Idaho Spring Black Bear Hunting for Dummies

I agonized over and threatened to write this thread for quite some time due to the misinformation and lack of information regarding this subject in the bear hunting forum. Since the Idaho spring bear season opens in about 8 weeks I thought it would be a 'somewhat appropriate time' to provide advice to help less experienced spring bear hunters succeed in their quest to bag a black bear. Most of the information in this thread is a collection of posts I've contributed to other threads in the bear hunting forum of this website since becoming a member.This thread is about spring, not fall bear hunting. Each season in my opinion requires somewhat different tactics. Black bear pelts and claws are not in their prime condition in the fall. That's why I don't hunt them in the fall and you sure as hell shouldn't be hunting then also. I killed my first spring black bear years ago after reading a magazine article about spring bear hunting in north central Idaho. Since then I've harvested and observed many black bears in north central and other areas of the state of Idaho as well. With that said let's begin. 1) Hunt in areas that have high harvest numbers. You'll increase the odds for success if you hunt only in areas which support a large number of bears. If that means traveling a greater distance to reach better bear habitat then drive the extra miles. Why waste your time and efforts in a less productive area? 2) Timing is very important. After bears emerge from hibernation they're almost always found at lower elevations and in ' higher concentrations' than at other times in the year. In the fall black bears tend to be more dispersed and more difficult to locate. Focus your hunting efforts in the early to mid spring season for increased sighting opportunities. 3) Black bears may be nocturnal, diurnal or both. I've had many black bear sightings over many years and I have rarely seen bears during morning or early afternoon hours. The best time for spotting spring black bears is roughly between 4:00 p.m. and sunset. Don't waste your time hunting them earlier in the day. 4) Black bears may have a home range of 10 to 60 square miles or more. According to an Idaho study, male bears in Idaho have an average home range of 8 1/2 square miles. Do you honestly believe you'll succeed in attracting them to your bait, mouth or electronic calls? Yes it does happen, but don't bet your 2017 bear tag on it. Since they're not likely to come to you, you'll have to go to them. Search areas near streams, creeks, beaver ponds, marshes and swamps. These are natural corridors and provide food sources for bears in the spring. When you locate scat, tracks or other sign you can be certain that particular location is being frequented by bears on a regular and often, almost daily basis. There you have it condensed, concise and accurate information, everything you need to become a successful Idaho spring bear hunter.

Great info, thanks!

Been thinking of doing a little spring bear hunting this year and don't want to bait so this was a great start and good timing.

Baiters kill a lot of bears, some killing multiple from the same bait set. Baiting is so effective that I have to plan to hunt non bait areas for S&S.

Baiting is like anything else. You have to scout and find an area that is frequented by bears. You might get lucky if you just go out and drop bait somewhere but to be consistently successful you need to be in an area that the bears already want to inhabit. Even then I've had bait sites that the bears hit the first night and others that took 2 weeks before the first hit.

Baiting is a 'redundant method' for hunting bears. It's redundant ( excessive, exceeding what is natural) because natural food sources are present in a black bears home range. Those food sources provide preexisting bait sites that you can be absolutely certain bears are using. Baiting is generally unsuccesful and a waste of your time, money and efforts.

Experience in SW Idaho For baiting is different. More bears are killed in the area by baiting than any other method. If bears are traveling 8 1/2 square miles, it won't take more than a week to 10 days before they find the easy food. Good bait sites will have multiple bears hitting it.

I don't bait. If I want to S&S I need to find areas not being baited. Otherwise, bears get habituated to eating at bait. They stay in the timber and go to bait at dusk. You won't find them on grassy hillsides feeding.

My recommendations are based on observation and experience. I have never met a successful bait hunter anywhere in Idaho and that includes southwest (unit 39) Idaho where I hunted bears. The bait hunters I've known were generally unsuccessful in attracting bears to their sites and the few sites that did attract bears were active during the hours of darkness. Baiting is a method used by many inexperienced hunters and the low success rates certainly don't offer full disclosure regarding the high failure rates . My reason for writing this thread is to help spring hunters succeed not fail.

Hannibal said:

My recommendations are based on observation and experience. I have never met a successful bait hunter anywhere in Idaho and that includes southwest (unit 39) Idaho where I hunted bears. The bait hunters I've known were generally unsuccessful in attracting bears to their sites and the few sites that did attract bears were active during the hours of darkness. Baiting is a method used by many inexperienced hunters and the low success rates certainly don't offer full disclosure regarding the high failure rates . My reason for writing this thread is to help spring hunters succeed not fail.

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I shot this one in the spring a few years ago over bait.


I shot this one this fall(notice what Hannibal said about the fur) near a bait site. I say near because I wasn't sitting the bait. I was hunting the area and decided to check the bait site and found this bear at the bait.


Not big bears but I want all the color phases. I put bait out nearly every year. You can be successful doing it. I generally end up feeding a lot and harvesting a few. Not for lack of bears. I just am not in a huge hurry unless it's a different color of a "nice" sized one. A couple of years I've fed starving orphaned cubs all spring that found my bait sites and sat there waiting for more. So maybe bait will help a few less fortunate grow into bigger ones if nothing else. Plus the few Grizzly bear pictures we acquire are like gold for Fish and Game numbers to open a hunt. Baiting is just a different way of doing things. There aren't actually good odds in my area for spot and stalk. Most of the bears killed in the Upper Snake area are off of bait sites. I'm not discounting your experience where you are. Here things may just happen a little different. Would I urge a non resident to go put a bait out and shoot one right away. No. Spot and stalk in a high spot and stalk success area is your better bet if you have little time. But if you are close and invest a couple of weekends bait can work. Try different baits maybe? I use a lot of beaver scents that I collect through the winter trapping. It seams to help.

