Help me kill a back-country bear!

[TheGDog]

If you have to hike-in quite a ways to eventually find a spot where your cams have shown you Bears come thru... then mostly likely your plan will have to involve staying until last light and hiking out under headlamp.

And especially if it's Hot? Yeah early am they're trying to find someplace to take a dip to cool off before the days heat comes on in. So if the hike-in is long-ish, like 7mi+? it'll make it more difficult to get in there early enough in the AM. Assuming heading in from vehicle in the AM.

Another thing to look out for... if like if you're following along a waterline/creek bed that's dried out and not flowing ATM? Like say it's mid of Summer... we've startled Bears that were napping, nestled within the young sapling beechwoods, that were growing along the edges of this creek bed... where the slope of the adjacent hill/ridge... which causes condensation to get pulled down it by gravity... so the edges of that waterway still have some moistness to the soil, which makes it a cool nice place to nap at.

 

[Zebadiahetter]

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!

I'm sure this has been said but, bears love that brand new grass not far from snow line. Glass, glass, glass...

 

[ianpadron]

Anyone happen to have any experience with Mark Livesays treeline academy course for bear?

I have not, but have run into Mark a couple times in the ID and WY backcountry. Seems like a solid dude that knows his stuff, cool llamas too lol

 

[SixteenG]

I’m a Washington state bear hunter and in my experience tactics can change a lot depending on what region of the state and the time of the year. We no longer get the opportunity to hunt in the spring so I can’t speak too much on that. When we did, covering ground on gated roads usually was the most productive.

Fall hunting is pretty simple, find the food source, find the bears. The state is divided by the cascades. The west side is wet and the east side is dry. So the terrain is different, but the same rule applies, find the food source, find the bears. Berries ripen lower in elevation on south slopes first. If those berries are dried up, go higher or look at the slopes that get less sun. Early season on the west side is best done in clear cuts. Start low and go higher until you find the right elevation with the ripe berries. I prefer targeting clear cuts with huckleberries or the small blackberries. On the east side in the early season it’s a choke cherry or service berry game. Find a creek with an open hill above it that has draws coming up perpendicular to the creek. If that draw has ripe berries, you’ll find bears.

Later in the year is when it’s best to backpack in. Get as high as possible and find ripe blueberries/huckleberries. This time of year the scenery is about as gorgeous as it gets and is my favorite time to hunt.

Lastly, bear hunting is about covering ground as well. In the morning, I like to cover as much ground as possible. I watch an area for 20-30 minutes and if I don’t see one I don’t expect one to show up. I move to the next spot looking for a bear still out from the previous night. In the early evening I’ll bounce from spot to spot looking for an early riser. Then I’ll settle in for the last hour or so on the spot I think I’ll have my best chance of one coming out right before dusk.

This may not be helpful for other states, but maybe it can give an idea or two. Good luck!