bears every time I hunted there. Plus big old mossy horn bucks are there. I killed nice 8 that took us ALL day to get him out he was so far back in. Beautiful wild country. This is hard country and don't underestimate the difficulty of it. There are 49 peaks over 4,000 ft in NY so there is plenty up down. Granite steep gorges, beaver flows, cedar swamps etc provide cool territory to hunt. Good brook trout fishing back in as well. Lots of public land so no worries there. I haven't hunt back there in few years but maybe next year.

 

[seckert]

My favorite areas to look in the spring are avalanche chutes. They are some of the first areas to green up.

 

[COhntr]

No spring bears or baiting in colorado, been that way for quite some time. You can apply for a tag in the draw or get one as an add on if you get an elk or deer tag. They are almost begging hunters to buy tags, that's how many we have.

 

[338rogue]

Wild onions in the spring, berries/apples in the fall

 

[Grandpa]

My favorite areas to look in the spring are avalanche chutes. They are some of the first areas to green up.

A friend and I are wanting to come out and do a spring bear hunt in May. I realize that weather will play a major role but we are planning on working up some old logging roads and doing lots of glassing. Since you live out there and obviously hunt them, any suggestions?

 

[GDKinCO]

yeah, Colorado city-dwelling, tree-hugging tofu eating voters cancelling spring bear hunts here back in ... 2019? or so? The signs of the times were evident even back then.