Idaho Bear hunt outfitter recommendation

[Doepee]

I am looking to go on a hunt with my Dad for his 70th birthday, and he has been wanting to do a bear hunt. We live in MO and plan on driving. I really like the options in Idaho and the likelihood for success. We will not be trophy hunters, more so just looking for a nice representation of the species. I like that we could spot and stalk or use a bait site in ID. My dad is in good physical shape and will have no problem hiking but age is also starting to catch him so I would like to find a good balance and not push it too hard. Would love to hear any recommendations of outfitters or if someone has a recommendation of other states and outfitters I would be happy to hear it. I would prefer a fall hunt, but if spring is the best option I can make that work for 2024. I have heard good things about both York Outfitters and White Cloud Outfitters and plan on reaching out to them.

 

[mike.adams.467]

Little Lost Outfitters, Corey Dailey, does a good job with some nice bears killed each year.

 

[j_volt]

+1 for Corey Dailey

 

[bpurtz]

Hope you are able to find a cool adventure with you dad! Several years ago I bought a bear hunt voucher with Silver Fox Outfitters (Alberta Canada) with the plan to turn it into a moose hunt. The moose hunt dates didn't work out so I ended up going on a bear hunt.

Honestly, it's not really a hunt - you sit in a tree stand over bait and wait for the bear that you want to take. Most of the hunters are a dad with his teenager using a rifle. If you really want to get something and/or your dad has difficulty getting around, this outfit is probably close to 100% success rate. I ended up shooting a bear with my recurve and a 2nd bear with my compound.

I've been on 2 outfitter drop camp hunts in Idaho and haven't killed a bear on either - which was fine - they were still cool adventures.

But, if you want to kill a bear (or 2) - Alberta is probably a good place to look. It's a hellaciously long drive to Northern Alberta but kind of a cool travel adventure as well.

 

[HandgunHTR]

An internet friend of mine from another forum swears by these guys:

Deep Country Outfitters
10745 US-95, Lucile, ID 83542-5001, United States
Lucile, ID, ID 83542-5001
(208) 315-1111

Here is a post from his bear hunt: https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/my-idaho-bear-hunt.4053612/#post-38239955

 

[Doepee]

Thanks for all the replies and info. It looks like we will be planning this for spring of 2024.

 

[Doepee]

Well we finally were able to complete the bear hunt this June and we had an amazing adventure in Idaho. We were the last week of the season and the snow had melted enough that the outfitter was able to finish plowing the pass to avoid taking the snow cat back into camp. That saved about 3-4 hours of transit into camp time. The first couple of days were snowy and rainy so glassing really wasn't an option. We sat on bait and my son shot his first bear the second evening. It was a nice black bear with a heart shaped white chevron on its chest. The second morning my brother shot a nice color phased bear. The third day my buddies son got his first bear and his father got one as well. And on the last evening my father was able to shoot a real nice color phased bear. On top of the great hunting we were able to fish for trout near camp and enjoy some remote hot springs. It really turned out to be everything we were looking for in a trip and while logistics were tough, I am very happy we went to Idaho!

 

[David Gough]

Well we finally were able to complete the bear hunt this June and we had an amazing adventure in Idaho. We were the last week of the season and the snow had melted enough that the outfitter was able to finish plowing the pass to avoid taking the snow cat back into camp. That saved about 3-4 hours of transit into camp time. The first couple of days were snowy and rainy so glassing really wasn't an option. We sat on bait and my son shot his first bear the second evening. It was a nice black bear with a heart shaped white chevron on its chest. The second morning my brother shot a nice color phased bear. The third day my buddies son got his first bear and his father got one as well. And on the last evening my father was able to shoot a real nice color phased bear. On top of the great hunting we were able to fish for trout near camp and enjoy some remote hot springs. It really turned out to be everything we were looking for in a trip and while logistics were tough, I am very happy we went to Idaho!

Sounds like a great trip! Which outfitter did you go with?

 

[Doepee]

York - Top notch operation