Killer Kyle
Senior Member
Well, that time has arrived boys and girls. Usually around mid April, I begin to look for good bear sign and bears as they once again start laying down good sign on the high ground here in Region 2.
I was turkey hunting a new place Tuesday afternoon looking for turkeys to a degree, but mostly checking a new place for bear/deer/and hog that I'd never visited before. On the climb up the main lead, I found a marking tree which was a white pine. Scouted the ridge a little while, and made my way back down. On the way down I saw another marking tree, so i decided to take a couple pics of it. After that I took maybe 50-100 steps, and thought I heard something moving off the side of the lead near a small flat. I stopped and listened for a while and heard nothing, then started slipping through the woods again. Just a few more steps, and I saw a black mass off to my right. Turned out to be a bear sitting on a tree limb below me. I saw another bear with it, and after a while, another one. After 20 mins or so I slipped closer to get some pics. I managed a few poor quality pics with my old digital cam as the camera on my phone is broken. Ended up watching these guys for at least an hour. I realized that there was a very large sow (she was laying down most of the time or digging in the huckleberries, and for the life of me, I could not get a decent picture of her), the biggest I had ever seen, and two 2 year old cubs. Cubs were already 100 lbs-ish, maybe a tad more. They were looking plump, and healthy. I also watched one cub climb 60'-70' up into a red oak to the point that I was worried whether or not the small branches could support his/her weight. It began pulling branches to its mouth, and as best I could tell, it was stripping the leaves off the branches. I believe it was eating them. I have never heard of bears climbing trees and eating tree leaves like oaks, so this behavior was a surprise to me. Has any one else ever witnessed this?
I finally decided to move out after a pleasant hour of observing bears lounging, and to get on with my evening hunting. I peeked out from the red oak I was hidden behind and said "Hey bear, get out of here......git!!!" She looked at me for a long moment, then slowly turned to her right, then crashed down off the flat. One cub was on the ground and immediately followed her, then the other slid down the oak and followed as well.
I then relocated to another flat near the top of a ridge that I had been eyeballing on a map a few miles away. Got up there to the flat, and it was straight hammered with current bear sign. I mean virtually every log on the ridge that was rotten enough to open up was ripped wide open. Torn open logs were just everywhere. Everywhere...no other way to put it.
Later in the evening near roost time, I got to see two things I have never gotten to see before. I finally now understand what a boss hen is, and I have finally been able to observe a hen fight complete with the loud cutts and fighting purrs. I got to witness a hen running all the other hens in the area around for two and a half hours. It was mind boggling, and such a show. The fighting cutts and purrs sounded exactly like they did on the TV shows. I also got to see the gobbler going into full strut and running straight at the hens whenever they began to fight. Of course, I stood no chance from pulling him away from such a scene, even when I tried imitating a hen fight on my slate. It is something I will absolutely never forget, and will most likely never again be fortunate enough to witness. A totally action packed day in the woods. They don't often happen like that, and I consider myself blessed to have witnessed so much behavior from this creation's inhabitants.
If you are interested in beginning your scouting soon, the time is right. Burn some boot leather, and enjoy these mountains. No better time than the present. Happy hunting, and happy hiking!
I was turkey hunting a new place Tuesday afternoon looking for turkeys to a degree, but mostly checking a new place for bear/deer/and hog that I'd never visited before. On the climb up the main lead, I found a marking tree which was a white pine. Scouted the ridge a little while, and made my way back down. On the way down I saw another marking tree, so i decided to take a couple pics of it. After that I took maybe 50-100 steps, and thought I heard something moving off the side of the lead near a small flat. I stopped and listened for a while and heard nothing, then started slipping through the woods again. Just a few more steps, and I saw a black mass off to my right. Turned out to be a bear sitting on a tree limb below me. I saw another bear with it, and after a while, another one. After 20 mins or so I slipped closer to get some pics. I managed a few poor quality pics with my old digital cam as the camera on my phone is broken. Ended up watching these guys for at least an hour. I realized that there was a very large sow (she was laying down most of the time or digging in the huckleberries, and for the life of me, I could not get a decent picture of her), the biggest I had ever seen, and two 2 year old cubs. Cubs were already 100 lbs-ish, maybe a tad more. They were looking plump, and healthy. I also watched one cub climb 60'-70' up into a red oak to the point that I was worried whether or not the small branches could support his/her weight. It began pulling branches to its mouth, and as best I could tell, it was stripping the leaves off the branches. I believe it was eating them. I have never heard of bears climbing trees and eating tree leaves like oaks, so this behavior was a surprise to me. Has any one else ever witnessed this?
I finally decided to move out after a pleasant hour of observing bears lounging, and to get on with my evening hunting. I peeked out from the red oak I was hidden behind and said "Hey bear, get out of here......git!!!" She looked at me for a long moment, then slowly turned to her right, then crashed down off the flat. One cub was on the ground and immediately followed her, then the other slid down the oak and followed as well.
I then relocated to another flat near the top of a ridge that I had been eyeballing on a map a few miles away. Got up there to the flat, and it was straight hammered with current bear sign. I mean virtually every log on the ridge that was rotten enough to open up was ripped wide open. Torn open logs were just everywhere. Everywhere...no other way to put it.
Later in the evening near roost time, I got to see two things I have never gotten to see before. I finally now understand what a boss hen is, and I have finally been able to observe a hen fight complete with the loud cutts and fighting purrs. I got to witness a hen running all the other hens in the area around for two and a half hours. It was mind boggling, and such a show. The fighting cutts and purrs sounded exactly like they did on the TV shows. I also got to see the gobbler going into full strut and running straight at the hens whenever they began to fight. Of course, I stood no chance from pulling him away from such a scene, even when I tried imitating a hen fight on my slate. It is something I will absolutely never forget, and will most likely never again be fortunate enough to witness. A totally action packed day in the woods. They don't often happen like that, and I consider myself blessed to have witnessed so much behavior from this creation's inhabitants.
If you are interested in beginning your scouting soon, the time is right. Burn some boot leather, and enjoy these mountains. No better time than the present. Happy hunting, and happy hiking!
Attachments
Last edited:
