Idaho Spring Bear

[bdg848]

So much awesome info on here really appreciate all of the knowledge getting passed on. I see everyone suggesting late season hunts but my only opportunity is the last week of April and first week of May. Was hoping to hunt the panhandle. Anyone have any suggestions for making this work or am I just going to be on a sightseeing trip?

Hold up. Hahaha, I got the opposite impression, that earlier hunts would be better due to having the snow narrowing down the possible places they could be and hunt the freshest green up below the snow.... Now I need some clarification because I can go early or late haha.

 

[Ntuttle15]

Hold up. Hahaha, I got the opposite impression, that earlier hunts would be better due to having the snow narrowing down the possible places they could be and hunt the freshest green up below the snow.... Now I need some clarification because I can go early or late haha.

Depends a lot on area and elevation you are wanting to go. But, in general, going later can allow you to access more areas cause of the less snow. However, you are correct that more snow is likely to condense the bear population a bit in the early part of the year. But, getting to those areas is often a struggle.

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[bdg848]

Depends a lot on area and elevation you are wanting to go. But, in general, going later can allow you to access more areas cause of the less snow. However, you are correct that more snow is likely to condense the bear population a bit in the early part of the year. But, getting to those areas is often a struggle.

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I have two units I'm looking at. One is about 4000-6500 feet, the other is about 5500-8. I guess I will call the fish and game offices in that area to try an get an idea of what is typically accessible in each and when.

 

[Ntuttle15]

I would guess almost no availability for an early hunt

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[sneaky]

I have two units I'm looking at. One is about 4000-6500 feet, the other is about 5500-8. I guess I will call the fish and game offices in that area to try an get an idea of what is typically accessible in each and when.

You are basically asking them to predict the snowpack for this winter. They can give you historical averages, but it all depends on a lot of factors out of their control. The 4000-6500 feet may have a lot of shaded road access that stays blocked longer and the 5500-8000 may have clearer roads but snowpack levels off the road that hampers access. That's why later in the season is always a safer bet, and if you catch them rutting you can see a lot of bears.

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[bdg848]

so what would "later" be for a nonresident? Mid may? Late may? June? I appreciate everyone's opinions, this will be a 23 hour drive for me so I want to have the best odds to harvest but I suppose that's what everyone wants...

 

[kct802]

Thanks for the reply Sneaky.

That's what I have been reading. Doing some E-scouting a lot of the land in those zones is a little lower in altitude. Is there a minimum altitude to expect to find bears in. I read somewhere a suggestion to get above 6000ft but that seems like it would have to be region specific.
I reached out to local fish and game to get their input and hopefully start a line of communication as I will be out of the country right up until the beginning of the season but haven't heard back yet

 

[Coloradokid]

We are working on an Idaho run from Iowa again this spring. Last year we bumped into an outfitter who told us that even though we were at snow line we were 3 weeks to early so I’m targeting first few days of June this time around.


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[skierhs]

We are working on an Idaho run from Iowa again this spring. Last year we bumped into an outfitter who told us that even though we were at snow line we were 3 weeks to early so I’m targeting first few days of June this time around.


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Some of the best days to hunt, if you’re not hunting a bait. When the rut starts, the boars are super active and cover a ton of ground. I don’t like the rut for baiting though because it becomes way harder to pattern.

 

[Deadly Pursuit]

Tagging in. Thanks for all the info. Tons of bear in unit 11. I was there on a DIY elk hunt in 2010.

I’m planning on hunting unit 11 for spring bear. Got any Intel you’d mind sharing? Thanks.

 

[dubdub52]

Idahohikker was a huge help planning my spring bear trip this year, anyone considering unit 19 feel free to PM me with any questions. Can’t wait for the 2020 season to roll around.

Idahohikker was a huge help planning my spring bear trip this year, anyone considering unit 19 feel free to PM me with any questions. Can’t wait for the 2020 season to roll around.

I'm considering 19 this year, currently unable to PM but I'd love to chat about what advice you have!

 

[CApighunter]

I'm considering 19 this year, currently unable to PM but I'd love to chat about what advice you have!

It’s cool country, but I’d probably suggest picking a different unit with a higher density that will allow you to stay more mobile. Pm me when you can and I’ll try to help.

 

[dubdub52]

It’s cool country, but I’d probably suggest picking a different unit with a higher density that will allow you to stay more mobile. Pm me when you can and I’ll try to help.

Thanks, and I will.

 

[seanspade6]

i would like to say thank you to everybody who ha responded to this. I am a NR and this will be my first spring bear hunt. due t work i am limited to the first or second week of may. i was hoping to backpack and camp for 3 to 4 days. The information here is expansive and i am split which unit to hunt, whether to go down to 39 or up to 4, 10 or 12.
thank you everybody

 

[Coveyleader]

Is there a zone/region where the majority of big bears come from?

Edit......disregard, found it.

 

[Western_hunter87]

Would a hunt like this be advisable solo??? Been wanting to do this for awhile not sure I could convince someone to tag along... lol

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Tell me about it. 90% of the time my buddies bail and its either i go on a solo adventure or sit at home and dream till next year. Im going in this year solo. Cant kill em from the couch. Im excited to go back to idaho.

 

[14idaho]

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

There are a lot of bears in unit 4. I had an outfitting business which included that area prior to the Wolf infestation. No outfitters there now, elk herd has been decimated. Plenty of closed logging roads to hike. First thing out of hibernation bears look for grass/ green shrubs. This is a natural laxative. Find the green up and you'll find bears. South slops will be your best bet. If you decide on unit 4 let me know. Have friends out there, I'm moving back this year. Oh, get a wolf tag.

 

[seanspade6]

unit 4 is one of the units that i was looking into. im not looking for anybody's honey hole if that makes sense but friendly advice would always be awesome since ive never been to idaho. i dont have messaging capabilities on here unfortunately

 

[Dhamar]

Great information following thread!

 

[14idaho]

Total newbie to ID here, but here in Wisconsin all our bears are pretty much coal black. I’d really like a color phase bear. Are they more common in some regions than others? Almost connected in CO this year on a gorgeous brown phase but doh! Thanks I’m advance

From my experience you would have a better chance of killing a color phase bear in Northern Idaho.