7 year cold streak...

[gettinruthless]

That's right a 7 year cold streak, My Passion for chasing a spring bear has only grown throughout that duration of time. I've set up baits and what not but something pushes my interest for a good ol spot and stalk Idaho black bear hunt. I always seem to see the bears during seasons which allow me to take different species so I'm really looking forward to any advice you guys are willing to give to help a native Idahoan out. From unit 39 to 18 and 43 I've put my time and miles in trying to locate and harvest but cant seem to capitalize. What do you other locals think? Any help would be much appreciative. just trying to notch a tag on these awesome animals.

Thank You!
Eric

 

[JohnnyB]

No specific Idaho help here, but we share the passion for bears. I love mule deer hunting and am starting to consistently see more mature bucks however it is the bears I keep thinking about.

The more time I put in, the more bears I am seeing and just missed getting a shot at a big one last spring after seeing three smaller bears. Let me know when you get those critters figured out!

 

[Wrench]

I've killed 3 springers and all of them were good bears. They were all feeding hard on grass.

The first one I killed was the 30th bear I saw that year.....in 15 days of hunting. All were middle of the day twards evening.....about 5-6pm.

One was on a north aspect, the others, south and west.

The single best advice I can give is to have great glass, and be patient. I've had days where I couldn't find one, the next day I'd see 5 from the rig.

Look for the greenest green around and pick it apart....bears will be there at some point. They seem to never stop moving and ALWAYS eating.

 

[Wrench]

Ps, all my bears were between 3-4k feet where mountain peaks hit 5-7k. All were within a week or two of June 5th.

 

[idahohikker]

Eric, what time frames have you been hunting? Have you been glassing early and late? Do you have more trouble spotting bears or stalking into range?

During spring bear hunts in Idaho I haven't had much trouble spotting bears in May but they can disappear amazingly quickly. The stalk can be a challenge depending on the terrain and glassing distance.

I think it's important to find areas with greenup and some timber cover. Sometimes the greenup is a little higher or lower than expected so it can take some moving around to find where the bears are at. I like spot and stalk myself but wouldn't be opposed to trying a bait setup sometime.

 

[gettinruthless]

No specific Idaho help here, but we share the passion for bears. I love mule deer hunting and am starting to consistently see more mature bucks however it is the bears I keep thinking about.

The more time I put in, the more bears I am seeing and just missed getting a shot at a big one last spring after seeing three smaller bears. Let me know when you get those critters figured out!

JohnnyB Thanks for the response brotha. Mule deer hunting is my favorite outside of bear hunting. I have seen my fair share of Idaho muleys that fall along thee impressive side and just observing them is enough to be thankful for. This year i was fortunate to harvest my largest muley. A decent 4 point. but yes just as you said i always have bears on the back of my mind. One day it will work out for us!

Keep in touch!!

 

[gettinruthless]

I've killed 3 springers and all of them were good bears. They were all feeding hard on grass.

The first one I killed was the 30th bear I saw that year.....in 15 days of hunting. All were middle of the day twards evening.....about 5-6pm.

One was on a north aspect, the others, south and west.

The single best advice I can give is to have great glass, and be patient. I've had days where I couldn't find one, the next day I'd see 5 from the rig.

Look for the greenest green around and pick it apart....bears will be there at some point. They seem to never stop moving and ALWAYS eating.

A springer would be ideal since Sept means business for a whole nother species. Congrats on your succes! I like to tell myself that glass is my number one tool but maybe I'm not glassing enough? When i seen 4 bears during the september archery season I sat there watching them scurry across the hillside in disbelief haha. Bears have my full attention. I might need to look for hillsides with more green like you say. The ones i glass up have patches of green with timber not too far.

Thank you for your response!

 

[gettinruthless]

Eric, what time frames have you been hunting? Have you been glassing early and late? Do you have more trouble spotting bears or stalking into range?

During spring bear hunts in Idaho I haven't had much trouble spotting bears in May but they can disappear amazingly quickly. The stalk can be a challenge depending on the terrain and glassing distance.

I think it's important to find areas with greenup and some timber cover. Sometimes the greenup is a little higher or lower than expected so it can take some moving around to find where the bears are at. I like spot and stalk myself but wouldn't be opposed to trying a bait setup sometime.

IdahoHikker I have hunted from spring opener till the last week. That's the sad thing.. just cant seem to capitalize. South side slopes, snow lines, green patches of grass, water not too far from. Glassing slopes, hillsides, drainage's and what not but just not turning anything up. However I always seem to find the bulls, cows and muleys for whatever reason? See and I've done the bait thing and have had 7 bears coming in AT NIGHT but I always tell myself spot and stalk is more worth it.. not to take away from all the bait hunters out there but it just comes down to a personal preference right?

 

[bluetick78]

If you've had bears coming in to your baits at night, then you've clearly found a place that holds bears. Usually when you get multiple bears hitting the bait, and it's all at night, you are hunting wary pressured bears. I could be totally wrong, but I'd bet there's other hunters in your area, and most likely hounds as well. You can still kill those bears, it's just a different approach. Use your baits as a reference, not a focal point. Sit them early and late. If your trail cams or stick - covered bait pile tells you that a bear was there last night, then that bear isn't far away. If you are using baked goods or anything salty for bait, then chances are that bear is somewhere between your bait and the nearest water source. I've hunted tons of nocturnal bears, and killed plenty of them, but I rarely kill them at the bait site. Usually I'll find them sleeping or foraging around near the closest water. Pay attention to the direction they go when leaving the bait, maybe even use a few extra cameras on trails near your bait, then compare the times on your pictures to determine where they head after enjoying the snacks you left them. It ends up being a blend of baiting and spot n stalk. Use the bait as a reference, then go look for the bear all day long with confidence that you'll find it. Too many guys spend dozens of fruitless hours sitting baits in the day, not knowing what else to do. Use your deer and elk skills to kill the nocturnal bears that other guys give up on.