Idaho Spring Bear

[IDVortex]

I'm hoping the weather is nice this coming weekend so I can get out up north. Unless my dental work Friday kicks my ass then I might just go for a day hunt.

 

[IDVortex]

Okay, figured this would be the best place to ask.

Spring bear, are the bears active in the rain or with weather coming in?

I'm looking at going to go bear spring hunting in Central Idaho the weekend of the 4th of May, weather forecasts say rain or showers. Worth going or not? First time bear hunter, so to be honest, I'm learning from the interwebs and I'll be learning when I go out.

 

[Amos Moses]

Okay, figured this would be the best place to ask.

Spring bear, are the bears active in the rain or with weather coming in?

I'm looking at going to go bear spring hunting in Central Idaho the weekend of the 4th of May, weather forecasts say rain or showers. Worth going or not? First time bear hunter, so to be honest, I'm learning from the interwebs and I'll be learning when I go out.

I sure hope they are. I’ll be there this weekend and forecast is calling for on and off rain and snow all 4 days.

 

[IDVortex]

I sure hope they are. I’ll be there this weekend and forecast is calling for on and off rain and snow all 4 days.

Good luck!

 

[Jason Snyder]

Okay, figured this would be the best place to ask.

Spring bear, are the bears active in the rain or with weather coming in?

I'm looking at going to go bear spring hunting in Central Idaho the weekend of the 4th of May, weather forecasts say rain or showers. Worth going or not? First time bear hunter, so to be honest, I'm learning from the interwebs and I'll be learning when I go out.

I’ve never found them to be terribly active in prolonged rain. Might just be me? I’ve always had the best luck when the sun is out, even if it’s just breaks in the clouds.

 

[KG92]

I sure hope they are. I’ll be there this weekend and forecast is calling for on and off rain and snow all 4 days.

Same. Central ID this Thursday thru Sunday. OnX Recent Imagery tells me that at least the area I’ll be hunting will be starting to get green. Hopefully the weather will give at least a few good breaks.

 

[Customweld]

Same. Central ID this Thursday thru Sunday. OnX Recent Imagery tells me that at least the area I’ll be hunting will be starting to get green. Hopefully the weather will give at least a few good breaks.

Was in one of the draw units in SW Idaho yesterday. Snow is pretty clear up to 5k. 5.5k is still pretty solid snow in all aspects. Below 5k is pretty clear except spots on the north and east slopes. The green is following behind the snow about a week it looks like. Roads above 4.5k on the north and east slopes are going to still have drifts.

 

[IDVortex]

Looking at the south central area of the state with Snotel, I'm shocked how much is being reported on the ground. A couple areas just 4 inches. Hardest thing for me will be getting access to the areas I want due to not owning a raft and not paying for a plane.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

For those wondering how the activity is: I put my cans up in the usual hot spots this last weekend (Friday), which is really unusual. I’ve never been able to put up baits this early in the season before, so this is a new experiment. So far, no bears to report.

 

[Amos Moses]

Looking forward to someone starting the 2024 bear success thread.

 

[rclouse79]

ticks are definately out. I had 3 crawling on me wednesday and i was not hunting.
but you just flick them off or pull them off, what ever the case might be. Personally i don't over think ticks.

A few years ago we got into a spot the ticks were THICK. I hate those bastards. Each one that crawled on me got a death sentence and was cut in half with a little folding knife I keep in my bino harness. No bears that trip but I bet I killed close to 1000 ticks.

 

[rclouse79]

Why carry a handgun when you have a rifle?

I have my 10 mm glock when I go solo. I am not going into the brush at night to recover a bear without that thing locked and loaded.

 

[Matt5266]

Had a buddy kill a nice bear about 5 days ago in SW Idaho

 

[Britt-dog]

I'll be putting baits in tomorrow afternoon. this is several weeks early for me too, so a bit of an experiment. I've said before in this thread that I historically kill bears around Memorial day weekend regardless of weather, so I'm interested to see how much play I get prior to that, this year.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I'll be putting baits in tomorrow afternoon. this is several weeks early for me too, so a bit of an experiment. I've said before in this thread that I historically kill bears around Memorial day weekend regardless of weather, so I'm interested to see how much play I get prior to that, this year.

Likewise. Our experiences sound similar. Memorial weekend is my usual killing time too.

 

[mtnbiker208]

Every year, i say i will pursue bears more in the spring. But then mountain biking and whitewater get in the way. just love the adrenaline to much. Memorial day weekend, is usally a great whitewater weekend.

 

[IDVortex]

Every year, i say i will pursue bears more in the spring. But then mountain biking and whitewater get in the way. just love the adrenaline to much. Memorial day weekend, is usally a great whitewater weekend.

Could do whitewater and bear hunting together though....

 

[.204smokechaser]

Seen a bear yesterday morning while clearing trail.

Pulled 60 ticks off in the last 4 days. Don’t think they like my coors lite and cool mint zyn blood.

New high score on the year of 31 today and haven’t taken a shower yet.

 

[MHWASH]

New high score on the year of 31 today and haven’t taken a shower yet.

That's impressive, in a bad way!

We're headed to the same place at the same time of year this weekend. Low altitude area that is typically snowless this time of year. will be interesting to compare the greenup from previous years.

 

[.204smokechaser]

That's impressive, in a bad way!

We're headed to the same place at the same time of year this weekend. Low altitude area that is typically snowless this time of year. will be interesting to compare the greenup from previous years.

Expect to see more green than normal! I’m already seeing Greenup 3000’ above the river currently. We will see how the grass and Forbs due this year compared to normal years. Also I guess we we’ll see how our berry crops are this summer and fall but I expect it to be pretty sad like last year, at least out here.