Bear hunting trip in Idaho

[horsesoldier]

Hello,

Not sure if I can post this here but I noticed a few Idaho members on this site so I thought I would ask. I am going to be making a trip to hunt spring black bear in units 10 and 12 in Idaho. Thinking maybe in May or later in june. Any pointers would be apperciated. I am not looking to bait because of the additional drain on my resources lol. I am also going to have tags for mountain lion and wolf so if you western guys have any tips about those it would be much apperciated.
Thinking this would be a good post engagement or a great time to ask my girlfriend to marry me kindve a trip.

All I know about spring bear hunting is to get up high and glass. We can use electric calls as well.I guess we are going to see if my swede is up to the task of dispatching a large black bear.I looked online for bee keepers in the area but couldnt find any.I would really like to get a shot on a bear.

Hunting around pierce and weippe, maybe farther down.I was there bowhunting deer in 2009, I know there is quite a few bears there according to the game department at least.Thanks much!

[waksupi]

I would head east of Weippe a bit, get towards the big mountains more, at the lower elevations. Bears are starting to come out, as we have had a mild winter in this section of the country. Expect rain. Lots of rain. Or maybe snow.
If it IS raining, bears tend to bed down at the base of large dead trees. Good place to look for them.
Are you sure lion is open in the spring in Idaho? If you don't have someone with hounds, don't expect to see a lion. If no hounds, save your tag money. You won't be seeing one without the dogs.
I'll move this to the hunting section.

[horsesoldier]

I just checked the regs and it closed on the 31st of March.I am glad you said something! Hopefully we can get into one.She really wants a bear rug. Thanks again for the pointers.I dont like going blind into an area and I want to maximize our hunting time.

[chuckbuster]

If doing Spot and Stalk look for the freshest patch of green you can find, springtime it is often a patch of dandelion. Spring Bears like their "salads". A winterkill carcass of some sort is also a bonus. Just gotta be patient and use your Eyes more than your feet...

[MT Gianni]

I don't know the length of your hunt. Get a couple of lbs of cheap bacon and cook them in a coffee can over a slow campfire until it is all burned up, not just cooked but down to crisps and the grease burned. You want that smoke stink and smell to permeate through every nearby valley. Set up stands and watch around evenings.

[waksupi]

You may want to contact sixshot. He's the Idaho bear hunting expert here.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83596

[runfiverun]

i'm south of where you are planning to hunt.
but we still have a lot of snow up over 6500', just had a snow storm a couple of day's ago.
play the wind,wolves can be hunted much like coyotes.
just keep the calls away from yourself,as they don't all come to it.
many times one will investigate and another[or more] will circle around waiting for the injured or flushed animal to run and get tired before they move in and give chase.
the bears will be in anything edible, green ,moving,yours,whatever.
the bacon grease [gianni mentioned] and stale donuts work real well and cheap too.
you might have an unwanted visitor however.
keep your eyes open for those winter kill carcases too, magpies,eagles, and ravens will usually give those up if you watch them.

sixshot is back home, i talked to him about a week ago,so he may be posting on the board again soon.

[RevGeo]

I'm north of where you plan to hunt, but have hunted the Pierce area some. It's steep and brushy up there. I've been saving my bait all summer, fall and winter.
Neither I nor any of my bear hunting friends have been successful hunting without bait or dogs. It can be done, obviously, but it ain't easy.
North of the Salmon river the public land in Idaho gets pretty thick. And that's what the bears like. They also like a nearby water supply. Finding a tiny stream or spring on the north side of a steep draw is a pretty good way to get started.
Day after tomorrow my hunting partner and I are heading to the spot where he shot a nice black bear over bait two years ago. Hopefully the snow will be out and we will be able to brush out our shooting lane. It's on private property, BTW.
For bait we use used restaraunt grease, stale bread and old donuts. I was also able to score on a 5 gallon bucket of melted carmel - they oughta love that!
The season in units 10 and 12 are open until June 30 and this is a good thing. There can be a lot of snow up the the Bitterroots in June. We had over 100% of normal snowpack in N. Idaho this year.
BTW, are you using cast bullets?

[horsesoldier]

As of right now I am using nosler 125 grain Jwords in my swede. I have started playing around with the 6.5 cruise missle but have run into some roadblocks that I am sure are loader error on my part. Here in a few days I am going to start over with my attempts. I am a little worried if my partition is up to the job of breaking the front shoulder on a bear, but I am sure the cruise missle would drill right through.

[lead chucker]

In Alaska we like to watch the avalanche slides on the mountains it kind of cleans the snow off and they green up quicker. If you watch them long enough you will see a black bear and some times a brown bear.it gives you time to look at them and evaluate if it's one you want to put a stock on. Last year we did it and my wife took a nice black bear at 207 yards with her 30-06 with 150 gr Remington core lock it was a threw and threw shot. We are still waiting to get it back from the taxidermist.

[horsesoldier]

Good spots to watch mule deer bucks too. I have seen them bed on the edges just into the timber.Makes em tough to hunt!

