Callen
New member
Me and a couple buddies are going Montana Black Bear hunting for the first time, were thinking Gallatin National Forest. Any pointers or tips and tricks for first timers?
First Black Bear hunt any pointers?
- Thread starter Callen
- Start date
Gunner46
Well-known member
Don't over think what it takes to drop a black bear. Shoot well, 1st & foremost.
Callen
New member
That's good advice for any hunting you know it fits with that whole "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
Good luck. When are you going? I have a post on here about black bear books and YouTube videos. Randy Newberg has a day by day for spring hunting in Montana. Learn everything about the animal you can. Be ready for continued learning experience when you get there.
Callen
New member
Fall black bear in October 17-23 so we can have a few days of dear season as well, as long we fill our bear tags first.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
When I lived in Idaho, I hunted fall bears in berry patches. I think your dates are a couple of weeks late for that. If they aren’t in the berries, they were hard for me to find.
Well they need to be eating something up to hibernation. Too bad someone on this forum doesn't know where the bears are eating in Montana later in the year. Greens in higher elevations?
Twolftg
Active member
It's pretty hard to find info on fall spot and stalk hunting, not alot of people do it. Most people that shoot bears in the fall seem to be incidental. They have a tag in their pocket while hunting elk or deer so they take a bear they happen to see. I am going back to Montana to try and fill my tag I didnt in the spring September 18-23. I will make sure to get back with my findings, of course a month later things will be a little different.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
Twolftg, pm sent.
I thought maybe elk or deer hunters saw them out about and about where they saw them. It's possible they are more spread out. Definitely let us know what you see them up to. I for one am unlikely to ever go to Montana, but am always happy to hear others' takes on black bear.
Jcs271
Well-known member
Make DARN sure its a black bear before you pull the trigger!
Hannibal
New member
BAKPAKR's comments regarding the difficulty of locating bears during the mid to late period of the fall bear season are accurate and obviously based on practical experience. Berries may be present as late as the third or possibly last week of September. But let's not forget that black bears eat a variety of foods. And that's where the difficulty (and futility) of trying to locate bears in and around food sources during spring or fall occurs. There are just too many potential food sources scattered throughout their home range. Having spent a considerable amount of time searching (and with limited success I might add) for fall bears during the mid to latter part of the season, my sightings were either incidental or were the result of tips provided by other hunters. Several were spotted in and around dens which bears were preparing for hibernation. It's probably best to choose a more opportune time period in the spring or early fall season if you want to improve your chances for success.
Kiwi
Well-known member
Hi callen, did you get out for an Oct bear hunt? I am also looking to hunt deer in Oct and thought about about trying for a MT bear early Oct. But based on the above comments might not be a great option.
Been looking into my first bear hunt this coming spring. Been researching a ton and making some calls, thought we had it narrowed down but the more I research the more I change my mind. I just stumbled upon this forum and noticed a lot of your replies and would love to pic your brain a little.
We are planning spot and stalk in idaho. The problem I’m finding is picking my unit- I’ve contacted a few people from Facebook pages and contacted 3 different field officers in idaho to get some info. We had it narrowed down to a certain unit but after researching that unit I’m not sure about it anymore.
I’ve looked into the website and see what unit have most kills each year- do I stick with that? My concern is hunting pressure - our hope is to get away from everybody.
