Idaho Spring Bear

[MHoppes]

Good luck to you guys. Have fun. Let us know how it goes.

What part of Michigan? I am in Grand Rapids.

Thanks and Will do!! I'm from Portland so not far away from GR. Small town between you and Lansing. This will be our first bear hunt out there so hopefully we have some luck.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Thanks and Will do!! I'm from Portland so not far away from GR. Small town between you and Lansing. This will be our first bear hunt out there so hopefully we have some luck.

Yea, we stop at Portland often for gas/dinner when traveling to/from Detroit for Lions games or Tigers games.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Ntuttle15]

Interesting first post on here... Goodluck

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[jdmaxwell]

Heading to Idaho for bear. We are open to zones with flexible schedules. Currently we are looking at an arrival date around May 10th. Looking East of Priest Lake zone 1

My buddy is driving from VA to me here in PA and then we are heading out. We have a film guy flying in also so we are looking for the unicorn spot. An area where we can spot / stalk and shoot. Hoping for some of the awesome hilltop B roll video !!

In the gym everyday and 60 hrs of driving isn't cheap these days. ANY help would be appreciated for sure. Message me directly, call, DM, anything you want except don't call about my car warranty expiration LOL

Rich
248-217-171six

Pick a spot and go earn it...

 

[Ross]

A lot of snow in zone one left to come off and about two weeks behind on the melt with another heavy snow warning tonight.,..you may need snowshoes and for sure chains…..good luck and be sure to have wolf tag in hand…

 

[OneGunTex]

Following up on snow, can someone help me with how to read/predict SNOTEL snowpack readings? Attached is the current report near McCall as an example.
This is saying the snow at 5300' is 36" deep, and is 88% (ie 12% down) from the normal for this time of year? How do I look ahead and find what the normal snowpack is for, say, end of May? Is it fair to assume that everything at that elevation in nearby areas is around that much snow?

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[Customweld]

Following up on snow, can someone help me with how to read/predict SNOTEL snowpack readings? Attached is the current report near McCall as an example.
This is saying the snow at 5300' is 36" deep, and is 88% (ie 12% down) from the normal for this time of year? How do I look ahead and find what the normal snowpack is for, say, end of May? Is it fair to assume that everything at that elevation in nearby areas is around that much snow?

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Each site has a breakdown of past and current water years. It’s safe to say that in the McCall area 5300 feet is going to all be pretty similar in snow depth. After you get north of Grangeville, their elevations are generally lower, but snow depths can be deeper. Most snow in the McCall area around 6k should be melted off by the end of May. North and east facing slopes will obviously hold snow longer.

NWCC Report Generator

 

[sneaky]

Snow melt will be dependent on temps over the next few weeks. Last year our melt was pretty much done by this time of April. It was gone quick. This past week, and forecast for the coming week has put this year on a more normal trajectory. Might be bad for those with early May hopes, but we need the moisture more than early May bear hunts. I keep hoping for more snow up high, the reservoirs look BAD.

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[raydog]

I have herd thy the snow packs could effect the bears coming out of there dens is thi true leaving on my bear hunt April 30 to may 7th in the frank church any for sight would be appreciated

 

[Britt-dog]

Just a little info for those on the fence about when to go. I’ve killed a lot of bears in Idaho, and I always target +/- Memorial Day weekend. I checked some old tags and my last five kills were on the following dates
2017 may 26
2017 may 31
2019 may 18
2020 June 1
2021 may 29

the green up, snow conditions, and breeding season always seem to have me seeing good bears around the end of may. Good luck.

 

[gotlag1789]

I’ve gotta comment on how amazing the ID/MT locals are - Went last spring and had a similar scenario to the gentlemen stuck in unit 12. After getting wrecked by the elevation we tried to go north. We got the truck in a rough spot in the “4th of July” pass, finding out what that means after the fact lol. Between the pair of montana brothers that got us out and the amazing couple we met in ID that brought us to their local spot, we’re absolutely headed back to try and put a tag onto something. Stoked. Can’t wait to be back in Idaho.

Good luck fellas

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Pick a spot and go earn it...

Exactly my thought. Dude is looking for handouts because he has a film guy coming in. What a piece of work - I hate guys like this.

