Idaho Spring Bear

[packgoatguy]

I have a question about avoiding bait sites and about bait sites in general. Is it a safe bet to assume that any bait site will be easily accessible by car or atv and that if I hike a mile or more off road or behind a gate I will be beyond them? My understanding is that a bear will camp out near the bait site and saunter in for food until they are shot and then another bear will take over the location.

I've found bait sites a few miles from trailheads.

 

[gtriple]

It appears to be OTC tags? I think logistics is the biggest thing. Pretty much have to fly, and figure out how to get everything back. For the price it's probably worth paying a guide to get it done faster as I don't have much extra time?

Guided hunts are cool if you are running dogs. If it's a baited hunt, you may as well go somewhere else, like eastern NC. Either way, it's a totally different hunt with a guide than going DIY spot and stalk.

Buy an OTC tag online. Fly to Boise, Spokane, Missoula, or Bozeman, rent a truck through Turo, find a handful of access points that are very low elevation near a road, hike to glassing points and find a bear. If you don't see anything in a day, relocate and find a new spot. When you get done, drop the hide and skull at a taxidermist (there's no reason to take them home), then freeze the meat in a hotel room freezer the night before your flight.

The first time you do it, you'll be wondering what took you so long.

 

[packgoatguy]

It appears to be OTC tags? I think logistics is the biggest thing. Pretty much have to fly, and figure out how to get everything back. For the price it's probably worth paying a guide to get it done faster as I don't have much extra time?

Ya, but 95% of the fun, thrill, satisfaction, and adventure comes from planning it and executing it yourself

 

[Undrgrndprdcts]

Ya, but 95% of the fun, thrill, satisfaction, and adventure comes from planning it and executing it yourself

Yea I get that, that's how I do everything else already. It's just a little harder when it's 2200 miles away and I'm limited on time. That said, you guys still make it seem like it's totally doable. I'm not familiar with Idaho's public land availability/access yet though.

 

[solostalker]

Yea I get that, that's how I do everything else already. It's just a little harder when it's 2200 miles away and I'm limited on time. That said, you guys still make it seem like it's totally doable. I'm not familiar with Idaho's public land availability/access yet though.

it's very do able. Most of the state is public land- look at a map, pick an area and go. a day of planning, researching and a few phone calls you could have a solid hunt planned easy.

I don't hunt with guides but I know some outfits near me charge about $5K for spring bear on bait. you could do this hunt DIY for half that if not much less.

 

[Gooden123]

Yea I get that, that's how I do everything else already. It's just a little harder when it's 2200 miles away and I'm limited on time. That said, you guys still make it seem like it's totally doable. I'm not familiar with Idaho's public land availability/access yet though.

Inbox me if you want rental truck info and I'll give you a quick run down of how I'm going about my Idaho bear hunt this May and why. I air travel west from the east coast. Not willing to lose hunting time by driving.

Otherwise just know people tend to make a much bigger deal out of flying with meat than it actually is. It's just luggage. Period. Pre-order waxed cardboard insulated 50 lb 'fish boxes' and any other processing supplies you can think of from the closest Walmart. Pick it up if you kill. Cancel if you don't. I've bought a small cheap freezer in a pinch before but lining up a processor to do final cuts, packaging and get it frozen is a better idea. Just your worst case scenario is $150 freezer or renting an Airbnb for a night (hard to plan the date as you don't know when you'll kill).

I'll probably pay a local taxidermist to send my hide to the tannery then have tannery ship the hide to my taxidermist depending on what it is and what I want done. Probably wouldn't make sense to do that with a rug, but it could for a half mount. I just paid about $400 to have an axis shoulder mount shipped from Sante Fe, Texas to NJ via FedEx for a ballpark. This includes building the crate which wasn't expensive nor free.

 

[gtriple]

Inbox me if you want rental truck info and I'll give you a quick run down of how I'm going about my Idaho bear hunt this May and why. I air travel west from the east coast. Not willing to lose hunting time by driving.

Otherwise just know people tend to make a much bigger deal out of flying with meat than it actually is. It's just luggage. Period. Pre-order waxed cardboard insulated 50 lb 'fish boxes' and any other processing supplies you can think of from the closest Walmart. Pick it up if you kill. Cancel if you don't. I've bought a small cheap freezer in a pinch before but lining up a processor to do final cuts, packaging and get it frozen is a better idea. Just your worst case scenario is $150 freezer or renting an Airbnb for a night (hard to plan the date as you don't know when you'll kill).

I'll probably pay a local taxidermist to send my hide to the tannery then have tannery ship the hide to my taxidermist depending on what it is and what I want done. Probably wouldn't make sense to do that with a rug, but it could for a half mount. I just paid about $400 to have an axis shoulder mount shipped from Sante Fe, Texas to NJ via FedEx for a ballpark. This includes building the crate which wasn't expensive nor free.

An AirBNB or a Hilton Garden Inn style hotel with a full-size fridge is big enough to freeze/cool and entire elk. Done it multiple times. The meat also doesn't have to be frozen to fly. Freeze as much as you can, then just cool the rest and it will all be cold on arrival.

I usually fly out there with a couple of coolers packed with my food for the trip, then they have meat on the return. Coleman Rolling Cooler - this cooler is exactly the right size to fly as a checked bag. Just bring duct tape and tape the crap out of it.

I also usually travel with my backpack in a Pelican Air 1615 on the way to the hunt. Then I can use it as a cooler on the way back because it is watertight. I just line it with my dirty clothes or cardboard that I get for free.

 

[gtriple]

it's very do able. Most of the state is public land- look at a map, pick an area and go. a day of planning, researching and a few phone calls you could have a solid hunt planned easy.

I don't hunt with guides but I know some outfits near me charge about $5K for spring bear on bait. you could do this hunt DIY for half that if not much less.

It's crazy to go to Idaho to hunt bears over bait... if you want to hunt baited bears, either go to Canada or Eastern NC. There's no place with bigger black bears.

 

[Gooden123]

It's crazy to go to Idaho to hunt bears over bait... if you want to hunt baited bears, either go to Canada or Eastern NC. There's no place with bigger black bears.

Agree with this almost 100%. I'd love to do a NC coastal hunt soon, but haven't looked into it yet.

I also want to kill a bear in every state. Personal goal. I'm probably alone in that camp but it might not be 'crazy' to hunt bears over bait in Idaho if he wants a high harvest probably out west with potential for color phased. Everyone has reasons.

 

[Undrgrndprdcts]

Not looking for baited. Want stereotypical cross canyon type bear hunting that Idaho is know for. Gooden123 you can pm me with additional info if you'd like. Thanks.

 

[Matt5266]

Don't forget you need to figure out a way to get the hide and skull to F&G within 10 days of harvest too.