Question for the Spring Bear hunters

[Luked]

For you spring bear hunting veterans what would you tell a newb to Spring bear hunting what to look for?
I have been wanting to head to ID for spring bear for some time and with it getting harder and harder to get elk tags it has me thinking of heading out for spring bears at some point.
For a guy coming from the Midwest i know what the mountains are like and gear wise im good. But have zero clue what to look for Bear hunting.
I know there are tons of stuff on YouTube etc but would much rather hear from guys that do it all the time.
For a guy that pretty much has the ability to head out for 1 week a year to hunt west baiting is out of the question also.

So lets hear some tips from you all.

 

[HuntWyld]

Late April to early May, find rugged country with bright green grassy openings to glass into. Water in the bottom and thick cover near by is the recipe.

 

[medvedyt]

watch the southern slope and later on the dandelions when they will be out. bears love them ...

 

[UTJL]

If you want to kill a big bear late April/ early May. If you want to kill any bear mid May to the end of the season. Montana FWP has true harvest numbers that show the majority of bears are killed from mid May on.

 

[Elite]

If you want to kill a big bear late April/ early May. If you want to kill any bear mid May to the end of the season. Montana FWP has true harvest numbers that show the majority of bears are killed from mid May on.

How come early may for mature bears


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[UTJL]

Bear research indicates large boars are the first to leave their dens, followed by younger adult boars and sows without cubs and finally sows with cubs.

When bears first leave their dens they don’t travel much for the first week or so. So it’s the time your most likely to find a big boar who has a day to day pattern. In mid May they start roaming.

Its similar to big elk, muleys or whitetails in August.

 

[duckhuntr]

Bear research indicates large boars are the first to leave their dens, followed by younger adult boars and sows without cubs and finally sows with cubs.

When bears first leave their dens they don’t travel much for the first week or so. So it’s the time your most likely to find a big boar who has a day to day pattern. In mid May they start roaming.

It’s similar to big elk, muleys or whitetails in August.

Total Noob to bear hunting as well. Kind of answers my question. But yeah, I saw a big bear yesterday 1200 yards. Not likely I can chase it again until next weekend. Should I expect that bear to be in the same general area? Or just in general, if you see a bear one day and can’t make the move on it, do you keep hitting that spot?

 

[UTJL]

There are no guarantees, but early in the season that bear is much more likely to be in that general area a week from now.

If you could get out there today you’d have a good chance at finding him.

 

[DenimChicken]

Late April to early May, find rugged country with bright green grassy openings to glass into. Water in the bottom and thick cover near by is the recipe.

This is the best spring bear advice.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Water is always the key item with bears honestly
They like water very close and prefer nice clean springs
But there better be some bright fresh salad as well
Try to get where you can see a ton of country to start with

 

[Asutcliffe]

For a guy limited to hunting the last week of May only. What would some key terrain features be?

 

[Trapline]

Drainages

 

[The Guide]

I've dabbled in Montana spot and stalk bear hunting and this is the advice I've been given by biologists and taxidermists that helped the most for spring bear.

Follow the snow line as best you can. There should be snow drifts left in the areas you are looking.

Took for a drainage with open parks facing the Southeast. The drainage should have running water (even if it is just seasonal) and the parks should be above the running water not below it. You can still hear if you are above running water, if you are below the rushing water it affects the way sound travels and bears like to hear everything.

Look for a cliff or rocky ridge as those areas often have winter kill from accidentally death or lion kills and spring bears love them some rotten meat after they eat enough grass to start the digestive system.

Glass every opening, even if you can only see a sliver of the hillside between 2 trees. I've seen bears from in the trees on an opening a half mile away but when you get to the opening, they are no where to be found. Bears hide in the tiniest folds in the terrain. You will have to work angles to see a bear where you think he should be.

There is more, so much more but these are tips that helped me.

Jay

P.S. Bring full sized shovels, chains, come-a-longs, winches, tell people where you are going, don't hunt solo if you can help it. If I get stuck out hunting, it is when I'm spring bear hunting. Wet snow will suck you to the ground with no down pressure cause you're high centered... did I mention I chase the snowline...

 

[longrangelead]

mixed habitat. brush, timber, grass and water.
If you see a hell hole like this and think "I ain't going in there", so does everyone else and that's where the bears are.
That nice green "meadow" is just less steep but we killed a bear there.
Also, glass until you can't see or shoot. often bears come out right before dark.

 

[hunter14870]

How concerned should a person be about rattlesnakes during the spring bear season in Idaho or Montana? I'm from an area with no rattlers, and don't know if there are a common thing to run into or if it is rare to see one. If they are a problem, I was curious if there are areas that are less likely to have them. And do most people wear snake gaiters?

 

[easternoregonballistics]

How concerned should a person be about rattlesnakes during the spring bear season in Idaho or Montana? I'm from an area with no rattlers, and don't know if there are a common thing to run into or if it is rare to see one. If they are a problem, I was curious if there are areas that are less likely to have them. And do most people wear snake gaiters?

Unless youre in the desert, youre not going to need snake gaiters most likely

 

[UTJL]

How concerned should a person be about rattlesnakes during the spring bear season in Idaho or Montana? I'm from an area with no rattlers, and don't know if there are a common thing to run into or if it is rare to see one. If they are a problem, I was curious if there are areas that are less likely to have them. And do most people wear snake gaiters?

In Montana, west of the continental divide, you don’t need to worry about them at all. East of the divide there are some rattlers, but not where you’ll be bear hunting.

I grew up hunting in North and South Carolina in areas thick with rattlesnakes. We wore snake boots, but no one was ever bit, had a close call, etc.

Just don’t pick one up and you’ll be fine.

 

[hunter14870]

Ok thank you! Is that not really a concern in Idaho or northwestern Montana, even at lower elevations in the spring?
Also, is it risky with the thick brush in region 1 of Montana or northern Idaho to hunt with the grizzlies around? Or is it possible to get in open enough county that it's not likely to stumble across one in the thick brush and startle it.

 

[UTJL]

In Montana, west of the continental divide I don’t worry about rattlesnakes at all. Doesn’t matter if it’s July and I’m at the river walking around in flip flops.

Grizzlies are what you should be concerned about. You can encounter one anywhere in Montana.

Northwest Montana and especially Region 1 are thick. It’d be tough to hunt effectively without going into some thick brush, lodgepole, etc. If you decide to hunt these areas, take the necessary precautions and be mentally ready to encounter a grizz.

If that’s not something you’re comfortable with, I’d look at other places.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

Ok thank you! Is that not really a concern in Idaho or northwestern Montana, even at lower elevations in the spring?
Also, is it risky with the thick brush in region 1 of Montana or northern Idaho to hunt with the grizzlies around? Or is it possible to get in open enough county that it's not likely to stumble across one in the thick brush and startle it.

Its very very thick and brushy here in NW MT. My 10mm never leaves my hip unless I'm taking a dump, and then its on the ground within arms reach. Open areas are a rarity and generally not big enough that that's where you'll be spending a whole day hunting.

That being said, I haven't run into a grizzly or wolves yet after a little over a year of living here. Have seen a few lion tracks though. Definitely no rattlers.