I bear hunted for the first time this spring here in Idaho. I think there are a lot more bears in this state than most people realize. I saw 7 different bears one night watching my bait, who knows how many more came in after dark.

I started a new bait site this year and saw 3 bears on it and I took a nice one. i rebaited to video and had a sow and cubs come in the night I put it out. that was the last time I was up there. My friend had 6 different bears hitting his bait site. Another friend had some also. So there are alot of them out there.

Me and my brother was up bow hunting here in
Idaho and we counted a total of 8 different
bears while we where sitting in one spot last year. We have set up cameras over 7 days we had pictures of I think 12 bears but they could have been the same ones. In the unit we hunt we will see a least 1 or 2 bears a day. Thats not counting the cubs. Sometimes I think there's more bears and mountain lions than elk or deer.

Wow sounds like you all have a lot of bears.

Perhaps between the bear and cougars (like Elkhutr suggests) predation can explain the mule deer decline in Idaho?

It just depends on where you go. You can't just go out and set up a bait site in every unit and bam the bears are there. I know people that have tried to set up bait sites with nothing hitting them. I set up other bait sites before and got nothing. I just happened on the one from this year and tried a different drainage this year. Havent seen any hound hunters in this one. But you can give it a try in some. Just knowing what to look for for spots. I look and think like a bear. I look for areas I would travel in. Where they would cross over from one side to the other and is the cover good so I wouldnt be in the open? Can I stay in cover till I come out to eat? Just a bunch of things factor into it. I know some guys will just go throw it out and expect them to come to it. They might it they find it later after season closes and you put bait in the same spot year after year. But one thing I love now is bear hunting. My brother told me he would never hunt over bait and when I got mine I took him up to my bait site and he got a shot at one and now he wants me to set him up a bait site.LOL
Good luck to all.

Of the successful bear hunters I have talked they all seem to really enjoy it. May have to give it a shot some time. Although I'll have to get profficient with a game call, since no baiting (or even spring hunting) in CO.

Definitely sounds challenging, the success ratios are generally lower for bear than for say deer and elk.