General Colorado bow hunting questions..
Colorado
Background... First time bow hunting mule deer in Colorado(originally from northeast). Hunting in Unit 18, arapahoe national forest. First time in real bear country(lots of bear poo where i am hunting)
1... I like to get in/to my spot an hour before 1st light. I plan on mostly still/stationary hunting at first. Should i make noise to avoid bears going in like when recreational hiking? Or go in like a ninja and keep my side arm and bear spray ready?
2... Any good holsters for a pistol?(mp 45) I have a big backpack, so cant wear it on my waist while hiking. Looking for something that can attach securely to the backpack and easily taken off to put on hip when walking/sitting without pack.
3... I had more, but can't remember lol
Ninja style and leave the firearm home. You will only need it for two legged predators.
@fawn...
why are bears a non issue/not enough for a firearm?
I don't carry more than Bear spray, only time I've ever unholstered it was for a rutty moose I could hear but not see on a moonless night!
Unless I am in an area where I know I am risking walking up on a bear (like a known den) I don't worry about it. It does cross my mind when I am in an area that looks ideal for cats......like big boulders/cliffs in a tight spot....that freaks me out a bit.
I have carried my Glock before......usually leave it and always have my bear spray so I can season myself in case the bear is a Cajun or from Buffalo. ;)
Seriously, focus on the hunt, be situationally aware but not paranoid about bears. In CO the blackies have always turned tail and ran like their arse was on fire when I come across them. If you are worried about going into a particular spot.....get close and wait until you can see well enough to know if there is a bear in there to worry about bumping into. If they smell you they are bailing out.
Wyoming....in Grizz country........I might feel differently.
I have hunted unit 18 for many years and have only seen 3 bears in that time and all ran the other way. Never had a bear issue while camping or hunting. Never felt the need for a gun or spray. I have hiked miles and miles in the dark, coming and going and never thought I was in danger of a bear or a lion.
No need to make noise, just hike in quietly. Paul
I don't worry about bears but if carrying helps with the decision to hunt where you want, when you want, go for it. Letting any worry about bears effect your hunt in CO is like worrying about which financial planner to go with when you win the lottery, except a whole lot more people win the lottery than are hurt by bears.
That said, being prepared is a good thing and rights are like muscles. Its good to exercise them. I haven't had a flat tire in many years while hunting but I carry a spare and a jack.
Bears are out there and I've had a couple exciting confrontations and a couple coolers raided but usually they want nothing to do with humans. The old joke is just get a bear tag. That usually guarantees you won't see any.
Unless you are hiking in a long ways to get away from people I see no reason to be at "your" spot an hour before light to hunt mule deer on the ground with a bow. Being where you want to be 20 minutes before light is fine. DO NOT worry one bit about bears. They aren't an issue at all. I wouldn't even carry bear spray or a sidearm, no need to. Buy a bear tag and that's the best protection you can have against even seeing a bear. They will run as fast as they can away from you.
The only time I ever felt uneasy was when there was a huge acorn crop in the one drainage I was hunting (private land) and no acorns for miles around. Every bear for miles was there. By simply bad luck I inadvertently separated a sow from her 2 cubs and was in between them when she came back to round them up. Nothing a few loud yells didn't fix the problem.
Go hunt and no need to worry about the black bears on public land in unit 18.
Buy a bear tag, that will keep you from running into very many bears. Take your pistol along if you like as that is your right. I do for piece of mind.
Much good advice above.
I have spent many years hunting 18 (and the rest of the units in that deer group) and have never had any issues with bears. Have hunted many places and states with much higher bear populations and also never had any issues.
Your best defense against bears is the weapon between your ears. Use it.
Keep in mind that if you shoot a bear with that pistol without a license, you have committed a game law violation. When you call in the incident, the CO will make a decision in the field (he wasn’t there at the time) and then you will most likely get to explain your side of the story to the DA and a judge... Get a tag.
After many years hunting deer in the West, my first clue that I was not in a good deer area would be lots of bear poo. Sounds like a great place to hunt bears, though!
"Buy a bear tag and that's the best protection you can have against even seeing a bear." I agree! Buy two tags for extra protection!
What Paul said.
But sometimes fear of bears can disrupt your hunt as much as an actual ?? bear.
So, carry if it makes you feel any better but don't attach it to your pack. You would probably never get in your hand in time. Get a chest holster. Easy to access and not concealed.
Don't worry about lions. If one comes for you you won't know it until it's on you.
I wouldn't worry about bears in 18. I asked both my buddies who hunt 18 if they were going to get a bear tag and both said they've never even seen a bear in 18. Theres probably a few in there but not many. I've always ran into bears in wet marshy areas so just be aware in those areas if youre worried about bears.
A bear tag is the best protection as mentioned above
I have hunted all over Colorado every fall for the last 30 years and have not had any issues with bears. Usually bear issues are in the spring when they come out of hibernation and are hungry or have young cubs.
In over twenty years of hunting in Colorado I’ve been bluff charged twice. Both times sows with small cubs. Otherwise dozens of encounters and never an issue. The bigger boars seem to have a little less fear but still move off pretty quickly.
I am 62 yr old bow hunter wanting to hunt elk for first time. Any areas that would be kind to a rookie?
