Work and other commitments have only allowed me to get out 3 days so far. I haven't been seeing any sign, or animals.

Only bear I've heard of so far is one up in town in Whitefish. Seems some dingbat thought he could keep bees without having them enclosed safely. A bear wrecked his setup last fall and it seems the bear has been coming back to see if there's anything left this spring.

Heading to T-Falls area the end of May if they haven't dispersed too much by then. I'm hoping for a late green up from over here on the East side.

Starting to see some green peeking out already in the lower zone in the Flathead, still good snow pack up high and in the shade though.

Was hoping to head over by bozeman this weekend to see if I can find a bear but not sure how the snow is over that way.

hopefully will be up by Libby in 3 weeks glassing for bears.

Been out a couple times around Butte, haven't seen a thing. I haven't heard of anybody seeking bear yet, either.

I heard today that my Taxidermist's 13 yr old grandson recently shot a 7' Blackie with a 20" skull. Another friend has seen a few in the Bozeman area.

That's a good bear. Congrats to the young hunter!

A pard saw one in the bozone yesterday...

Pretty dry and crunchy in the hills around Helena. Not much if any green up yet. I haven't seen any bear sign as of yet. The good stuff is a couple weeks away. I heard of one killed up by Stemple pass, but it was raiding a bird feeder at somebodies cabin.

I was up in Helena over the weekend at the girlfriends Parents place and it's crazy how dry you guys are up that way

Haven't heard about any black bears but grizzlies are out around here

I'm going to give it another week before I head West.

Bears are out in Eastern Mt, but we didn't get much for winter.

What area you hunting PG?

I am going to shoot prairie dogs one more weekend before looking for Mr. Bear.


Travis

Well, am heading out for a little south of the Livingston area to start hunting on Monday, the 6th. Understand there's quite a bit of snow in the high country yet; we may be a little early but hope to be able to look a few over in a week or so.

Good luck to all those perched behind glass in the weeks to come.

Headed to northern Idaho on May 17th for 10-days. Hope our timing is just like it was last year. Counting the days!

FNG: I have seen one set of tracks as of 4/26/2,013.
Winter is still alive and well here in SW Montana.
I have two close friends who have been out and they have yet to lay eyes on a live Bear but both have seen a single set of tracks apiece.
One of my friends who hikes into some really high country was out this past weekend but had to turn back due to deep and dangerous snow banks blocking his way.
Good luck when you get out again.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Spring hasn't sprung. Give us some sunshine and rain.

We still gett'n 27 at night.... Thats looking to change though.

Only heard of one bear get'n shot so far. I have not seen any yet.

Heard that there's been seeins' of the blackies around Bozone. Might step out Sat. if it is only rain and isn't ice pellets to see if the rumors are so.

Spring IS sprung in the Madison Valley, 'bout time to mow the lawn, hay fields have 5" of growth...

I have gone out three days in the past week. Havn't even found a track yet. Went into the elk horns one day and up stemple pass the second. You can almost make it up teh back way to the top of stemple. I got stopped a mile or so from the top.

Not much green out yet though....

Anyone in helena have any other spots that might be worth trying?

It's an odd year, not green at all yet in the early places, even though not much snow. It's just around the corner though.

Looks like 70s next week. That ought to get a few more rolling around.

Got out yesterday and saw where a bear had dug up a couple ground squirrels recently. No tracks to be found on the dry ground, so I couldn't tell what flavor it was. Was just happy to see some sign. Itching to bloody the 454 model 92.

Edited 'cause I can't type after drinking.

Boomwack: Just this minute (Thursday May 2nd 2,013 at 10:22 PM) saw that Bozeman set a new all time low temperature record for this date at 16 degrees and Butte came within a couple of degrees of their all time low for this date which was 11 degrees (the record).
Yeah it is still "wintery" here in far SW Montana.
All my Bear Hunting compadres are reporting lots of Wolf tracks though.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

There's no bears left, the wolves ate em all.

Bad news is they are calling for another drought... ugghhhh

No sign yet around the Bitterroot for me, plenty of gophers out though!

4100fps: I found a bunch of black bear hair in wolf scat all over the greater Flathead area last spring. The wolves are certainly eating the bears - just the young ones it seems. I'd rather have the bears in the woods than the wolves, for sure.

We need a spring wolf season running concurrent with bear season. I never see 'em in the fall, but do in the spring during denning season. It would be a step in the right direction - a step toward shoot on sight year round.

I found where she killed this cub. Took the head back to the den for the pups.

FWP bio flying yesterday, got a pic of two wolves, one collared, chasing a griz. Me thinks it got a little too close to some puppies in a den. Chasing right off the south fork road.

Yessir, looks like them cold nights should be behind us now...

G'damn wolves...... government introduced evasive species chit.

Do not forget your extra chit 'wolf' tags.....

Is that why guys on the internet act like they are all over the hills like flies on chit, but when the numbers come in the often fail to meet quota?

I'm headed to Trout Creek this weekend. Hoping to kill a gobbler but a bear will fill in as well if I can find one. Will report back with my findings on conditions and such.

Is that why guys on the internet act like they are all over the hills like flies on chit, but when the numbers come in the often fail to meet quota? [/quote]

It has been my findings hunting fall or spring around here your chances of finding wolf tracks is greater than finding bear tracks. Even though wolves are very elusive, keen and stealthy.

