Big Mountains & Big Bruins

Spring is starting to show up across the West, which means one thing to this bowhunter—time to get after the bears! I absolutely love spot–and–stalk bear hunting in the spring. Black bears are apex predators, and hunting them requires that I am at the top of my game. My actions and decisions can have extreme consequences, and I have to be prepared for intense encounters. Bear hunting ratchets up the adrenalin and is something I crave each and every year. Black bears in the West are also extremely difficult to harvest with archery gear. They are a relatively low population density animal, so when I find a good one, success means dialing in my hunting strategy and tactics. When all these factors are stirred into the same pot, the results are an ultimate challenge. When it’s spring in the Rocky Mountain West, give me my bow, big mountains and pumpkin–headed boars, and I know I am in for one heck of an adventure.     

There is still opportunity to hunt spring bears out West. There are draw tags and even OTC opportunities in states like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. There are also multiple mountain ranges with robust bear populations. That doesn’t mean the hunting is easy, but there are a lot of good places to go on a spring bear adventure. That said, spring bear hunting is all about elevation. IT IS ALL ABOUT ELEVATION!   

I just wanted to make sure you got that, as it’s the key to finding bears consistently. The snow and new green growth condenses bears at certain elevations. As the snow melts, new green grass sprouts and begins to grow. This is where the bears will want to be. So, when you are studying up on maps or have boots on the ground in a mountain range, look for the green wave that works its way up the mountain. In Montana, it’s different year to year, but below are guidelines I’ve developed over years and years of chasing spring bruins.   

Bear Location by Elevation Guide

April 15-May 1: 5,000-6,000 feet

May 1-15: 6,000-7,200 feet

May 15-June 15: 7,200-8,500 feet

When you spot a bear, use that guide to find more of them. I also pay attention to sign and scat to tell me where bears are living. This real time information is so clutch, and I can transpose elevation and even setting to find more bears by putting it to work. Another tip is, where you find one bear you will find more. Bears like similar features, so once I find an area that produces sightings, I almost always find multiple bears living in there.   

Even with what I just walked you through, the toughest part about spring bear hunting is consistently finding bears. At times it can seem like black magic. There will be days you will be in a good location doing everything right and still not see a bear. The next day you could see three doing the same hunt. It’s all about finding good locations, with good vantage points and keeping your head in the game. I use a combination of tactics but my go–to is glassing from master vantage points. I find places where I can see a ton of country in my target elevation. I will also use a “mobile” vantage where I still hunt through country, glassing different openings. Along with that, I still hunt bottoms and skidder roads, too. These features tend to green up first and are a huge draw for bears.    

Bears value seclusion in the mountains. They love to be in pocket parks—little meadows amongst a sea of timber. They prefer to work edge habitat over the center of a meadow as well. I very rarely catch them on wide–open slopes. It’s strange because the slopes they prefer change depending on where their preferred habitat is. In southwestern Montana, bears prefer north slopes with sparse timber and small open meadows. When I hunt northern or western Montana, where there’s more timber, I tend to spot bears on the south slopes, as those are the ones with sparse timber and small meadows. Now, you can catch a bear on any slope, but pay attention to where you are consistently seeing them in the range you are hunting.   

 The greenest of grass is a magnet for bears. I can be on a master vantage glassing miles of country, and the greenest chute or greenest park is usually where a bear will show up. Key into this as you are glassing in the spring. Find the feed and you’ll find the bears. These fresh green parks are salad bars to bears, and are where they find the best feed to put weight back on after a long winter in the den. This is also why they love skidder roads, as these roadways grow the greenest grass.   

Another thing that affects my tactics is time of year and behavior. This applies to the areas I hunt and are rough guidelines to give you an idea of what to look for. As the April 15-May 5 season starts, bears are just coming out of their dens. I find they are in nasty, rocky terrain. They come out of their dens and wander around a bit feeding and then return to their dens. You can catch some good hunting  this time of year looking for the rough, rugged country. Mid-season, May 1–May 25, bears are really keyed into that meadow grass. When you find a bear, it will most likely be living there. Also, the timber has not greened up yet, so bears are forced to be in these parks where we can glass them up. This is a great opportunity for a bowhunter to arrow a bear. Late-season takes place from May 25-June 15. Bears are still on the grass, but the timber is greening up as well. They will be rutting and on the move. This can be some thrilling hunting, and I have arrowed a handful of good boars chasing sows. They will also key into elk caves and deer fawns. I have seen them actively hunting this time of year.  Late-season is a good time to be in the mountains, as all the bears are out of their dens and are active.   

 Judging bears is extremely difficult. It takes time and practice. Watch as many videos and study as many pictures as you can to get a feel for it. Your goal is to take a mature boar. Now, black bears are not giant animals. They range from four-seven feet long from head to tail and weigh anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds in the spring, with some going a touch larger. Their skulls will measure 15–21 inches.  Everybody’s goals are different, but I set out to kill a six-foot, 250–pound, 18-inch-plus boar every spring. That being said, I have arrowed a handful of 5½-foot boars that I am really proud of.  

In field judging bears, the first obvious sign is cubs. Cubs are not always immediately with a sow; make sure you watch bears for a while to identify sex and give any cubs a chance to show themselves. In general, sows will have a bigger rump and smaller front end. Their heads will look skinny and long. A boar will have a big chest and big front legs. A boar’s head will be as wide as it is long. Big bears will have a big belly that hangs low to the ground. They will also have a demeanor and a walk that is unmistakable. A bear’s ears are a good judging measure as well. Bear ears are relatively the same size, no matter if a bear is big or small. So small ears on the sides of a big head mean you’re looking at a big bear. Big dumbo ears on the top of the head? Best let them walk.  

All of this must happen to even get a chance for a stalk on a trophy black bear; that’s why I said they are a tough critter to bowhunt successfully. A chance on a big boar with a bow just hits different. It is so thrilling and worth all the days spent glassing when it comes together. When I spot a shooter bear, I try and analyze how long I think he will feed and how long it will take me to get to him. A lot of times, I just want to close the distance and wait for him to appear again.   

Wind is everything with bears. They smell seven times what a bloodhound does and 2,100 times what a human does. The wind  has to be perfect or they will be gone. My favorite winds to stalk big boars on are evening, downhill thermals. After the sun goes down, the mountains shade and cool; a dominant downhill thermal will take over, and this is money for the patient bowhunter. Once you’ve got that big bruin spotted, sexed and field judged, it’s time to be 100 percent sure of your wind.    

Bears don’t see great and are nearsighted. They will catch movement, but you can get away with a lot more than you can while stalking deer or elk. I will stalk bears in the wide open, freeze when they look up and move when their head is down. I have closed hundreds of yards on bears in the open using this tactic. That said, you will have to watch your noise as you approach. Bears are very tuned into the sounds of the mountains and a snapped stick will have them running for cover. 

You also want to make sure you are prepared for a bad encounter. I choose to carry a Glock 10mm for protection. I practice my draw, acquiring my target and pulling the trigger with both dry fire exercises and live rounds all throughout the year. I have had bears charge after being hit by an arrow, so make sure you are prepared.  

Ultimately, bear hunting is some of the most thrilling hunting I do. It’s a chance for us average, blue-collar bowhunters to get out and experience dangerous game. It’s high-consequence bowhunting, which gets the blood pumping. To keep my cool, sneaking into range of a trophy bear and placing a perfect arrow is the ultimate spring adventure. It won’t be long now and I will be glassing the neon green, looking for a chance at a big mature boar. I hope you get a chance to do the same. 

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