BC Spring bear - Any tips for a first-timer?

Remmy700 said:
Come over to the island, there are plenty of bears around here, and many of nice size. If you do decide to take a trip over to the island PM me and I share some of my locations that have been successful for me every year.
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Them fancy fairy boats be mighty expensive...

One of these days I want to get out there, buts its probably not going to be this springtime. I will definitely keep you in mind if I do get that way though, thanks.

Anyone know of a resource to check where the indian reserves are? I know there is a lot of them in the Lillooet area and obviously dont wanna end up in one accidentally... Something that tells me what is private property would also be useful?
 
take a friend along who is on crutches (or at least has a decent limp) . Make him carry your backpack (filled with honey and porkchops) because you have to carry the "HEAVY" rifle.
When the bear tackles him, shoot the bear.......hopefully anyway.
 
sgt.rock said:
take a friend along who is on crutches (or at least has a decent limp) . Make him carry your backpack (filled with honey and porkchops) because you have to carry the "HEAVY" rifle.
When the bear tackles him, shoot the bear.......hopefully anyway.
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Alas, I can't bait for bears in BC. There is tonnes of info on the web about hunting bears over bait, but there seems to be much less on spot-and-stalk hunting...
 
Your 270 win will do fine, either 130's or 150's. My advice is to not go to early in the spring.....give it some time for the greens to start growing at the mid to higher elevations.

I'm on the north coast and up here it is the 3rd week of April to the 1st of May before the bears really get moving....you'll see some earlier but the fun hunting doesn't start until then.

Spring bears are really focused on food so take your time and close the distance, spot and stalk for spring bears is not very hard. Calling also works but be patient and hunt all day.

Above all, be safe and have fun! :)
 
suther, if pemberton is in your driving distance comfort, it's well worth checking out.
there are a couple spots that are easy to reach and high bear traffic.
fresh greens are the diet right now and low lying areas and south facing clear areas will be good bets

it's steep country once you get up from the river valley but there are many areas the bears frequent along the valley floor.
best way to go in is thru pemberton meadows and over the bridge up towards the meager and the hurley road. once yer past the first few private properties past bridge, yer good to go, it's all crown beyond that. I'd be paying close attention to the lower areas before and after the hurley road on the main FSR. I've seen a lot of biggish black bears thru that stretch.

Harrison would also be a decent bet but I've always just seen scrawny bears around there LOL

I dunno, there's guys here with way more bear hunting experience than I have. like any hunting, ya can't get em unless you go out there and find em ;)
 
Suther said:
When you have a time limit, distance counts.

Also, this was supposed to be a thread about tips for a first-time bear hunter. Thats not much of a tip...
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you got a lot of tips and one disturber lol my bad.

wish you good hunt and long hours of hunt.

do not forget to check how to skin and take care of the meat.
 
I did my first hunt last year as well. Seen a Momma with a yearling the first time (beautiful site and so-o-o quiet), and the second time was a large boar.
I had a 7mm.... but I think it was a little overkill. I didn't bag him as I shot him low in the brisket and he got away... my first animal I lost and I am upset about it to this day. Enough of my story though....

I guess your choice b/w the 270 and 303 would be how comfortable are you with scope/iron sites. I would choose the 303 myself.

As per ideas... my brother in law passed this to me. Bears are like Dogs.... get a barrel and bait a few weeks before season. Bang the barrel a few times when you get there in the AM like a dinner bell, and take the barrel away at night. This will have them smell that food was there and they should have came when called. by the time hunting season starts, you shouldn't have to bait.... just bang the barrel.
Also, in the area of the bait, pour old deep fryer oil on the ground. When a bear comes, they step in it, leave to go home, track the smell of fries, onion rings, etc through the bush, which will lead the other bears right to you.

They smell really good, poor sight, and pretty good hearing. Stay still *because although they don't see well... they will see movement, stay quiet, and don't go to the club the night before. lol. Bears are really shy.

Hope I was of some help.
 
armylupis1 said:
I did my first hunt last year as well. Seen a Momma with a yearling the first time (beautiful site and so-o-o quiet), and the second time was a large boar.
I had a 7mm.... but I think it was a little overkill. I didn't bag him as I shot him low in the brisket and he got away... my first animal I lost and I am upset about it to this day. Enough of my story though....

I guess your choice b/w the 270 and 303 would be how comfortable are you with scope/iron sites. I would choose the 303 myself.

As per ideas... my brother in law passed this to me. Bears are like Dogs.... get a barrel and bait a few weeks before season. Bang the barrel a few times when you get there in the AM like a dinner bell, and take the barrel away at night. This will have them smell that food was there and they should have came when called. by the time hunting season starts, you shouldn't have to bait.... just bang the barrel.
Also, in the area of the bait, pour old deep fryer oil on the ground. When a bear comes, they step in it, leave to go home, track the smell of fries, onion rings, etc through the bush, which will lead the other bears right to you.

They smell really good, poor sight, and pretty good hearing. Stay still *because although they don't see well... they will see movement, stay quiet, and don't go to the club the night before. lol. Bears are really shy.

