Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

I am in the planning stages of a Black Bear hunt. I would like to hunt Idaho if possable or WY. or MT or even Co. The dates of my hunt will be 7 days within May 7 through May 22. There will be 4 or 5 of us, two young guys that just turned 50 and some really stout young men 22 and 16 and maybe my 11 year old. We will be coming from Texas, we have hunted NM, CO, AZ, TX, AK and Canada for Deer, ELK, Caribou, Moose, varmints and many feathered species. We will be bringing my Suburban and flat bed trailer with two ATVs and tent camping. The perfect hunt will be successful, pictureque, ruged yet legal to travel using 4 wheeled ATVs. Walking a few miles not aproblem though. Mainly we need help identifing a good place for us to hunt. We have never hunted over baits before, need help there also. Even a hunting partner from near by could be beneficial. Any help appreciated. I posted this on the Idaho forum also.

Hey Y'all give us a hand.

Thanks

wtexpipeliner

RE: Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

Wtex: I'm assuming with your gear this is to be a do-it-yourself hunt? That means preparing your own baitsites and baiting? Let me know and we'll go from there.

RE: Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

Sawbill, correct this is a self guided hunt.
Thanks for the interest.
wtexpipeliner

RE: Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

North of the Salmon River Idaho has a few areas that have two bear limits.
These areas have lots of bears and baiting is not a necessity they can be found spot and stalk.
Glassing S slopes just below the snow line of walking old logging roads with lots of grass on them should get you some bears.

RE: Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

Firstly, if you're going the baiting route, then plan your hunt toward the latter part of your holiday. I really don't know what the climate is like in Idaho but when bears exit their dens, they'll feed on grasses for the first while and may show little or no interest in some types of baits, meat for instance. This shouldn't really be a concern in May but something to consider. Try to find an old logging area where the hardwood growth has started to come back. Best areas would have a heavy spruce or pine forest type that provides shelter with mixed in hardwoods that they feed on. Thick underbrush is definitely desirable. Ideally, choose a bait site in thick cover, along the edge of a marsh or wet area or small grassy pond.
Keep the sun at your back for the evening hunt. Try to pick a small ravine, or shoot from a knoll, anywhere that you can see between 50 and 100 yds. Don't sweat the wind direction. It's not an issue because the winds usually die down in the evening anyway. And I can't imagine you smelling any worse than a pile of meat. It's gonna take a few days at least to get bears attracted to your site so start out with something really smelly even though it may not be eatable. Rotten fish is great. Your baits should be prepared ahead of time in quantities that you can easily handle, maybe frozen in 10# plastic bags. Make sure its not one chunk, but bits and pieces so that when it thaws, the bears can only take smaller pieces at a time. Figure out how much you'll need, say 5 guys, maybe two bait sites each, 2 bags per day at 10 lbs per bag..........good thing you have a trailer. Once you have a bait site being hit, then concentrate on that spot with your baiting. If you're going archery, try to get away from using ladder stands. That setup really spooks the big males.
As for sizes, talk it over with your group on recognizing good adult bears. Use whatever methods it takes to make sure ahead of time you know what you're looking at. At your baitsite, I'd place a log (white birch if you have it there) and make it look natural, about 2 1/2 ft off the ground. This gives you an idea of height--anything above that is a taker.
Consider if flies is going to be a problem. If you're using bug spray, then spray a bit at the baitsite as well, just to get them used to it. Thats about it for now off the top of my head. Anything else, just holler or email.

RE: Spring Black Bear hunters, need Help!!!
 

Pipliner: I spent 11 years as an elk and mule deer guide in Colorado and New Mexico in the late 80's through the 90's. I guided on private ranches, and first hand witnessed what out of state hunters and their ATV's did to game concentrations on the neighboring National Forests and BLM land.

The biggest problem that I saw was that hunters pulled into the forest, set up their camp, and scoured the countryside with their ATVs. I used to put my clients on the bordering fencelines, and we pounded big bulls and some really great mule deer as the poured over into the ranches from the public land. For entertainment, between hunts, we would sit and watch the public land hunters push elk, deer, and bear like they were herding cattle. The hunters would drive right past migrating herds of elk moving through the timber to the refuge of private property.

My humble recommendation is NOT to plan your hunting trip around your ATV. ATVs are great for game retrieval, but are horrible if you plan on using them for transportation on public land. Trust me, the game know exactly what the sound of an ATV means, and they will vacate your hunting area pronto. I don't mean to bash ATVs, but people tend to overuse them, or use them for the wrong reason.

If you want a successful bear hunt, find a high density bear area, set up camp, and use a comfortable pair of hunting boots. When you get a bear down, then fire up the ATV and use it for game retrieval. Some of the best trophies in North America exist on public land, but most hunters have gotten away from actually hunting for them, and instead pursue them.

I would recommend that you take a look at spot and stalk bear hunting in the Gila in New Mexico, ie. without 4-wheelers for transportation. If the rain continues this year, it should be a decent area and it might prove to be a reasonably close drive for you, and there is a fair bear population there. Also look at the Carson National Forest, near Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico. If you don't mind the drive, the Mount Zirkle Wilderness area, just north and east of Steamboat Springs, Colorado has tons of bears. A lot of that country is horizontal, but it's a dynamite place to spot and stalk.

Just my 2 cents, your mileage may vary!