Requesting help with DIY spring bear hunt in Montana or Idaho

[Joshlee0518]

Hey guys, my 15 year old son and I are going on a spring bear hunt this May and are trying to decide on Idaho or Montana. I go out west to elk hunt every year and started spring bear hunting last year. This is the first time my son has been able to go with me out west to hunt and he and I both are beyond excited to back pack into the backcountry and chase black bear. He’s never taken a bear before and it’s somewhat of a dream of his. Having hunted out west, I know how difficult it can be to be successful so I’m wanting to do everything I can to put more odds in his favor on our adventure! We don’t have an area planned out and have been trying to decide which state, and where to go. For those of you with experience, I would greatly appreciate any information, tips, strategies, techniques or just general advice you could offer! We plan to leave on May 17th from Louisiana and stay approximately a week. Thank you guys so much for your time and if I can ever do anything for anyone, you need not but ask! Thanks!

 

[Andrew62]

Following to learn about these areas myself. What caliber gun will your son be using?

 

[Joshlee0518]

Following to learn about these areas myself. What caliber gun will your son be using?

Getting him a new 7mm rem mag for the trip.

 

[Andrew62]

Getting him a new 7mm rem mag for the trip.

That's a perfect set up!! Good luck on your trip, I look forward to other responses on where to hunt!

 

[MRBlack]

Be careful of timing. We hunted until 1 of Idaho around Bonner’s Ferry the last week of May in 2022. The scenery is gorgeous, but the timber was unbelievably thick. If you walked 10 feet in the woods, it was dark. It was grizzly country but we never saw one. Just a cow and calf moose, lots of deer, and a few bears. Pay a lot of attention to elevation. It seemed like they were all around the same elevation and the main food source was fresh grass. About the only place we saw any were in places that had been logged a few years prior and had lots of grass. Lots of logging roads are open, but still be prepared for a hike as several were closed. Bring good glass and if you find a bear feeding, chances are they will be there for at least 2-3 days if there is enough food. I think the 7mm rem is a great choice. Use a tough bullet (Barnes TTSX, A-Frame, or Accubond/Scirroco) as well they have lots of fat and two holes is much better for tracking the spoor than one. We ran into rain, so a good rain jacket made all the difference. The weather seems to have a lot to do with when they come out as you are, like we did, going relatively early. Find the food, find the bears. We did not come home with one, but saw more bears towards the end of the trip than the beginning.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Logging areas are good, especially ones with some regrowth. Burns maybe better. Try to stick to western facing slopes. Not as thick. Western aspect will be drier with more open areas. Avoid north facing slopes. Very thick, very buggy, and colder. On west slopes stay close to snow line. Cooler zones will mean less bugs, preferred by bears ... and bear hunters . End of May will be beginning of wet season. Dress accordingly. Logged areas are bound to have a lot of slash on the ground so be in good shape and wear boots with good tread. Take your time going through that crap. This is bear country in the fall.

Absolutely know how to identify grizzly ... both tracks and in person.

 

[Joshlee0518]

Be careful of timing. We hunted until 1 of Idaho around Bonner’s Ferry the last week of May in 2022. The scenery is gorgeous, but the timber was unbelievably thick. If you walked 10 feet in the woods, it was dark. It was grizzly country but we never saw one. Just a cow and calf moose, lots of deer, and a few bears. Pay a lot of attention to elevation. It seemed like they were all around the same elevation and the main food source was fresh grass. About the only place we saw any were in places that had been logged a few years prior and had lots of grass. Lots of logging roads are open, but still be prepared for a hike as several were closed. Bring good glass and if you find a bear feeding, chances are they will be there for at least 2-3 days if there is enough food. I think the 7mm rem is a great choice. Use a tough bullet (Barnes TTSX, A-Frame, or Accubond/Scirroco) as well they have lots of fat and two holes is much better for tracking the spoor than one. We ran into rain, so a good rain jacket made all the difference. The weather seems to have a lot to do with when they come out as you are, like we did, going relatively early. Find the food, find the bears. We did not come home with one, but saw more bears towards the end of the trip than the beginning.

Thank you for the reply and the advice!

 

[Joshlee0518]

Logging areas are good, especially ones with some regrowth. Burns maybe better. Try to stick to western facing slopes. Not as thick. Western aspect will be drier with more open areas. Avoid north facing slopes. Very thick, very buggy, and colder. On west slopes stay close to snow line. Cooler zones will mean less bugs, preferred by bears ... and bear hunters . End of May will be beginning of wet season. Dress accordingly. Logged areas are bound to have a lot of slash on the ground so be in good shape and wear boots with good tread. Take your time going through that crap. This is bear country in the fall.
View attachment 672531View attachment 672533View attachment 672534
Absolutely know how to identify grizzly ... both tracks and in person.

Thank you. Actually looking at unit 26 in Idaho currently. Not decided yet.

 

[Joshlee0518]

Logging areas are good, especially ones with some regrowth. Burns maybe better. Try to stick to western facing slopes. Not as thick. Western aspect will be drier with more open areas. Avoid north facing slopes. Very thick, very buggy, and colder. On west slopes stay close to snow line. Cooler zones will mean less bugs, preferred by bears ... and bear hunters . End of May will be beginning of wet season. Dress accordingly. Logged areas are bound to have a lot of slash on the ground so be in good shape and wear boots with good tread. Take your time going through that crap. This is bear country in the fall.
View attachment 672531View attachment 672533View attachment 672534
Absolutely know how to identify grizzly ... both tracks and in person.

