Idaho Spring Bear

[Bärenjäger]

Any particular reason why you settled on Gospel Hump?

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First-time poster here...

I'm KettleKrick's hunting partner. We were more or less looking for big country in order to test our tolerances and push our limits. He at least has some elevation in PA. I'm in Indiana and lucky to find a hill with greater than a 100' climb.

This is an amazing resource. Thanks for all the information fellas!

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[westbranch]

First-time poster here...

I'm KettleKrick's hunting partner. We were more or less looking for big country in order to test our tolerances and push our limits. He at least has some elevation in PA. I'm in Indiana and lucky to find a hill with greater than a 100' climb.

This is an amazing resource. Thanks for all the information fellas!

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Some of the trails quite a ways outside of the wilderness area there have an elevation gain of 3k ft in a little over 2 miles depending on the route. So you can definitely be tested without going in the wilderness area. And having a truck camp setup would be much nicer for a place to rest after getting beat up on the hills all day and also be mobile for a first time trip.

I don't have much experience with spring bear, but see a lot of spots that look good on maps that should be relatively easy to access in mid-May. And like others said, bears should be more concentrated. We did a short camping/hiking weekend trip in that general area in March a few years ago. Surprisingly, we could access part of the national forest at that time but the snow quickly got very deep.

 

[KettleKrick]

Any particular reason why you settled on Gospel Hump?

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None whatsoever. My google earth travels kinda led me there one day. I was looking for something remote (I think I was successful there, ha) I noticed how the access across the salmon river was pretty limited and I started poking around to the north... and then googling some of the landmarks that I saw on the map. Looks like a wild place, beautiful. I did read a lot about how the wolves have hit the elk and mule deer hard up there. Our original mission was, and still is, to hunt mule deer in the backcountry from a tent. The spring bear trip is really just to get a feel for the country and what we're capable of. That said, we'll be pretty serious about hunting bears, and we're completely new to spring bear as well as western hunting in general. Any general tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sneaky]

You could always fly in to one of the backcountry airstrips and hunt bears that time of year if you're looking for adventure.

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[KettleKrick]

Some of the trails quite a ways outside of the wilderness area there have an elevation gain of 3k ft in a little over 2 miles depending on the route. So you can definitely be tested without going in the wilderness area. And having a truck camp setup would be much nicer for a place to rest after getting beat up on the hills all day and also be mobile for a first time trip.

I don't have much experience with spring bear, but see a lot of spots that look good on maps that should be relatively easy to access in mid-May. And like others said, bears should be more concentrated. We did a short camping/hiking weekend trip in that general area in March a few years ago. Surprisingly, we could access part of the national forest at that time but the snow quickly got very deep.

We'd probably consider camping at the truck, would prefer hiking in, but I could probably be talked into a few cold beers each night. We'd be using a tipi tent/stove combo... which ain't cheap... as I'm sure you know. I'd be worried about someone stealing it. Do you hear much about theft or is it typically a non issue? I'm sure that's an impossible question to answer. I'm sure it happens, like anywhere.

 

[Bärenjäger]

That’s downright optimistic. 7,000 feet in May takes some nerve (and likely shoveling).

I know it was mentioned that it's a crapshoot to estimate remaining snow pack in May, and there are plenty of variables to consider. However, do any of you guys have strong opinions on at which elevation we should set our upper limit for mid May? I'm spending quite a bit of time exploring onX and considering limiting search areas to south-facing slopes as much as possible, but wondering if I'm spinning my wheels and should instead stay below a certain elevation.

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[idahohikker]

There’s no magic elevation band. The bears will be spread some. Driving over 6,000 feet anywhere is risky business. You’ll have some south slopes in that range and somewhat higher you could glass depending on various factors.

I do most spring bear hunting between 4000-6500 I’d say but it varies significantly by location

 

[Bärenjäger]

That's exactly what I was looking for. I know there's no magic bullet, otherwise we'd all be experts! Thanks for the input.

Any one else have thoughts?

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[kyhunter42]

I'm doing a spring bear hunt in Idaho this year. I'll be taking my best friend and his 16 y/o son on his first western hunt. Due to his daughter's high school graduation we won't be able to make it to Idaho until the first week of June. I had hoped to be able to get out there earlier in the year when things were greening up, but that can't happen this year. We'll be driving form North Carolina. Originally we were thinking about hunting Unit 4 or 6, near Wallace. From what I've read the area is thick and has scattered openings from logging. It sounds like the best course of action is to cruise logging roads and try to spot bears in the clearings. While this might be an effective method I was hoping to find an area that we can hike into and hunt via spot and stalk. Any suggestions on different areas? I was also thinking 37, 50 and 51, near Mackay. I'm not sure about the bear population there. Any info would be helpful. Thank you

 

[skierhs]

