Well, this year was a bust. Any recommendations?

On my property we have chokecherries, serviceberries, Oregon grapes, elderberries, and rose hips. And all have been looted because this year was awful for the bears. Now, granted I have two bags of chokecherries in my freezer from last year, but the early green-up caused the bears to have a caloric deficit when they emerged from hibernation. (No early shoots).

I suspect with the "super El Nino" this season, we'll probably have an early spring. Which means another round of starving animals.

I like the idea of forest plots, but honestly, the forests out here are hungry and I'm more likely to see everything eaten than not. I live in the mountains of Western Montana and don't recognize any of the wild edibles other than maybe dandelions (too bitter for me), mallow, and some other weeds. Maybe someone here has suggestions--if not for the fall, maybe next spring/summer?

No, I won't do mushrooms. Too scary. And I despise asparagus.  

That's a rough year. Hard to compete with bears when they're that determined. Any chance you can get to the rose hips before they circle back? I'd have thought those ripen later so might still be worth a trip out if there's any left on the bushes.

Joao Winckler wrote:That's a rough year. Hard to compete with bears when they're that determined. Any chance you can get to the rose hips before they circle back? I'd have thought those ripen later so might still be worth a trip out if there's any left on the bushes.

Nope, they are GONE. Completely. Even the ones below my house. Everything looks like it got beaten up badly too. The chokecherries and other trees look like they got scraped through. Leaves ripped off; branches stripped. I do have some dried rose hips, but not as good as the fresh ones.