[RevGeo]

As of right now I am using nosler 125 grain Jwords in my swede. I have started playing around with the 6.5 cruise missle but have run into some roadblocks that I am sure are loader error on my part. Here in a few days I am going to start over with my attempts. I am a little worried if my partition is up to the job of breaking the front shoulder on a bear, but I am sure the cruise missle would drill right through.

The old 160gr RN in the swede is some righteous bear medicine out to 200 yards or so. It may not look like much on paper but it delivers in the real world.

[waksupi]

I would go with the 160 gr. RN, too. You would find the Swede twist likes them.

[horsesoldier]

I shot some of Versifer's cruise missles today at 50 yards. I think my tikka likes them.Just started load development but this is one of the tightest groups my gun has shot.Whole lot of promise there.First cast boolits I have ever shot!

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Check before you buy the wolf tags.

I think from what I read, that the season has closed until Aug.

I bought a couple of the wolf tags right after the 1st of April, as I was in to apply for the cow moose drawing, and the counter man said something that caught me as a bit funny.

He said something like, having a wolf tag made the difference on bringing the wolf home or not.

For many, a dead wolf will not upset them, but even if legal it is best to KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some boozo recently posted an image of himself with a live wolf in the background that was caught in a leg hold trap.

Now to me, because of the huge amount of damage these vermin have and are causing to our game population, a dead wolf is a good wolf.

However, this person's actions, and I understand he may have been a trapper and legal to do what he was doing, simply stirs the pot and gets the greenies all upset. AGAIN!

The population of wolves in Idaho is huge, way beyond the goals first set, and simply put we are, sad to say, not going to run out of these vermin any time soon.

Just take the critter if given the oppertunity but do yourself and us, the favor and just don't advertise your sucess. Please!

This one person posting the images of himself and the live wolf has created all kinds of problems, problems which we don't need.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[obssd1958]

Below is a link to the Idaho Fish and Game, 2012 Big Game Seasons and Rules. You can download the entire rules booklet as a PDF file, or just the section that you want to peruse. It does cover Wolf seasons, also.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/...es/?getPage=63



Don

[horsesoldier]

Checked the seasons in the Lolo area, and it goes Aug 2011 to 30 June 2012.Should be good to go!Unless I didnt read that right

[Triggerhappy]

Can't add a whole lot to what's been said. I live not far from the Pierce area and spend some time up there. Do try to get as far East as you can.

Josh, they guy who took the photo of the trapped wolf is a neighbor of mine. I personally think what he did was fine but by posting the photo it caused quite the ruckus about the wolf issue. And since we finally got it so we can hunt the wolves we simply don't need the bad press to keep the Libs all up in arms about it. Josh came up in a conversation I had with the county Sheriff last night and he said that he didn't break any laws and that they were following up on the death threats he had been getting.

The weather when you're thinking of coming should be nice, but I've seen it snow as late as mid July. Just be prepared for crappy weather.

It is a brushy area and an ATV or horse might help to get to where you want to go. Should be a nice hunt.Good luck!

TH

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Thanks TriggerHappy,

Good to have the word that the wolf kill was as I had heard and legal.

Not that I am aposed to killing wolves, but we just need to go about the business in a quite and business like fashion, as the greenies have noth'in better to do then cause much to do about noth'in if they hear even a rumor of a wolf kill.

And for those who may not know, Idaho had and has had wolves for many years. Make that many many years.

Those in positions that could have helped the current problem were pushed into taking the "Official line" of saying we had no wolves simply for the fact that if they had admitted there were wolves in the state, Idaho would have then been forced to impliment a wolf management program, something for which they did not have funding.

I personally know a long time outfitter/guide and friend who lives in Elk River. He provided proof of wolves in Idaho to the game department and it wasn't until much later that we found out the reason for the holding to the "Official line."

In another situation, the game department were provided photographic proof of an Idaho wolf population, proof which again went un-heeded.

I wonder just how smart holding to that line seems now?

CDOC

[sixshot]

All the country you mention is good bear country, getting into the right spot can be a little bit of a problem because of snow on the shady sides (north facing & east facing sides) The bears will usually be just under the snow line & eating grass & dandelions on the south & west facing slopes mostly.
A varmint call works great but its nice to have a buddy so you can watch each others back. We like to sit 20-30 yds apart & facing each other. I called in 2 bears a couple of years ago, my son seen one, I seen the other one. We couldn't understand why they were so cautious, what we didn't know was, the bears could see each other & that made they come in different than normal.....if there is such a thing as normal when bear hunting. He killed a large cinammon phase bear as it stalked me.
The Lochsa River is another great place for bears, go west out of Missoula down towards Lowell, you'll see bears! Only problem is, many times they are across the river, & that river is bad news, it takes a few people every year. A good pontoon boat is the raspberries for getting on the other side. Lots of color phase bears in the area. Do NOT cross that river if you are faint of heart!
Remember, hunting bears means paying attention to the wind, their nose is as good as it gets.

Dick