Most Asked Questions About Spring Bear Hunting

Where to hunt? When do you hunt? Can you eat the meat? Are spring hides rubbed out? Lots of questions & we’ve got answers.

- Clay Newcomb

As a Southern outdoorsman, hunting big game in the spring was a novel, but foreign idea. We chased big gobbling birds and caught crappie – both noble endeavors. In the spring of 2014, I went on my first spring bear hunt and I was hooked like a flathead on a trotline. What another big game animal can you hunt in April, May and June? What other beast inhabits such incredible wild places and have population numbers and meat like the black bear? Spring hunting opportunity abounds for both the do-it-yourselfer and folks looking for a guided hunt. Here are some answers about spring bear hunting that will get you headed toward success, adventure, and backstraps.

When to Hunt

May and June are the primary months for hunting spring bears. However, some Western states like Montana and Idaho open their seasons in April. In the Northern latitudes, where most spring hunting takes place, bears are hardly out of their dens by April, so May and June may be a better option for a traveling hunt. Weather patterns year to year dictate temperature, snowfall and vegetative growth, all of which have effect on when bears emerge from their dens. An early spring will mean bears are out and huntable by April 15th, but some years you may not get much snowmelt until the first week of May. For this reason, most Canadian outfitters don’t start hunting until the first or second week of May.