Category Archives: Washington

Bear hunting in Washington. Black Bear hunting in Washington.

Washington Black Bear Hunting Season starts today

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Washington bear hunting

“Most spring bear limited-entry hunts in southeast and western Washington areas start Monday, April 15.” [file photo]

Already underway are spring black bear permit-only pursuits in six Northeast Washington areas. Most spring bear limited-entry hunts in southeast and western Washington areas start Monday, April 15.

Reports from the east side say a moderate snow pack is melting away nicely, so hunters who get permission from private landowners for access should find fair to good hunting at lower elevations at season’s start.

SPRING BRUIN HUNTERS START

Instituted to accomplish several management objectives rather than providing a general hunt opportunity, these are early-year, controlled access black bear opportunities (with a defined number of participants), for which each hunter must have a special permit awarded by lottery.

Open for either 46 or 61 days, depending on the hunt area, are:

  • Six game management units are in the northeast part of the state.
  • Nine GMUs are in the Blue Mountains (southeast Region 1), and
  • Five composite (specially designed) black bear hunt areas in Western Washington.

Specific start and end dates for each area can be found on page 63 of the 2012-13 hunting regulations pamphlet.

The west-of-the-Cascades black bear hunt area menu consists of two zones in North Puget Sound (Region 4), one on the coast north of Grays Harbor (Region 6), one on the northwest side of Mount Rainier (outside the park) and one on the south side of the Capitol Forest, west of Centralia.

A key goal of the Region 1 spring bear opportunities is to equalize gender proportions in the annual black bear harvest in those management areas. However, in Western Washington, vernal hunts target black bears in places where a number of animals are damaging young conifer trees growing on state and private timberlands.

Permit levels by area range from four issued for the Couse hunt in Southeast Washington to 150 allotted for the westside’s Kapowsin hunt.

By rule in Washington, a hunter may kill two black bear in a license year (April 1 to March 31), and the one bruin allowed in the spring on a special permit counts toward this yearly limit.

Besides this main bag limit rule, hunters are limited to taking just one animal per year from Eastern Washington.

All five westside hunt areas lie predominantly on private timber holdings, and those companies generally restrict public access to their property.

Hancock Forest Management (for the Kapowsin Tree Farm) and Rayonier (for corporate lands in the Copalis hunt area) require black bear hunters to purchase access permits to enter their lands, while several other companies make specific arrangements for hunters to gain access to their holdings through locked gates.

Except for the limited-entry characteristic, spring hunts for black bear are governed by much the same rules as the fall general seasons.

Besides the special 2013 spring bear hunt permit, participants must have a valid basic 2013 Washington hunting license listing black bear as an option as well as a valid 2013 black bear transport tag.

As with the fall general bruin season, any lawful hunting weapon (modern handgun/rifle/shotgun, bow and arrow or blackpowder firearm) may be used.

However, hunting with bait and using dogs to pursue and tree black bear are both forbidden.

Spring bear hunters succeeding in their quest also must submit a pre-molar tooth and must file, whether successful or not, an annual report of all their black bear hunting activity.

Though it does not carry the force of regulation, black bear hunters, as an ethical consideration, are asked to not kill black bear sows that have cubs in tow. To guard against this they’re urged to hold their fire until they confirm that their intended quarry does not have a small cub or cubs scuttling along behind them.

In Northeast Washington, especially in the Selkirk Mountains with their confirmed remnant population, there is also the proviso that bruin hunters positively identify that their intended target is a black bear not a grizzly bear. Experts warn that color and size alone are not foolproof keys to identification.

Profiles showing all the characteristics distinguishing black from grizzly bears are available for review in Washington’s hunting regulations pamphlet, and several western states including Washington now have online study and ID tests that will further hone identification skills and accuracy.

Washington grizzlies are designated as endangered under both Washington state and federal laws and both carry stiff potential penalties for even mistakenly killing them.

Source:  The News Tribune
Washington Bear Hunting Info: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Bear Hunting Blog

 

Black Bears & Grizzly Bears, The Difference is…

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Hunting Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear Hunting

There is no such thing as “a” bear. There are bears…plural. That is to say, there are different species. Most people are familiar with the polar bear. Some might have even heard of the Kodiak bear. For those that enjoy bear hunting, the two most commonly cited bears would be the black bear and the legendary grizzly bear. Is there much of a difference between black bears and grizzly bears? Actually, there are quite a few pronounced differences and those wishing to head out into the great outdoors to hunt bear need to know such differences.

Bear hunting is one of the more misunderstood sportive activities one could take part in. There are a great many complexities required to succeed with this type of hunting. The skills required are quite vast and many of them will center on how to make such a hunt a lot safer.

One other aspect that people do not realize is that different strategies need to be employed for different bears. In most regions of North America, the primary bear indigenous to the land mass would be the black bear. However, in certain areas, black bear live side by side with grizzly bears. (Granted, some of this co-existence is far from peaceful) Now, when you are hunting bear, you need to be sure as to what type of bear you come across in the field. In certain areas, black bear season and grizzly bear season may occur at different points in the season. Other areas may require you have two separate bear licenses for each animal.

Hunting Black Bear

Black Bear Hunting

And, most importantly, the way you hunt a black bear is different than how you would hunt a grizzly bear. Often, these differences are designed to take safety concerns into consideration. Black bears are dangerous. No one is denying that fact. However, grizzly bears can be even more dangerous and more aggressive. They can also be a lot more difficult to kill. Black bears have been hunted in states such as New Jersey with shotguns. Very few hunters would take such a risk hunting grizzly bear with such a weapon.

This is why it is so very necessary to be able to clearly determine the difference between a grizzly bear and a black bear. There are some definitive differences between the two. Here is a look at those differences:

Most people will say the main difference is that black bears are black and grizzly bears are brown. (Grizzly bears are commonly referred to as brown bears) Generally, this is true. However, not all grizzlies are brown. Many are jet black. And yes, some black bears are brown. And both of them can be…blond! So, you cannot always go by the color of the bears as the only way to tell which species they are. You need to look at other attributes to determine the differences.

Size would be a major factor. Grizzlies are huge huger on average than black bears. Yes, there will be the errant black bear that is large in size. And there will be some undersized grizzly bears. However, most grizzlies are in the 500lbs – 800lb range. Black bears will be in the 200lbs – 400lbs range. The average height of a grizzly is three feet on all fours and well in excess of six feet when standing. Black bear are decidedly smaller being 3 feet on all fours but rarely more than six feet when standing. Again, there may be exceptions so you cannot always go by size.
The key differentiating factors include the following:

The face of a grizzly will be significantly depressed. This is most evident in the eye/nose region. The ears of the grizzly will also be short and round. Black bears are quite different. The ears of the black bear are significantly longer and more pointed than a grizzly. The nose of the black bear is more extended.

The body of a grizzly has a large hump on the back. A black bear has NO hump. This is probably the most definitive distinguishing factor between the animals.

The claws of a grizzle are significantly larger than a black bear. It is certainly not recommended to get close enough to the bear to tell the difference. However, if you are examining bear tracks, the larger grizzly tracks will have pronounced claws.

Few single items can determine which bear is which. But, when you put all the factors together, you can make a perfect comparison.

Source: Outdoor Base Camp.com
The Bear Hunting Blog