1st time Bear Hunting

[Sautee Ridgerunner]

I have yet to kill one late in the season. I rarely try much but I have cameras up year round. I tend to get many more pictures later in the season during the more midday hours. Like 10-3. Theyre definitely going to stay much more active this year well through December.

Im going to try hard to kill a december mtn buck with a recurve so hoping a bear wanders by too.

 

[Professor]

I am hoping that the warm weather and abundance of red oak acorns will keep them actively feeding through the season.

 

[EyesUp83]

Some of the more experienced bear hunters can probably weigh in, but my understanding is that after late Oct/mid Nov the hunting gets tough. They start to den up, lay around a few days, then get up and feed sporadically, but they don’t cover ground like they do early season. You still have a chance of getting one though, but the sign is going to be very sparse, guess if you find fresh sign late season there will probably be a bear nearby. I would expect them to be more active later into the season this year with all the reds and mountain oaks, so it could be a good year for late season bears. The good news is the bucks should be moving good in December. They have a later rut up there, so if you can’t find a bear maybe a good buck will give you a shot. Be ready for anything, the action happens fast in the hills and sometimes you only have a few seconds to see game, and get a shot off before the topography or tricky winds end your hunt.

Thanks for the tips... We are hoping for that late season activity!! Good Bucks and Bears are what we wanna pack out! Thanks again

 

[tree cutter 08]

Been getting several bear pics lately. Mainly midday. They won't leave my mock scrapes alone. Had 7 different bears hit one in last 4 days. 2 was over 400lb