Bears in the morning

gznokes · Jun 7, 2011

Random question about spot and stalk spring bear hunting.

I'm talking with one of my buddies and he says none of the guides and hard core bear hunters he has hunted with think its worth hunting bears in the morning--that its almost always so much more productive in the evening that the morning almost isn't worth it.

Again, I'm just talking about spot and stalk spring bears.

Can anyone share their opinion on this?

foundation · Jun 7, 2011

Hmmm , thats a good question . I know from the baiting side of things mornings are usually a waste of time . My buddies use trail cams , and I don't recall every looking at a pic from the morning hours .

I know from my limited amount of spot an stalk huntin I have never seen a bear in the early morning . Seems like the early afternoon - evening is when I saw the bulk of the bears on spot an stalk .

gznokes · Jun 7, 2011

Your experience sounds pretty consistent--interesting.

Longeye · Jun 7, 2011

I can say from my 2011 spring bear hunt I baited but had tons of activity in mornings mid -day and evening just lettin you know I dont think I would stay in bed I would get out and hunt. Just my experience.

pookiebar · Jun 8, 2011

I shot my bear a few years ago at around 5 AM. That was in AK so it was barely legal shooting light. At first I saw this big black cave where there had not been a "cave" the day before, then he started to walk. I waited about 15 minutes for things to get lighter.

I have seen bears at all hours of the day, so I would not stay in bed either.

woodruffhunter · Jun 9, 2011

I shot my first bear in Idaho a few years back. It was spot and stalk, probably around 9:00 AM in the morning. It was a 10 year old boar.

As with all animals, you have better odds of success being in the field. You never know what might happen.

JakeS · Jun 9, 2011

How "Hard Core" can you be if you don't hunt in the mornings? lol

Randy11 · Jun 10, 2011

Bears are more active in the evening, definitely. It makes sense that they'd be more lethargic in the morning after grazing all night.

rmanwill · Jun 12, 2011

Never shot one at daylight, but several have happened around 9:30-10:30. Several sightings at high noon to 1:00 PM also. Afternoons is the best, but you probably won't kill one in camp, so just being in the field will raise your odds!!!

Randy11 · Jun 12, 2011

>Never shot one at daylight, but
>several have happened around 9:30-10:30.
>Several sightings at high noon
>to 1:00 PM also. Afternoons
>is the best, but you
>probably won't kill one in
>camp, so just being in
>the field will raise your
>odds!!!

Yeah definitely. If you're on a hunt, you might as well be out there as much as possible, but still hunt hardest in the evening.

I just go in the evenings after work though. Usually that last two hours is best, so it works out well to just go glass in the evenings during the week.

gznokes · Jun 13, 2011

Thanks for the opinions on this.

It sounds like maybe there is something to this idea that bears are a little more active in the evening--although its not that the morning should be ruled out.

I think another factor might be how early it gets light and how late it gets dark in the late spring. If a bear guide were to take clients out and hunt black bears at first light it might literally be 4AM and then it gets dark at 10PM. When you factor in travel to and from the areas that would be like getting 2 hours of sleep.

Again, just thinking through what is really going on.

teamhoyt · Jun 13, 2011

In my experience I've seen most of my bears from 4 pm till dark, However I am a firm beleiver that early in the spring when there are very few bared off areas with grass that the morning is as good as anytime. The first few weeks when the bears are coming out of their dens they are hitting the grass and can/will feed most of the day. We killed one this spring that we spotted at 9am and killed about 2:30 pm as we waited for him to feed in to a more approachable spot. I think as the weather warms and the snow dissappears and they switch their diet more to the bait thing that they feed less during the morning hours.

UGAhunter · Jun 13, 2011

I probably got 400 trail camera pictures of bears on bait during my spring hunting. Only one time did one bear hit the bait at 5:30 am. Other than that it was evening and nigh-time activity.

pookiebar · Jun 13, 2011

I think the bears I have seen in the morning are usually on the move. They are likely going into some area to hole up for the day. So that would be consistent with what you are saying. Thye feed in the evening and night, then bed down in the morning. Doesn't mean you won't ambush one as it is trying to go to bed.

Zeke · Jun 14, 2011

Mr gznokes,
I always will hunt mornings and evenings for spot-n-stalk bears but out of the 15+ bears that my younger brother and I have killed, since 1978, all but one or two were killed after 4pm.

My last bear hunt, 3 yrs ago, was with my oldest daughter and we never did see a bear in the morning (yes, we actually hunted in the morning. haha). After 8 days we both had killed bears in the evening..... as usual.

Zeke

flyfishingak · Jun 17, 2011

I have had brown bear beat me to my favorite fishing hole in the mornings before and not leave until after 7 am before. I have seen and shot a couple black bears at first light. If you are not out glassing looking for bears it's going to be hard to find anything from camp.

joebuck · Jun 19, 2011

I like to glass first light as well, especially if it has rained during the night. I find spots where the sun hits early and bears seem to congregate. It's not uncommon for us to find logging blocks with an eastern exposure where there will be several bears feeding before it gets too warm.