Over the last week, I have been getting gear ready, e-scouting, and making sure my weapon is dialed. It’s all in the name of one thing. Spring bear season is finally here. It is one of the most exciting times of the year if you’re a bear hunter. It marks the start of new life and a new spring bear hunting season ahead.
While Spring Bear season invokes much praise from a hardcore set of individuals, there are many new bear hunters coming into the fold. If you’re one of them, let me just say, I’m very excited for you and what’s to come. There are many peaks and valleys ahead, but if you stay the course and learn as much as you can along the way, you’ll get to where you want to be.
On that note, I wanted to leave you with a little spring bear pre-season chat about mindset in particular.
Bear hunting is a game of patience, especially with spot and stalk, ambush, and calling. It can go from zero to sixty in a hurry and if you’re not ready for it, or even present at all, you’ll miss you’re opportunity. I’ve had so many bear hunts where a bear has not shown itself for days. Hunts where it feels like there is no hope in sight. Then all of sudden I see five bears as easy as taking candy from a baby.
Dogs are another story and a wild adventure on their own, but they aren’t as easily accessible to most folks, so we’ll focus on the other methods here.
The fact of the matter is bear hunting is far different from deer and elk hunting. There’s just not as many bears out there as there are ungulates. With that, there are not herds of bears traveling through the mountains. They are generally solitary creatures, so it brings your chances of finding them much lower. That paired with the fact that bears reach much older ages than ungulates, which means a smarter animal, kicks things up a notch on the difficulty front.
All of that to say, you’re dealing with a very smart animal that more than deserves your respect. So, as you’re going through your bear season, KEEP THE PATIENCE AND STAY THE COURSE. Focus on bear habitat and food sources. From there, you need to trust the process. I’m not saying sit on one ridge for a week if you aren’t seeing anything. I am saying, though, to give each area the time it deserves and don’t stop the search because you’re frustrated. Stop the search when it’s time to go home.
Whether this is your first bear season or 20th, good luck out there. Let’s make the most out of it!
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