Idaho Salmon Region Rifle

[TheDudeAbides]

All,

I'm new to this forum.

I scouted where I could over labor day. 36b was all closed due to the eleven mile fire.

I saw over a 100 deer (whitetails in 21, 21A and Mule Deer), but only one decent sized whitetail buck.

I saw 40 elk, but no bulls.

I saw 6 bears, but no legal bears (2 sows and 4 cubs).

I saw 40 pronghorn , 20 pine grouse, and 10 chuckars.

This has to be one of the most game rich areas, I have ever been too.

I have tags for elk, 2 deer, and bear. I am really interested in filling my bear tag. I have never bagged one.

Am I right to assume in the middle of October they will be down in the creek bottoms?

Do you think I will have a good chance at bumping one while looking for whitetails in the creek bottoms or will they still be up higher in the muley and elk country?

I'll have ten days to spend in the country pursuing these animals and I really want to get a bear.

I don't need specific spots, just curious at what type of country the bears will be in this time of year.

 

[twsnow18]

Bears are everywhere, if you can find berries, they will be there. We shot one Friday above Lowman. You could tell he was spending all of his time in this draw, his scat and beds were everywhere.

Hunting bears in thick river bottoms would be tough as they are very low profile, even a big one. You don't realize how low to the ground they are until you walk up on a few dead ones. They are hard to spot in brush, compared to even an average sized mule deer. Glassing big hillsides is much easier, and if you can glass from above them that's even better, it allows you to see down into the brush better.

I tend to spot them at mid-elevations this time of year in somewhat open areas with good stands of brush and berries, but not too far from the timber still.

Why the fascination with bears? When you have more delicious tags in your pocket. Good luck!

 

[ForkWest]

The gooseberries are on thick this year down here in Utah. A few years ago in WY I counted 14 bears in one day. All were in the gooseberries, about 9000ft elevation.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

I missed one last year and I have been thinking about it ever since.

That and I traded some deer steaks to my buddy for bear steaks, those bear steaks were better than the deer steaks - but I might just be weird, because I like duck.

I guess I should have clarified, I am not hunting up there again untel October 14.

I'll hunt October 14-24.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

I grew up in Utah and have seen a couple of bears back before there were relatively a lot of them.

I'll be in Idaho October 14-24, so I guess my question should have been where will they be then.

I went as high as I could go (~8400') on my scouting trip looking for berries and I could only find thick lodge pole pines.

The country opens up down lower and that's where I saw the sows and cubs.