Where can you find bears in Oregon? (Portland, Gresham: home, scorpions)

[Laura77]

This might be a strange question. I'm planning to (most likely) relocate from AZ to OR (possibly WA). One thing I'm really curious about is where are you most likely to find bears? Right now we're considering the Woodburn area as it's relatively close to Portland and a few hospitals (where I would be working). I tried to find the answer on Google but that was largely unhelpful. Are there any areas with a reasonable drive to Portland that has rich ecosystem/wildlife population? I absolutely love the outdoors and wildlife but can't be so far from a hospital that it's not a viable place to live. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[StealthRabbit]

We have plenty of bears in the west Columbia Gorge, but there will be more in Blue mtns, and probably plenty in cascade coastal range. There are quite a few elk near Cannon Beach, I suspect there are bears nearby also.

https://myodfw.com/big-game-hunting/species/black-bear

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Laura77

This might be a strange question. I'm planning to (most likely) relocate from AZ to OR (possibly WA). One thing I'm really curious about is where are you most likely to find bears? Right now we're considering the Woodburn area as it's relatively close to Portland and a few hospitals (where I would be working). I tried to find the answer on Google but that was largely unhelpful. Are there any areas with a reasonable drive to Portland that has rich ecosystem/wildlife population? I absolutely love the outdoors and wildlife but can't be so far from a hospital that it's not a viable place to live. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Sumpter, in Northeast Oregon, not far from Baker City. You can wrestle with bears right in town:

"Beckner, who is about 5-foot-9, said the bear was slightly taller than he is. He said he “wrestled for a little bit” with the bear, during which the bear briefly bit his shoulder. Beckner said he then punched the bear."

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news...31ac20b53.html

[ejisme]

Being near Portland, and having bears around, will be tough. The Mt Hood National Forest certainly has some bears, but the undergrowth is pretty thick, so seeing one would be tough. You could search local newspapers around Sandy, Boring, Estacada, Government Camp, etc., and see if they have archives of bear sightings in back yards. The forests and undergrowth on the west side of the cascades and in the coast range are THICK!!! Like maybe Bigfoot could really hide in there, lol.

My in-laws 13 miles outside of Elgin, Or in the NE corner of the state have had bears in the fields eating at the horses salt lick, and once on the deck looking in the kitchen window. A loud noise chased them off, so no need to use the rifle propped up by the door.

[leastprime]

Woodie is in the middle of the Willamette Valley (E-W). Its is field agricultural. No large tracks of woodland. Hasn't been large tracks of woodlands for 100's of years- Natives had burned the understory vegetation to promote a grassland-Oak Savannah. No Yogi bears.

[Laura77]

Thank you for the replies! I appreciate it. It's tough to know where to look for specific things when you're not familiar with the area.

When I was a kid we went camping in the Smoky mountains every year (grew up in Kentucky), and the highlight of every year was seeing a bear crossing the road, getting into trash near the trails (as dangerous as this can be for humans and the bears), or running through a field. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to get near them or feed them or anything- I just want to be able to observe them on occasion if at all possible. Living in Phoenix the only wildlife we really see are rattlesnakes, scorpions, and rarely wild boars. We're sick of the heat, sick of the sun, sick of the dirt and dust, and sick of not being able to enjoy the outdoors 8 months of the year.

I appreciate your recommendations and taking time to respond. We're going to look in the West Columbian Gorge area! Seems close enough to Portland for work, and far enough away for wildlife watching.

[Driver 47]

Heck, just leave a box of doughnuts out on the picnic table, there'll be a bear along shortly. Yeah we got bears where I live too.

[Laura77]

Originally Posted by Driver 47

Heck, just leave a box of doughnuts out on the picnic table, there'll be a bear along shortly. Yeah we got bears where I live too.

Where is it that you live? Turns out I can't afford areas like Fairview. I can afford Troutdale and Gresham but I'm really not sure what those areas are like lol

[StealthRabbit]

Corbett, Boring (both kinda expensive)... Sandy, Damascus, Estacada. Are all quite close to Portland and will have a few bear.... But you may not see them much. Our neighbors catch them on game camera very often, but they have never encountered the bears. I have run across them around home 5-6 times in 30 yrs. Bigfoot sighting is more likely! We have a county ordinance to protect bigfoot, since we have one of the highest incidence of sightings in USA.

We are 20 minutes from PDX. (But living on the income tax free side of the river).

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The coast Range is thick with them, but you will rarely see one. A bear can be 10 feet away from you and you won't know it is there.


It's in the news often enough about a bear moving right into town, although no specific town comes to mind. There will be news footage of one sleeping in a tree and the citizens all concerned, although for the most part, the bear will move on if it is left alone.


Hey, wasn't there a video making the rounds of a black bear in a backyard right in Portland and two little French Bulldogs chased it off?



The same with cougars. They can wander an area for years without anyone seeing them, but once the cat get spotted then everyone gets all upset about the danger. If you get a cougar in your back yard, leave it alone and it will move on.