San Bernardino Bear

Socal hunter

New member
Anyone have any luck in san bernardino mts for bear. i am new to bear hunting. Would like a few hints on where to go. i am not asking for "secret spots" Just general areas. Thanks for the help
 
I am not sure that the San Bernadito MNTs are open for Bear. If not I would look towards the Kennedy Meadows area in the X10 area or D8 D9 areas. Plenty of bears in both areas and not far from where you live. I took two bears in the last two years in those zones.
 
I live in Ridgecrest about 1/2 hour from Kennedy meadows, and although there are bears there, I have heard of very many seen and taken in the Piuts! A friend of mine is a taxedermist and just got a bear from the Piuts, he estimated at 500lbs. The guy who shot it couldn't budge it and had to come back the next day. Unfortunately the condition of the hide was bad and even worse was the condition of the meat.

Try the Piuts!!!
 
socal i have scouted the san berdo's, or more specifically san gorgonio wilderness. there are alot of bears in the wilderness are but it is remote and VERY rugged and it is ONLY accessible by foot or horse. horses would be ideal for a hunt there. the area is about 6 to 7 miles from the trail head.

the is called north fork meadows. this area the the surrounding areas into the drainage have bears. i have seen at least one every time i've been out. also to the south west of nothr fork is an area called silverwood falls. this area is good also. i've only been to silverwood once but i saw two in one day while i was there. it is VERY remote and access is somewhat limited because of the steep terrain BUT there are bears in the drainage areas there. also although i have not been there yet the drainage from whitewaterinto middle fork has had a few sitings(i have a map and when i have recieved a an email or been told of a bear siting i mark my map). to the north east of forest falls there are WEEKLY sitings of bears, one is suppose to be a big cinimmon. these sitings are coming from halfway camp which is a backpackers campground. nearly all the sitings have been at night and the few that have seen a bear are a little further east towards the jump off. ALL of this area is wilderness and only accessable by foot or horse. also this entire area is VERY rugged and hikers get lost there all the time!! if you decide to hunt this area be sure you can read a compass, you will need it. remember also if you do get a bear in san G you will have to pack it out, along with your own gear. this is why horses are ideal. for an area that is MORE accessable i would try behind fawnskin out around big pine(i think that is the name) i have not scouted this area but have heard a a few bears around there. and you are able to drive back, you do NOT need 4X4. hope this helps season is almost over, but there is always next year...i'll be bear hunting in northern maine!!
 
Problem with the Paiute's is that it is very heavily hunted by dog guys. If you can find a remote area that they do not have access to by vehicle you can do well in that area. I have hunted an area called Dry Meadow which is behind Weldon with good success. Three years ago I saw five bears (two cubs) on opening day. It is a long 4 mile walk back and hard to get a bear out . You can take a motorcycle back there however no 4 wheelers. I used to live in Ridgecrest. Hunted in the Kennedy meadows last weekend. Out near Troy meadows we saw a nice sow but she had first year cubs with her. Another area we hunt held plenty of sign but no bears. Nice thing about that area is it has easy access. If you ever need a companion let me know I am always up for a hike especially in a new area. Season dose not usually end until the week after Thanksgiving. Thats when they hit the 1500 limit. I am looking for a place in LA county to bow hunt any suggestions.
 
Hey Tony! I hunted dry meadow last year and shot a pretty good sized sow. She hardly had any teath left!!! But you are right about the hike out!! Man that first mile is a Killer! Took us 9hrs to get back to the truck! Have you ever hunted it from the North side? There are a couple of trails that go into there from the South Fork area. I have found bears in there every time I have gone in there. No doge either. Best part is that it is all uphill going in, which makes for a little easier trek home! Have you tried Lion Meadow? I have talked to a couple of people this year who have seen some bears on the trail to the Kern. They say that one of them is a blonde, pretty big too. Look me up if you plan on being up this way again.
 
Ds2
I ahve never came in from the North side. It is supposed to be a straight up hike. Friend of mine tred to do it in his motorcycle a few years ago and burned out the clutch. Never have hunted Lion Meadow but heard that it was a decent area. I am off to UT this weekend for the last three days of deer in my area. I hope to hunt the Dry Meadow area the following weekend. I have a Yamaha TW200 that I ride in there. Now that the deer season has ended and the crowd will die down going up to the Microwave tower above Hourse Canyon can also be good. Problem up thee is that it is very dry and the pinion nuts are no where to be found. That area can be loaded if the nuts are around. Maybe I will gt up with you when I get back.
later
Tony ZZZZ
 
He's right!! But you don't go all the way into the meadow. Ride the trail to the crest, get off the bike and hunt due east along the crest line or just below it. The burn that went into dry meadow started there. It is pretty tough going for the first 1/4 mile but you will run into a bowl. I have been there 3 times. 2 times saw deer(both bucks, 1 3X3, small forky), the other time I shot @ and missed a large bear. That whole North facing slope is full of oaks, and when people,dogs, everything else are hammering dry meadow, it pushes them over to this side. Worth a try but your friend is right!!
 
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