BEAR HUNTS

To accommodate our clients we have three separate bear hunting areas, ranging from spring hunts over bait to spot and stalk hunt 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 95% 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 RANCH (UNIT 13)

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 our Joseph ranch in unit 13. 

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.  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.

 
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.

 
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.