Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Spot & Stalk Wilderness Sppring Black Bear Guide Montana?

Anybody have experience with anyone in particular?

My hunting partner and I are considering booking a hunt for '18.

I've contacted Remi Warren's outfit but even he runs one out of a lodge.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Did a spot and stalk in Idaho a couple of years ago with these folks in the Gospel Hump Wilderness.

http://www.sheppranch.com/

This is the county you hunt, on foot.



The transport in was by jet boat.

How many bears did you see in 4 days? Did you shoot one? Care to share a photo?

Thanks for that link that looks like a really cool hunt. Like John I am interested to hear more & see pics as that looks like a great one for me to take my boys on.

What I'm really looking for this time around, however, is a backpacking wilderness hunt. I don't know that anything like this is even available, but thought it was worth asking around.

We may just end up doing as much homework as we can and planning the whole thing ourselves to save a couple grand but it'd be cool to go w/ someone experienced in backcountry hunting/backpacking in the mountains & increase our chances to learn and to actually shoot bears.

Thanks again all,

Efw

It was a late April hunt in 2013. I and a friend and a father son pair were the hunters in camp. Everyone got shots at bears and should have had bears. I missed a big one on day 2, just flat missed at 185 yards. I took a small bear on the last day last hour of the hunt. My friend missed on the last day. The other two missed bears on several days and did take a wolf.

I saw 7 bears and my friend 11.

26 miles of road and 18 miles by boat. The road.



The end of the road.



River transportation.



The Salmon River.



At the ranch.

The area. There are about 20 elk in the center of this picture.



One day on this guy.

This is looking back towards the river in the area where I missed the bear.



It was a fun hunt and I would go back anytime.

That is beautiful country. I have been across the Manning Crevice Bridge (the one pictured) many times, and worked on several projects in the area for the USFS.

Someday I will take a boat ride up that stretch of river. It would be a great trip, bear or not.

It is VERY steep!

No bear pics?

Looks/sounds like a fun hunt.

i'm curious, did you ask the guide you were originally interested in if he would consider changing up the trip for you and your buddy?

i figure it can't hurt to ask, and the guide may enjoy switching things up as long as you either make it worth his effort financially (more logistics for them to work out) or make it clear that you'll step up to the plate helping with camp chores or some sort of pre-trip planning (grocery shopping, bringing your own tent, ???) to ease his burden since it isn't his "normal" spring trip

Thanks Tim that is an excellent idea.

As a matter of fact, I did ask just that on the "email form" on their web site. Still awaiting a reply. Hoping that even if we don't end up going with him he may give us his insights into strategically picking an area.

I think that at this point we're leaning harder toward DIY in early June of 2018, possibly in Gates of the Mountains wilderness. The other I'd love to try is the Absaroka-Beartooth, but am not sure I'd care to deal with the presence of grizzlies on my first outing.

Thanks again for all the feedback everybody; this has been helpful.

Have you considered doing a spring bear hunt in British Columbia with your guy's dollar being a lot better than ours right now.

Buddy, I've hunted spring bear in NW Montana for 20 years and have found that mid May is the best time. The bears are out, and still grazing on the gated roads. June seems a bit late unless you are on the edge of snow in the high country.

PR- thank you; that is very helpful! We'll plan on mid-May.

Is there a general area up there you'd suggest? Everything I said in OP is just "idea" and I'm trying to get straight on what's actually doable vs what newbies in another state might "think".

Thanks a lot to you!!

Funny, I was just talking to my boss about bear hunting this afternoon. I am certainly no expert on bear hunting but I decided I am going to get a tag this spring and hunt the Beartooth Absaroka Wilderness. My first bear hunt. I live about two hours from the West Boulder access point so I plan to start from there. My plan is to hike in with a buddy who wants to fish the W. Boulder while I climb and glass the peaks above. We probably won't camp in the back country on this hunt, but we've also talked about hiking into some high country lakes for a weekend where I could glass for bears while he fishes for golden trout.

If it comes to pass, I'll let you know how it goes. Good luck with your planning.

Been watching this thread with interest. I really, really want to do a spring spot/stalk bear hunt. I went to Idaho 2 years ago but it turned into a dog and bait hunt. I passed on the bears but did get to pack one out

That is some beautiful country in Idaho. One of my favorite areas

If you ever get a chance book a trip on the middle fork of the Salmon in Summer. Great west slope cut fishing

http://www.idahorivers.com/?gclid=CICbyKefncoCFQyFaQodzrANyg


Hope to be up in NW MT this May glassing for a shooter

I started a thread asking general questions about a DIY hunt in Montana on the backpacking board.

Ribka & SG06 I'd love to hear details on your adventures! Good luck!

Though it's in Idaho, might want to look into folks that guide in the Frank Church wilderness area. You might be able to bush plane or boat in and hunt out of a backpack from there.

Wow Pointer that is a Pandora's box second only to Alaska! I've investigated online and will continue to, the more we talk the more we like the simplicity of doing Montana for this trip.

Frank Church has its tractor beam on me now though. Gonna have to do it. Looks like w/ 4 people it'd only add about $500/person to the trip. I watched the Nat'l Geographic (IIRC?) documentary on it a year or two ago. As close to heaven as I can imagine in lower 48!

Thanks again for everyone's responses!

I tried searching the state site, but couldn't find harvest reports for Montana black bear. Is anyone familiar with where they might be?

Thanks SO much everyone,

Efw