Where are the Bears?

[modernhunter]

We are currently out on our first ever bear hunt in Montana, we have hunted other western game in the past but this is the first time specifically targeting bears. We called the biologists around the state for recommendations on where to start before making the 22 hour trip from the Midwest to the Trout Creek area. We have been hunting 4 days now with only a few days left on the trip so I wanted to post on here if anyone has any experience in the area. The hardest part about this trip is coming to terms with how thick this area is, we can't get over how there really isn't many places to glass here. We have no problem just walking logging roads, but after walking some at almost all elevations in different drainages we have really only come with a couple different old sets of bear sign. We have also found a few small south facing parks, but again we didn't find much sign around the area and after glassing the afternoon we haven't even seen an animal.

My question is, should we continue to stick it out in the Trout Creek area, or is there any other areas that one would recommend over this? Does anyone have any recommendations on what else to do or look for to up the chances of seeing a bear? We aren't expecting to harvest a bear, just wanted to ask here to figure out if we were doing something wrong.

 

[Marshian]

Where I live in Kalispell, it can also be hard to find the nice large grassy drainages . Instead I’ve had good luck doing exactly what you have been doing, slowly walking forest service roads . I will use the OnX program to look for roads that lead to a clearing if possible. And most importantly, when walking, keep your eyes open for fresh scat. If you find multiple piles within a half mile or so segment of road. Try to either sit for a few hours or quietly walk that stretch again at varying times of day. That’s how I killed my bear two days ago and put my brother on one last year in the dense forests around here.

 

[EYJONAS!]

They're there just keep grinding. They're just being a little stubborn. I don't think your doing anything wrong it's a bit of a different season. The biggest thing is are you enjoying it. That's the most important. Good luck

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I'm not familar with that particular drainage but in general try to find closed roads to walk that have been stabilized with grass... ie grass all over the shoulder and in the road. Walk them, don't drive... and don't talk while walking, likely when you see a bear it will be at 50 yards or so and you will need to be ready to make a quick assessment and shot. Not sure about your set up but I would plan on driving out in the dark dark and be walking the last 10 min of your hike out with a head lamp... i.e. make sure you are out there till shooting light is over.

 

[IAhawks84]

I was out in Idaho two weeks ago and had the same issues. We finally found some good scat, but shortly after also found the bear carcass. It was tough going. I am also from the Midwest, but am thinking about trying to get back out in a couple weeks. Everyone told us then, there were bears around, but a lot could still be hanging by the dens due to the amount of snow. FWIW, hope you have good luck on the rest of your hunt

 

[Marshian]

I'm not familar with that particular drainage but in general try to find closed roads to walk that have been stabilized with grass... ie grass all over the shoulder and in the road. Walk them, don't drive... and don't talk while walking, likely when you see a bear it will be at 50 yards or so and you will need to be ready to make a quick assessment and shot. Not sure about your set up but I would plan on driving out in the dark dark and be walking the last 10 min of your hike out with a head lamp... i.e. make sure you are out there till shooting light is over.

I agree 100% with the above. Walk slow and quiet. The bear I got two days ago was this exact method and at no more than 40 yards.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

There are plenty of bears up in that country. If the road isn't gated, don't waste your time. Also, you might need to hike out 1-2hrs of road before you get in the zone. If you are walking out a 5-6 mile road and you don't see scat in the first hour or so, keep going, especially if that road is climbing and is going to get up towards the snowline.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

There are plenty of bears up in that country. If the road isn't gated, don't waste your time. Also, you might need to hike out 1-2hrs of road before you get in the zone. If you are walking out a 5-6 mile road and you don't see scat in the first hour or so, keep going, especially if that road is climbing and is going to get up towards the snowline.

Fair point... when your walking roads, you are waaaaaaaallking roads. We were averaging like 20 miles a day...

 

[Ajax2744]

We got our bear in Idaho this year next to a burn. We hunted the sawtooths and basically got a vantage point and glassed. We saw bears chasing off each other in the burn but ended up tagging ours in some thicker cover where the bear was walking on the cleared trail. So while I don't have any Montana experience I would say animals are no different than humans that when given the opportunity they will take the easy route. So I would cover logging roads and look for patches of open grasses where they can get some greenery in the gut. Again I'm no expert but this worked for us this spring.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Fair point... when your walking roads, you are waaaaaaaallking roads. We were averaging like 20 miles a day...

Both of my NW MT bears were more than 2hrs from the gate. This obviously doesn't always have to be the case, but it certainly is sometimes.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

It's an odds game, if you feel your plan is a good one I'd stick with it and try to stay positive.

 

[PaulRevere]

If you can get your hands on a bicycle, that can be a great way to really take advantage of the gated roads. Ride a gated road for a while to get out there a ways (while looking for sign) and then find a good ridge to hike where you can get up high and glass if possible. Staying out until last shooting light is important too. The bicycle can make cruisin back to the truck really easy. Good luck!

 

[theat]

PM me and I can give you a couple spots to check out. Good advice above for hunting bears using roads. I am not really a fan of that type of hunting but it does work especially if you are bow hunting. I prefer to hunt steep canyons with lots of open cliffy terrain. I climb up to a spot with good visibility and glass the opposite side. There are lots of steep canyons with open southish facing slopes around here but you will have to scramble around in very steep terrain to hunt it effectively.

This is the type of view I look for when bear hunting

 

[Elkoholic]

Advice.... if Theat is offering some advice don't pass it up.

 

[modernhunter]

Well we took everyones advice on a long walk on logging roads. Didn't know how well it would work with the wind, but somehow we stumbled up on this guy at 3:45pm. He was about 70 yards away eating on the edge of a lower logging road. Huge thanks to everyone who voiced their advice, especially twolftg who told us most of his sign he was finding was 5000ft. That put us in bear sign all day! We have 3 more days out here and hopefully will get lucky enough to fill another tag, but if not we are more than grateful enough for this bear.
Thanks again for everyones help, we are extremely grateful!

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Nice work! Glad you were able to put the pieces together, got to love a color phase bear.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Congrats! Nice color

 

[Foxtrot1]

Great job! Congrats!

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

good job

 

[Twolftg]

Did you get into any more bears?