Mountain terrain tactics

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ColtonCassel
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Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby ColtonCassel » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:41 am

I'm hunting mountain terrain in Pa. There is tons of thick laurel and clear cuts in the area I'll be at. I'm looking for advice on what to focus on I know to look for food which is mostly acorns this year. But do you guys prefer setting up looking down side hills, stay up on the flats, or hunt bowls of hollows? In Pa you cant bait so I guess I'm asking where do you guys find the bears naturally moving the most? Any tactics or advice you be great.


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brancher147
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby brancher147 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:27 pm

I see them moving the most near the most food. I don’t find terrain especially important for bears although I do see heavy trails on the very tops of ridges. I like to still hunt or sit a few different spots where there is good bear sign and food. But I find bear movement pretty random in big woods mountains. Years of isolated mast are the best. This year is tough with widespread mast.
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ColtonCassel
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby ColtonCassel » Sun Nov 10, 2019 12:34 am

brancher147 wrote:I see them moving the most near the most food. I don’t find terrain especially important for bears although I do see heavy trails on the very tops of ridges. I like to still hunt or sit a few different spots where there is good bear sign and food. But I find bear movement pretty random in big woods mountains. Years of isolated mast are the best. This year is tough with widespread mast.


Ok thanks for the info that what I've been noticing but was trying to see if there was some pattern that I was missing.
mauser06
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby mauser06 » Mon Nov 11, 2019 1:30 pm

Very difficult to nail down a bear in most of PA.


Seems like by the time I see sign, I'm already late. I prefer still hunting just because I feel it ups the odds. I can cover a lot of good area in a day opposed to sitting and waiting. Bears can't see really well and they aren't usually too spooked by noise....keep the wind in your favor and go slow.


I hunt some pretty decent bear counties and rarely see the dang things.
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brancher147
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Nov 22, 2019 2:40 pm

Just got back from a deer hunting trip to VA and really saw a lot of bears. One thing worth mentioning is hard terrain funnels like cliffs that bears have to go around. If you can find one that bears like to bed around, you will be in the bears. I found multiple trails and beds near a rock cliff that ran for 1/4 mile and saw 6 bears that day including a big boar 300 lbs or so. Of course bear season was out this week but I marked it for future hunts
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elknturkey
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby elknturkey » Wed Dec 25, 2019 6:39 pm

Where bouts did you hunt brancher? I seen 29 bears during the season.
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brancher147
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby brancher147 » Thu Dec 26, 2019 12:42 am

All those were National Forest western VA. I hunt multiple counties on VA/WV line. It’s not uncommon for me to see 20 or 30 a year.
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elknturkey
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Re: Mountain terrain tactics

Unread postby elknturkey » Thu Dec 26, 2019 2:04 am

Figured you was in my neck of the woods. I hunt Grayson, bland, wythe, Washington, Russell and Smyth


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