Bear Season!

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
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Washington's bear season starts August 1st, right around the corner!

My son and I have done well on black bear here in Washington before and I hope to hunt pretty seriously for bear again this year. No baiting allowed. No hound hunting either here. So, it's "spot and stalk" for the most part, though I've also had one come in to my mouth-blown predator call. That got intense.

My son uses a 30-06 Model of 1917, sporterized, with 165 grain Nosler Partition bullets that I handload for the old rifle.

I have used both my 30-06 and the 375 H&H Ruger Number One single shot to take black bear. I think I'm going with the 375 again this year. No reason not to, it works great and is fun to carry and shoot. I use a 260 grain Nosler AccuBond when I hunt with the 375.

We won't have to go far, the local hills hold quite a few bear.

Pt4t2CGh.jpg


Anyone else bear hunting this season? When and where?

Regards, Guy
 
Good luck Guy! I pulled a bear tag this year for the first season which is September 9. I'll be hunting over bait and plan on using the Marlin 1895G 45-70 topped with a Leupold VX-3 1.75-6x32mm scope and loaded up with Nosler 300 gr. Partitions.

JD338
 
Oregon's general fall bear starts August 1st as well. Same style of hunting "spot and stalk" since the liberals wont allow baiting or dogs :( Usually have pretty good luck out of the walla walla and weneha unit, lot of bears around that need taken care of...
 
I bet hunting black bear is a blast. Good luck to all you guys this season!

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NE Washington...going to hit the Huckleberry Patches and see what is lurking. Probably use my 35 Whelen AI and 225 NABs.
 
August needs to get here. Going to check berry patches in morning. 7 rem mag with 175 gr. Partitions or will be 338 rum with 225 AccuBond. Bring on hunting season I can’t fish for crap so time to harvest.
 
Cleveland48":3iiyiwnr said:
I bet hunting black bear is a blast. Good luck to all you guys this season!

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I'm thinking that your 9.3 needs a bear... :grin:

Guy
 
Guy Miner":215nnyxh said:
Cleveland48":215nnyxh said:
I bet hunting black bear is a blast. Good luck to all you guys this season!

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I'm thinking that your 9.3 needs a bear... :grin:

Guy
Your reading my mind Guy! Believe I'll start looking into a bear hunt in TN or NC. Wont be to far from home, maybe talk my brothers into it too.

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Ya, I like my 375 Number One for bear, but the 30-06 gave me a one-shot kill on black bear in 2016.

I've carried my 45/70 for bear, and would like to do so again. Would like to take a bear with it.

Carried the 30/30 too, in 2016, about a week before I got one with the 30-06 rifle.

So many rifles, so few bear seasons! :grin: I do want to spread the bears around a little.

Guy
 
I think so Guy. I've taken bears with the 30-06 150 he PT, 35 Whelen 225 gr PT, and the 338 RUM 210 gr PT. I'll bring a back up rifle and it will be the 280 AI with 150 gr PT's.
Like you, I just want to use something different. The common denominator is the excellent Nosler Partition bullet.

JD338
 
Wish you guys the best on your late summer/fall hunts!

We can hunt them here starting August 15 again but the only way I would do it would be to take a bear high in the mountains in the berry patches and hope it didn't get into rotten fish previous to that. Some bears do stay high all summer and would be good eating. of course other areas on B.C. don't have this issue. That's a reason why we hunt them in the spring and it is a blast just like you guys who hunt in the fall.
 
I had a great hunt this spring, and I hope to find a good bear this fall. It is still one of my favourite hunts.
 
Good luck to all that are going to be bear hunting this fall. Here in Saskatchewan fall bear taste much better than spring bear as in the fall they have eaten berries and then gorge themselves on Oates.
I may pick up a Bear tag with my Elk tag as more than once we have seen them in the oat fields while hunting Elk :wink:
I will be using my 35 Whelen with a 225gr. AB projectile.

Blessings,
Dan
 
I will be out looking for my first bear here in WA again on the August 1 opener. I’ll be camped in the NE corner for a couple days with my wife. We each have tags again this year and are looking forward to the trip! I will be shooting 200 grain partitions out of my 300 WSM and she will be loaded up with 120 B-Tips out of her 7-08.


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sask boy":349ioiow said:
Good luck to all that are going to be bear hunting this fall. Here in Saskatchewan fall bear taste much better than spring bear as in the fall they have eaten berries and then gorge themselves on Oates.
I may pick up a Bear tag with my Elk tag as more than once we have seen them in the oat fields while hunting Elk :wink:
I will be using my 35 Whelen with a 225gr. AB projectile.

Blessings,
Dan

Makes sense, I bet those bears will taste good after eating all that fine food. Your Whelen will do the job nicely 8)

beerbucksducks":349ioiow said:
I will be out looking for my first bear here in WA again on the August 1 opener. I’ll be camped in the NE corner for a couple days with my wife. We each have tags again this year and are looking forward to the trip! I will be shooting 200 grain partitions out of my 300 WSM and she will be loaded up with 120 B-Tips out of her 7-08.

Good luck on your hunt, that 200 gr PT is quite a hammer! Nothing wrong at all with the 120 gr BT out to reasonable range either.
 
beerbucksducks":28p5q4f0 said:
I will be out looking for my first bear here in WA again on the August 1 opener. I’ll be camped in the NE corner for a couple days with my wife. We each have tags again this year and are looking forward to the trip! I will be shooting 200 grain partitions out of my 300 WSM and she will be loaded up with 120 B-Tips out of her 7-08.


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That's where we will be as well. Have a good stand for my daughter to hopefully get her first. The camera has seen 5 bears coming in on a regular basis. I'll likely be hoofing it up the closed roads into some of the high berry patches looking for mine.
 
Thanks guys! Just shot the .300 WSM out to 500. Looks like my dope is dialed in! I’m planning on hunting an area that has a lot of clear cuts and gated roads, so hopefully we can either glass one up or stumble on one while still hunting. Good luck!


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