Be careful of timing. We hunted until 1 of Idaho around Bonner’s Ferry the last week of May in 2022. The scenery is gorgeous, but the timber was unbelievably thick. If you walked 10 feet in the woods, it was dark. It was grizzly country but we never saw one. Just a cow and calf moose, lots of deer, and a few bears. Pay a lot of attention to elevation. It seemed like they were all around the same elevation and the main food source was fresh grass. About the only place we saw any were in places that had been logged a few years prior and had lots of grass. Lots of logging roads are open, but still be prepared for a hike as several were closed. Bring good glass and if you find a bear feeding, chances are they will be there for at least 2-3 days if there is enough food. I think the 7mm rem is a great choice. Use a tough bullet (Barnes TTSX, A-Frame, or Accubond/Scirroco) as well they have lots of fat and two holes is much better for tracking the spoor than one. We ran into rain, so a good rain jacket made all the difference. The weather seems to have a lot to do with when they come out as you are, like we did, going relatively early. Find the food, find the bears. We did not come home with one, but saw more bears towards the end of the trip than the beginning.

Interested in unit 26 or unit 39 in Idaho currently.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Unless you are dead set on MT or ID I would cut my drive in half and head to NM or AZ for bear. Much easier than the jungle of lodgepole in western MT or Panhandle of ID.
I’ve killed a lot of bears and your chances of getting a good bear are much better where you can actually see them rather than relying on catching a glimpse of them in old overgrown clearcuts or a logging road. I prefer the fall hunts where you can find the bears in the prickly pears. As stated above, follow the food and you will find the bears.
Spring bear is usually more productive hunting the south slopes below the snow line.
Last year I spent more time digging my truck out of the snow trying to get to my glassing points than I did glassing and it was like that until the middle of may. This year might be better but hard to say as we woke up to fresh snow this morning. Good luck on your hunt and hope your boy gets a good one!

 

[Joshlee0518]

Unless you are dead set on MT or ID I would cut my drive in half and head to NM or AZ for bear. Much easier than the jungle of lodgepole in western MT or Panhandle of ID.
I’ve killed a lot of bears and your chances of getting a good bear are much better where you can actually see them rather than relying on catching a glimpse of them in old overgrown clearcuts or a logging road. I prefer the fall hunts where you can find the bears in the prickly pears. As stated above, follow the food and you will find the bears.
Spring bear is usually more productive hunting the south slopes below the snow line.
Last year I spent more time digging my truck out of the snow trying to get to my glassing points than I did glassing and it was like that until the middle of may. This year might be better but hard to say as we woke up to fresh snow this morning. Good luck on your hunt and hope your boy gets a good one!

I would certainly go to Arizona but the season there ends at the end of April and my son doesn’t get out of school until May 15th

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Thank you. Actually looking at unit 26 in Idaho currently. Not decided yet.

Where is Unit 26? I lived in St Maries for a while.

 

[Joshlee0518]

Where is Unit 26? I lived in St Maries for a while.

About 115 miles northeast of Boise

 

[Ontario Hunter]

About 115 miles northeast of Boise

McCall?

Too close to Boise. You'll have too much competition. Think Challis or Salmon. Any further north and you'll be rubbing elbows with hordes of Spokane hunters. Also, Northern Idaho is overloaded with crazy fanatics (vigilantes, survivalist, white supremists, etc).

 

[Joshlee0518]

McCall?

Pretty close. I think McCall is in 24

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Pretty close. I think McCall is in 24

Think greater Boise metropolis = Napa, Boise, Caldwell, Meridian, Eagle, Emmett, etc. LOTS of competition. Hundred miles away is a day hunt for those folks. The photos I posted above are 75 miles from home where I grew up in Montana. I day hunted that mountain range for years.

 

[Joshlee0518]

Yes sir, understood. I was attempting to stay out of griz areas due to my son being with me.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes sir, understood. I was attempting to stay out of griz areas due to my son being with me.

Don't worry about grizzlies. Check it out. Black bears are MUCH more dangerous. More inclined to unprovoked attacks. Kill more people every year. Numbers of grizzly in Idaho have been increasing ... slowly. I think you would be very, very lucky to see one in Challis or Salmon areas. I hunted and fished Montana grizzly country very hard from 1964 to 1989 and the number of grizzly encounters I can count on one hand. They were around but easy to avoid them because they wanted to avoid me. You will have an exponentially greater chance of being injured or killed driving from Louisiana to Idaho. That is the way you need to look at it. The way your son should look at it.

Fifteen years ago my wife got into a car with her sister to visit their mother's grave. Twenty minutes later a semi trailer's wheels ran over her. I took her off life support a few hours later just before midnight.

Both of you can pack bear spray and be exceedingly safe from bear attack. I've been shot with that stuff ... it WORKS.

 

[5shot]

McCall?

Too close to Boise. You'll have too much competition. Think Challis or Salmon. Any further north and you'll be rubbing elbows with hordes of Spokane hunters. Also, Northern Idaho is overloaded with crazy fanatics (vigilantes, survivalist, white supremists, etc).

Not sure where you get your news, but the White Supremecists have not been around for like 3 decades, and there were only like 12 of them. Not sure that you are going to see hoards of Spokane hunters either, as NE WA is exactly like N Idaho, and you can hunt bear in WA for $22 as a resident.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Not sure where you get your news, but the White Supremecists have not been around for like 3 decades, and there were only like 12 of them. Not sure that you are going to see hoards of Spokane hunters either, as NE WA is exactly like N Idaho, and you can hunt bear in WA for $22 as a resident.

I taught school in St Maries for a couple of years and still have a lot of extended family living in Idaho. The kooks are still up north. Yeah, the Spokanites can hunt bear in Washington but there were still a ton of them invaded north Idaho every season. Of course, many, many, many more of them hunting Washington.

Oh, you think there were/are only a dozen white supremists in North Idaho? Hah, hah. You need to live there. Or listen to their kids talk at school.