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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on May 27, 2015 17:38:54 GMT -5
Did you happen to see anything about handicap access areas?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 27, 2015 19:35:38 GMT -5
I didn't.. but I wasn't really looking either. I'm not sure if Montana has any special exceptions for disabled hunters or not. I'm sure that a lot of private land outfitters could tailor a hunt to accomadate those with limited mobility, but it would be a lot easier somewhere like Idaho, where baiting is legal. Thing about bears is they pretty much go where they please, so you can't really pattern them like deer. If you're not able to climb a mountain to go after them, I think you would probably need bait in order to have any decent chance of success.
I think I'd enjoy a bait hunt, but I also need to get one spot and stalk. It'll bother me until I do.
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on May 27, 2015 19:49:21 GMT -5
If I lose 100 pounds, do you think you could carry me around? :-)) I'd pay taxi fare.
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Post by HuntMeister on May 27, 2015 20:34:53 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the hunt with us. Bear hunting is something that I have never had much interest in due to most of it being done over bait or maybe with dogs...those methods of take just don't interest me. Now the way you went about it, I think I could enjoy it. Do you mind detailing the expenses for this trip?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 27, 2015 22:52:10 GMT -5
We tallied up the total at just under $800 per person..
$500 fuel + $300 hotels (while traveling) รท2 =$400 Total tag fees = $380
Only other expense was food, and I always bring the majority of mine from home, so not really any more expensive than eating at my house.
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Post by HuntMeister on May 28, 2015 6:28:36 GMT -5
Pretty cheap trip! So I take it you just got out there, looked for fresh bear sign and hoped to track one down?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 28, 2015 7:15:22 GMT -5
We had a resident friend to help us this time. He gets a nice bear every year, and he was good enough to let us stay in his camper and to show us some of his spots. It usually consists of walking closed logging roads during the AM looking for sign and hoping to bump into one, then setting up on a good vantage point in the PM where you can glass clearcuts and avalanche chutes.
In retrospect, given the early spring, we probably should have gone higher to glass closer to snowline. My resident friend put us in areas with a lot of sign, the bears just weren't cooperating since they had all the feed they wanted in the timber.
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Post by HuntMeister on May 28, 2015 8:27:32 GMT -5
Having a local friend who is in the know is priceless. If you decide to do this again and are looking for someone to go along with you I would love to explore the possibility.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 28, 2015 9:39:12 GMT -5
I'm going to keep on trying.. not sure yet if it will be next year or not though. I've been out there twice now, and only seen 1 black bear during that time. But I also hear of guys who hit the timing just right and see multiple bears per day.
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on May 28, 2015 11:40:14 GMT -5
Have you given any thought to that piggy-back thing. :-))
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 28, 2015 12:50:59 GMT -5
Have you given any thought to that piggy-back thing. :-)) Ha! I have enough trouble hauling my own carcass up and down those mountains
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on May 28, 2015 13:08:32 GMT -5
What you were doing is what I call real hunting. I'll never be able to do it, but I like reading about the adventures of others.
Have you looked into going another place?
I really think, if I live long enough, that I'll go on a baited hunt someday.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 28, 2015 14:00:36 GMT -5
I have considered other places, but NW Montana has more black bears than anywhere else on earth, so I'll probably stick to that part of the country for spot and stalk hunting. There are a lot of bears in Idaho as well, but you can bait and run dogs in Idaho (can't in Montana), so there is more pressure. If I ever got an invite from a Idaho resident to come hunt his bait areas I'd jump at it, just not practical for a nonresident with 1 week of vacation time to try to do.
One hunt I'd like to do in the not too distant future is spring bears on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. It's a very DIY friendly place with cabins, truck, and boat rentals for hunters; A lot of places even offer a package deal that includes all of those things. Airfare would be the biggest single cost on that one.
If I was going to go on a guided hunt, I'd probably head up to Canada, since the bears get quite a bit bigger up there than they do in the western states (AK excluded).
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on May 28, 2015 14:30:20 GMT -5
I don't know why, but I'm a bit afraid to cross the Canadian border. When I was a kid the border people searched our car thoroughly, and it was scary to a kid.
Alaska? Man, you might run into a big grisly up there.
If I ever move to Idaho, I'll keep you in mind. At least you have this going for you. ;-)
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Post by Woody Williams on May 28, 2015 17:17:46 GMT -5
I don't know why, but I'm a bit afraid to cross the Canadian border. When I was a kid the border people searched our car thoroughly, and it was scary to a kid. Alaska? Man, you might run into a big grisly up there. If I ever move to Idaho, I'll keep you in mind. At least you have this going for you. ;-) The only time I had trouble at the Canadian border is when we tried to smuggle in 500 pounds of bear bait - fat scraps. We had to take it back and dump it in a dumpster on the USA side. We kind of felt bad but the American Border Patrol guy laughed and said that was nothing- some USA bear hunters had to bring a dead cow back. They weren't allowed to put it in the dumpster.. The good old days...
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Post by hornzilla on May 29, 2015 23:24:36 GMT -5
The last time I went to Canada. I was with 3 guys that worked for a cookie plant in Ohio. We were asked a LOT of questions why 6 bear hunters "needed" 3 55 gallon drums of cookies for a weeks worth of food. The guys I was with didn't change there reasoning one bit. The border officer finally got tired of messing with us and told us to go. And go now. He also told us if we really did eat all those cookies we would be to sick to go bear hunting. Oh the good times. Lol
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