Spot and Stalk Bear hunting
- Thread starter HuntNL
- Start date
I don't know about spring but in july/august I run into them around 4pm when I'm on my quad. Type of terrain and habitat and bear density and food supply will all play apart. That and bears are very individual one may spend all day out others not so much. Good luck
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Honestly I haven't noticed much of a schedule, it seems more weather dependent to me. If it's hot, they'll be out early and late, and in the trees midday. Right now, it's any time of day here, saw four today midday and my coworker shot a Black bear evening before last.
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A lot of it depends on where you are. I always want to be in the most remote country, where bears are 'day active'. I will encounter bears there at any time of the day. But even there, in terms of the best times, it's mid-morning and then from early afternoon on to dark.
I also focus on the late hunt; end of May to Mid-June, when the rut is on. Then it's no that much different from looking for deer during the rut, you could see a big boar wandering around searching for sows, any time of day. Those bears will cover a lot of ground looking for a sow. When you see over-sized tracks, that are just walking down trails, covering ground and never seem to stop or detour, that's the type of bear that's looking for a sow.
Shot this guy at 2:25 in the afternoon. He was wandering, searching for sows I guess.
It's a 20" bear...
I also focus on the late hunt; end of May to Mid-June, when the rut is on. Then it's no that much different from looking for deer during the rut, you could see a big boar wandering around searching for sows, any time of day. Those bears will cover a lot of ground looking for a sow. When you see over-sized tracks, that are just walking down trails, covering ground and never seem to stop or detour, that's the type of bear that's looking for a sow.
Shot this guy at 2:25 in the afternoon. He was wandering, searching for sows I guess.
It's a 20" bear...
The best time is when you have time to go. Bears are where you find them... and while they tend to be active during diurnal low light periods, bears are largely led by their insatiable apetites. Most regions have brief seasons where there is an abundance of food... ie; west coast salmon runs, barley on the prairies, Albertan squaw cabbage, Ontario blueberry season etc... you mentioned cuts... there will be a flurry of activity at "green-up," you can see activity all day for a couple of weeks... then you will go through various berry seasons; raspberries, strawberries, choke cherries, blueberries etc... You would be best off doing some driving and scouting with binoculars (and your weapon "in season")... but just because you find bears in one location, don't necessarily expect them to be there next week... bears are amazingly intune with their environment, they have larger ranges than most ungulates and know where and when food sources will become available... so try to gain a broader understanding of what is happening in your hunting area, green-up times (south slopes first, creek bottoms etc...), berry seasons, crop schedules, fish spawns (trout, salmon, sucker etc...), calving season for moose, deer, caribou and possibly domestic animals also... bears will also take advantage of abnormal but convenient food sources, often provided by human encroachment. There is no substitute for perseverance. Good luck.
What do you consider hot?
Warmer than 20C?
If so then that is usually not a problem here until June sometime.
Yes I am baiting. Was considering driving around on some logging roads through the daytime if it is worth it, which it sounds like.
You could say I am in somewhat of a remote area, not a lot of bearhunters here in my area.
Thanks, that date for the rut is good to know.
I kind of figured that.
Just want to get an idea of times so that I can make the best use of my day off, honey do list and all. Weekday evenings are for the stand. If bears were active early morning I had considered heading out at 4:30am for a hunt before work.Buds just opened on the trees yesterday.
On now I guess, cows have been driving last years calves away for a couple weeks.
Not in great abundance here.
Thanks for all the advice.
Black bears take quite a few caribou calves here on the island. Caribou will be dropping their calves around the end of the month, and if you're in a caribou area, these bears will act like minesweepers, tracking back and forth over the calving grounds. Get out the binos and climb a hill.
