Public bear info...
Colorado
Kansas bowhunter, thinking about making a trip to co to do some bear hunting. Curious as to your guys opinion's as to numbers on public land. Haven't decided which area to look at yet still in the toes in the water stage..thanks!!
I’ve hunted 22 years in Colorado. I’ve bought a bear tag every year. I’ve only killed 2 bears in all those years. Bears are tough to find when actually hunting in my opinion. Some areas of the state have higher densities thou and easier to find them
near Crested Butte Colorado while mule deer hunting
near Crested Butte Colorado while mule deer hunting
Bear populations are higher in Southern Colorado than in the north. Go to the CPW website and do a search on bear populations per game management units. I killed my bear west of Durango Colorado on Nat Forest Land. I located prime food sources to start and then to finish my hunt.
Just hunt over a gut pile ! Its legal !
I’ve hunted over plenty of gut piles over the years and never had a bear come in. I think it really depends on the amount of bears in the area for how successful that option is
Thanks for the input guys been going through zones and looking at the numbers looking at more of a stalk and hunt not so much of a bait and sit...this will be my first out of state hunt and looking for just as much a challenge as a opportunity to harvest!!
Most of the times I have glassed bears out here, they were moving and far away so I am not sure how effective spot and stalk would be. I think it would be easier to call them in...right, Paul?
Sitting water is the most effective method for Colorado. Find a pond in the oaks and chokecherries and wait it out. I've killed a majority of mine between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 p.m. also the warmer the day the more activity you will have.
We looked at the stats last year and decided to try down by Pagosa Springs. Unfortunately, the June snow storm wiped out the acorn crop - completely, in the entire area. We saw very few bears but LOTS of hunters.
Our regs make it very difficult to ethically hunt bears successfully. If you really try NOT to kill a sow with cubs in the fall, you have to pass on lots of opportunities. Or just take the shot and hope. If you call them in, you only have a moment to decide, and an accompanying cub may not have showed yet. Same for many other methods. We tried setting up on trails near alternate food sources (mainly patches of rose hips). We got to my wife's stand a bit late one day and had a trail cam photo of a mature bear at her last shot opportunity for the direction of travel, from 15 minutes earlier. The next photo showed a cub coming out of the brush some 50 yards behind her - too late to have been spotted before she would have to have shot if she had been on stand. Water holes can be good, but the few in the area were already being hunted. Sitting gut piles sounds good, but the bears have to find them. After sitting many and checking on many others, we've not had any luck. Even the outfitters we contacted down there won't take just a bear hunter. They only hunt bears as secondary to other hunts. Too low a success rate.
A Colorado Bear Hunt, on the ground, eye to eye is a great adventure!
Bear density and food source is the key. Personally I like hunting oak brush for bear when the acorns are good. Initially cover ground, walking trails on the edge and look for sign. If you find fresh scat, bear are in the area. Glassing oak brush can be difficult to see into, but look for movement, swaying brush and such. Bear are not quiet eaters. Still hunting oak brush can work too, but wear the bears feet boot covers or the like to muffle your sound. A big bear will become territorial of his food patch, so be careful, they may be aggressive.
Bear hunting is a great adventure. If you find the right conditions you will be surprised at how many you will find. On year I found 5 adult bear within a quarter mile of each other.
Remember to find a source of water too.
Enjoy, it’s not easy, but is doable.
Todd
Here is a bear I found the night before I took the one pictured above.
Here is the bear I found in the oak brush and was my original target of my stalk until the one I ultimately took appeared and ran this guy off.
when the best time finding bears in the oak brush movement wise.
I have found the most in the mornings and evenings in the oak brush.
Todd
Ive had 3 tags and killed 3 bears. First year late freeze killed acorns and killed on water. Second time killed on acorns in bumper year. Last year sat water 4 days with acorn crop failure and didn't c any sign when that had been there in abundance the few days previous according to cams and deer hunters. Ended going into the wilderness on the 5 th day and killed a boar rolling logs for grubs. Im a bear hunter first everything else second usually. I think the low success rate is skewed because very few people concentrate on bears but only pic up the cheap tag as a chance encounter insurance option. Usually concentrating elk in sept will keep u high above prime bear country. Just my 2 cents.
I agree swamp.
Three years ago I had a sheep tag and found 6 different Bear in three days right at timberline. I like hunting them lower, but have watched more than a few flipping rocks above timberline while eating miller moths.
Iv hunted bear over an elk carcass a few times never killed a bear doing it but Iv killed 2 elk that way lol.
Fubar, Why do you think that is? Did the elk smell the carcass and come to investigate? Or were you sitting on a travel route or other feature?
Just natural crossings one was on a finger ridge heading into private and the other a saddle between water and bedding.
