pac northwest black bear tips

T

tahunua001

New member
Hello all.
I am looking to get my blackbear this year and was hoping there were some veterans in Idaho, Montana or east Washington who had some pointers. I tried my hand at it last spring during some leave time but it was still too cold and there weren't any bear signs to be found. I'm going to be freshly unemployed so going out and buying $150 in camo, $50 in cover scents and a new rifle are a little out of the question but I'm still open to any suggestions.

by the way terrain is going to be sparce woods and steep canyons and mountain sides. it's been a decent winter so hopefully if all goes well they will be just waking up and hungry.
 
All you legally need to hunt in oregon is a 22 cal centerfife, I'd opt for a 243 win at the lightest though. If you need a rifle on the cheap big 5 has Mosins for $89. Open sights will be more than sufficient on the coast. If you're in the portland area The gun Broker in Tigard has deals on other rifles everything from bubbed sporters to 30-30 leverguns in the $100-300 dollar price range. There was a H&R Handie rifle in 45-70 for $200.

Sportsmans guide has mil serp charcol lined Mod gear for $50 dollers, wich would work better than the scent blocker wonder cammo for $300 a set. . I'd opt for the $50 gor tex german fleck cammo suit though. There are plenty of other ways (cheaper) to mask your scent on the net. Gortex is a must though.

I'm not very experienced but have done my research and hunted in some areas with lots of blackies.

The coastal black bear have an abrevated hibernation so they may be up and around for a little while. I have seen many in creek bottoms and they seem so cover the same area's, but move mainly at night.

Best bet is to find out where they are holding up during the day (creek bottoms) and sit on them (scouting) until you find out their patterns of movement (or at least time). If you have to you may have to roust them out during the day.

In oregon you can't use bait or dogs, sent is legal as long as you put it on your person. My plan was to pour bacon grease on my hunting partner and cover him from a far. :D He 's didn't go for it though. ;)
 
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I'm about an 8-10 hour drive from portland so that's a bit out of the way. I intend to get a mosin nagant but it's more for a cheap plinker than hunting. I have a good 303 enfield with open sights that would work if I end up going in the woods and a 300 weatherby mag with 4-12x scope if I'm going out in the open. Idaho sells baiting permits for around 25 dollars but it has to be in a steel drum with certain dimmensions with holes cut just a certain way and it's got a million other dos and don'ts but I still think I'm going to pick one up. I've often heard of people using bacon grease and old doughnuts but that's normally for people hunting rogue grizzlies in the summer so I wasn't sure if that's what a blackie wants when he's trying to work that winter cork out of his guts.
 
I don't hunt bear because i don't like how they taste.

If you're in Idaho then you should hunt there. The out of state hunter fees in Washington are pretty high. Not as high in Montana but still more than in Idaho for you.
You can bait bears in Idaho which isn't allowed in WA. Not sure about Montana.

Good luck.
 
I agree with the above poster about staying in idaho.

The Rates in oregon for out of state are pretty reasonable (last I check). Plus the productive areas are some pretty rough rain forest. It surprises me that more people don't bring up oregon for out of state elk hunters.
 
I intend to hunt in Idaho. Montana is too expensive and too far away for a hunting trip and Washington has so many rules and restrictions that it sucks all the fun out of hunting. I was just asking for hunters from those areas because I figured the bears would all behave pretty much the same.
 
Go to the fish and game web site. Find hunter success rates for bear by game unit. Search back several years. Pick the game unit near you that tends to have a high success rate.
Scout the land in the game unit you picked. Find some likely spots where you can set up a tree stand. Dig holes and start putting bait in them. Check for sign around your bait.
Once you get sign, set up your tree stand in sight of the bait. Wait for bear and shoot Yogi.

Check all applicable regulations with the Fish and Game folks.
 
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