Fall black bear tips

[Ajax2744]

Exactly. I think it would be hard to prove a hunter placed a gut pile there with specific intent as bait. Not sure I would deliberately hunt over a gut pile knowing what I know now and knowing that game wardens are inconsistent when asked. But not sure I would turn down a bear or lion that is in the vicinity of one.

Colorado law is written the same way. But I've asked multiple wardens as well as calling the Dow office and they said as long as you didn't put the gut pile there to specificly lure bears then your good. But I still think there could be a few interpretations of the law. But I know a lot of folks here whose main strategy to killing a fall bear is to shoot a deer or elk first.

 

[VOLhunter]

In TN I find fall bears in the berry patches on SOUTH slopes. They produce berries longer into the season as our bear seasons go into late December. All the north facing patches I found were dormant by early November.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Colorado law is written the same way. But I've asked multiple wardens as well as calling the Dow office and they said as long as you didn't put the gut pile there to specificly lure bears then your good. But I still think there could be a few interpretations of the law. But I know a lot of folks here whose main strategy to killing a fall bear is to shoot a deer or elk first.

Legal
Rancher shoots an elk in his field, guts the elk where it fell, loads animal in his truck. The next evening he shoots a bear on the gut pile.

Illegal
Rancher sees a bear coming in on his trail camera in a meadow on the back of his property, he then legally shoots an elk in his field, guts the elk and then drives the guts up to the meadow and sets up a tree stand to wait for the bear.

 

[Ajax2744]

Legal
Rancher shoots an elk in his field, guts the elk where it fell, loads animal in his truck. The next evening he shoots a bear on the gut pile.

Illegal
Rancher sees a bear coming in on his trail camera in a meadow on the back of his property, he then legally shoots an elk in his field, guts the elk and then drives the guts up to the meadow and sets up a tree stand to wait for the bear.

Yup that's how it was explained to me. As long as you don't move the guts you aren't "placing it" for bears

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Yup that's how it was explained to me. As long as you don't move the guts you aren't "placing it" for bears

Obviously the grey area in my example would be if the rancher has a ditch where he disposes of carcasses because he doesn't want rotting cows, gut piles, etc in his fields. If he shoots a bear or his "dump" is that illegal, technically he moved the guts, but that's his normal dump area and the location and movement of offal wasn't specifically done with the intention of attracting carrion eaters to hunt.

I think the smart rancher would shoot the bear leaving or coming into the ditch a ways out, and avoid the issue all together.

 

[WyoDoug]

Here is more clarification from the chief game warden for State of Wyoming:

If you see a bear or mountain lion naturally feeding on or near a gut pile or carcass that you did not specifically place there to bait the animal in, it is legal to harvest that bear or mountain lion. Intent, even if the gut pile or carcass is from an animal you harvested is not easy to prove. You are legal to take that animal feeding on a gut pile or carcass as long as you didn't intentionally place that carcass or gutpile in location specifically to attract a bear or mountain lion. So saying that, if you harvest an elk or deer and leave the bones and viscera at the kill site, you are legal in harvesting a bear or mountain lion that feeds on it.

 

[Guy]

Best of luck on your hunt! I've shot several black bears on fall spot & stalk hunts here in Washington. I think you've got it pretty well figured out. Find food & water sources, concentrate on them. Use the heck out of good binoculars and a spotting scope can be useful as well. I haven't seen a lot of bear activity when it was warm, but in the cool of morning or late afternoon when the shadows lengthen, they have been quite active. I have seen some feeding and moving mid-day though. Don't let up.

Yes, they will eat bear carcasses. My son shot a bear, the next day I was hunting and went by to check on the carcass to see if something might have fed on it. The carcass had been almost entirely consumed overnight! Bear tracks all around it.

Oh - bear meat can be quite good if they've been feeding on berries and such.

Good luck to you!

Regards, Guy