Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game First bear in Idaho! (pic heavy)

Well after a few months of stewing about it, posting on here, calling up to locals, game wardens and forest service, 1500 miles of driving found me in central Idaho! Huge change for a Okie flatlander. We drove straight through going up set up camp and were able to look around a bit and make on call stand near a creek the first evening. Not knowing what we were looking for or where we should begin the second day we covered some miles on the 4-wheeler, which produced some fresh tracks in the snow right at the snowline. We spent the first few days wandering around up higher with no luck, and on the third day we had a bear on camera finally and then began to focus our efforts in the lower country which paid off in the end for us.

Lots of rain, the weather cooled off after the first two days and some of the locals said we were lucky to get anything because some of the bears probably went back to dens. I was amazed at the daylight hours! It was getting light just after 5 and getting dark after 8! I couldn't believe it. To make it anywhere before sunlight we had to get up at 3am which I will admit was a struggle. In the mornings since nothing was hitting our bait we would make our way up trails to the burns and clear cuts and try calling with the FoxPro but never had any luck with this.

Day 6 a small cinnamon came in at 11am and 3 pm, and on day 7 my buddy set literally all day and shot him at 3 pm. He has the thickest hide I have ever seen it will be a full body mount. His measures 47" from nose to tail. While he was on the bait I was up near the top glassing and looking for new sign but all the rain made it hard. We had being seeing a herd of about 25 elk above our camp and that evening I found their tracks with wolf tracks mixed in, sadly never saw the elk again. After I had heard my friend shoot I was excited and couldn't stay up there to hunt till dark or I would have tried to look around for a kill, although I made an hour long call stand there it produced nothing.

The bear I shot had been showing up on camera every night for about 5 nights and hadn't shown himself during the daylight since the first day. The evening of day 8 I had just basically decided the trip was a success that we had harvested one animal and would be driving home soon. I had been sitting for about 6 hours that evening when just before dark I saw a black blob making its way down wind of the bait. Man was I excited. Since he was circling me and I had a make shift ground blind I decide to take him before he got to the bait and was able to make a clean shot about 80 yards through the thick timber. He is about 61 - 62" and I am having a rug done.

This was a good accomplishment for us, as neither one of us had seen more than a couple of wild bears in our lifetimes, never been to Idaho, or driven that far to hunt something we knew nothing about or where we going to be hunting. My advice to anyone is just do a little research and work hard and you will succeed on a d-i-y style hunt. Oh and to all you muzzle covering fans.... I did use blue tape....

Congratulations on a good hunt!

Nice bear! Where were you in Idaho? I've been debating a spring hunt in the central part. Also, how some rifle/cartridge info for us loonys!

I hunted the Selway Units 16a, 17, 16 because they were reduced price tags... 31 bucks for bears wolves and lion how could you go wrong! Diesel was the most expensive part about the trip it was like 1500 bucks!! But tags ,licenses were only like 340 dollars and we had 2 bears 2 wolves and one lion a peice.

Just used my deer gun, 25-300 wsm, my buddy used a 270 wsm. They both dropped like a rock, made the death moan for a few seconds and were dead. I think any caliber you would feel comfortable with a deer would be plenty!

Congratulations

Congratulations good lookin bears!!!

Congrats on your bears and making it all come together. After reading your story, you guys worked hard and deserve your success. I'm sure you can now see why baiting in in that country gives you the highes odds for a shot and good on you for playing all the options available.

What a great trip! You guys really did great!

Beautiful countryside and animals. Congrats on a great hunt!

Very nice!

I hunted the Selway a few years back for elk and loved the country. It can be a bit steep.......

Congrats,looks like you guys really did your homework!

Gotta ask, what's the deal with the big tree behind you and the verticle line going down it in the pic? Looks awfully odd to me?

Dober

Job well done and great looking bears!

Looks like a the shadow of a smaller tree in front of a bigger tree to me Dobber...

Love the Selway, Nice spring bears

I have not gone out yet myself, still wrapping up loose ends of 'must do' chores around here. But, my brother is do'n some recon. Still getting snow in places around here....

Great job! Will be going on DIY later this month as well. Did you have trouble skinning one out for the first time?

Congratulations on your hunt. To bad a couple of wolves weren't in the mix. Beautiful country I have been there numerous times.

Nice Bear and pictures.

Glad you had a good time and to bad you didn't have more time to look around and enjoy that area.The drive from there to Elk City over the top is a heck of a drive but I doubt one can make it yet..

Last I heard there is still 2-feet of snow in Dixie.

Jayco

Yeah that 'line' just a smaller tree.

No trouble skinning out I had a good plan of what to do just wasn't sure about the pads. A fellow hunter in a camp close to us actually offered assistance, just make a belly incision and follow natural lines down legs I split the pads.

Congratulations to you and your buddy on your succesful Idaho hunt. Yep, that Selway country is beautiful but steep and rough. You earned your bears.

Come back and see us again sometime.

L.W.

Sounds like you had a great trip.

Does this shot look familar?