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We operate our spring bear hunts out of our lodge in the front range. We use pickups and ATVs to transport hunters to the bait sites. We typically hunt in the evenings and stay out until dark. For those hunters that prefer to run bears with hounds, our hounds are happy to accommodate you. Patience is a must on this hunt. We do not use tree stands. We have most baits set up for 100–300-yard shots. Most of our hunters are rifle hunters but we can accommodate archery hunters. Just remember, the further you sit from the bait, the better your chances of a bear coming into the bait and not smelling or hearing you.
We have very few hunts that we can accommodate handicapped or overweight hunters, but we can on this hunt. Hunters stay in our lodge/house and ride with us in the trucks for a late morning start.
We use ATVs to get to most baits. Most bears come in just before dark so many times we do not get home until midnight. Spring is a wonderful time to be in the mountains. Some of our baits have cell service. If you have the patience to sit in a tree stand or duck blind, then you can handle this hunt. I personally can’t sit still that long so while you watch the bait, I am usually checking other baits. We use trail cameras to judge the size, sex (it is illegal to shoot a sow with cubs) and timing of the bears coming to the baits. Trail cameras really help us choose the larger, mature boars. These boars are the ones that go through the elk calving grounds. They act like vacuum cleaners and catch the elk calves in the first two weeks of their life. Little scientific emphasis is put on the amount of damage a mature boar can inflict on elk calves. Idaho allows only one bear tag in our front range area. There is something about large predators that gives hunters buck fever. Practice your shooting. Most baits are set within 300 yards so practice at these distances.
