BEAR HUNTS

To accommodate our clients we have four different bear hunting areas, ranging from spring hunts over bait on both private land and wilderness areas to private land spot and stalk and fly in wilderness bait hunts in the fall. We have been baiting bears since 1979, and we produce more trophy bear than any of our competitors by a large margin. All of our bear hunts have been close to 100% opportunity. Both the wilderness and ranch bear hunts produce about 50% color phase with colors ranging from dark chocolate to cinnamon, blond and red. P&Y and B&C candidates are spotted every season with several hunters placing their 19" & 20" bruins in the literature.

WILDERNESS SPRING BEAR HUNT & BASE CAMP LODGE OR WILDERNESS TENT CAMP 2 BEAR AREA (UNIT 12)

We offer a spring bait hunt in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness area. This area is so vast and has such a high bear population that we have a very rare opportunity to be able to offer 2 bear tags in this unit. Many hunters will have the opportunity to take 2 bears during their hunt; some have even taken 2 bears in the same evening. These hunts take place on the Lochsa River and run from mid may to the end of June. During these hunts we stay either at our base camp lodge or we can do a pack-in wilderness tent camp.

Like most bear hunts, we only hunt in the afternoon, since this is when we see about 90% of our bear activity on the baits. We have tree stands and ground blinds set up weeks in advance so the bears have time to get used to the bait area, making them more likely to come in during the daylight hours. We establish each bait for well over a week before we ever have anyone hunt over it, in order to ensure the best chance possible at a nice mature bear. To access the baits we use vehicles, on foot, horseback, and we also raft across the river to reach many never before baited spots. This is an any-weapon hunt, so one bear can be taken with a rifle and next with a bow, or even a pistol. On occasion we will do a mid-day hillside hunt to watch some open canyons that bears may be using to do some grazing earlier in the day.

We do very well on this hunt at around 90% success, with opportunity easily reaching 100% annually. Bears on this hunt average from 5’10” to 6’6” in length, we will take some each year getting up to 7 feet long, with our largest being 8 foot. The bears this time of year tend to weigh in around 200-300 pounds. We also average about 50% on color phase bears. This hunt is 5 days and includes all lodging and meals.

 
PRIVATE LAND SPRING BEAR/TURKEY COMBO HUNT
JOSEPH OR WHITEBIRD RANCHES (UNIT 13 & 14)

Over the years during our elk season we have noticed the large number of bears on our ranches, so about 10 years ago we started putting out some bear baits in the spring and it was a huge success. This has led to us offering a spring ranch bear hunt; this is a one bear area and is in a combo with up to 2 turkey tags. This hunt takes place on both our Joseph and Whitebird ranches in units 13 and 14.

Access to the baits is fairly easy, usually we can drive right up to them by 4-wheeler. This is an any-weapon hunt so we can do archery, rifle or even pistol. As for success on the bear hunts we do very well, around 95% success on this hunt, with opportunity reaching 100% most years. Average bears are from 5’10” to 6’6”, with some going 7 foot and larger. We also average about 50% on color phase bears. They range from dark chocolate brown to cinnamon, blonde, and red.

This hunt is 5 days and includes all lodging and meals. We usually bear hunt only in the evenings and then turkey hunt in the mornings when the birds are coming out of roost. In the evenings we listen and can easily locate the birds so we can get you setup in the right place for the morning. There are lots of turkeys on the ranch and we rarely have trouble getting our clients at least one turkey during this hunt.

WILDERNESS FALL 2 BEAR/WOLF COMBO HUNT -
NEW HUNT FOR 2013!!!
REMOTE WILDERNESS FLY-IN TENT CAMP
2 BEAR AREA (UNITS 12 & 17)

For the 2013 fall season we are opening up a brand new and exciting fall bear hunt option. This hunt will take place deep in our Selway/Bitterroot Wilderness area. We will fly in to our remote tent camp and do a 2 bear and wolf combo hunt in the month of September. We have been back in this area for over 30 years now and since then it has never been baited for bear or wolves. That combined with the fact that our September elk hunters see bear on a daily basis will provide for a highly successful fall bear hunt.

For this hunt we will not only offer baits but also can do some hillside hunting as well. The lack of bear hunting in this backcountry area has produced an incredible abundance of bear, and big bears for that matter. Being that this area has yet to be bear hunted much at all we expect to be seeing multiple bears on each bait along with some huge bruins because of extremely low hunting pressure over the decades. Most bears taken will range in the 5’8” to 6’6” range, with some bears going over 7” or bigger and weighing in around the 250-400 pound range. We will average around 50% color phase on this hunt.

We will provide baits for both rifle and archery hunters. This is an any-weapon unit so you are welcome to bring your weapon of choice. We will be accessing baits by use of horseback since this is a primitive non-motorized area. Time of travel by horseback will vary from 30 minutes up to a few hours each day depending on where our best baits are located. Each day we will go out for an afternoon hunt over bait or overlooking a open hillside area. We can also go out in the mornings if needed.

For the wolf portion of this hunt we are expecting to be seeing them on some of our bear baits, along with some hillside hunting and trying to use predator calls to bring them in within shooting range. This area has a high enough population of wolves to where we see or hear them on almost a daily basis. They are incredibly elusive animals, but we feel between the bear baits out and hillside hunting we will have a high chance of harvesting some wolves. There is no kill fee on harvesting a wolf.

To access this camp we will fly all our hunters in to our Fish Lake camp, where they will stay during the 5 day hunt. As the season progresses we may also decide to use other spike camps to access more untapped country. At the camp we will provide all food as well. We will have a cook at camp providing 3 meals a day as well. Other than your hunting gear you will be responsible to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow.

There is a fly-in charge associated with this hunt, this rate changes from year to year and is paid directly to the aviation service upon arrival, which we set up for you.

 
PRIVATE LAND FALL SPOT & STALK
BEAR HUNT - WHITEBIRD RANCH (UNIT 14)

We offer a very unique bear hunting experience with our fall spot and stalk bear hunt located at our Whitebird ranch in unit 14. This hunt takes place throughout the entire month of September, but we do the majority of the hunts in the first 3 weeks of the month.

The ranch that we are hunting here holds thousands of wild plum trees which fill every canyon on the ranch with some of the tastiest wild fruit around. Bears come from the surrounding mountains down to the ranch in order to fatten up for the winter. During this one month they will gain around 100 pounds just by eating the wild plums.

We hillside hunt over canyons filled with the large wild plum orchards, which the bears come down to in the evenings. We watch the bears cross the hillsides in search of the ripest fruit available, and try to get within shooting range. It’s nothing to see 4 or 5 bears a night; it’s just a matter of getting close enough to the right bear! This is an any- weapon unit so we can do rifle, archery, or even pistol.

We usually see about a 100% opportunity on this hunt with about an 80% success. The hardest part of this hunt is the shooting, with most shots ranging in the 200-300 yard range, leading to more missed and wounded bears than on your typical bait hunt. Practicing at longer ranges and practicing faster shots, since bears usually tend to always be on the move, can help with each hunter’s own success on this hunt.

 The color phase on this hunt is about 50%, running from dark chocolate brown to cinnamon, blonde, and red.  Average bears are from 5’10” to 6’6”, with some going 7 foot and larger.  The bears also tend to be fatter this time of year, pushing them up into the 300-400 pound range, with some getting up to 450-500 pounds.  This hunt is 5 days and all lodging and meals are included.