2021 Idaho spring bear hunt
 

So, it looks like I’m going on a 2021 Idaho spring black bear hunt after all. I’m really excited.

For the unit I’m hunting, the season starts April 15 and ends June 30.

Currently planning and figuring out what I need, will keep you all updated.

Jared

well again best of luck
just remember spring time, bears have cubs, and that can change how one needs to watch what they shoot, trying best to not shoot females,a s cubs do NOT always be next to them, or come into bait with there mom's<

sows have different shapes ansd sizes, so its not easy, but many making the effort can me the life of the cubs or not

Thank you. I’ll do research on identifying females then. Don’t want to shoot one. Besides, taking females with young is prohibited in my state.

Glad to hear you'll be able to get out.

Looking forward to following your hunt on here.

-Jake

OK, I figured out my to do list.

I need: Bear tag
Bear baiting permit
100 grain .243 ammunition

Money for bait (donuts work best in my opinion)

Money for gas

An SD card to phone adapter so I can read my trail camera in the field

I also need to fix the lid on my bait barrel. The bear from last season damaged it.

I also need to make the hole in my bait barrel a little bigger and more square shaped.

I also need to sight in my scope.

I need to learn to identify females and males in the field.


I have no problems doing/getting the resources I need. Have a good paying job, and I can afford everything.

Don't put off getting the ammo until last minute. Most of the country is having difficulty finding even the regular normal hunting stuff.

I had to pay $55/box recently to get some ammo for a rifle I bought recently. But it took a while for me to even find the stuff. Nothing was in stock locally. Thankfully a couple members on another forum were able to help me out.

-Jake

I agree right now ammo might be a bigger obstacle than you think
and odds are its going to get MUCH worse before it gets better!


as for making larger holes in barrel, a jig saw can do it, as can an angle grinder with a thin cut off wheel
as well as other tools

but try to not make too sharp of edges or you c n be harming the bears your not after!
filing down edges is recommend by most I know that use them!

or cutting and them rolling edges over so not jagged and sharp!

and just a thought for you
if your using a 55 gallon drum, you can use a shop dolly to move them about,
use a ratchet strap to secure barrel to it, find one with BIG wheels and they will roll a lot easier thru terrain!
you can remove dolly once where you want it
or chain it up with barrel!

Thanks, I will make ammunition my priority, then. Don’t want to miss the season because I didn’t have ammunition!

Bad news.

I called five stores today to see if they had 243 caliber 100 grain ammunition.

All five stores didn’t even have 243 ammunition.

I’ll keep looking, but if I don’t find ammunition by the time the season starts, I may have to cancel the hunt.

There is plenty of 243 ammo on gunbroker. Yes its inflated prices for now.
But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Start an account on Gunbroker.com
Sometimes you still get a deal even in this craziness. There are 19 pages of 243 ammo for sale on the site
Look at it this way. What would you rather do. Pay $50 more for a sure thing on gunbroker or get all stressed out calling store after store for hours. Or drive all over the place wasting time and gas trying to find some ammo that if the store had some would be inflated price anyway..
Pay the Piper , sight your rifle in , go on your bear hunt. Good Luck On Your Hunting Trip !

https://www.gunbroker.com/Ammunition...h?Keywords=243

Yep. It's available. But it's not cheap. Gunbroker is your best bet. Easy to get there, but you'll pay $$.

Then it'll ship to your door. I agree, it's worth it to be able to hunt. Order two boxes. That will give you enough to sight in and still have enough for your hunt and whatever hunts you have this fall. When the prices (hopefully) go back to normal then stock up so you never end up in this position again.

-Jake

Just got some good news. I am now able to make a little more income, so it looks like I’ll be able to order the ammunition I need from the website you guys mentioned. Looks like I’m still going on a bear hunt!

So I got some good news, and some potentially bad news. Good news is I was able to find six rounds in my house. Left over from last season.

Bad news is, three of them were found in the wash. They were washed on accident. I don’t know if those three are still good or not.

I remember now, after the 2020 season, I was washing my clothes, and three bullets got washed on accident. The other three are OK, though. I labeled the washed ones as “washed.”

I don’t know if they’re still good or not. Either way, I got at least three shots for the season. The hunt is on. I just got to make sure the bear is not a female with cubs, and I got to place my shot just right.

well, your not the only person to have forgot about ammo and washed it
I know I have doen it myself over the yrs, mostly 22 rim fire ammo however

that said
I woudn't chance using it on a live animal
the risks are NOT worth the possible bad outcome of a hang fire or just not up top velocity's it should have


having 3 known good rounds might be more than enough, but I also wouldn't feel good going after a bear with just 3 rounds, things happen fast when hunting
a miss or two isn't impossible and happens more often than many might think
and having a wounded bear with no way to finish it off wouln;t be fair to the bear at all!


I believe last year even you missed with first shot, NO bash, just saying
what happens if you miss 2 times or wound bear and then miss trying to hit it on the run,
ammo goes fast when excited for a LOT of hunters

part of being an ethical hunter is knowing you have the means to kill your game animal,
save up, buy more ammo before going hunting would be my suggestion

and heck, more shooting time doesn't wound like a bad idea either for newer hunters, it helps them do better when the moment of truth comes, as many things in life are memory activated reflexes, the more you shoot, the better you get at it! which leads to less misses, faster kills, less tracking o game! win win win
minus costs of ammo!

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/896229349

-Jake

in stock as of this




https://www.opticsplanet.com/barnes-...20-rounds.html

https://www.outdoorlimited.com/feder...tsp-20-rounds/

https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/produ...eral-20-rounds

https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/big...ar-hunt-2.html

Got some really bad news. I just lost my car. Not in an accident, but a major mechanical failure. Not repairable. I need to get a new car now. Unfortunately, this will take from my savings for bear season.

Due to this, and other problems in my finances that are coming up, plus a new work schedule, I need to put off the bear hunt until further notice.