ID Black Bears

[mmgrode]

Hey Gang,
   looks like I'll be headed up to Idaho for the fall for work.  I hope to get some Black Bear hunting (along with Elk, antelope, and mule deer) in while I'm there. Anyone else baited bears in Idaho?  Anyone have any luck with honey burns/bear crack burns?  Also, approximately when do the bears head in to hibernate for the winter(season goes through october)?  Man I'm pumped!   Matt

[bowmaster12]

hey matt not sure what idaho's laws are for baiting but i know here in wisconsin you cant use honey buns not allowed to bait with any animal parts or by products honey being a produc tof bees ofcourse

[mmgrode]

Hey Jesse,
   I'll have to check the regs again, but I think Idaho allows certain animal parts to be used(not the skin), and allows the use of bait barrels.  Nice to not have WI restrictions out there.  

How many pref points do you have for WI, Jesse?

Sorry if it will take me a while to respond to posts, gang.  Only get to go to the library a couple times a week here.

Looking forward to reading others bear experiences not only in Idaho, but other places as well.  
Cheers, Matt

[bowmaster12]

got my tag last year (took 10 years) ended up shootin alittle guy last day the 450 lber i had comin in all summer didnt show once hunting started. So i only have 1 point got awhle to wait.

[PLS-12224]

Matt

I had bears coming into my bait site until end of the season (Oct 31). Unfortuetly, I couldn't get on 'em.  It don't know when they go into hibernation I assume it is closer to the first of December around southern Idaho.  I have never tried honey or bear crack burns. I have had good success with bread and doughnuts, I got lucking I was able to sweet talk the manager of a bakery of one of the local grocery stores to give me all their old bread. Your right about the animal parts, no skin and no wild animal parts. I just dropped bait yesterday.  There is still some snow where I am baiting, but I was able to bait a month sooner than I did last spring so I am pumped.  What part of Idaho are you going to be working in?

Chris

[lt-m-grow]

Idaho is a great place to hunt. You will love it.

I don't know all the rules for baiting in ID, but I do know there are spots that you cannot bait.   These are mainly in the south close to Yellowstone.   Something about those darned grizzlies coming into bait folks don't like so much.

[PLS-12224]

Matt

I bet you already have this but here are the links of 2009-2010 bear seasons here in Idaho.


Fall 2008/Spring 2009 Idaho Black Bear Regulations:
 http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/spring09bear.pdf

Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Idaho Black Bear Regulations:
 http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/bear.pdf

[mmgrode]

Chris- Thanks for the links. I'll be working outside of Idaho Falls(about an hour away) in the Tex Creek region for Idaho Fish and Game.  I'm very much looking forward to seeing and hunting in the country up there.  What is a reasonable size expectation for an Idaho bear?  

Jesse- You must have been hunting in the northern part of the state, eh?  I have 4 points this year and hope to get a tag in the lower half of the state whenever I get a fall off.

Anyone have any advice/techniques/setups on baiting bears?  

Cheers, Matt

[Clay Hayes]

Matt, I do all my bear hunting up near Ashton, near the southwest corner of Yellowstone.  There are lots of bears and baiting isn’t allowed.  If you think about hunting up there, you’ll need to get a good can of bear spray – grizzlies are pretty common.  All the hunting I do is spot and stalk, and I’ve had good luck with it.  They’re pretty easy to sneak up on if you’ve got a good wind.  If you’re set on baiting, you should check out some of the units down around Palisades Reservoir.  

One thing I’ll tell you is that you should really think about buying whatever tags you want ASAP.  IDFG has been seeking to up the price of tags, and if the bill goes through, prices for non-residents will increase substantially.  I think this could happen as soon as May 1st, so I’d go ahead and get what you want before the price goes up.

ch

[wingnut]

Matt,

Scout the area looking for bear sign.  In areas you find sign put in a hanging test bait and rake the area under it.  that way when the bait is hit, you can judge the size of the bear from the foot prints.

Email me and I'll share a bunch of info.  Used to run a bear outfit in Washington back in the day.  LOL

Mike

[PLS-12224]

Matt,

Your going to be working in a great place to mule deer and elk hunt.  The elk winter in Tex Creek and there is a great cow hunt(gun hunt) that goes from the end of October to late November with an OTC tag. Tex creek area doesn't get that much archery hunting pressure, with the exceptions of the Brokman area and Caribou Mt.(which are closer to Palisades Reservoir), but like most places you can leave most of the hunters behind after the first mile of hiking.

  I am not sure how to answer your question about size expectation.  I just started hunting bears a few years ago and I still am trying to learn the nuances of judging bears. Somebody told me that the a good rule of thumb to use is "if a bear has a 5 inch track then the bear should square 5 feet". I have no idea if this holds true.

What do you use for bait in Wisconsin?

Last fall I used apples, popcorn, bread, syrup, chicken, and pastries.  Basically anything that I could get my hands on.  The one thing I did notice last fall was after the berries got ripe in the middle of September the bears would only consistently come in when I had sweets.

Here are some pics off my trail cam from last fall.


 

 

 

Keep in touch, maybe we could do some hunting together when you get here.

Chris

[BUFF]

One of the biggets struggles is not shooting a small bear. This clip shows a couple of small bears I was able to pass up. Every time I saw them, I knew they were the same Bears but they seemed to get bigger the closer it got to dark

notice the big ears
 http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/videos/bearhuntday2.wmv

[Brian Krebs]

Buff: I watched that 25 times; and I still cannot see the Indian with the flute !!      

Other than the audio at the beginning that was great! I really like the bear at the bait video- clear as a bell and neat to watch - thanks !

       

[PLS-12224]

Matt

I went to go make a payment to my taxidermist, and I asked him you question about size expectations.

He indicated an average bear for our area would sq 5-1/2 and have a skull of 16 1/2 to 17 inches

Hope this helps

Chris