Caribou Gear

Valle Vidal Spring Bear Hunt 2023

Afternoon of day 5
Stop in at camp and it some leftovers and load a few different dogs and head back out to go drive the loop road again. Snow was completely gone by then and we were hoping some bears had been moving. Put down a older dog along with a younger dog that had been doing very well. It's going perty boring not much happening. Dogs are perty quiet. Get down to the south end if the loop road where it loops back up around the mountain and WOW the two dogs on the ground blow up and take off!! They haul butt across the creek and up this steep face of the mountain and I thought I saw something shorter and dark moving thru the trees so we dump the rest of the dogs we had with us. And listen to them open and bay as they haul up the mountain. Seems like they are running a bear the way it looks on the gps and the older dog that went on it has done extremely well with being broke off deer and elk. FAMOUS LAST WORDS🙄😂 It's all looking good until they are running whatever it is way to fast to be a bear. They were angling towards the road again finally so we start driving their way but we couldn't get there before they crossed. Got to where they crossed and got down looking in the mud. Sure enough big fresh elk track right with the dog tracks so we zapped them all off. By this time it's almost dark. Finally got all the dogs loaded and headed back to camp after our final evening of hunting.
 
I may get some time to go back towards the end of next week for a few days. Hopefully it works to. Part of me wishes I had shot that bear the first day. But also needed to hunt and train those young dogs. It's getting to hot down to do much lion hunting. And you get alot more opportunities with bear hunting then you do with lion
 
wow, those pics bring back memories. As soon as I saw the dog on the 2-track I knew where that was. See any elk sheds?
 
Working on getting stuff packed up and ready today. I didn't mention I've never been to the valle vidal before this. My buddy that has hounds as been about 5 years ago. He said there was corrals there for horses but no gates on them. Has anyone been up there the last couple years and do they know if that's changed? I'm planning to throw a few panels on the side of the trailer jus in case
I'm going up there at the end of the week first time bear hunting no dogs any tips.
 
Afternoon of day 5
Stop in at camp and it some leftovers and load a few different dogs and head back out to go drive the loop road again. Snow was completely gone by then and we were hoping some bears had been moving. Put down a older dog along with a younger dog that had been doing very well. It's going perty boring not much happening. Dogs are perty quiet. Get down to the south end if the loop road where it loops back up around the mountain and WOW the two dogs on the ground blow up and take off!! They haul butt across the creek and up this steep face of the mountain and I thought I saw something shorter and dark moving thru the trees so we dump the rest of the dogs we had with us. And listen to them open and bay as they haul up the mountain. Seems like they are running a bear the way it looks on the gps and the older dog that went on it has done extremely well with being broke off deer and elk. FAMOUS LAST WORDS🙄😂 It's all looking good until they are running whatever it is way to fast to be a bear. They were angling towards the road again finally so we start driving their way but we couldn't get there before they crossed. Got to where they crossed and got down looking in the mud. Sure enough big fresh elk track right with the dog tracks so we zapped them all off. By this time it's almost dark. Finally got all the dogs loaded and headed back to camp after our final evening of hunting.
I'm going up there Thursday, first time bear hunting no dogs, any tips. Anything helps.
 
I'm going up there Thursday, first time bear hunting no dogs, any tips. Anything helps.
Honestly if it was me without dogs, id walk alot thru the stuff below the rough mountain areas. All the meadows are dry grass yet. All the green stuff was in the trees... idk I don't know anything about still hunting bears. I've only hunted with hounds. And always in the fall til now. And welcome to hunttalk
 
Honestly if it was me without dogs, id walk alot thru the stuff below the rough mountain areas. All the meadows are dry grass yet. All the green stuff was in the trees... idk I don't know anything about still hunting bears. I've only hunted with hounds. And always in the fall til now. And welcome to hunttalk
Thanks man appreciate it. Don't want to get in your guy way.
 
I found more sheds in 10 days bow hunting that place than the next 15 years of everywhere else. That was the year after the fire went through the area that 2 track leads to
Seemed like most of the elk were way low. I wonder if I would have found more sheds if I had been down on the southest side close to vermajo park lots of elk down along there
 
I believe that place gets hit hard with shed hunters. My wife drew a spring turkey tag a few years ago and it seemed shed hunters were every where, on foot and horseback.
 
Awesome thread, thank you. I’ve kicked around trying to hunt bobcats with my drahts, but my old dog isn’t loud at all. We’ll see with the pup.
 
Ok, @Valley1320
We on HT give you our approval to kill the first bear that you see, even when he is only 1 hour into the hunt.
Ya I won't be passing another good bear. I'm only going for 2 days at the most anyways. If at @PaulRevere bunch don't get with it the beginning of this week I still might beat them to it. Haha Pry don't count in that category beings I'm doing it with hounds🙊
 

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