Help me kill a back-country bear!

[nighthawkf-117]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice that hopefully will lead to a successful hunt next spring. For context I'm a Midwest bow hunter that has been trying to kill a western bear for two years now. Ive thus far been unsuccessful in even locating a bear. I'm pretty committed to a spot and stalk back country hunt. Ill outline my previous hunts and problems Ive run into.

2024 - Western Montana last week of April. This was my first western hunt. I backpacked in and spend 3 nights 4 days hunting. I certainly was humbled by the terrain I chose. I had plans to go much deeper than I was able to get. I found myself in steep, shale slopes that were impossible to navigate. I also over packed and definitional carried too much weight. This combined with some foot problems made traveling difficult for me. I did find a few good areas to glass but there was not much in terms of green up. Found lots of deer but I couldn't find any bears. Due to my poor planning I felt kinda "stuck" in the area I was in and wasn't able to relocate easily. Overall a good learning experience to associate some terrain with my digital scouting and iron out my gear.

2025 - North East Idaho early September. I went out for 4 night 5 days. I felt much more comfortable with my gear and hiking and was able to navigate to my desired areas without much problem. However I found myself in areas that were super thick with vegetation and made glassing very difficult. I tried to locate berries which I did but was unable to locate any bears. Again due to the terrain it was impossible to glass all but small pockets of open slope. I did have my gear dialed in and felt very comfortable, although the daytime temps were in the high 80s, which I think also contributed to the lack of bears. Overall this was another good learning experience but again I was humbled by the difference between digital scouting and the reality of the terrain.

Now I'm planning a trip to Western Montana for mid-May of 2026. I'm focusing on trying to e-scout south facing slopes which I can glass, and have options to continue moving and see more country. I would love to at least locate a bear. Anyone have any tips, tricks or advice for me?

Thank you all for the time!

 

[freezerfull]

May is a good time to be out. We have been pretty successful locating bears between early May and mid June. Staying mobile and covering ground has been beneficial. Following the spring green up above tree line, hunting slopes with fresh bears sign on stumps and logs, and once June rolls hanging near groups of elk have all been good strategies.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Do you have your heart set on a backpack hunt? I strongly believe being mobile is key to spring bear hunting, as conditions vary so much from year to year and week to week. Bear behavior changes throughout the spring season as well and a hunter needs to be able to adapt. I feel this is even more important if you’re going into an area for the first time because e-scouting only gives you so much.

My favorite tactic for spring bear in Montana was to hike closed roads. I’ve killed more bears still hunting old decommissioned or gated grassy roads that any other method. I know glassing avalanche chutes and grassy meadows on south facing slopes is the quintessential spring bear hunt, but the type of grass makes a big difference. Google imagery may show grassy meadows and glades, but in that country it is often composed of elk sedge and pine grass, neither of which are very palatable. The clovers and non-native grasses planted for bank stabilization along old roadways are much more attractive to bears.

Edit: That’s also been my most successful tactic for spring bear in Oregon. It may be a good way to get a bear or two under your belt, learn what you’re looking for and help prepare you for a successful backcountry hunt.

Fall is a bit of a different story. If you can find the food source, you’ll find bears. However, the habitat will dictate how you hunt them.

 

[ThunderJack49]

You don't need to go especially deep to find bears in Montana in the spring. Camping at your truck or even just within an hour hike of it can be very beneficial. I certainly agree with the above advice of being mobile.
This way, if you are not seeing sign you can move, even if it is up or down the same road system you are on.

 

[TaperPin]

Glassing for bears that aren’t there won’t help - where we see fresh tracks and poop we find bears. Where there are no tracks or other fresh sign on major game trails we’ve never randomly run across a bear. I’m impressed where guys find them out lolly gagging and all it took was looking at enough places with binoculars. It probably has to do with the drainages we hunt and anything alive in them is more likely than not to use established game trails.

I keep a tape measure handy and measure tracks, otherwise you don’t know if it’s one bear moving back and forth or multiple bears. Tracks from two weeks ago only tell you where a bear was, not where he is.

One spring hunt my buddies said there’s a single bear that hangs around a certain spot, but simply by measuring tracks turns out there were 5 bears on those trails during that week. Rather than one bear staying put, they were seeing multiple bears just passing through on the way up the mountain with one young bear who backtracked down at least once, unsure of where to go.

Elevation is key in the spring. As springtime hiking/snow shoe trips will show, it’s not that hard to travel above all the bear activity, so access doesn’t mean food. You’re at a huge disadvantage committing to backpacking into an area without knowing here’s any activity. Scout on foot for at least some fresh sign if there’s any doubt.

Many people who are successful year after year have local knowledge of the better drainages and where to look - it’s not as random as it might sound. Two big drainages 5 miles apart where I grew up look identical, but I’ve never seen a single bear in one, ever, while the other has bears walking down the two track dirt road at night without even looking for them. One probably has slightly more moisture, but not by much.