Advice for 18 year old starting spring bear for the first time

[atorres]

I’m pretty new to spot and stalk bear hunting myself but I was taught the old adage to “chase the green”. Find areas that are lush, with dandelions being a plus. Also chase the bait. If you spot elk and deer with fawns, there is a good chance a bear will be near by.

We have found that being up at the crack of dawn doesn’t do much in terms of productivity. We found most activity at 1600 until dark. We spent a ton of time glassing so get a chair, a tarp for the rain, and some good binos or spotters. And don’t forget about the ticks. They are atrocious so don’t plan on floorless setup unless you hate yourself.

Judging a good bear is whole different beast, one in which I suck at. I shot what I thought was a “decent” bear that turned out to be the size of a Golden Retriever. It was heading directly towards some newborn elk so I felt good about it. My buddy helped by saying “Jeffrey Dahmer was a kid once too”.

Feel free to PM me if you want. I’m not going to give you specifics on areas but will help with tactics and gear.

Good to know, thanks.. I'll pm you

 

[Bsnyder]

I called the biologist when I was looking he was very helpful. Might be an idea for you to try as well to get density Information Age class ect ect.

 

[P Carter]

I’m pretty new to spot and stalk bear hunting myself but I was taught the old adage to “chase the green”. Find areas that are lush, with dandelions being a plus. Also chase the bait. If you spot elk and deer with fawns, there is a good chance a bear will be near by.

We have found that being up at the crack of dawn doesn’t do much in terms of productivity. We found most activity at 1600 until dark. We spent a ton of time glassing so get a chair, a tarp for the rain, and some good binos or spotters. And don’t forget about the ticks. They are atrocious so don’t plan on floorless setup unless you hate yourself.

Judging a good bear is whole different beast, one in which I suck at. I shot what I thought was a “decent” bear that turned out to be the size of a Golden Retriever. It was heading directly towards some newborn elk so I felt good about it. My buddy helped by saying “Jeffrey Dahmer was a kid once too”.

Feel free to PM me if you want. I’m not going to give you specifics on areas but will help with tactics and gear.

Spot on, the first bear our group shot spot and stalk was the same; like a large dog. The guy stalking was all amped, adrenaline running, thinking it is shoot-or-be-eaten, thinking it was a big bear until it was on the ground. They definitely take some practice to judge!

 

[atorres]

I called the biologist when I was looking he was very helpful. Might be an idea for you to try as well to get density Information Age class ect ect.

I've called the biologists for every area I'm interested in. Waiting for McCall area to call me back

 

[14idaho]

Yeh it's difficult to judge the size of bears. I had a client shoot a bear and when he got to it it was smaller than he thought. I'll never forget what he told me. He said he wasn't sure if it was a small bear close or a big bear further off. Look at the head. If the head looks big and the ears are close together it's a small bear. Also, western bear are lanky. They tend to be longer than Northern bear which can throw you off. You're not going to find many 500 lb bear in Northern Idaho.

 

[atorres]

Yeh it's difficult to judge the size of bears. I had a client shoot a bear and when he got to it it was smaller than he thought. I'll never forget what he told me. He said he wasn't sure if it was a small bear close or a big bear further off. Look at the head. If the head looks big and the ears are close together it's a small bear. Also, western bear are lanky. They tend to be longer than Northern bear which can throw you off. You're not going to find many 500 lb bear in Northern Idaho.

I had wondered some about this. A small bear on its own, especially being in the mountains, could be very deceiving to me. Thanks for the tip

 

[zion zig zag]

I was planning on using my floorless tent and I didn't think about the increased bugs/ticks in the spring. Good tip, maybe I'll pack the normal tent instead.

 

[atorres]

I was planning on using my floorless tent and I didn't think about the increased bugs/ticks in the spring. Good tip, maybe I'll pack the normal tent instead.

I'm planning to use floorless as well, I've seen folks do it for spring bear but I guess I need to look into it. I don't have a good lightweight tent with a floor, only good tent I have is my Redcliff. Maybe I'll just pick up some of the compartments you can add into there.

 

[mscott87]

Is it recommended to try and do a guided hunt for the first ever bear hunt or western style hunt to get the hang of things or is it better to just find a spot and get after it? Asking because it seems like a pretty rough task to travel out of state to hopefully find something.

