Where to hunt Bear??

[jm1607]

Ok, long story short...

I have never chased bear of any kind. I live in TX where we have black bear but they are protected. I finally just got one of my best friends into archery/hunting and when I asked him what his dream hunt was he said "I want to kill a bear". Sounds fairly easy for a dream hunt, he could have said Shiras or something lol. So, preparation has begun. Want to make it somewhat budgety. Here's what I'm looking for:

1) Looking for a glassing/spot and stalk kind of hunt, not sitting in a tree over bait

2) Somewhere we have a decent chance to take a bear or 2, not a total wild goose chase

3) Looking for something in the lower 48

4) We're looking at going unguided/DIY

5) Species doesn't really matter

6) Open to rifle/muzzleloader but would like to take bow. Actually, would like to take both

I was looking into both AR and NM since they are within a short driving distance, but after doing research both seem like very few bears get harvested on public land (unless someone can chime in and tell me otherwise. I would much rather drive half a day than fly somewhere)..

Not within driving distance I'm looking at ID, WA, and MT pretty hard. No specific areas picked out yet..

Just started my research but thought I'd post here first. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction since I'm lost lol. Any advice would be grateful, including a good time of year to go. We can probably take a full week (9 days) off of work..

 

[TRIPLE]

I have a couple questions that if you could answer, would help steer you in a better direction:

Spring or fall?

Trophy expectations (how big of bear do you want?)

Your physical conditioning as well as mountain/backpack hunting experience?

Are you willing to backpack hunt or do you want to day hunt from a vehicle camp?

Good bear hunts are available every year in most western states, but to insure success be prepared for hard work. Answer those questions and I'm sure I can give you some specific information.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Pretty tough to beat the bear hunting we have here in the Cascades of WA... There are big bears here and an OTC September backpack hunt would serve you well. The Blue Mountains down in SE WA have some monster bears as well, more base camp type hunting too but you definitely have the chance to kill more than 1 bear in both areas. I'm not much of a bear hunter I really couldn't care if I don't shoot another one... expensive to mount and just don't really trip my trigger much. I will say though that the Cascade mountain bears are rumored to eat 10X better than the bears down in the SE portion of the state. Huckleberries vs. wild onions makes for quite a bit of a taste difference!

Mike

 

[jm1607]

Spring or fall, doesn't really matter.. Not 100% sure we can be ready by this Spring though, possibly..

Not looking for a trophy but obviously the bigger the better.. More just looking for success to help get my friend addicted to hunting.. The trip is more for him than me..

Physically we're in pretty good shape and only getting better (weights or running almost everyday).. Altitude may kill us though since we're in TX, but we're up for a challenge.. We have alot of backpacking experience and good gear, but not alot of mountain or extreme cold weather experience..

We definitely would like to do a backpacking trip.. And, the fewer other hunters I see while out the happier I am

Looking into WA right now.. Looking down the threads I see tons of Roksliders have gotten bears in WA this year..

 

[Stid2677]

If you decide to go to Washington I have a book I will mail you free,, The Education of a Bear Hunter by Ralph Flowers, written by a long time bear hunter from and in Washington.

If you want to head North to Alaska I can point you in the right direction there.

I would recommend a spring hunt, at least I like the spring better. The bears are rutting and I see more as they are motivated by more than food, less vegetation to deal with which means they are easier to see, longer days and warmer weather.

Good Luck

Steve

 

[TRIPLE]

Pm me your info and I can steer you in a good direction.

 

[Stid2677]

How about some photos to get you motivated..

 

[littlebuf]

If you decide to go to Washington I have a book I will mail you free,, The Education of a Bear Hunter by Ralph Flowers, written by a long time bear hunter from and in Washington.



Steve

i have that book and its a great read. doesn't really do much for you as far as bear hunting in Washington goes any more. cant run dogs or snare bear any more and once Ralph got hired out by the timber company's that's about all he was doing. great read, good info about bears but no real game plan to follow for hunting them in the cascades. Ralph didn't get off the peninsula or out of timber company land much. oh and by the way depending on what addition of that book you have it can be pretty rare. its no longer in print. im holding on to my copy..

 

[Stid2677]

i have that book and its a great read. doesn't really do much for you as far as bear hunting in Washington goes any more. cant run dogs or snare bear any more and once Ralph got hired out by the timber company's that's about all he was doing. great read, good info about bears but no real game plan to follow for hunting them in the cascades. Ralph didn't get off the peninsula or out of timber company land much. oh and by the way depending on what addition of that book you have it can be pretty rare. its no longer in print. im holding on to my copy..

He does go into food sources and bear habits ie when and how they move, that info should be timeless. Interesting read if only for entertainment. My copy was printed in 1975, hardcover with jacket.

 

[jm1607]

"How about some photos to get you motivated.."

Ya that's what I need, more motivation.. It's all I've been thinking about for weeks I'm getting pretty excited, the hunt is more for him but that doesn't mean I'm not stoked.. Nice pics!

PMing you now TRIPLE