Go back 15 years ago around here, you would find a bear track long before a wolf track.

I use to have not much sympathy for bears now I have some sympathy towards them. Different lion hunters in the area have found dead bears in dec/jan with nothing but wolf tracks around there partly devoured carcas....whats up with that.

Are moose count is going down, but more moose skeletons/carcass being found, livestock mortality reports keep going up....

For the sake of this thread and bear season alone, I hope and wish all wolves end up with parvo and die.

Cool pic drahtaar.



Travis

Here is another standoff I got pics of. The sow put a cub up the tree. The wolf paced back and forth for quite a while. She charged out a couple times, eventually the wolf gave up.

My case in point is in drahtaar pics 'bout wolves

May they all get parvo and die

My point is, wolves have been running around these parts in force, where these pics were taken long before the reintro. There is more elk, less mulies, more bears, more wolves, more lions than ever before. Why wouldn't they go after bears? They have meat on their bones too. There is just as many bear piles with fawn hooves as there is wolf sign. I personally don't feel bad for any of them. Truth be told, lions are causing more problems where I hunt than wolves, and I promise you, the bears(black and griz) are killing far more fawns and calves than wolves. Everywhere is different, and its all in your perspective. Wolves are nothing new here, and they certainly aren't the end all be all of hunting here either.

I want to go hunting with drahtaar...


Travis

Very interesting pics

Thanks for posting

Those pics are amazing! I wouldn't have guessed that wolves would [bleep] with bears.

Found these this afternoon

Very cool.....you guys have a lot of grizzlies in that part of the world.

Great picture!

Way too many grizzlies. I've seen probably 15 grizzlies within a mile or two of this spot during the last couple years. The teton river is a coup,e hundred yards to,the right of the picture and the bears use it like a highway...or they just use the highway lol

Nice bro! Have a great time!

That is an awesome pic.

Would you believe me if I told you it was taken with an iPhone?

I covered a bunch of miles near Trout Creek over the weekend. Never found any bear sign at all up 3 different drainage's. Most roads were still snow blocked at about the elevation where you would want to bear hunt. Very little green up and limited access. About another week and things might get better with this warm weather we have.

Talked to some family in lincoln and they had a bear in the yard two nights in a row. Maybe thats where i need to head!!!

I spent the weekend fishing and spotting for bears and never seen hide nor hair.

Been out the last 2 nights and have seen 2 bears.
One BIG one that got away
and a little one last night
But I'm in N.W. Wy

Finally saw a bear!

I went out after work tonight and spooked a mid-sized bear that had just a haze of brownish tint to it. It was in an old clear cut and spooked when it saw the truck. I parked and went to investigate. Couldn't see much evidence of activity other than where the grass was being eaten (and could hear the bastid making for Idaho).

I left the truck and walked about a mile up the road (ungated). On my walk back I got busted by a bear of similar size just up the road from the other. This one didn't appear to have the brown, but the lighting was different. I think it was the same bear.

After reaching the truck, I drove up just past the turn around of my walk and parked. I walked and sat in the clear cut at this new spot. Just befor dusk, the wind shifted down slope and all hell broke loose in the woods. Pretty sure I got winded by a bear - kinda hope it was the same one just 'cause it would be funny.

Sounds like you had fun! My brother and I are going to head out after work tomorrow. I'd be happy to see tracks at this point.

Boomwack, I agree with you..may they all die, and the sooner the better...I would also add the clowns that put them here should follow right afterwards..

DeerTracker, that photo is what living over by the front is all about. Too cool.
We lived along the Teton over at Collins for a while and I always wondered how ofter a Griz followed the river that far east.
Is your picture frome just north of town on 89?

That's one cool pic. Ought to frame that one.

I went out last night again. Seen over 300 elk, tons of deer, and even a moose...... But no bear. The elk are starting to put some knubs on though. I seen groups of 20-30 on both sides of Fletcher pass and tons down in the flats on both sides of the pass.

Made for a great night anyways!

N.W. Wy again
3 nights out 5 bears seen.
Saw 3 bears together last night all different sizes.
I suspect the smallest was a runt

No bears last night, lots of deer, elk, and moose. Still have yet to find a track.

On the way home from south of the Livingston area. We began glassing Sunday night during which time we spotted three at a distance. Monday we found two too far and late to move on; yesterday, my buddy took nice medium sized chocolate boar just before sunset after watching a griz for awhile earlier in the afternoon.

I took a beautiful cinnamon boar last night again just after sunset. The pattern for our four days was seeing them very late in the afternoon.

And I was amazed at the resident elk we saw during the week; I'm sure we saw close to a hundred head.

Anybody been out lately? My brother saw a sow and two cubs last week near Butte last week.

George...glad you guys did good on bears! Any pics to offer up yet?

Saw one black earlier this week-

Not sure if this counts but the bears were out on the northern end of Yellowstone last week. Saw 7 total that day, a she griz and two cubs, sow blackie with two cinnamon cubs, and a juvenile male digging up roots solo.

I am thankful our wolves in northeastern Washington have left the bears alone.....

That's sarcasm. I really enjoy the bears but I differ from most and realize its all part of the process

I put a good one on the ground tonight, with my 8 yo son along. That made my day. Especially since today was only the second day all season I could go out. Had to go to the honey hole. Produces every year.

Very cool. Kills with kids are my favorites.

Pics guys, pics. Please!