I pretty much agree with all those above, I don’t put much thought into our large predators, don’t carry and seldom keep bear-spray on my person. I’ve run into multiple bears over the years and all but one ran away, the one that didn’t had claimed an elk carcass and is now hanging on my wall. That encounter probably could have gone either way…
That said, this last season has me re-thinking my own advice. The current spot we’re hunting (central/western-ish slope) I’ve never seen a bear; my brother has seen one or two over the last 10 years and the guides we have spoken to have only seen a handful. This year my brother shot a monster (guessing 400+ lbs and green score of 20 1/8”) and had another bear, similar size walking toward him while he was sitting an elk trail. He said he had just nodded off (which he hates doing) and when he woke up still sitting in an upright position, he didn’t want to move his head too fast thinking an elk could be nearby. When he looked to his left a bear was walking down his trail and about 12-yards away, of course when he moved it ran off, but this was another sizeable bear. We also spoke with the outfitter in the area and they counted 16-bears in an area where they are typically rare.
I know these events are anecdotal and bear population fluctuate yearly as do their travel patterns, but I will say seeing that monster bear on the ground less than ½ mile from where I sleep on the ground didn’t make me feel all that warm and fuzzy, especially considering his forearms made my thighs look small! I doubt I’ll change any of my hunting habits, but I’ll be keeping a closer eye on things.
Food for thought, we are already carrying a weapon (archery) that can kill, right!? Like others, bears have never really been an issue other than robbing our food, use enclosed cargo trailers now, no problem. BUT! I do still however carry a hand gun-always have, "Better to have it and not use it, then to need it and not have it". One never knows what/who you will encounter in the woods or camp. So hunt in stealth mood and enjoy your time outdoors!
Yellowjacket - start a new thread and you'll get more replies (maybe). Bear Mountain Ranch would be great for you. Lots of elk, moderate terrain.
Thank you for responding and the suggestion.
Yellowjacket - Jaq is right. Bear MTN Outfitters north of Kremmling would be good for you. See plenty elk and lots of Texas hunters go there.
Get a bear tag. But if you feel you need to carry a firearm for peace of mind, then do so, its your right. But remember its Colorado so you don't need some big ol' 44 mag or 454 casull. A compact 9mm or 357 or 38 spc. or 40 cal is sufficient, even a 380 would do. would be enough bang to scare off a black bear and enough gun to scare any two legged predator.
I’ve never carried a side arm. We’ve skinned elk that had been drug down the mtn by bears. Had them whoofing and popping their jaws all the while holding a flashlight in my mouth skinning as quickly as possible. Had a young boar false charge once as well. That was my own fault for staying too long after he told me to leave. Even when I’ve bear hunted with a bow I didn’t carry. I know guys who carry even rifle hunting. I guess to each their own. It’s personal preference. Do what makes you comfortable, who cares what anyone else thinks. Black Bears are generally more scared of you than you of them. Be smart and pay attention and you will be fine. Control your food storage at camp and stay clear of the sow and cubs scenario. Enjoy your hunt and good luck.
I love all the fearless and macho hunters on this site!!!!!!! Im not one of them. Any time im in bear country im packing. Not just for bears but humans and and other angry varmints. As weve all heard and I will say again black bears kill more people every year than cougars and bears combined. That being said I think a threat would be really rare and usually involving a sow with cubs. How did the hunt go soccern23ny?
This thread is old, but I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I carry when alone. I usually don’t when I’m with a buddy. Necessary? I don’t know, but it gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.
“As weve all heard and I will say again black bears kill more people every year than cougars and bears combined.”
Huh?
Yellowjacket - Lou's got you in the right direction with Bear Mountain. Brad and his wife Kelly are great people and take very good care of their hunters.
2 references
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
3 decades of bowhunting: 1 sow w/cubs was the closest - the "bluff" that you hear about. In EVERY other case, the bears reacted like an animal being hunted ( which, in most cases, they are). They RUN AWAY. I used to be a bit concerned about bear encounters. Now I mostly look forward to those rare crossings - something to spice up an otherwise generally "non-event" season. We might carry Counter assault. Otherwise, it is definitely in camp ( for potential night time visitors). It is "Plan A". Plan "B" is a 44 mag.
47 years of bowhunting and living in bear country in CO and I've never had any negative encounters with black bears, except one I called in and killed. Moose are WAY more threatening. After one chased and then hunted me for a half hour while I hid in a snow drift, I started carrying "moose spray everywhere, even fishing below my house. If going into an area where I know there may be cows with calves, I also carry a little S&W titanium .357 that weighs about 13 oz loaded with hard cast bullets. Hope I never have to use it on a moose...
As far as bears? Naaaah.
I've had two bear encounters that raised the hair on my neck. The first was tracking a boar I had shot 30 minutes earlier and a sow stood up 20 yards away. She huffed, popped her jaws and stomped her front feet. I backed away and she didn't follow. The next morning I found my bear without incident. The other was in Quebec taking pics of a caribou I just killed with a buddy and we look up to see a really big bear running at us about 60 yards out. I would have swore we could see a mile across the tundra, no idea where he came from. He filmed while I yelled at the bear and tried to look big. He stopped, looked us over and ambled off looking over his shoulder a couple times.
Biggest actual problem was one raided our base camp when we spent a night up on the mountain. Made mess of everything.
