Spring Time is Bear Time

May means that spring black bear season is in full swing. We’ve had a handful of reports from the field that bears were seen outside of their dens in the first two weeks of April. As the warmer, longer days of May arrive black bears will be out in full force.

I spoke with, Jamie Jonkel, bear biologist for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks about black bears. Jamie shared with me that large boars are the first to emerge from dens usually coming out sometime in March or early April. He also shared that the largest numbers of bears come out of hibernation in May. So waiting till May to hunt black bears is a good strategy if you are looking to see a larger number of bears.

The best bear habitat in the state is in region 1, followed by region 2. The wet, dark, thick, forests in these regions make great habitat. Consequently these forests support a higher density of bears. The Northwest corner of the state, the Bitterroot Range, and the Seely Swan area are some of the best bear habitats in the state. This FWP map shows the typical black bear range in Montana.

Map Courtesy of MFWP

When looking for spring bears look for drainages with a south facing slopes. Then use your optics to look for snow chutes with pockets of green vegetation. Most major drainages will have at least one area like this. If you find the green you find the bears. Jamie let me know about two of the most important foods emerging spring black bears look for, Glacier Lilly and Spring Beauty, pictured here.

Glacier Lilly

Spring Beauty

Cow Parsnip

He went on to say that, “bears will focus on these snow chutes until creek and river bottoms start to green up with grasses, Skunk Cabbage, Cow Parsnip, young Nettles, and Horsetails.” Be sure to look for these key bear foods.

Jamie also suggests a few precautions when looking for spring black bears:

1. Know what kind of bear you are shooting

The highest mortality for grizzly bears comes from hunters. Visit FWP website to take the bear test or to refresh your identification skills. Here is the link: http://fwp.mt.gov/bearid/default.html

2. Take care not to shoot sows

Every year hunters shoot large sows with cubs. If you do you are almost guaranteeing the cubs won’t survive. Take care to avoid shooting any sows as they will not always have cubs traveling with them. Black bears sometimes stash their cubs in trees and return for them later. These large sows are some of the best cub producers. Shooting them hurts bear recruitment. It is estimated that shooting an older sow like this takes not only her out of the population but also on average, seven cubs that she would have given birth to.

Recently I found a great black bear video produced by the late Duncan Gilchrist, Spot, Study, Shoot. It outlines the key traits to look for to determine whether the black bear you’re looking at is a sow or a boar. The video goes on to say that, “determining boars from sows is no more difficult than telling boys from girls in humans.” After watching the video I would have to agree. It identifies key traits to look for in bears to determine if the bear you are looking at is a shooter or not. Here’s a sample:

Young adolescent bears
These bears are more difficult to tell the sex of, just like in humans. This is typically not the kind of trophy a hunter is looking to take. Characteristics of a young bear are:
-Upright narrow ears
-Teddy bear look
-Fluffy fur
-Long legs

Mature Sows
These bears are the ones we definitely do not want to shoot as they are great cub producers. Taking them out of the population means reducing huntable numbers of black bears. They are characterized by:
-Prominent rear end
-Short neck
-Pointed snout
-Short front legs
-Back line is sloped forward

Trophy Boars
These are the kind of bears we are looking to harvest. The characteristics to look for are:

-High front end
-Back is straight or higher in the front than it is in the rear
-Big square snouts
-Square faces
-Wide front shoulders compared to the head
-Wide ear spacing, if you can put four ears between the ears you are looking at a trophy bear


You can order, Spot, Study, Shoot, at Outdoor Books and Videos, 405 Dutch Hill Road, Hamilton, MT 59840 or call 406-961-4314. Or by going to Ebay and search for Spot, Study, Shoot: Bear Hunting by Duncan Gilchrist. At $14.95 it is an investment worth making.

Now that you know, the areas that have good bear density, the habitat to focus on, and some key characteristics in identifying a boar vs. a sow, the only missing ingredient is you out in the field!