 

[Gbare37]

A hunt residents should be happy to help with. Come have a great time and kill a bear. Montana and Wyoming also have good spring bear hunting. Spot and stalk is lots of fun and totally doable for hunting. On multiple trips I've spotted bears on day one.

Nonresidents wondering where to go have lots of options. The units with the most bears killed, say top three, are well known. They're good and have a lot of bears killed to some extent because of their popularity. Not crazy busy in those units from my experience but also kind of nice to get off the beaten track a bit more.

Salmon, McCall, Sawtooth, Beaverhead, Lemhi all have at least decent bear numbers. The Middle Fork and Selway Zones are not very accessible due to high country access points until Mid June or later when the bear hunting starts to drop off or get closed. You could target a mid June backcountry hunt in there and make it work but access will be a challenge and the bear hunting won’t be easy that late and in huge country. You could also do a fly-in hunt earlier in the season when the greenup is closer to the river and animals are closer to winter range. That would likely be a better hunt. You could have a wolf, lion, bear combo hunt and just an amazing time in deep backcountry. The other main access point to the Selway and Salmon Zones is along the river roads. Steep hiking but a good number of bears if you hike away from access points.

In general, for the average guy not messing with the lower priced tags which are more difficult to access and rugged to get around will make for a more successful hunt. Buy full price and go for it.

Throughout the state, you'll want to do your research to see if the road you're planning on taking will be open. Anything above 5,000 feet is a red flag. Call the forest service office and post on here if you want about the roads. Look at Snotel and information available online about snowpack. Many will be closed or impassable. You might be good for a while and then hit a snowbank. A common good approach is to find a lower elevation road and hike up from there. 4 wheelers are very helpful for getting around when access might be hit or miss.

Northern Idaho has more bears generally speaking than south and central Idaho. Panhandle, Clearwater, and Lolo areas can be productive. You will have to plan for how you hunt with all the dense timber but there are bears around and more wolves up there too.

Pioneer and more desert units south of I-84 don't have a lot of bears.

Normally the later part of April through early June the hunting can be good. May is a nice middle ground. You might want to hunt a little lower or higher depending on the timing.

Feel free to PM. Depending on volume and where you're looking, I might be able to help. I don't know that much about the areas north of the Salmon River Breaks. Anything south of that I've probably ventured through and hunted at least a little for some critter.

@idahohikker I just joined and it won’t let me PM you. Is there another way we can communicate ? I am in Idaho now attempting to spring bear hunt and I did check our 66a but I found no bear sign and I was at 6,000-8,000 elevation attempting to spot and stalk. I am flexible all month I’m willing to drive anywhere in the state. It just me hunting. And this is my first time spring bear hunting. Feel free to text or call me too 6 1 4 four 2 five 7 5 7 eight is my cell. I would really appreciate your guidance. Your post is the best one I’ve found yet​

 

[mtnbiker208]

Selkirks Saturday April 23rd
Priest lake in background

 

[seww]

I was up at 7200 ft here in SE Idaho and there are still plenty of snow up there. The Northern slopes are completely covered and it's still deep. Most of the Southern slopes are snowfree but not much greens growing yet.
That storm we had a week or so ago probably pushed the thaw a bit. Some roads are still soft and mushy as well.

 

[.204smokechaser]

Went out Sunday afternoon to one of my favorite PotlatchDeltic grounds and found one fresh bear track and several clear cuts where bears went through this spring.

 

[frank church guy]

they are out. Have seen a few on the salmon. Know a couple guys who connected.

 

[Coveyleader]

Crazy shitty spring in the mountain west, won’t get good until June by the looks of things.

 

[sram9102]

Me and a buddy are headed that way Friday. Hopefully gonna turn up a few bears in central ID.

 

[David Gough]

Each site has a breakdown of past and current water years. It’s safe to say that in the McCall area 5300 feet is going to all be pretty similar in snow depth. After you get north of Grangeville, their elevations are generally lower, but snow depths can be deeper. Most snow in the McCall area around 6k should be melted off by the end of May. North and east facing slopes will obviously hold snow longer.

NWCC Report Generator

This may be a dumb question, but the pictures listed with the snowtel location aren't current, correct? Planning a trip somewhere around Stanley.