ratherbe,
I used to live in Vernon and hunted the Mabel/Sugar Lake area and have seen blonde, brown and even reddish phase black bears up in that part of the country.
Isn't hunting with kids fun? lol I was up in the San Juan Valley a couple of weeks ago hunting with my daughter. We found a nice blackie but the distance was a bit out of her comfort range so we let it walk. The excitement kids exude is great! She's only 10 but hooked... :grin:
RC