bears in gila

[patea]

I'm headed to 16d 1st archery and was thinking of buying a bear tag just in case. are bear sightings common or is it a waste of money. if i fill my elk tag and my dad is still hunting i was thinking it would give me something to do to try and shoot a bear, what tactics are used to locate them. bugling elk are easy to find but how do you locate a bear. thanks preston

 

[DoeNob]

I had one come to water along w/ a 5 point bull a few years back. They had a conversation and the bear decided to mosey on and come back later. I'd have no idea how to hunt them other than water there.

 

[NMWapiti33]

Its definitely worth having a tag!! Water is probably your best bet without dogs.....although 2 years ago we could have killed 8 different bears in 7 days of our elk hunt with our bows just walking around on our elk hunt.

 

[bticked]

Agreed! Always have a bear tag in your pocket because you'll regret it one day if you don't. They're fairly cheap too. If you end up tagging out early you can try calling them in with a predator call also. Best bet is to find some fresh sign and call from there. It's a blast!

Ryan

 

[Ivar88]

I have about 6-8 different bears on camera this year. They seem to like water. Also, two years ago I ran into 4 bears just hiking around on my elk hunt. Got 60yrds from one who had no idea I was there, however I didn't have a bear tag. Gila is bear country.

 

[El Gringo]

^^^ What They Said ^^^^^

Lots of bears, and that's a very active time for them

 

[patea]

thanks for info guys

 

[FieldingT]

I hunted 16B in 2013 and saw two bears. One we bumped off a trail with horses the other we saw just long range glassing. I have a mule deer rifle tag in the same place but don't expect tags to be available then. My suggestion would be to look for scat while your elk hunting. If you find plenty of scat, if the bear is around there will be plenty, sit out on a vantage point and wait.

 

[4orMore]

FieldingT, sent you a PM.


What's camping like with all the bears?

 

[FieldingT]

Sorry, never saw a PM. Try again if you'd like. I'll look for your email. Camping up there has never been a problem. We have mules tied out and with just the two of us hunting from day light until dark there's not a lot of cooking to attract them. Maybe to get a bear is to fry a pound of bacon at sunset? But seriously, we do hang food in a tree. I'm hunting DER-202 which is deer unit 21 for elk it is 16B. My hunting partner is a serious bear and lion guide so he knows that country well. There are plenty of bears and from the trail cam pictures he's shared there are some nice ones.