Idaho Spring Bear

[gotlag1789]

Thanks, I follow it pretty regularly along with NOAA.

Just meant like locals perspective on like “it’s a crazy snowy year” or like “meh, not that bad this year.”

 

[Customweld]

Thanks, I follow it pretty regularly along with NOAA.

Just meant like locals perspective on like “it’s a crazy snowy year” or like “meh, not that bad this year.”

In SW Idaho, there's a lot of snow right now. From 3500 feet on up. The snow below 4- 4.5k can come off pretty fast with warm March temps but there is a lot above that. It snowed all but 3 days in February at Brundage and they picked up almost 8 feet in that time.

 

[gotlag1789]

In SW Idaho, there's a lot of snow right now. From 3500 feet on up. The snow below 4- 4.5k can come off pretty fast with warm March temps but there is a lot above that. It snowed all but 3 days in February at Brundage and they picked up almost 8 feet in that time.

That kind of stuff love that. Appreciate the input!! - I always find these precip guides to be fairly inaccurate as we’ve discussed a few pages back.

 

[Customweld]

That kind of stuff love that. Appreciate the input!! - I always find these precip guides to be fairly inaccurate as we’ve discussed a few pages back.

The individual Snotel historical average graphs are pretty accurate. You can watch the daily snow depth report and know exactly how much snow is there. Granted, that’s just for that specific site, but there are enough of them that you can get a good gauge on what that snow pack is doing.

 

[Smit]

Some other portions of the state where around 80-90% based on the snotel report recently

New member but I’ve been reading this forum for years. Mainly this exact one. Old thread but can’t hurt to ask. This year I’ve been able to make time for a spring bear trip. Only thing that is really giving me any trouble/worry is that all of ID is over 100% on snowfall. Would the last week of may be to early this year? Been looking at the northern part of 36. Might still be too early to tell but trying to get a plan together. I’ve been looking at salm river road as another option but I’m not quite sure what to expect.

 

[Customweld]

New member but I’ve been reading this forum for years. Mainly this exact one. Old thread but can’t hurt to ask. This year I’ve been able to make time for a spring bear trip. Only thing that is really giving me any trouble/worry is that all of ID is over 100% on snowfall. Would the last week of may be to early this year? Been looking at the northern part of 36. Might still be too early to tell but trying to get a plan together. I’ve been looking at salm river road as another option but I’m not quite sure what to expect.

AWS Plot

nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov

If you follow these trend lines with this site (happens to be above the Salmon corridor), you'll get an idea of where the snow is more than likely going to be. If you strike the minimum and max years, you'll see that May 16- June 7th is the time frame of absolute snow loss at this site. The '23 snow year was pretty deep and was well above average and continued to build on past the median peak date. It still melted off faster than other years that had less snow pack. The Salmon River road should be well melted off by the last week of May.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Winter ain't over.

Randy

 

[Smit]

Winter ain't over.

Randy

Yea I keep looking at the weather and snow just keeps on being forecasted. I’m guessing it will all boil down to how warm the spring is? Just trying to e scout as many places while watching the elevation and got to wondering if the creek bottoms are at 6k and the mtn peaks are 9k if the snow will still be laying in the bottoms. Don’t have to worry about this on the east coast. I know it’s still early as hell.

 

[packgoatguy]

I'll also point out that the snotel sites are not always at the highest point of a mountain pass. So... if the snotel site is 500-1000 feet lower, or on a sunny part of the road... you might be surprised to find 3ft snowdrifts blocking your path for a few weeks after the snotel shows no snow.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

While the snotel sites might be holding a lot of snow it’s been 60° in the treasure valley and the foothills up to about 4500 feet look barren of snow. I think it’s going to be an easy year for access to bears personally but I do most of my bear hunting around the 5-6000’ range like most everyone else in Idaho


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[Smit]

While the snotel sites might be holding a lot of snow it’s been 60° in the treasure valley and the foothills up to about 4500 feet look barren of snow. I think it’s going to be an easy year for access to bears personally but I do most of my bear hunting around the 5-6000’ range like most everyone else in Idaho


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Yea I really just want to be able to hike as hard as I can. I can hunt bears here in nc but been itching for years to just have that backcountry experience. My plan for now with the snow is to wait another month or 2 and keep checking the weather. Might call the ranger district when time gets closer to check with them as well.

