So ... How far are you all pushing your bear hunt back.

When are you headed out?

  • Mid April

  • Late April

  • Early May

  • Mid May

  • Late May

  • Early June or later?


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Joined
Jan 15, 2022
Messages
1,563
About 5 feet of snowpack still on the ground as of today and a temperature of 40 degrees, with a south wind of 10 miles per hour. We're still on schedule for flying to bear camp on Tuesday, weather permitting.
 

Marshfly

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
Messages
753
Location
Missoula, Montana
I got out in Western Montana Saturday as well. Virtually no green up on the snow clear southern slopes below 5k. Level pockets (benches and readouts) on east and west facing slopes with no snow have slight grass starting. Certainly no bears and very little hooved critters. Guess we sit tight for another couple of weeks.

Definitely nice to be in the mountains this weekend with the spring sunny weather.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2022
Messages
1,563
I got out in Western Montana Saturday as well. Virtually no green up on the snow clear southern slopes below 5k. Level pockets (benches and readouts) on east and west facing slopes with no snow have slight grass starting. Certainly no bears and very little hooved critters. Guess we sit tight for another couple of weeks.

Definitely nice to be in the mountains this weekend with the spring sunny weather.


Here in Alaska, down along the northern gulf coast, they've been out for a month now.
 

Marshfly

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Sep 18, 2022
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Missoula, Montana
Here in Alaska, down along the northern gulf coast, they've been out for a month now.
I'm sure some are out, but it's going to be tough to find them right now when you could just wait a couple of weeks and find them using normal tactics. I can just drive and hike in virtually any day of the week so there's no rush.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2022
Messages
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I'm sure some are out, but it's going to be tough to find them right now when you could just wait a couple of weeks and find them using normal tactics. I can just drive and hike in virtually any day of the week so there's no rush.


Naw, they're actually pretty easy to find right now, in these type of conditions (deep snow and lots of brilliant sunshine). Heading out tomorrow (weather permitting) on a 73-day hunt.
 

ROKnROAL

FNG
Joined
Mar 21, 2023
Messages
82
Going out to hunt some private land in the foothills of the Rockies here in Alberta this weekend for my second attempt. Hoping for a little less snow this time, first attempt right in the mountains was thigh deep everywhere I went. Hoping the bears may be up with the more greened-up spaces on private.
 

mtwarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
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Location
Montana
Looks like you can write off a lot of Central Montana- Little Belts, Big Belts, Elkhorns, East Front for at least another couple of weeks- a foot+ of new snow; I'm guessing the Judith's and Snowy's will be in the same boat.

Does look like we're in for a warmup, but it's 7-10 days out yet.
 

Marshfly

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
Messages
753
Location
Missoula, Montana
Any Montana updates? I made a trip today west of Missoula along I-90 and just didn’t see any sign from 4000-5500ft. Grass, shoots and flowers are just starting to pop that high but snow is moving up fast.
35d16c4b09fb010d73330adec01158da.jpg



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jtevanMT

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 30, 2022
Messages
126
I was out last weekend in Western, MT and did not see any bears or sign at 4000-4500 ft, only ticks. The warm weather this week should start the green-up and hopefully get the bears out feeding.
 

Marshfly

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
Messages
753
Location
Missoula, Montana
I was out last weekend in Western, MT and did not see any bears or sign at 4000-4500 ft, only ticks. The warm weather this week should start the green-up and hopefully get the bears out feeding.
Thanks for the confirmation. I'm brand new to this game so just trying to figure it out from scratch.
 
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
865
Location
Wa
Just got home from Western Montana... pretty sure it was a huge mistake pushing the hunt back so far... hunted hard for 5 days.. 4000-6000' covered 19 miles on foot behind gates and 100 miles on the truck.... found 1 pile of scat. It seems like it went straight from Winter to Summer and completely skipped spring, At least there were plenty of other wildlife to watch..
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2022
Messages
37
Where I hunt in Montana there was less snow this year than the last couple. I came up the 5th, and didn’t end up seeing a bear until the 9th. Started to see a bear here and there as time went on, but it was a pretty slow year for me. I ended up jumping a decent boar off a logging road and getting him killed.
 

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Marshfly

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
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753
Location
Missoula, Montana
I am on a couple of MT specific FB hunting groups and there are significantly less Bear down porn posts this year than last year. I don't know.
 
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
734
I am on a couple of MT specific FB hunting groups and there are significantly less Bear down porn posts this year than last year. I don't know.

Maybe the hunt quietly movement is working. In my experience this has been a banner year for spring bear hunting. Everyone has been seeing bears and shooting them


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Marshfly

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
Messages
753
Location
Missoula, Montana
Maybe the hunt quietly movement is working. In my experience this has been a banner year for spring bear hunting. Everyone has been seeing bears and shooting them


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Maybe so.

Hopefully so…

I haven’t been able to get in the woods as much as I anticipated unfortunately.


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Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
734
idaho montana border out of st regis montana. Been going to the upper joe whitewatering, since the late 90's. Only second time i can remember driving over gold pass, this early.

Further proof that conditions can and do change from one area to another, those convinced that entire states have died off this winter are just burying their heads in the sand


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