Skewed Harvest Numbers

[Timberman]

What does fresh feeding sign look like? Never seen bear sign other than tracks, and I’m hoping to make it up there to try and get my first one.

Bears will trash oaks. Look for claw marks on trunks, fresh broke limbs in the tree and on the ground, acorn pieces. When you see this and fresh scat you are on them

 

[jbogg]

What does fresh feeding sign look like? Never seen bear sign other than tracks, and I’m hoping to make it up there to try and get my first one.

Fresh acorn scat is almost the same color and consistency as crunchy peanut butter. Bears will climb oaks to get to the acorns before they fall in early bow season. Look for limb debris on the ground and in the treetops. Fresh scat will usually be close by if the climbing sign is fresh. Look for green leaves on broken limbs, not wilted.

 

[Quackmasterofgeorgia]

Thank y’all, I wouldn’t have thought about limbs being broke as the main sign of feeding. Is that the main sign through October, or does it change by then?

 

[jbogg]

Thank y’all, I wouldn’t have thought about limbs being broke as the main sign of feeding. Is that the main sign through October, or does it change by then?

Once the acorns start dropping on their own there is no need for the bears to climb.

 

[Quackmasterofgeorgia]

Once the acorns start dropping on their own there is no need for the bears to climb.

What will the sign look like once the acorns drop? Will it be a noticeable disturbance of where they move the leaves?

 

[jbogg]

What will the sign look like once the acorns drop? Will it be a noticeable disturbance of where they move the leaves?

It can vary. In a year like last year when there were tons of acorns you could find where the Bears literally just laid down and raked the acorns towards them with their front paws creating wind rows of leaves. Fresh scat is the best indicator of bear feeding in an immediate area, but it becomes tougher to see once the leaves really start falling. Super fresh scat is tan in color, but it will quickly start to oxidize becoming a light gray, until eventually developing an almost black outer crust over a period of days. Hunting fresh scat is optimal since it is proof that a Bears was feeding within the last day or so. They will typically feed in the same spot until the food is gone before moving on.

 

[Sautee Ridgerunner]

Last year was a really great season where if you stuck with them you could find some places that the bears really wanted to be at. For future hunting, that stuff is invaluable. I used to just sort of throw in the towel when we had ridiculous acorn crops but not anymore. There is always a puzzle to solve hunting the mountains and thats really my favorite part.

You never know until August but my preliminary findings as far as acorns goes are looking very promising for a good year of bear hunting.

Or maybe not.....

 

[Quackmasterofgeorgia]

It can vary. In a year like last year when there were tons of acorns you could find where the Bears literally just laid down and raked the acorns towards them with their front paws creating wind rows of leaves. Fresh scat is the best indicator of bear feeding in an immediate area, but it becomes tougher to see once the leaves really start falling. Super fresh scat is tan in color, but it will quickly start to oxidize becoming a light gray, until eventually developing an almost black outer crust over a period of days. Hunting fresh scat is optimal since it is proof that a Bears was feeding within the last day or so. They will typically feed in the same spot until the food is gone before moving on.

Thank y’all for all the info

 

[splatek]

It can vary. In a year like last year when there were tons of acorns you could find where the Bears literally just laid down and raked the acorns towards them with their front paws creating wind rows of leaves. Fresh scat is the best indicator of bear feeding in an immediate area, but it becomes tougher to see once the leaves really start falling. Super fresh scat is tan in color, but it will quickly start to oxidize becoming a light gray, until eventually developing an almost black outer crust over a period of days. Hunting fresh scat is optimal since it is proof that a Bears was feeding within the last day or so. They will typically feed in the same spot until the food is gone before moving on.

I remember laughing last year at Bear Camp, that all we really do up in those hills is look for S.......
It's the truth though

 

[chrislibby88]

I admit I am not good a taking my own advise.

If you go in with out being able to scout. You should scout until you find a concentration of sign. Even if this takes the hole trip.

Being a flat lander like myself. Take it easy. Move slow make loops when you scout. Go up a drainage. Run the ridge over and come out a different way. Don't burn your legs up the first morning.

Solid.
I was going to say to plan on this first year being mainly a scouting/learning year. Might get lucky, but you are probably going to go mark off a lot of areas as unproductive.

Fresh acorn scat is almost the same color and consistency as crunchy peanut butter. Bears will climb oaks to get to the acorns before they fall in early bow season. Look for limb debris on the ground and in the treetops. Fresh scat will usually be close by if the climbing sign is fresh. Look for green leaves on broken limbs, not wilted.
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Good stuff. Look inside the acorn caps on the limb too. If they are still green then it’s freshy-fresh.
If acorns are raining they will rake them up off the ground. There will be swipe marks in the leaves where they pile them up.
They also shred logs like middle GA pigs do. Fresh “sawdust” means it’s fresh, I’ve found them with dust on top of the leaves of nearby plants.
They also will murder huckleberry bushes. Found some freshly fed on bushes last year.

They gnaw on hickory nuts too. Inspect any you find that have been fed on. Squirrel marks and bear tooth marks will look different.

A good spot will have multiple food sources with fresh feeding sign all in a small area, with fresh scat.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Don't spend all your time looking down. Bears are nomadic in many ways and you never know when you'll slip up on one.

 

[chrislibby88]

Don't spend all your time looking down. Bears are nomadic in many ways and you never know when you'll slip up on one.

I can verify this. I was scouting a ridge line last season, this ridge was void of fresh sign, and all of a sudden I looked up and saw a bear looking up at me 50 yards away.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I can verify this. I was scouting a ridge line last season, this ridge was void of fresh sign, and all of a sudden I looked up and saw a bear looking up at me 50 yards away.

Think about it. If there's no fresh sign, there's a chance you're right on time. If the signs there, you might be just late.

 

[chrislibby88]

Think about it. If there's no fresh sign, there's a chance you're right on time. If the signs there, you might be just late.

100% haha. That was my experience last season. Unfortunately you can’t really get a game plan based on this notion. 99% of the woods are unproductive, and if you spend all your time stalking unproductive woods you aren’t gonna get much meat.