I have beeen talking to a local biologist that works the area that we will be elk hunting this year, and found out that it has one of the highest bear densities in the state of CO   :eek:   What are the odds of actually seeing one while hunting elk? What are the chances of sitting over an elk kill and actually getting one to come in when sitting it? If im reading everything right, scents cannot be used at all to hunt bear, but hunting over a carcass is legal because we didnt place it there! Its over the counter with cap for archery in the zone we will be hunting. Anybody with any experience with this can chime in all that they want, or anybody with their $.02!!!

You know what will happen if you don't get a tag.  You will be covered up in bruins.  If they are anything like our bears up here, they will be on your kill within a matter of hours.  And with competition from a lot of other bears might even be a bit aggressive.

My initial thinking is to get a tag if we harvest an elk, when we take it to town to get the meat under refrigeration! We will have to go to a DOW office to get it because the season will have already started! Hopefully we have that problem:) I figure we would lose 3 days max if we get an elk, packing it out and getting it to town! In that time the bears should have found the elk remains i would think! We have 16 days on the calendar saved for elk hunting this year, maybe just get the tag in case huh?

tags round here r less than $30... so why not? Maybe it will turn out to b a bear hunt instead.

I know quite a few people here that have taken bears coming into their cow calls.Bears are working hard that time of year,getting ready for winter.They find kills and gut plies quickly.You can also get them to come in,by using a predator call.Be sure you can buy the license after the season starts.In this state you can't.

Good idea !!!! problem is as you say it is over counter with caps, and most all tags in our are sold long before the archery season starts. In our areas a kill site will have bears on it the next day, two at the longest. check on the DOW web site and see when the tags were sold out last year. hope this helps. can pm me if you want more info.

Much of the caps are filled the first week after the opening date.  I would call in the first DAY of opener (opener for buying tags)  Tags went up 100 dollars this year or last.  They are not so cheap anymore.  I see bear quite frequently up in the mountians, they like to travel the ridges and feed on the berries that grow up high.  They also like carcasses.  I see a lot of cinnamon bears, which we don't often get back home.
ChuckC

In 2004, while planning for an elk hunt, I debated about whether or not to get a CO bear tag. I decided against it and ended up getting a bunch of photos of a beautiful bear well within bow range.    

Next time, I'll buy the tag.

BUY THE TAG.
Bear meat is the best I have ever had.
If I had a choice I would want to have the chance should it come.

Tim

Last time my buddy went to CO for elk, he bought a bear tag and had this nice 20" beast come right into the water hole he was sitting...