Help Me Choose A State - Late May

[spry.car2153]

Let me get it out of the way first that I'm still new to hunting (only 1 year under my belt). I'm from the midwest and went out for cow/calf elk in November in WY as my first western hunt. My preference would be to return to the same area (Bighorns) for a spot and stalk spring bear hunt because I like the idea of getting to know the same area (just applied for a general elk tag to hopefully go into the area again fall of 2026). All things being equal, that's what I'd do.

But, of course, they aren't equal. My time frame is 5/22-31 and I have no flexibility with the dates. The quotas in the past for the areas around the Bighorns are quite low and given the rifle season starts mid-May I'd risk not being able to hunt due to the adult female mortality limit being reached.

What I'm thinking now is to have some tentative plans for WY and one other state, either Montana or Idaho, in case the quota is hit (likely). I'll be driving and so MT would save me a lot of time, but the units closest to the Bighorns on the MT side also seem to have quotas (510, 520, 530), though I'm not clear on how quickly they are reached. 530 would be the wild card here since it doesn't start until 5/25, giving me the best chance from a dates perspective.

I'd love any thoughts/suggestions. I'm looking purely for opportunity.

 

[EdP]

Look at northern Idaho units. In or just south of the panhandle. Use an outfitter. They have been offering two reduced price OTC tags per hunter for years due to the high bear population. The bears are not huge but there is a good percentage of color phase black bears (cinnamon, blond, etc). Spot and stalk is a crap shoot on a fixed schedule. An outfitter should have bait stations set up as a back up option. Back country hunts via horseback are typically priced at half of what a comparable experience hunting elk would cost.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Western Wyoming has plenty of bears

 

[UKwildcatfan]

NM or AZ. Have an outfitter in NM that runs em with dogs. Takes some big ones. AZ may require a couple of pts to draw

 

[Elkhntr08]

A quick call to Wyoming Game & Fish might give you an idea of how quickly the mortality rate gets hit in the spring.
If you’re still not comfortable with that area, I’d head to Idaho. Heck, I may even be in Idaho this spring.

 

[Ultracarry]

NM or AZ. Have an outfitter in NM that runs em with dogs. Takes some big ones. AZ may require a couple of pts to draw

Don’t think AZ has a draw for spring bear anymore - otc hunt with a quota .