Headed back to NW Montana this spring

[Titan_Bow]

Planning on heading back to NW Montana this spring with my little boy, really hoping to get him on his first bear. I went solo 2 years ago, 3rd week of May, and there was still quite a bit of snow in places. This year, due to his school schedule, I am planning first week of June. Interested to see what others think would be the best probability of success? Sticking to the logging roads and clearcuts or heading into the wilderness and glassing chutes? I really wanted to do the latter on my last trip, but snow was too deep to even think about it.

 

[bruno59]

If the seasons don't change from last year nw montana seasons will close may31 you will have to hunt region 2 and a few in region 3 will be open also till jun15 no were near the snow this year compared to last but we still have plenty of winter left plenty of bears left in june

 

[Titan_Bow]

If the seasons don't change from last year nw montana seasons will close may31 you will have to hunt region 2 and a few in region 3 will be open also till jun15 no were near the snow this year compared to last but we still have plenty of winter left plenty of bears left in june

Just looked at the calendar a little harder, their last day of school is actually May 23rd, a week sooner than I had thought.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[black dawg]

how old is your boy?

 

[Titan_Bow]

He’s 13, he’ll turn 14 end of April.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[black dawg]

Good, just making sure. For some reason last year they changed it so that youth had to be atleast 12 to get a bear tag.

 

[FLAK]

My 14 y/o son and I are actually planning the same trip
in region 3 S. of Bozeman when school is out at the end
of May. New Territory for us.

 

[Selway]

End of May, beginning of June can be tough in NW Montana. Without snowpack the bears are able to distribute out a lot more, and the rut can cause them to move a lot too. I find it much easier to find bears in expected locations earlier in the season.

 

[FLAK]

It's either end of May or nothing for us. Beats sitting around watching
each other breathe.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Like I said, 2 years ago, 2nd week of May you couldn’t even get into the wilderness, and even some of the higher elevation logging roads were still impassible.
I understand this year does not have near the same amount of snow, but generally speaking, if you were looking to get on a bear last week of May, would you concentrate on the logging roads still or venture into the wilderness and glass chutes?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mooster]

How’d your hunt go?

 

[Titan_Bow]

How’d your hunt go?

Our hunt was a lot of fun, my son still talks about that trip. While we did not get a bear, we had several close encounters and saw a lot of bears and beautiful country.
All in all we saw 8 bears in 6 days of hunting. Our closest encounter, we spotted a bear working along a logging road actually heading towards us. I only got a quick glimpse of black, so I was unsure how big it was. We quickly worked our way up above the road and got some cover and waited. 30 minutes went by and the bear never came down the road. We were just getting ready to stand up and keep moving when I spot black. The bear eases out and works right by us on the road at 40 yards or so, never realized we were there. He was a little bear, I’d be surprised if he was 100 pounds. It was a really cool experience.
We also spotted a bear in a clearing with about 20 minutes of light left. Again, I never was able to get more than a quick glimpse of it, but knew we were crunched for time. We decided to move fast and get closer for a better look. We literally ran over to where I thought we would be able to see it. As my son is inching up, he says “hey dad, there’s a baby bear.” About the time that processed in my head, I had the bear spray up and ready to shoot because momma made a bluff charge, snapping her jaws and huffing before peeling off at 25-30 yards and bailing down the mountain. That was definitely an exciting moment for my son and I was proud of him keeping his composure and remaining calm.
We also saw a wolf feeding on a moose kill, which was really cool, and we jumped a BIG bear on an overgrown logging road. If only we’d have seen him first!!
Overall the trip was a definite success. Unfortunately, my daughter is having a major surgery this spring and we won’t be able to go this year, but the planning wheels are already turning for a 2021 trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mooster]

Our hunt was a lot of fun, my son still talks about that trip. While we did not get a bear, we had several close encounters and saw a lot of bears and beautiful country.
All in all we saw 8 bears in 6 days of hunting. Our closest encounter, we spotted a bear working along a logging road actually heading towards us. I only got a quick glimpse of black, so I was unsure how big it was. We quickly worked our way up above the road and got some cover and waited. 30 minutes went by and the bear never came down the road. We were just getting ready to stand up and keep moving when I spot black. The bear eases out and works right by us on the road at 40 yards or so, never realized we were there. He was a little bear, I’d be surprised if he was 100 pounds. It was a really cool experience.
We also spotted a bear in a clearing with about 20 minutes of light left. Again, I never was able to get more than a quick glimpse of it, but knew we were crunched for time. We decided to move fast and get closer for a better look. We literally ran over to where I thought we would be able to see it. As my son is inching up, he says “hey dad, there’s a baby bear.” About the time that processed in my head, I had the bear spray up and ready to shoot because momma made a bluff charge, snapping her jaws and huffing before peeling off at 25-30 yards and bailing down the mountain. That was definitely an exciting moment for my son and I was proud of him keeping his composure and remaining calm.
We also saw a wolf feeding on a moose kill, which was really cool, and we jumped a BIG bear on an overgrown logging road. If only we’d have seen him first!!
Overall the trip was a definite success. Unfortunately, my daughter is having a major surgery this spring and we won’t be able to go this year, but the planning wheels are already turning for a 2021 trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow sounds like a great adventure neither of you will soon forget. Taking home memories can be just as fulfilling as meat. Hope you have a great hunt in 2021