Newbie to the bear world
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86alaskan
Well-Known Member
spring in the mountains, find the green.... look for open meadows and avalanche chutes where the fresh grass is growing. they'll be hitting food hard when they come out. Also, be sure to look over any bear you see carefully. they rub their fur off because of the heat in the spring and I know I'd hate to take a nice bear with big rub spots. Find the best binoculars you can afford, then take another step up. good glass is key and will actually help find more game and keep you out of a splitting headache at the end of the day.
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Idaho has plenty of season. Starts again August 1 some places. Late August bear hides aren't as good as they get, but better than late spring.
I would recommend "the ultimate guide to black bear hunting" book by Douglas Boze. Great overview. Learn how to read sign and seasonal food sources. I'm in north Idaho panhandle and our bear season opens next week. In you can find berry patches that are not all dried up from the hot dry summer you will find bears. I found some at 4200ft yesterday. Be safe and learn to tell a black from a grizzly if you come up here.
I live in Idaho. Since you're going DIY I'm assuming your time will be too limited to run bait. I think of spot and stalk black bear as a challenging proposition around here. Challenging but not impossible. I would start looking at high elevation, 7000 ft and higher in my area but probably as low as 4000 in central and northern Idaho. There will be a lot of climbing and thinner air than you may be used to.
If I were planning a spot and stalk trip here, I would go mid May in Central Idaho around the edge of the Frank Church. I would take a mountain bike and ride closed logging roads and plan on glassing for an awful long time and covering a lot of ground. We have a high incidence of color phase black bears here so expect to see some cinnamons and blondes and be sure you know how to identify grizzlies. I'd also be prepared to make a long range cross canyon shot. As mentioned above watch avalanche chutes and fresh green grass up high. May is a beautiful time to be in the mountains in Idaho, elk in velvet and wildflowers everywhere. Good luck and let us know how you do!
If I were planning a spot and stalk trip here, I would go mid May in Central Idaho around the edge of the Frank Church. I would take a mountain bike and ride closed logging roads and plan on glassing for an awful long time and covering a lot of ground. We have a high incidence of color phase black bears here so expect to see some cinnamons and blondes and be sure you know how to identify grizzlies. I'd also be prepared to make a long range cross canyon shot. As mentioned above watch avalanche chutes and fresh green grass up high. May is a beautiful time to be in the mountains in Idaho, elk in velvet and wildflowers everywhere. Good luck and let us know how you do!
RockyMtnMT
Official LRH Sponsor
Spend plenty of time watching for cubs before the shot. You don't want to accidentally shoot nursing mother.
Steve
Steve
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Before you shoot "cross canyon" make sure you can get there. Many of those canyons have raging streams in the spring and you may not be able to safely recover your bear. Wanton waste is a high crime! I spent a lot of time this spring on snow shoes getting to remote south facing slopes looking for bears.
