Idaho Spring Bear Hunt

Buckmaster81

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Do any of you here have any experience hunting spring black bear in Idaho? A buddy wants to go out there the first week of May just curious if anyone has any insight on this.
 


Kurtr

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Where at I am planning a elk hunt this fall so I have been looking at alot of stuff there
 

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Yah. I was out there in 2007. My brother took a nice cinnamon and I took a jet black one. What are your questions?
 

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11a I think. Lot of bears to be had in that area but we only saw 3 in our 5 days. The other two hunters saw nothing. Spring came late that year so all the bears weren't that active yet. Cheap tags. Our outfitter was ok, not great. Idaho is beautiful and there were no bugs at all but it would not be the state I would go to again for bears. If you are serious about getting a big bear, go to Canada.

This was our outfitter: http://www.ridgerunneroutfittersllc.com/index.htm
 


Filkow

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Myself and couple other members went out last May. We hunted behind dogs and it was awesome. All 4 of us filled out.
check out Reggear outfitters. Be in shape too!
 

pluckem

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I did a DIY hunt in the Lolo NF back in 2008ish, maybe 2009. We did a mix of baiting and spot and stalk. 4 guys and zero tags filled. It was still enjoyable, but a tough DIY to close the deal in 7 days.

I believe we got around 6 bait sites set up and all were hit within 1-2 nights. Some got cleaned out, but best we could tell it was all mostly nocturnal action. One guy in the group had a small bear come in right at dusk over the bait.

Spot and stalk was pretty non eventful as well. We did see 2 decent bears however they were across the river and we didn't have a tag for that unit. The area was pretty thick with pines, spruces, and others and up and down. there is a few avalanche slides and clear cuts to watch but didn't pan out for us. More time and knowledge of the area would definitely help.

We talked to some old timers in the area who do it every year, but they come for 3 weeks. They said it takes 1-2 weeks for a bait site to get any regular action during the light and you need to play the game with the bears a bit. Basically it takes competition between 2, 3, 4 bears at one site to get them to come in during the day. They learn that early bear gets the jello, fry grease, horse feed, dog food, etc. So they are forced to show up earlier.

We didn't have 2-3 weeks to try it again so we shifted the bear hunting to another state that is more conducive to spot and stalk.
 
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Good insight pluckem. Personally, I don't think I would do another bear hunt over bait. It just wasn't as exciting.
 

Buckmaster81

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I believe if we go it will be spot and stalk with a local guy that is a buddy of the guy who wants to go. Talking about tenting it and walking ridgelines. I have never hunted bear so I have 0 experience, and no idea if these tactics will provide any success.
 

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The bears like to feed in berry patches that are fairly open and new growth areas. Put in your GIS work and be prepared to glass, glass, glass.
 


pluckem

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I believe if we go it will be spot and stalk with a local guy that is a buddy of the guy who wants to go. Talking about tenting it and walking ridgelines. I have never hunted bear so I have 0 experience, and no idea if these tactics will provide any success.

What area of the state?

Spring bear hunting is all about finding the food. These bears are coming out of their dens and need food. Early spring, this is all greens. So you focus on the areas that are or will green up faster than the rest. So its the areas that get the sun (south facing slopes and open areas (no shade) and then the areas that will get the water.

logged cuts
avalanche slides (no trees and higher moisture)
logging roads
open pockets in south facing slopes


Usually these spots will be the same year to year so knowledge of the area and prior experience is a big help. Timing also comes into play. Too early and many bears will be less active and come to late and things can get too green and will allow the bears to pick and choose where they eat, they will be less concentrated and more of the mountain will be available to them. If you are also looking for a nice coat, the later you get the more chance of rubbing and losing their winter coat plays into it.

- - - Updated - - -

The bears like to feed in berry patches that are fairly open and new growth areas. Put in your GIS work and be prepared to glass, glass, glass.

I good tactic in August and September, however I don't think you will find any berries in May or early June. For spring bear you will want to focus on new shoots of grass.

If you plan to put on a lot of miles or are in an area with some promising feeding areas, do some looking. It is pretty obvious if one or more bears are actively feeding on the grass. Look for areas that are freshly grazed and you should also see bear crap. If it look fresh, find an spot to watch the area in the early mornings and evenings. Many times the bear will just be inside the dark timber waiting for lower light. he might only come out and feed for 5-10 minutes at a time before he ducks back in.

Grizz are also found in Idaho, along with color phase black bears, so make sure you can tell the difference between the two.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44648280/...lled-hunter-mont-grizzly-attack/#.VxECd00UV9A
 
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arrowdem

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i may actually be doing a spring bear hunt in idaho also, i am heading out there next month so visit customers and all that jazz after potato planting season and going to stay for an extra weekend and see if we can get on some bears!
 

pluckem

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what should guys goal be??

goal for what? To pull the trigger or not?

Aside from personal reasons (size, rubbed coat, color phase, sow, etc.)
I would ask the guy who is taking you on what he has seen and experienced in the past.

If I was to go again I would pass on sow with cubs, yearlings or other obvious small/immature bears. And that's about it, id have the "if its a shooter on the last day its a shooter on the first day" attitude.
 


pluckem

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I believe if we go it will be spot and stalk with a local guy that is a buddy of the guy who wants to go. Talking about tenting it and walking ridgelines. I have never hunted bear so I have 0 experience, and no idea if these tactics will provide any success.

If this local guy has done this before in this area and has been successful, then it sounds like you are good to go. Talk to him to get an idea what his past experience has been. Sees 1 bear in two days? 2 bears a day, 4-5 bears a day. This will give you an idea how picky you can be.

If this local guy is just getting into as well or it sounds like he doesn't see a lot of bears. Then I would start doing my own research. Get maps, find the public land, use Google earth to find potential feeding spots and also potential glassing spots to watch over these feeding areas.
 

Buckmaster81

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Well looks like we are taking off the middle of next week. Hunting in Unit 7 near Avery on the Saint Joe River. Still have a lot of research to do. I wonder how green it is out there already?
 

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Well looks like we are taking off the middle of next week. Hunting in Unit 7 near Avery on the Saint Joe River. Still have a lot of research to do. I wonder how green it is out there already?

Best of luck to ya!!!!!
 

PrairieGhost

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I was out in Montana ten days ago. I got a stent last October so didn't want to walk that much. I would drive as high as I could in an FJ Cruiser. That took me to 6000 ft most of the time. I found a nice spot where I could watch three drainages with 300 yard wide bottoms with green grass, dandelions, and some clover. As luck would have it rain and snow moved in. At one time visibility got down to a couple hundred yards. I was sitting at 6000 ft and the valleys below me were at 5000 ft. They disappeared in snow a couple of times. To early, but we were planning a trip to California. I should have waited and gone now. My wife's back is to bad to make the trip to California so I could have gone later. Sitting here now wishing I was there.
 


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