 

[gotlag1789]

While the snotel sites might be holding a lot of snow it’s been 60° in the treasure valley and the foothills up to about 4500 feet look barren of snow. I think it’s going to be an easy year for access to bears personally but I do most of my bear hunting around the 5-6000’ range like most everyone else in Idaho


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Appreciate the update.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

New member but I’ve been reading this forum for years. Mainly this exact one. Old thread but can’t hurt to ask. This year I’ve been able to make time for a spring bear trip. Only thing that is really giving me any trouble/worry is that all of ID is over 100% on snowfall. Would the last week of may be to early this year? Been looking at the northern part of 36. Might still be too early to tell but trying to get a plan together. I’ve been looking at salm river road as another option but I’m not quite sure what to expect.

Which salmon river road? The one from Riggins upriver? If so you’ll be good there April 15. I hiked up from salmon river road not too far from riggins a couple years back and missed a bear on April 22nd, same day I saw another bear on the opposite side of the river but didn’t have any sort of floatation device with me to try and cross the river


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[Smit]

Which salmon river road? The one from Riggins upriver? If so you’ll be good there April 15. I hiked up from salmon river road not too far from riggins a couple years back and missed a bear on April 22nd, same day I saw another bear on the opposite side of the river but didn’t have any sort of floatation device with me to try and cross the river


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I’ve been looking at riggins and from NF.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

I don’t know about the other side near north fork, haven’t made it over that way in the spring. I’m assuming the road itself would probably be open North Fork is only 3800 feet, as of right now it’s mid 30’s to low 50’s for the next 2 weeks daytime high in Salmon. If you showed up April 15 I would bet you can drive the salmon river road to its end, just a matter of how far(high)off the road you can get at that point but I’m guessing there would be bears that den within 1000 vertical feet of the road itself, pick a likely canyon hike up into it, sit and glass the rocky faces and you’ll find bears


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[Smit]

I don’t know about the other side near north fork, haven’t made it over that way in the spring. I’m assuming the road itself would probably be open North Fork is only 3800 feet, as of right now it’s mid 30’s to low 50’s for the next 2 weeks daytime high in Salmon. If you showed up April 15 I would bet you can drive the salmon river road to its end, just a matter of how far(high)off the road you can get at that point but I’m guessing there would be bears that den within 1000 vertical feet of the road itself, pick a likely canyon hike up into it, sit and glass the rocky faces and you’ll find bears


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I’m guessing since that road is the only way In for the most part it gets pretty crowded?

 

[packgoatguy]

I’m guessing since that road is the only way In for the most part it gets pretty crowded?

Your guess would be correct

 

[.204smokechaser]

Checked a co workers camera this afternoon and the cedar right up the hill from his camera was freshly scratched up. Pretty early and no greenup yet in this area since the snow came off during the 3-4” of precip last weekend, but bears are no doubt starting to get spring fever, 1800’ elevation south aspect.

 

[mtnbiker208]

something to keep in mind about elavations in idaho. The farther north you go, the lower the elevation numbers, but not necesarily lower amounts of relief, ie valley bottom to mountain top. My house is at 2400 feet and the tops are 6000. Up high is having a normal winter, down low has been a low snowfall winter, but there is 8 feet of snow on top. This is in north idaho.

 

[Smit]

something to keep in mind about elavations in idaho. The farther north you go, the lower the elevation numbers, but not necesarily lower amounts of relief, ie valley bottom to mountain top. My house is at 2400 feet and the tops are 6000. Up high is having a normal winter, down low has been a low snowfall winter, but there is 8 feet of snow on top. This is in north idaho.

I’ve been looking at 3-4 different areas to try and hunt if I can’t get into where I’d like to bc of snow. Just going to watch the weather and look at snowtell and hope for the best.