Hope I was of some help.
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it's BC , we don't bait bears here (aren't allowed too)
 
South facing slopes green up first so you'll tend to see more bears there. Sleep in; bears are lazy and tend to be more active on the afternoons than in the mornings. Most of the bears I've seen have been after 2pm and mostly after 4pm. If this is your first big game animal I would recommend the 270 over the 303. It's not the cat ridge but the fact the 270 is scoped. If you're searching bears in cut blocks you're going to be shooting 1-200 yards most likely. Doable with open sights but you are better off with confidence a scoped rifle will give you. And black bears are not tough to knock down. I shot my bear with 110gr TSX last year facing me straight on. The only reason I didn't get a complete pass thru was because the bullet hit his femur on the way out and ended up just under the skin.
Most important thing is check for cubs! And after you've checked check again. Those little fuzz balls kind hide really well. Take your time, look for identifying boar and mature beat characteristics (round head with short snout, large blocky forearms, space between ears). Besides that have fun and good luck!
 
ljones said:
Target areas that were recently logged in the last few years. The new growth (grasses, roots and fire weed, clover etc) are their main food sources when they first emerge. Also if you can locate south facing slide areas. (These slide areas will melt off first and green up sooner.) These generally have the greenery the bears are looking for in the spring. You can sometimes observe multiple bears on them so be careful. Grizzlies will be there also. But if you find the greenery you can find the bears. The .270 will be fine for black bears. If your particular rifle will shoot the 150gr bullets accurately I recommend shooting the heavier bullets if you can.
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^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^. Use good quality binos and glass lots ! Watch for cubs.
 
45ACPKING said:
it's BC , we don't bait bears here (aren't allowed too)
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And even if we COULD I probably wouldn't. Not really my idea of hunting. But the LAST thing I want to do with this thread is start a discussion on ethics! So lets get back to the bears...

As for caliber choice my first instinct was to bring the 303 because its got the iron sights in case I need to make a close-up shot on an unhappy bear... But it isn't going to be much use to me at ranges over 100m due to my own abilities. Alternatively the 270 is quite the opposite - scoped, not iron sights so its not ideal for up-close-and-personal but it gives me the ability to reach out to 200m (thats about my personal limit right now due to a general lack of overall experience)

My buddy wanted to go next weekend (first week of April) Does this sound too early in the season? Its been a really mild winter... Does that make much difference?
 
Suther said:
Im going bear hunting. I'll have a gun. Im not trusting my hide to a little can of spray. I've been sprayed by some punks on the way to a party a few years ago, and I remember how raging mad I was - I can't imagine its a very effective tool for an angry/aggressive bear. Better than a stick maybe....
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You missed than one all together...it was in jest, that's why the little happy face :)

I read about a fella in the states a couple years back who took his 3 sons camping, lined them up and hosed them down with bear spray...to keep bears away...always struck me as funny. Stupid but funny.
 
Suther said:
And even if we COULD I probably wouldn't. Not really my idea of hunting. But the LAST thing I want to do with this thread is start a discussion on ethics! So lets get back to the bears...

As for caliber choice my first instinct was to bring the 303 because its got the iron sights in case I need to make a close-up shot on an unhappy bear... But it isn't going to be much use to me at ranges over 100m due to my own abilities. Alternatively the 270 is quite the opposite - scoped, not iron sights so its not ideal for up-close-and-personal but it gives me the ability to reach out to 200m (thats about my personal limit right now due to a general lack of overall experience)

My buddy wanted to go next weekend (first week of April) Does this sound too early in the season? Its been a really mild winter... Does that make much difference?
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tip given about southern slopes and green grass is the one to follow.

my wife shot her second bear with a 270 win and no open sights so with a scope and she shot between 7 and 10 meters. was a delicious bear.
 
Suther said:
And even if we COULD I probably wouldn't. Not really my idea of hunting. But the LAST thing I want to do with this thread is start a discussion on ethics! So lets get back to the bears...

As for caliber choice my first instinct was to bring the 303 because its got the iron sights in case I need to make a close-up shot on an unhappy bear... But it isn't going to be much use to me at ranges over 100m due to my own abilities. Alternatively the 270 is quite the opposite - scoped, not iron sights so its not ideal for up-close-and-personal but it gives me the ability to reach out to 200m (thats about my personal limit right now due to a general lack of overall experience)

My buddy wanted to go next weekend (first week of April) Does this sound too early in the season? Its been a really mild winter... Does that make much difference?
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Most bears will run so I wouldn't worry about the angry bear scenario unless you're coating yourself in bacon grease and blowing on a rabbit in distress call.
 
Zanelike said:
Most important thing is check for cubs! And after you've checked check again. Those little fuzz balls kind hide really well. Take your time, look for identifying boar and mature beat characteristics (round head with short snout, large blocky forearms, space between ears). Besides that have fun and good luck!
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Anyone got a good resource for telling the difference between a sow and boar?
 
South facing slopes and green grass but I would like to addd Pipelines. they green up early and are often reclaimed with clover. Spring bears also are seen often along waterways (rivers) as the ice is going out or gone.

Neil
 
Suther it is called Hunting not going to the Wild Game Supermarket....
The bears will be where they are or when they come out of hibernation and chances are good they are out already.
Go and enjoy the experience and the fresh air and if you do not see any bears the opening week there is always the following payday for funds to become available.
As for telling the difference between a boar and a sow your guess is as good as mine, but you best make sure there are no cubs following by observing for more than 30 seconds before busting a cap.
BC Regs mention a few tips iirc.
Rob
 
Suther said:
And even if we COULD I probably wouldn't. Not really my idea of hunting. But the LAST thing I want to do with this thread is start a discussion on ethics! So lets get back to the bears...

As for caliber choice my first instinct was to bring the 303 because its got the iron sights in case I need to make a close-up shot on an unhappy bear... But it isn't going to be much use to me at ranges over 100m due to my own abilities. Alternatively the 270 is quite the opposite - scoped, not iron sights so its not ideal for up-close-and-personal but it gives me the ability to reach out to 200m (thats about my personal limit right now due to a general lack of overall experience)

My buddy wanted to go next weekend (first week of April) Does this sound too early in the season? Its been a really mild winter... Does that make much difference?
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I saw two piles of crap here in the fraser valley yesterday. They are out and about.
 
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