 

[280Ackley]

My dad was hunting over my bait during the week and I would bring my kids up on the weekends. I got a call at about 10pm saying he just shot a bear. Asked how big he said bigger then my first one (which was about a 6’ 200lb boar). Here I am 3-1/2 hours away with my pickup torn apart fixing the wheel bearing. So into the wife’s Corolla I go!! 4 hours later after midnight we find his bear. It was 1-1/2 old maybe 80 pounds!!!! All he had to say was “well it looked big from the stand”. Good memories. I know you are hoping for a big one but don’t let the size be the determining factor. I have lots of good memories from that hunt with dad and from another last spring with my son in hells canyon where we hiked 5 hours total for him to shoot at a 4’ cinnamon. There are bears in all the units you looking at. Just bring good glass and use them. That time of years bears will be moving all day. Good luck!

 

[atorres]

My dad was hunting over my bait during the week and I would bring my kids up on the weekends. I got a call at about 10pm saying he just shot a bear. Asked how big he said bigger then my first one (which was about a 6’ 200lb boar). Here I am 3-1/2 hours away with my pickup torn apart fixing the wheel bearing. So into the wife’s Corolla I go!! 4 hours later after midnight we find his bear. It was 1-1/2 old maybe 80 pounds!!!! All he had to say was “well it looked big from the stand”. Good memories. I know you are hoping for a big one but don’t let the size be the determining factor. I have lots of good memories from that hunt with dad and from another last spring with my son in hells canyon where we hiked 5 hours total for him to shoot at a 4’ cinnamon. There are bears in all the units you looking at. Just bring good glass and use them. That time of years bears will be moving all day. Good luck!

Appreciate it. I don't need a real big bear. Obviously I'd much prefer to shoot an adult but the tenderest meat I ever had was from a deer that also looked big from the stand but was almost coyote sized.

Shifting more to units 23,25,26 and 27 at this point

 

[zion zig zag]

Appreciate it. I don't need a real big bear. Obviously I'd much prefer to shoot an adult but the tenderest meat I ever had was from a deer that also looked big from the stand but was almost coyote sized.

Shifting more to units 23,25,26 and 27 at this point

Have you looked at access for 26 and 27? Curious what you found.

 

[Ross]

Wait until mid May at least access will be much improved with snow melt and greenup has started......stay at or just below the snow line. They will be out actively feeding through out the day on the fresh green in rocky ledges chutes or anything that attracts the heat from the sun to grow new grass. Lots of glassing in these type of areas can pay dividends this time of year.

 

[atorres]

Have you looked at access for 26 and 27? Curious what you found.

Not a lot to be honest. Just now getting to the point where I have a small enough area to work with in depth. I was told the big creek airstrip should be accessible by June, that's really all I've looked at so far

 

[atorres]

Wait until mid May at least access will be much improved with snow melt and greenup has started......stay at or just below the snow line. They will be out actively feeding through out the day on the fresh green in rocky ledges chutes or anything that attracts the heat from the sun to grow new grass. Lots of glassing in these type of areas can pay dividends this time of year.

Appreciate it. Looks like we're going high. Are 25 and 23 densely timbered enough to work well for glassing or are they so open that there's too much to see?

 

[archp625]

I’m pretty new to spot and stalk bear hunting myself but I was taught the old adage to “chase the green”. Find areas that are lush, with dandelions being a plus. Also chase the bait. If you spot elk and deer with fawns, there is a good chance a bear will be near by.

We have found that being up at the crack of dawn doesn’t do much in terms of productivity. We found most activity at 1600 until dark. We spent a ton of time glassing so get a chair, a tarp for the rain, and some good binos or spotters. And don’t forget about the ticks. They are atrocious so don’t plan on floorless setup unless you hate yourself.

Judging a good bear is whole different beast, one in which I suck at. I shot what I thought was a “decent” bear that turned out to be the size of a Golden Retriever. It was heading directly towards some newborn elk so I felt good about it. My buddy helped by saying “Jeffrey Dahmer was a kid once too”.

Feel free to PM me if you want. I’m not going to give you specifics on areas but will help with tactics and gear.

Best quote of the day. I sent you a PM if you have a minute or two.

 

[zion zig zag]

Not a lot to be honest. Just now getting to the point where I have a small enough area to work with in depth. I was told the big creek airstrip should be accessible by June, that's really all I've looked at so far

By air or truck? Serious question because I'm not familiar with that zone. When were you planning again? That area has been low on snowfall but just got a good storm. Sitting at about 85% of normal snowpack now.

 

[black dawg]

My advice is to just get out and enjoy the best time of year to be in the woods. Do lots of walking and lots of glassing. Dont worry too much about the size of the bear. A lot of people if not most people shoot some small ones until they get some experience.

 

[atorres]

My advice is to just get out and enjoy the best time of year to be in the woods. Do lots of walking and lots of glassing. Dont worry too much about the size of the bear. A lot of people if not most people shoot some small ones until they get some experience.

That would work just fine for me. Just want to bring some meat home