Bearing down this Spring

Spring bear season is almost upon us and for fellow archery addict this represents a great opportunity to hit the field early with bow-in-hand. Here in Washington, we have 19 permits to choose from across the state, with 697 total permits available. Permit applications must be submitted online by February 28, 2014.

Drawing a tag of any kind often seems impossible, but when it comes to Spring bear there is a real opportunity of seeing "successful" in the results column. The majority of Washington Spring bear tags can be drawn every three years. I was able to draw the Monroe unit tag my first year applying, and the Copalis unit the very next season. Though unsuccessful both years, I was able to learn a lot about hunting bruins in the early season by speaking with biologists, tree farm managers and other hunters via online forums. Here are a few considerations for Spring bear draw hunts:


Know your unit before you apply:

The actual size of the unit available will vary depending upon the "prescription" for bear removal generated by a timber company manager and local wildlife biologists. This number is estimated by past tree damage assessments on timber company property. When bear come from their deep sleep, they are in search of easy food, often in the form of new grasses and the nutrient-rich cambium layer of younger pine trees.

Though not entirely devoid of its protective bark,
this tree may not survive the scarring created by a hungry bear.
The cambium layer resin can be seen leaking from the trees wound. 

A Department of Natural Resources forestry manager I met while hunting the Monroe unit gave me the rundown on how to discern a bear-damaged tree from a porcupine-damaged tree--which is actually a common mistake bear hunters make in the Spring. Porcupine often scar a tree above head height, choosing to stay higher to avoid predators. Their scarring will be similar in depths to a bear marking, but will fail to wrap around the entire trunk of the tree. Trees often survive a porcupine assault. A bear marking will be 3 to 4 feet off the ground and encircle the entire tree trunk, forcing the cambium layer to leak tasty resin out. The resulting mark will kill the tree very quickly.

Successful draw candidates will receive a packed of information from the State with detailed maps of the hunt area, and information about obtaining gate key access. Gate keys provided by the Department of Natural Resources will cost the hunter a $100 deposit, which will be refunded when the key is returned.


Know who owns the land and associated fees:

My second Spring bear draw was a total disaster. As a poor beggar college student, I could hardly afford the gas to get to my hunting spot, but I was excited to see that I had drawn again in 2012. Trouble was, the land owner for the Copalis unit--the group who asked the WDFW to provide Spring bear permits for the area--required all hunters to pay a $300 access fee for the gate key and right to camp. That was a deal breaker for me, and I did not even attempt to hunt the unit because of the fee. I had a very hard time understanding why I should pay $300 to do the timber company a favor by removing a bear. Lesson: understand who owns the property and what fees are applied.

For more information regarding hunting black bear in Washington State, be sure to check out this document outlining the 2012-2015 bear hunting rules: Washington Bear Hunting Link

Understand bear behavior:

The best way to approach this, especially for first time Spring hunters, is by going online to hunting forums. I have found awesome information from the Eastmans.com forum and hunting-washington.com forum. Hunters love sharing their past success stories, particularly because the units are draw only, so there is no fear of losing their "spot".

Locating bear in the Spring often boils down to covering a lot of ground. Bear, especially toward that later days of the season (which runs until May 31 or June 15 depending on the unit), will spend the majority of their day eating to replenish fat reserves. If there is fresh snow in your hunt area, your chances can be greatly diminished, as bear typically become sedentary when food sources are covered.

Finding food sources will be essential. Focusing efforts on large grass flats and exposed roadsides where grass can grow freely are great options. Stands of timber are another good bet, as bear will focus on trees in the 20-30 year old range due to the large amount of nutrient-rich cambium being produced. This age class of tree is typically in the "stem exclusion phase" when the planted trees block the majority of light to the forest floor, creating a dark, barren understory. Locate dark stands of timber near older logging road systems and take note of tree damage near the edge of the units. Bear will gravitate between open grass logging roads and dark timber patches. Skunk cabbage, the bright yellow-tipped swamp plant, is another good food source for emerging bear. The root of the skunk cabbage plant acts as a laxative, so keep your eyes open for open, swampy alder tree bottom lands.