Montana/Idaho Spring Bear

[jdk81]

Hello and thanks for reading this post.

This will be our first bear hunt ever, and we are wanting to do a back-country hunt and hunt out of a base camp approximately 5 miles away from roads and trails. We have been doing tons of research and I believe we have all but settled on Montana and a hunt start date of around May 10th. I have a couple questions and I will list them below. Basically, any and all information will be GREATLY appreciated!

1: Idaho vs Montana? Montana is a little closer for us, and they only allow spot and stalk hunting. That't what draws us there. Idaho is where we are going to be elk hunting this year, so if we could hunt bears and get a feel for the area it would give us a great advantage on an elk hunt! We are slightly worried about running into bait/dogs however.

What do you think would be best for us?

2: In whichever state, where should we begin to research? I have looked at the area directly south of Bozeman in Montana, and the Sawtooth wilderness in Idaho around unit 36. Do these sound like a decent starting point? I'd like a couple of options so that I can contact biologists and locals in hopes to get a better idea of the bear population. Any help here would be great! I am just trying to avoid going to an area with no bears! Just looking for unit ideas here.. Thanks

3: If there are any tips and tricks you might have, please share! We are very new in our understanding of bears. From everything I have read, the second and third weeks of May can be a great time to hunt them. May 8-10 through May 20-23. Does that sound like a good window? Are Idaho and Montana good hunting around the same time frame?



Thanks for reading this post! Any information at all would be appreciated!

 

[FlyGuy]

If you have the Chance to hunt spring bear in the same area that you are also planning to hunt elk in, then I would encourage you to go that route.

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[jdk81]

Sounds great! I figured that would be a good option

 

[frankrb3]

Just realize the area south of Bozeman is also Grizzly Bear area. It's obviously illegal to shoot them even by mistake which is why you are required to pass an online bear identification test before being able to hunt black bears here. I would recommend looking at the Bridger Mountains just North of Bozeman. Grizzly bears are not reported to live there so any bear you see should be a black bear. Still your responsibility to positively identify the species of bear before you shoot regardless of where you are.

 

[idahohikker]

I wouldn't avoid Idaho just because people run hounds. From my experience hunting and hearing hunting reports, you can likely avoid those issues.

 

[skierhs]

I feel that the ability to scout/hunt spring bear in the same area as your upcoming elk hunt is a worlds advantage in the fall. I would go where ever your hunting in the fall. With Idaho’s tag system some if not all bear tags are good for both spring and fall so if you don’t fill it in the spring you would still have the chance to fill it this fall(that at least how it works for the discounted tags). Those two things point me in all directions to Idaho for you.

 

[jdk81]

Thanks for the advice! We've been doing a large amount of research on bear identification, I think we'll be good from that standpoint. Will definitely look into the Bridger Mountains, looks good on a map, and avoiding grizzlys would be preferable.

We were looking at the Unit 36 area in Idaho for elk, the Sawtooth Zone. It doesn't appear many spring bears are harvested there. I will be calling the biologist this week to try and figure an area that would be OK for both species. We are planning a fishing and camping trip to wherever we decide to elk hunt, too. So we should have a couple of scouting trips before September!

Thanks for all these advice. Does anyone have a recommendation of a unit or area that youd recommend for both spring bear and elk? Thanks!

 

[idahohikker]

36 would be a very hard to obtain a tag. There's a small quota for general tags and they sell out in minutes or seconds. The fish and game said the unit will likely become a controlled hunt in 2019 so it doesn't make sense to hunt it for one year anyways IMO.

What's your priority between elk and deer? If it's elk, I'd pick that and just try to be in a place with a decent bear population. If you really value good bear hunting, I'd be looking at 39 or 1. They have high bear populations. There are others that are good but I don't know them off the top of my head. Most elk units have a fair number of bears around though. Look at the harvest stats and talk to the bios about the bear population. Another important factor is just the type of county you want to hunt-backcountry, roaded, heavily-timbered, etc.

 

[jdk81]

Thanks for the advice, I had wondered why the bear harvest in 36 was so low, very early in planning. I'll definitely be in touch with biologists! Elk is the priority, and backcountry is the style of hunt we are looking for. I'll look into 39 and others.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[CC]

You can look at harvest reports off the hunt planner on FWP website. It will give you an idea where the higher populations are. May want to check out in your planning.

