Idaho Bear Thoughts and Must Haves

[Tex98]

Pardon me if this is something that has been discussed heavily as I’m new to the site and doing my best to explore the knowledge that’s available. I’m somewhat new to western hunting but certainly not hunting. Have hunted the SW my whole life but my brother and I are looking to take our hunting expeditions to the next level in the spring and embark on spring bear OTC in Idaho this coming spring via spot and stalk.

My major questions for y’all are
1) What’s your biggest tip to a new bear hunter?
2) What’s one piece of equipment/gear that you wouldn’t leave home without for a bear?
3) Are we foolish to think we’re going to be able to successfully avoid hounds and baiters for a true spot and stalk in Idaho for OTC?

No need to answer all the questions but clearly there’s a lot of knowledge here and I’m very interested to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Thanks everyone.

 

[MOwhitetail]

I started the spring bear thing in Idaho about 5 years ago. It took til this year to feel like I’ve finally got it figured out. My responses would be:

1. Further North=more bears
2. Permethrin spray for clothes to keep the ticks at bay
3. Definitely able to avoid the bait sites. Most baits are relatively close to the road. I don’t know as much about the dogs. I’ve never run into any while out hunting but that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t run dogs through areas I’ve been in.

Feel free to pm me if you have more questions.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I 100% agree that the further north you go, the more bears there are… however; the further north you go, the odds of spot and stalk go down dramatically. It’s incredibly thick up here in the north, and coming across bears or bear sign is pretty rare. There’s a reason for the bait and hounds around here.

The further south you are, the more open area you’ll have to be able to glass.

 

[BH2010]

I 100% agree that the further north you go, the more bears there are… however; the further north you go, the odds of spot and stalk go down dramatically. It’s incredibly thick up here in the north, and coming across bears or bear sign is pretty rare. There’s a reason for the bait and hounds around here.

The further south you are, the more open area you’ll have to be able to glass.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I'm leaning towards the south central units a comfortable distance away from Boise for the same reason, but also to hopefully avoid grizzlies.

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[Tex98]

I started the spring bear thing in Idaho about 5 years ago. It took til this year to feel like I’ve finally got it figured out. My responses would be:

1. Further North=more bears
2. Permethrin spray for clothes to keep the ticks at bay
3. Definitely able to avoid the bait sites. Most baits are relatively close to the road. I don’t know as much about the dogs. I’ve never run into any while out hunting but that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t run dogs through areas I’ve been in.

Feel free to pm me if you have more questions.

Thanks for the insight. I definitely might send you a message as the time gets a bit closer.

 

[Tex98]

I 100% agree that the further north you go, the more bears there are… however; the further north you go, the odds of spot and stalk go down dramatically. It’s incredibly thick up here in the north, and coming across bears or bear sign is pretty rare. There’s a reason for the bait and hounds around here.

The further south you are, the more open area you’ll have to be able to glass.

In your opinion, what is the best areas for middle ground. Just as central Idaho as we can be? We had definitely talked about being closer to Bonner’s Ferry but maybe those woods are too thick for first timers. Thanks for your thoughts.