reduced price vs baitless/houndless

[jofes]

Looking at going to Idaho spring of 19 or 20, trying to reduce the number of units to choose from. We will be spot and stalk rifle hunting for maby 5 days, camping by the truck most likley.

What has been your expirience with reduced price units?

I assume that not only are they over objective with bears but also it is more difficult to hunt them, leading to the reduced price tags to incentivise people into those units.

From personal experience do hounds and baiting drastically change bear behavior and affect spot and stalk opportunities, or does the volume offset this issue?

Would you personally rather have a unit free from distractions or is the difference unnoticeable?

 

[realunlucky]

I just got back from the pan handle of Idaho. Description is thick thick thick steep and nasty blown down jungle. Sure people told me the above but I said how bad can it really be and went anyway. It's most likely my first and last trip to North Idaho. Couple things I learned there is no tree line in that country just rolls right over the top. If there is a clearing your standing in you can't see into the opposite side of the canyon trees are to thick. If your on the opposite side of the clearing you can't see into because the trees are to thick to see though on your side. I was on all fours crawling though down trees and over 6' above the ground trying to navigate the blow down jungle it's mind numbing and dangerous. I don't believe I ever took a full stride step everything was a half step up or down hill. The natives are born with one leg longer than the other so they can stand on a side hill. All that to say most/all of the reduced price unit I hunted is impossible to spot or stalk anything. I did find a single place I could see and did kill a bear but that's just damn luckily. That country was made for sitting baits for sure.

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[idahohikker]

Theyre just reduced to try to pull hunters into backcountry areas to help the deer and elk. Definitely not overobjective. To find the places with a lot of bears, look at the harvest report.

Hounds and baiting are usually not a problem. If you're a spot and stalk guy, you're just going to finding a high spot and glassing away. Far less crowded even in busy units during spring bear and spot and stalk is awesome.

 

[shader112]

I just got back from the pan handle of Idaho. Description is thick thick thick steep and nasty blown down jungle. Sure people told me the above but I said how bad can it really be and went anyway. It's most likely my first and last trip to North Idaho. Couple things I learned there is no tree line in that country just rolls right over the top. If there is a clearing your standing in you can't see into the opposite side of the canyon trees are to thick. If your on the opposite side of the clearing you can't see into because the trees are to thick to see though on your side. I was on all fours crawling though down trees and over 6' above the ground trying to navigate the blow down jungle it's mind numbing and dangerous. I don't believe I ever took a full stride step everything was a half step up or down hill. The natives are born with one leg longer than the other so they can stand on a side hill. All that to say most/all of the reduced price unit I hunted is impossible to spot or stalk anything. I did find a single place I could see and did kill a bear but that's just damn luckily. That country was made for sitting baits for sure.

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Congrats on the bear. My experience in North Idaho this spring was almost identical, minus actually killing a bear. It was so steep and thick we never found any good spots to glass. We walked roads, timber cuts and climbed through the timber but never came across any tracks, scat, or bears. Lots of deer and elk though. We moved from Unit 1 down to Unit 4, then down to the Salmon area where it is more open. My buddy and I are already planning next years trip though, we are bound to kill a bear up there

 

[Brock A]

I have hunted reduced tag unit(s) two seasons now. 2015 and 2018. I killed a bear in 2015 and saw 12 on my 3 day hunt this year. Total bears seen in the two times ive been to reduced units is around 20.

 

[MHWASH]

Personally I think it's silly to worry about the extra $150 for the regular bear tag if a guy is traveling very far. Find a good unit with good harvest stats and go hunting. I've hunted both reduced and regular and saw an equal number of bears. Most reduced hunts have harder access, with less people. I'm in it for the experience so don't mind the extra work.

 

[jofes]

Personally I think it's silly to worry about the extra $150 for the regular bear tag if a guy is traveling very far. Find a good unit with good harvest stats and go hunting. I've hunted both reduced and regular and saw an equal number of bears. Most reduced hunts have harder access, with less people. I'm in it for the experience so don't mind the extra work.

My question has little to do with the price of the tag and more to do with what its like hunting reduced units in general, it has been my limited experience that the higher volume of tags, the more G&F are trying to coax hunters into less popular areas because of difficulty. Not that theres anything wrong with that, im just trying to get some input into the reason the state has made the decision, numbers vs difficulty, and based on the response it doesnt appear that there are any more bears, just less appealing terrain.