 

[AllagashHunter]

There are tons of black bears in units 312, (North of Bozeman) and 301, (South of Bozeman). If you are looking at a Backcountry hunt though, I would recommend Unit 560, while its huge, there are backcountry opportunities and there are lots of Black bears, however there is also a good number of Grizzlies as well.

 

[jdk81]

There are tons of black bears in units 312, (North of Bozeman) and 301, (South of Bozeman). If you are looking at a Backcountry hunt though, I would recommend Unit 560, while its huge, there are backcountry opportunities and there are lots of Black bears, however there is also a good number of Grizzlies as well.

Great info! Thanks for the post!

 

[bluetick78]

Even though I live in the black bear mecca of Idaho, my favorite place to hunt bears is Montana. Seems like they have a million miles of spot and stalk opportunities without a bluetick or plott in sight. I seem to always be successful in Montana, and the age class of the bears seems to be better. Maybe it's just been my lucky day whenever I drive North.....

 

[Mt Al]

FYI, if you're considering around Bozeman, be prepared to see other people. The farther from Bozeman, the better. There are still bears around of course, but places where I hadn't seen one person in the last twenty years now - quite a few. Can't blame anyone and Bozeman's always on the list of "fastest growing" places and we're feeling it. Your plan of being five miles back is wise, far fewer people for sure, even around here.

Either way, you're 99% there by having the stones to do what you're doing!! Good on you!

 

[bow_dozer]

I live in Bozeman, Bridgers do hold opportunities, bears are usually smaller in size in that range though. If you do want to truly get 5 miles back, this year might be a struggle unless we get lots of sun. Snowpack is crazy deep right now. Gallatin get hammered with people. Madison Range is a good opportunity to get away from people.

 

[Wild Bob]

Thanks for the advice! We've been doing a large amount of research on bear identification, I think we'll be good from that standpoint. Will definitely look into the Bridger Mountains, looks good on a map, and avoiding grizzlys would be preferable.

We were looking at the Unit 36 area in Idaho for elk, the Sawtooth Zone. It doesn't appear many spring bears are harvested there. I will be calling the biologist this week to try and figure an area that would be OK for both species. We are planning a fishing and camping trip to wherever we decide to elk hunt, too. So we should have a couple of scouting trips before September!

Thanks for all these advice. Does anyone have a recommendation of a unit or area that youd recommend for both spring bear and elk? Thanks!

Just keep in mind that if you are coming to hunt MT - you'll need to do the MFWP Bear Identification Test.

 

[jdk81]

Yep, I'm aware of the test. Thanks for all the replies! The snowpack does have us concerned as of now, we'll see how that goes I guess from here on out. We'll keep on chugging with the research before we come to a final decision. I think we are now leaning towards northern Idaho and snagging a wolf tag for the few weeks we will be there, if that is even possible.

Thanks!

 

[jdk81]

I live in Bozeman, Bridgers do hold opportunities, bears are usually smaller in size in that range though. If you do want to truly get 5 miles back, this year might be a struggle unless we get lots of sun. Snowpack is crazy deep right now. Gallatin get hammered with people. Madison Range is a good opportunity to get away from people.

The Madison Range looks quite intriguing. I assume it is receiving the same snowpack that Bozeman is though? Is it looking like there will be any access mid may or is it still snowing? I have a friend there and I saw it was snowing just a couple days ago.

 

[Coach529]

Yep, I'm aware of the test. Thanks for all the replies! The snowpack does have us concerned as of now, we'll see how that goes I guess from here on out. We'll keep on chugging with the research before we come to a final decision. I think we are now leaning towards northern Idaho and snagging a wolf tag for the few weeks we will be there, if that is even possible.

Thanks!

Public Land Wolf Season ends March 31st.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/seasons-rules-big-game-wolf-2017-2018.pdf

 

[frankrb3]

There are tons of black bears in units 312, (North of Bozeman) and 301, (South of Bozeman). If you are looking at a Backcountry hunt though, I would recommend Unit 560, while its huge, there are backcountry opportunities and there are lots of Black bears, however there is also a good number of Grizzlies as well.

The hunting districts you are referring to are Elk, Deer and Lion districts which do not share the same boundaries as the bear hunting districts. There is no HD 560 or HD 312 for Bear and HD 301 is North West of Bozeman, not South. If you are referring to the MTFWP hunt planner map you need to check the box on the left hand side that says bear hunting districts and uncheck the box that says elk, deer and lion hunting districts. It's important that you re-familiarize yourself with the hunting regulations before the next time you go hunting or before you recommend to others where to hunt because you're giving out wrong information.