I'm doing a spring bear hunt in Idaho this year. I'll be taking my best friend and his 16 y/o son on his first western hunt. Due to his daughter's high school graduation we won't be able to make it to Idaho until the first week of June. I had hoped to be able to get out there earlier in the year when things were greening up, but that can't happen this year. We'll be driving form North Carolina. Originally we were thinking about hunting Unit 4 or 6, near Wallace. From what I've read the area is thick and has scattered openings from logging. It sounds like the best course of action is to cruise logging roads and try to spot bears in the clearings. While this might be an effective method I was hoping to find an area that we can hike into and hunt via spot and stalk. Any suggestions on different areas? I was also thinking 37, 50 and 51, near Mackay. I'm not sure about the bear population there. Any info would be helpful. Thank you

That’s a accurate representation of 4 and 6. It’s super think for the most part and makes spot and stalk not super ideal. I’ve hunted that area a few times though. Shoot me a PM if you decide to go in there. Getting into certain areas can be a challenge as well due to snow levels at times.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I'm doing a spring bear hunt in Idaho this year. I'll be taking my best friend and his 16 y/o son on his first western hunt. Due to his daughter's high school graduation we won't be able to make it to Idaho until the first week of June. I had hoped to be able to get out there earlier in the year when things were greening up, but that can't happen this year. We'll be driving form North Carolina. Originally we were thinking about hunting Unit 4 or 6, near Wallace. From what I've read the area is thick and has scattered openings from logging. It sounds like the best course of action is to cruise logging roads and try to spot bears in the clearings. While this might be an effective method I was hoping to find an area that we can hike into and hunt via spot and stalk. Any suggestions on different areas? I was also thinking 37, 50 and 51, near Mackay. I'm not sure about the bear population there. Any info would be helpful. Thank you

4 and 6 are hard to hunt, besides it being thick there are LOTS of baits out so the bears don't have to move very far to eat.

 

[kyhunter42]

4 and 6 are hard to hunt, besides it being thick there are LOTS of baits out so the bear doesn't have to move really far to eat.

Thanks. Not really sure about what direction to go. I would prefer to hunt an area that we can spot and stalk, but I'm not sure where to look.

 

[Customweld]

I'm pretty certain that I'm going to draw the Unit 32a tag, I'll let you all know how I do!

 

[sneaky]

I'm pretty certain that I'm going to draw the Unit 32a tag, I'll let you all know how I do!

That's the power of positive thinking! My boss's daughter drew that tag a couple years ago and missed 2 good bears lol

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[Customweld]

That's the power of positive thinking! My boss's daughter drew that tag a couple years ago and missed 2 good bears lol

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Hey, you've got to have some hope! I drew it about 6 years ago. it's a fun hunt. Definitely not a shortage of bruins in there.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

4 and 6 are hard to hunt, besides it being thick there are LOTS of baits out so the bears don't have to move very far to eat.

Totally. I’d say that’s true for most of the panhandle units. They’re hard to hunt without bait or hounds. Not impossible though, I’ve ran into a few.

 

[Bärenjäger]

Totally. I’d say that’s true for most of the panhandle units. They’re hard to hunt without bait or hounds. Not impossible though, I’ve ran into a few.

I've never baited and it's not likely since I'm coming from out of state and only there 8-10 days. I had luck in PA with calling in a bear with a screaming rabbit and was curious if anyone has had luck with any particular calls in ID and what they were.

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[North Idaho Stickbow]

I've never baited and it's not likely since I'm coming from out of state and only there 8-10 days. I had luck in PA with calling in a bear with a screaming rabbit and was curious if anyone has had luck with any particular calls in ID and what they were.

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I called in a bear by accident last fall during elk season (well, a friend who was calling for me did). He was cow calling about 40 yards behind me in a really elky spot on our first day, and I thought he called in the bull of my lifetime when the big brown mass came crashing through the woods. Turns out it was a bear. A freakin’ huge bear. I thought he was a grizz until he was about 25 yards out. He bolted before I could get a shot (I was using a stickbow).

The friend I had calling for me is a houndsman, and he drove all the way back to his house to get his dogs and chase that bear. He chased it for 7 hours and could not get it to tree. He’s obsessed with it now, and calls it tyrannosaurus bear.

 

[Rizzy]

That's exactly what I was looking for. I know there's no magic bullet, otherwise we'd all be experts! Thanks for the input.

Any one else have thoughts?

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You can monitor the snow depth throughout the Rocky Mountains on the NRCS site. There is an interactive GIS map with all the weather stations. This will give you an idea of what’s going on. Keep in mind south slopes burn off first In spring and this is where the feed is. The access issues are typically the areas where the trail or road crosses a north slope.

Also as a spring hiking tip:
Sometimes the snowpack freezes solid at night and you can hike a longways on top of it in the morning. When it thaws out later that day you are in for a nightmare of a hike back out

 

[nidaho]

Rizzy that is so true. It seems like a great idea to hike across the snow it is so easy in the morning and then it thaws a little and turns into a nasty nightmare been there done that no fun