Bears

[Stonefly]

Just wondering how many of you folks see Bears while hunting.And are finding more and more Bears than usual? It used to be in our area, you might see a bear every other year or so. For the last five years we ALWAYS see 1 or 2. This year I saw one from my tree stand,I'd Guess about 275 to 300 lbs. Then a few days later about 4 miles from that stand 1 walked across the road in front of us, A small 140-160 lb. The first was all black with brown muzzle and the second cinnamon. I revisited 2 Elk gut piles and both had been cleaned within 2 days and tracks and scat from 2 different bears. Am wondering if the poor thimble berry crop has pushed them into our area. Or if the numbers are just increasing. Have any of you noticed changes in your area?

 

[BeanMan]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-14 AT 06:10AM (MST)[p]I've seen 17 bears so far this summer. That's far more than normal.

Oh, Stonefly, I shot two coyote pups and their Momma this weekend. the Wife wasn't there to stop me.

 

[nfh]

I see a ton of grizzly bears. More and more. I think they have it made. The wolves do the killing and hardly eat the kill and the bears come in to claim the prize. The grizzly bears wait for gun shots and know a gut pile is bound to be around

 

[tailchasers]

Nearly every trip we go out we seem fresh sign or bear. In recent years NW Colorado has received relocated bears from Aspen. Not just a small handful but numerous animals. Now we have bears all over the dam place especially in unit 21 and to the point where bear encounters in town are common and have become so for the past several years. Encounters including disemboweled and killed livestock, river enthusiasts being approached, fish stringers being stolen, home encounters, and hunter encounters. Sounds like next year they will be changing some of the hunting seasons around in an attempt to increase harvest but in the mean time we just live with the problem. This year alone we have had 2 bear interactions at less than 30 yards. One of which required popping a few shots off in the air as he was coming in for a closer look where yelling and standing our ground was not an affective deterant. These critters are showing little fear towards us and this is what brings caution to me.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."