Ask the guides: Spring bear season Part 1

It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through February. Last week’s mild temperatures had a lot of us looking forward to spring even though we’re still a couple of months out. That being said, I couldn’t help but think about those spring afternoons glassing for bears and the screaming of my lungs as I decide to crawl up the mountain after them.

In this new series, Ask the Guides, I will speak with a variety of outdoor guides across the industry. For my first piece in this series, I reached out to my friend James Eicher, a bear hunting guide with a decade of experience putting clients on bruins across the state of Alaska. Eicher has guided for brown bears on Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula and the Seward Peninsula, and guides baited black bear hunts in Southcentral. I asked him a few questions about how hunters can be better prepared for this spring season.

I first asked him about some of the common pitfalls that his clients find themselves in on their spring hunts.

“The biggest mistake I see clients make is being unprepared gear wise,” Eicher said. “Rain gear, puffy layers, going synthetic or wool instead of cotton. Boots that are broken in, fit well, and are supportive. If you’re missing these things it can turn into a miserable hunt.”

With spring on the horizon, I wanted to know why the early parts of the year is so appealing to bear hunters.

“A lot of people prefer hunting the spring for multiple reasons. You will see more bears moving around in search of food after coming out of the dens, then covering more ground when they start breeding,” Eicher said. “Boars start chasing sows and find themselves doing things they wouldn’t normally do which gives us opportunities.”

Another reason that many hunters enjoy looking for bears in the spring is the quality of the hides after the bear leaves the den. The meat quality is also better before they start eating fish in the summer and fall.

When hunting spring bears, I asked Eicher what things people should consider to increase their odds this year.

“One big thing a lot of hunters ignore in the spring is the daylight in reference to plant growth,” Eicher said. “Focus on the south facing slopes that get the majority of the sunshine. Everything is going to grow faster on those hills and you’ll see more bear activity.”

Another technique that Eicher mentioned, and something I’m considering for my own use this year, is using a fawn in distress call. I will personally caution hunters, however, that this call could bring in an undesirable animal, i.e. a brown bear or a sow with cubs. Be prepared for a bear to show up at any moment, and at any place.

My last question for Eicher was what he recommended what new hunters can do to prepare for their first time going after bears.

“I would recommend doing the online course [by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game] and setting up a bait, or finding someone with one you can hunt,” Eicher said. “You’ll generally see quite a few bears and it’s a good entry level bear hunt to get some experience with seeing bears and judging size and sex.”

I would highly recommend that hunters give spring bear hunting a try this year, and consider the advice provided by Eicher to have a more successful season this year.