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.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk

 

[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.

 

[Thisisme2828]

In my opinion I can’t go bear hunting without my backpacking camp chair. Having an actual chair with back support is a lifesaver when you are spending hours and hours behind the glass over the course of the hunt.

 

[MOwhitetail]

In my opinion I can’t go bear hunting without my backpacking camp chair. Having an actual chair with back support is a lifesaver when you are spending hours and hours behind the glass over the course of the hunt.

What kind of chair do you use? I’m a bigger boy (250+) and any of the backpacking chairs I’ve sat in have always seemed like they’re made for someone half my size.

 

[Thisisme2828]

What kind of chair do you use? I’m a bigger boy (250+) and any of the backpacking chairs I’ve sat in have always seemed like they’re made for someone half my size.

I use the Helinox chair one. I’m 230 myself so I know what you mean. They make a lighter one called the chair zero but I was afraid I’d collapse that one so I went with a slightly heavier model. No complaints and personally it’s worth packing in the extra weight

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

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.

The furthest south I’ve bear hunted is down near Grangeville, but I didn’t have success there. I’ve hunted a lot near the Dworshak, and we usually glass several every time, but end up sending the hounds once we find them lol.

Unit 1 up near Bonner’s is full of bears, but it’s really rugged and thick. You won’t have hounds or bait, but you will have grizz hanging around. That being said, that area is the most beautiful part of the whole state in my opinion.

 

[mtnbound]

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.

Spot and stalk in the Panhandle zone will be limited to specific areas like logging areas and burns. It can be done, but you will need to do some serious e-scouting. Depending on when you are planning to hunt, have a plan on dealing with snow, as it can limit your access.

 

[Tex98]

The furthest south I’ve bear hunted is down near Grangeville, but I didn’t have success there. I’ve hunted a lot near the Dworshak, and we usually glass several every time, but end up sending the hounds once we find them lol.

Unit 1 up near Bonner’s is full of bears, but it’s really rugged and thick. You won’t have hounds or bait, but you will have grizz hanging around. That being said, that area is the most beautiful part of the whole state in my opinion.

Great insight, thank you very much.

 

[bpeay4]

you might look at units that allow for the use of a second bear tag. usually means there is lots of bears. Bait sites and hounds will be close to roads. I never had an issue with either.

Edit: also you can look at IDFG website bear harvest stats and it says method of take of bears in each unit.

 

[DenimChicken]

Where I hunt, in the spring the bears are typically cruising fast. They'll cover an incredible amount of ground quickly.

There's a lot of land in Idaho, so I haven't had trouble competing with bait sites or hounds. If someone is running hounds hard, you can always move. You can also look at the "dogs prohibited" dates and go during those if you're worried about it.

Spend some time e scouting and look for areas that are glassable. Come up with whatever kind of hunt plan you want (back country hike in, road hunting, spike camp, ATVs, etc...) and you should be able to find an area that supports that.

Idaho spring in the mountains can be wild weather wise; I've been snowed on and I've also had 90 degree days in May. Think through logistics. Meat care can become an issue, particularly if you have hiked in. If it's a hot day it becomes all hands on deck to get the meat boned out, cooled down and on ice as soon as possible.

Finally, most Idahoans are friendly to bear/predators in general. Most of the folks I run into tell me to shoot two while I'm there and kill a wolf while I'm at it.