My statement regarding the condition of pelts is particularly applicable to the pelts in your photos, you can clearly see that in the first as well as the second bear. To a casual or inexperienced hunter it isn't. And let's not forget about the claws. Baiting is time consuming and an added expense. It also requires knowledge and familiarity of your hunting area. Your comment "Would I urge a nonresident to put a bait out and shoot one right away? No.", seems to suggest we are in agreement regarding the subject of baiting or is it an unintentional contradiction? Why isn't it applicable to residents as well? You were lucky, most hunters who bait aren't. And that's my point.

Firedude, nice looking bear. Good luck on your quest for the various color phases. I was able to take my first chocolate bear in Northern Idaho last spring. I've seen them before while bear hunting but never had the opportunity for a harvest. I have a few nice black colored bears already so now I'm always looking for something unique.

As far as baiting goes, to each his own. A good friend lives in Northern Idaho and runs a couple baits every year. Most years they take 2 bears off the baits, last year they had a banner year and 4 were taken. His Dad still loves a good spot and stalk hunt but health and age have caught up to him so he can't traverse the mountains like he used to so he utilizes the bait. My buddy is a self employed small business owner who works weekends and evenings when necessary. It gets tough for him get out some years but he still loves to get in a hunt here and there. Some years he uses his baits, others he is able to get it done on foot. Either way he keeps the baits going and allows others to use them.

One thing about bait hunters, as long as they are there that means less competition in the hills in the areas I hunt, which always makes for a more enjoyable season.

I'm going to say that if you are in the area and able to establish a long term bait site your odds go up exponentially. On the other hand if you are only coming to Idaho for a week each season spot and stalk is a better option.

It's always good to get a 'second opinion' on the subject of bear hunting methods. I knew when I initially wrote this thread, bait hunters would take the offensive and 'extoll' the practice of baiting . Baiting may be the only option in units with low bear densities and that may very well be one of the reasons why the practice has its supporters and proponents. But this thread isn't about baiting, it's about a more practical, productive, economical, and less labor intensive strategy for spring black bear hunting. And yes, I'm fully prepared for criticsm from callers and hound hunters as well.

Hannibal, I think your points you just made are spot on. More practical and economical are very true. Less labor intensive.... Well, I've seen some nasty spots to try and get a bear out of on a spot and stalk. One thing is for sure, boot leather is fairly cheap if you own the boots already. If you're not seeing much sign or activity you can always go somewhere else, that's the beauty of not being tied to a bait stand. It's a lot easier to have a backup plan if you can remain mobile.

Thank you Lefty. By being mobile you become familiar with many areas. If one doesn't produce sightings,move to the next. Bears don't roam around aimlessly, they spend most of the time searching for food and it certainly isn't found at higher elevations early in the spring. As I always say "swamps not slopes". As the snow recedes, black bears move higher in elevation. You're hunting a big game animal which is never found in large densities and concentrations, unlike deer and elk for example. When you discover their 'dining areas' you've discovered the mother lode (s) that you can hunt, this year and next. If you succeed in killing a bear, you can be certain by the following spring another has taken his place. It's a very simple and effective method.

You can toss bait out almost anywhere in Unit 39 and will have 3-4 bears hitting your site.


Put up a trail cam and you can figure out what bears are coming in, pick and choose the one you want, and avoid the sows with Cubs.

Putting bait out is a lot of work, but is damned effective in SW Idaho.

Good stuff. What can you tell us about elevations, snow levels and food as it relates??

The locations I hunt are far removed from and well below snow line, though snow and hail are not uncommon in the early spring season where I usually hunt black bears. By late spring bears show obvious signs of rubbing (it's almost always head first) and no doubt, wear on their claws. This is what I call the 'migration period' ( to higher elevations). Unfortunately, my pursuit abruptly ends at this time along with my observations regarding their 'hang outs', habits and food sources. They make their usual reappearance during berry season in mid to late summer and then 'vanish'. I have not been successful in locating black bears during the fall.

This is a great, and informative thread. I live in Western Montana and I'm planning to try and do some spring bear hunting this year as work and family activities allow. Baiting is illegal here, so it's going to be all spot/stalk. I have a couple of places, south-facing slopes and burns, picked out where I'm planning just to grab some high ground around lunch time and spend a lot of time behind my binoculars. One of these areas is pretty high, around 7600, and the snow doesn't come off until later, but it's an area in which I hunt elk a lot and have run into a handful of bears doing so.

I know it's a while yet until the season starts, but I'll probably keep posting questions as I have them, even after the hunting starts. I've never killed a bear, but I'd sure like to try it.

This was the closest I've ever come to shooting a bear. I was bow hunting elk one morning, easing my way up a slope, when I walked into a small, marshy clearing. There were two bears. One was a big cinnamon phase, which I assume was the other's momma. She ran off and the smaller black one went up a tree. I stood around beneath the tree for a while, had a bear tag, so I tried hard to talk myself into shooting it. But in the end, I just didn't feel right about it for some reason. I took some pictures and moved on. I've always sort of thought maybe I should have shot that bear out of the tree. I doubt I'll ever have one hold still for me like that ever again.

Thank you Brian. Check out Brandon Pitcher's 2014, 2015 and 2016 north Idaho spring bear / shed hunting videos on YouTube.His hunts are filmed later in the spring season as you can see from the absence of snow at the highest elevations , shirt sleeve weather and certain other more subtle signs such as the condition of the bear pelts. My spring bear seasons end well before the latter part of the season when his are being recorded. His bear hunting videos provide a realistic view of the types of terrain and conditions you'll encounter in north Idaho when hunting spring black bears.