Yet another Montana Spring Bear hunt thread... I apologize.

[jeffraines]

Hey guys,

So I just found this forum, and browsing through there is a ton of info. I guess I'll have to add it to yet another forum I frequent(and make my wife a little madder in the process).

I notice there are a ton of threads on spring bear hunts in Montana, and admittedly I haven't had a chance to go through many of the past years threads yet. I haven't hunted bear in spring yet, and the fall season I've hunted I had zero sightings. So, I'm pretty much a novice.

My understanding of spring bear hunting is you go out and glass grassy areas/ridges/avalanche shoots/clearcuts, basically a food source. I hear South and West facing slopes melt out first(correct me if I'm wrong). From what I gather, areas west of Kalispell along the ID/MT border are hot spots.

Here are my questions -

The ID/MT border and West of Kalispell - thats a HUGE area. I'll likely have 4-5 days to do this, max. I plan on doing as much Google Earth scouting as I can, since I won't be able to make it over to scout prior to the hunt. I know my best bet is going to be sticking to one general area vs. trying to see 10 different areas hoping to stumble across a bear. I would really love some help picking out a general area or a few to e-scout. I'm not asking for GPS coordinates, just general area/suggestions. I'm not too good to drive up, but I don't mind hiking either. Actually, I was into backpacking/hiking before I got the hunting bug, so if thats going to be the best way I'm all for it.

What is the best timeframe? I realize that weather/snowpack is a huge factor. Would shooting for mid to late May be a pretty 'safe' time?

If I'm wrong on any accounts, don't hesitate to correct me. If you feel like I could do better hitting another area or another tactic, let me know. As I mentioned, I'm a novice and I appreciate the info/insight.

Thanks again.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I certainly don't consider myself an expert, I have killed 3 bears over the last four seasons. I really like to get out in the hills during the spring and the last 2 seasons I killed bears on the last weekend after hunting maybe 18-20 days total (I shot a bear on May 28th that I saw May 5th...so don't think it takes 18 days). Every afternoon after work and most weekends.

From my experience the later the better. I typically don't start seeing that much bear sign until the last 2 weeks of the season. Last year I saw one bear repeatedly the first half of the season and then starting late may... maybe 20th or something I started seeing 4-5 bears a day.

Google earth/ onxmaps only gets you so far, often roads that look great for walking are completely overgrown or have too much snow to drive. Really you just need to get out in the field and treat your first 2 days of a 4-5 day hunt as scouting days and cover lots of ground looking for good habitat and sign.

Don't be afraid of snow last season; last year I hiked in on a snow packed trail in the timber for 2-3 miles, got into a basin with grassy meadows and called in a bear.

In Montana during the spring go with a distressed elk fawn call if you are going to call.... just make really whiny sounds with a cow call. Complete blind calling is a waste of time, try to find an area with lots of sign where there is likely a bear beaded down within a half mile or so.

Also when picking units note that some of that country west of Kalispell is incredibly thick and glassing is very difficult. I would look at cabinets, seeley lake area, beartooths, absarokas, tabacos, or gallatin range. Makes your life easier if you can hike from a paved road into the hills... snow pack becomes less of an issue.

 

[jeffraines]

I certainly don't consider myself an expert, I have killed 3 bears over the last four seasons. I really like to get out in the hills during the spring and the last 2 seasons I killed bears on the last weekend after hunting maybe 18-20 days total (I shot a bear on May 28th that I saw May 5th...so don't think it takes 18 days). Every afternoon after work and most weekends.

From my experience the later the better. I typically don't start seeing that much bear sign until the last 2 weeks of the season. Last year I saw one bear repeatedly the first half of the season and then starting late may... maybe 20th or something I started seeing 4-5 bears a day.

Google earth/ onxmaps only gets you so far, often roads that look great for walking are completely overgrown or have too much snow to drive. Really you just need to get out in the field and treat your first 2 days of a 4-5 day hunt as scouting days and cover lots of ground looking for good habitat and sign.

Don't be afraid of snow last season; last year I hiked in on a snow packed trail in the timber for 2-3 miles, got into a basin with grassy meadows and called in a bear.

In Montana during the spring go with a distressed elk fawn call if you are going to call.... just make really whiny sounds with a cow call. Complete blind calling is a waste of time, try to find an area with lots of sign where there is likely a bear beaded down within a half mile or so.

Also when picking units note that some of that country west of Kalispell is incredibly thick and glassing is very difficult. I would look at cabinets, seeley lake area, beartooths, absarokas, tabacos, or gallatin range. Makes your life easier if you can hike from a paved road into the hills... snow pack becomes less of an issue.

Thank you for the information! This is why I decided to go ahead and post. Luckily I have some time to research.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If I had a choice of dates for NW Montana based on the past two year's snow levels and early spring, the 5 days I'd be hunting would fall between the 5th and the 15th. You've gleaned a lot of good info from reading. Put into practice what you wrote and you'll have as good a chance as anyone next spring.

 

[Kiwi]

Great info. I'm also a bear hunting novice, but hoping to try for a bear next year.

 

[jeffraines]

Something else I just thought of - speaking of snowpack, around what elevation could I expect to start seeing snow? I realize this is a weather dependent question, so I'm thinking on an average year. I know here in the cascades the snow is usually around 3500-4000 feet in late May. Is it the same there?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Really depends on the year and mountain range. The highest elevation in some areas in MT might be 4600 and and snow will start at 3000 in others it might be 9000 and snow starts at 7000. Also slope aspect plays a huge role. One side of the range will have snow starting at the road the other side might be completely bare. The website snowtel will let you check historic levels at various locations in the state. Keep in mind a shaded road might keep snow longer than any place on a mountain, and restrict access.

 

[el unit]

In our little area of SW Montana, we seem to have most bear sightings between May 20 thru end of bear season. We hunt the USFS land surrounding our ranch at 6200 ft. The little grassy meadows we hunt at the bottom of North facing, heavily timbered slopes are usually void of snow and full of grass at that time. All the bear droppings look like big piles of fresh horse manure.
Nothing like fresh grass-fed bear!

 

[jeffraines]

Really depends on the year and mountain range. The highest elevation in some areas in MT might be 4600 and and snow will start at 3000 in others it might be 9000 and snow starts at 7000. Also slope aspect plays a huge role. One side of the range will have snow starting at the road the other side might be completely bare. The website snowtel will let you check historic levels at various locations in the state. Keep in mind a shaded road might keep snow longer than any place on a mountain, and restrict access.

Thats good to know. I did know about snotel - there is also EOSDIS satellite imagery thats updated daily that I find fairly useful as well. Its not high resolution like google earth but it gives you a great idea of current snow cover.

In our little area of SW Montana, we seem to have most bear sightings between May 20 thru end of bear season. We hunt the USFS land surrounding our ranch at 6200 ft. The little grassy meadows we hunt at the bottom of North facing, heavily timbered slopes are usually void of snow and full of grass at that time. All the bear droppings look like big piles of fresh horse manure.
Nothing like fresh grass-fed bear!

I will keep this in mind as well. Those are awesome pictures!

 

[35cal]

great info