Bear

[Sean Gadhar]

Well I might have to stick an arrow in my bear. Dang elk showed up in so many of my trail cam photos, I couldn't take it any more, bought an ether sex Archery tag so I can hunt bear & Elk. Worked 12 hours today, ran up the road and hiked my tree stand in before dark. I knew what tree and had set yardage markers 20,30, 40 last week. but we thought until yesterday afternoon that we were going to have to work Saturday & Monday so I had not wanted my stand in the woods for the 3 day weekend if I wasn't going to hunt it.

ANYWAY Came trucking out of the brush with my stand on my back and started one heck of a nice bull that was grazing a few feet from my north 30 Yard marker.

Couldn't do much, he caught me flatfooted, so I just kept walking, he ran about 20 yards, then high stepped another 20, then stood and watched me for a bit then walked off . . . so I hope I didn't spook him too much, once I knew he had walked off I circled back and hung the stand. Now for 3 whole hours sleep. .Elk season starts at sunrise Bear starts on 9/2 so if I can get an elk in the next 48 I'll go to ML for bear

from the trail cam that is 20 yards from where I hung my stand, the tail end of a big elk and a good shot of a small bear.

 

[Vomir le Chien]

Just my thoughts on it,,,fall would be better,driven by what they are eating,fattening up for the long winter,in the Spring the bear has burned fat to stay alive in hibernation.Never ate any just my thoughts..

 

[Jdavis]

In that bear is known to have a high fat content, I would think that the spring bear would be the better because it would tend to be lean meat. Just WAG since I don’t have a clue.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Anyone have an Idea what is going on here?
Back in July I tracked a medium size Bear and he/she came out of the creek walked a trail, and then walked out on this log, there were 3 trails connecting here so I set a trail cam. Every bear seems to have an interest in the tree this cub is sniffing. Track after track goes up on that log and shuffleles around by that one tree The side away from the camera has a wet look to it (just like a man, walked up and peed on it) So I thought the bears were marking like dogs, But there is no smell to the wet looking spot, it never gets wetter or dryer. I now think it is something from the aspen. Sap?

There is a trail just in front of the tree yet every bear seems to walk the log. I don't want to mess it up but I have been within 3 feet of it & down wind. . . Zero smell. I'm stumped

 

[Walkingeagle]

Bears use marking trees, usually rob against them. I participated in a study with fish & wildlife for grizzly and we would identify such trees, wrap with barb wire to collect hair samples for dna as well as trail cam. There are lots of those trees out there (sometimes power poles). Its like a form of communication.
Of course, perhaps someone poured an attractant on that tree???
Walk

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Bears use marking trees, usually rob against them. I participated in a study with fish & wildlife for grizzly and we would identify such trees, wrap with barb wire to collect hair samples for dna as well as trail cam. There are lots of those trees out there (sometimes power poles). Its like a form of communication.
Of course, perhaps someone poured an attractant on that tree???
Walk

If they did they haven't refreshed it in weeks, That camera has been there since middle of last month (I said July meant Aug) and like I said no smell I can detect. I wonder if it is a rub & not wet? I mean it looks wet but Aspen have that chalky coating, if a bunch of bears actually rub on that same spot it would get shiny as the coating rubs off. Damn! Now I really want to go over an touch it, but also don't want to screw up the only area that seems to have "regular" (once or twice a week) bear sign.

You might have it. That trail came doesn't show it but from above the area looks like a road map of Greater Sacramento, trails up from the creek, out from the pines, up out of the Service berry, to of the Goose berry, into the scrub oaks. I think there are 9 intersections within bow shot of my tree stand & that many again within range of my .54

 

[Zonie]

I think it is spray, (pee) left on the tree by bears.

Just because a human can't smell it doesn't mean the bears can't.
I didn't look for how good bears are at smelling but dogs, who aren't that far away from bears on the tree of life, can smell things 100 thousand (or more) times better than a human can. They can detect one drop of blood in a gallon of water.

Maybe the bears noses aren't that good? Maybe they are? In any case, you can bet their a lot better than a human nose at sniffing out stuff.

 

[Big Rviers]

Based on my many experiences with bears in the wilderness I've always believed bears have superior noses. Certainly when it comes to food they seem to find crumbs the dogs miss. My grandpa always repeated what he said was a Cheyenne saying.." If a pine cone falls in the forest, the eagle sees it, the elk hears it and the bear smells it". For the record here's the google answer.."Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound's is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human"

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Well I can't bring myself to put in for PTO when I'm making 15+ hours of overtime pay each week, so my only hunt was this morning, but I am thinking that this big contract might finish up before the last weekend of the month, maybe even before this next weekend. If so, I may burn 2 days of PTO and try to grind out 3 or 4 days in that stand.

 

[Brokennock]

Been waiting for you to update us. Thanks. I'm hoping there is a bearskin rug in the near future for you.

 

[tbob38]

Lived amongst the bears for 19 years, and can only say that they can smell things a heck of a lot better than they can see them. One day was fishing, and an adult blackie was fishing upwind from me. I walked up to within 30 feet of him before the wind shifted and he scooted off. When he would go down to fish, I walked closer and stopped when he rose up. Got to really enjoy the buggers.

 

[Boomerang]

Lived amongst the bears for 19 years, and can only say that they can smell things a heck of a lot better than they can see them. One day was fishing, and an adult blackie was fishing upwind from me. I walked up to within 30 feet of him before the wind shifted and he scooted off. When he would go down to fish, I walked closer and stopped when he rose up. Got to really enjoy the buggers.

So where was it that you lived amongst the bears?

 

[tbob38]

So where was it that you lived amongst the bears?

Far northeast Washington state.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

We've been living around them for many years, too. The sow and cub were walking between the house and shop. I make sure I let them know I'm there when I walk between the buildings at night. The other photo was taken out the front room window. Northern Southeast Alaska

 

[Mad Professor]

A big one under the apple trees

And his "little" brother

 

[Walkingeagle]

I big one under the apple treesView attachment 14978


And his "little" brother

View attachment 14979

Yup, thats a big bear!!
Walk

 

[Patrick Thomas]

Time for an update Sean! In Texas we are waiting for October, so we have to hunt vicariously through others for now.

 

[Patocazador]

This is the biggest one on my place. There's another 2-y.o. that is a pain too.
Of course there is no open season in Florida.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Time for an update Sean! In Texas we are waiting for October, so we have to hunt vicariously through others for now.

Well it's Saturday the 21st I just got home at 3pm from 10 hours at work. So I Might get to hunt Sunday AM But They say this big job will end mid week & they will try to get me NEXT Friday Sat, & Sunday off. If so I'll spend it on the Mesa trying to fill the elk & Bear tag. Wish I could have hunted more, but when you're making $500+ in over time every week, you shut up and keeeeeeeep working till it ends.

 

[Patrick Thomas]

True. Good luck with it all