Montana Spring Bear Backpack Hunt

ch1379

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Sep 7, 2017
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Hello guys,
I'm new to this forum, and have all ready benefited from your guys advice given on other posts, so for that I say thank you! I know its a little early, but cold weather in the east has me getting cabin fever. Myself and some good friends have been planning our first trip out west, a Montana spring black bear hunt. I have done a lot of research, reading, and perusing the population and harvest data. From scouting online we have highlighted a few general areas of interest. Our plan A is to venture into the cabinet mountains, and glass the high country. My concern is what the snow pack will be like up there, even though we are going the last week of may. Plan B is to go up into the Kootenai and walk closed roads, and glass clear cuts. We are looking at a seven to 10 day hunt all in all. None of us have western hunting experience, and I'm sure we will make some mistakes, but we are willing to make up for that with hard work. I think the cabinets would give us a great wilderness experience, regardless if we fill our tags. I have a few questions:
- Whats the ball park weather for that time of the year in the cabinets, and Kootenai?
- Do you think we have a higher chance of success in the high country, or in the Kootenai?
- Just general advice you'd give the rookie bear hunter!
- Also, do the lakes up in the cabinets hold fish? I might have to pack the fly-rod if so!
Thanks guys!
 
The high country cabinet backpacking would possibly be more overall and fun and scenic but walking closed roads and and clear cuts will likely yield more bears. That’s how I shot my last two bears in northwest Montana. Not sure if cabinets or kootenai hold more. Probably similar but a biologist may have good data. Late May shouldn’t be too snowy even up high
 
Spring Bear primary concern is finding nutrition. Glassing tip: I have always found that elevation wise in an area,, when you find one (a bear), note the elevation and stick within 2-500 ft of that elevation for your glassing and scouting. Brows and new spring shoots pop up during specific weather conditions, time of year, clearing snow and elevations. Avalanche shoots and steep south facing slopes where snow has cleared can be lucrative.

Good luck with your hunt
 
Anyone hunting spring bears in the high alpine in May is one dumb badass.......

They're clearly working to hard though.
 
Anyone hunting spring bears in the high alpine in May is one dumb badass.......

They're clearly working to hard though.
Haha I second this! Did this last spring and my hunting buddies (they have never hunted) were mfing' me the entire time. Finally we dropped lower and started seeing bears on closed roads.....this year we will be going back and hunting the lower elevations.

Hunting high country in spring sounds really cool and it was, but we didn't see a bear that high for three days. Dropped low and started seeing bears.
 
Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

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