I'm wanting to go to Western Montana to spot and stalk black bears next spring. Have any of you ever done this? I was wondering if you can drive ATV's on logging trails as you glass for bear, is this legal in MT? I'm not a lazy hunter that drives around all day, but I have heard that you must cover a lot of ground to hunt bears this way and I thought this might be the best bet. Any suggestions on areas or tactics? Thanks

You can drive your ATV on roads and trails that are already in use and not closed to motor vehicals.
There are few area that let you just drive off-road,and these area's are so crowde with the weekend dirt riders that it is hard to get sleep at night let alone a bear around.

Best bets for riding your 4-wheeler around and seeeing a bear would be the Belt Mountains,or the Linchon or Libby area,where logging is more prominent,and roads are more common.

I do spot and stalk cause baiting and hounds are not alowed in Montana,so you do get alot of excercise walking to vantage points to glass clear cuts and meadows.

I agree with bareback, I'd try the Little Belt Mtns. for that type of hunting. While I never used an ATV while living in Montana I did successfully stalk a bunch of bear and took one huge one with my bow. Try the Lost Creek drainage, once you get back about a half mile you have it all to yourself!

atv's can be used on public roads but must be registered with the state. they told me that to get it registered i had to have mirrors and blinkers and what not installed. try looking up the rules on the internet.

i think i'd prefer to drive around in my truck anyway.

In a nut shell, you can only ride your ATV on roads were auto's are allowed and it must be road ready with mirrors, headlight, turn signals etc. ATV hunting in Montana offers no advantage what so ever. You cannot take an ATV anywhere I cant drive my truck, the only exeption is designated trails which are heavily used and not worth hunting. Montana bear hunting is very hit & miss. If you find a good food sorce, you'll find plenty of bears. Usually, bear hunting requires a ton of mobility.

I hate to admit it but ive seen most of my bears from the road. I use to walk or ride my mountain bike down all the closed roads, and had a little success. But I seen more bears driving around!

Most bears I see are from my rig as well. That's ok though we have made some long stalks after spotting them from the rig. The only time I bear hunt on foot is if I absolutely know there is a high concentration of bears in the area.