We are thrilled to announce the results of the first week of fall black bear hunting. With the first week complete in western Wyoming, we’re happy to report that we have five bears on the ground thus far. This is no overnight task, as our guides spend a considerable portion of the summer scouting, baiting, identifying good locations for bear baits, and more.

With that in mind, let’s talk about how our guides prepare for you, our hunters, to have a successful black bear hunt. While our trail ride season is underway at our Jackson Hole Outfitters camp, our guides spend their “off days” cleaning trail, prepping bait sites, conditioning the horses, and setting baits. Baiting bears­ is a very labor intensive, time consuming, and challenging task. However, as many of you know, it’s a very effective way to harvest black bears. For that matter, baiting is one of the most popular methods of hunting black bears throughout North America.

When baiting is done properly, it can increase the hunter’s odds of success. That said, baiting does not guarantee that a bear will be harvested. When there is an abundance of natural forage (berries, insects, seeds, and nuts), the bears have plenty to gorge on, which may result in an empty bait site. One of the main benefits to baiting bears is that it allows our guides to analyze the bears habits before harvesting. The size and color can be determined via a quick glance, and it is also possible to spot a sow with cubs. Furthermore, baiting allows the hunter to take the best shot in prime shooting conditions. This creates a more humane kill, as well as decreases the chance of wounding the animal. Wounded bears can be very difficult to track as they don’t leave signs like other big game animals do.

We’ve heard from our guides that this season, the bears are coming into the baits in the afternoons and evenings. The bears they’re witnessing are fantastic, there are many true color-phase black bears which are abundant in the Greys River. To date, the weather has been favorable; that said, with the cooler weather is starting to settle in, the bears will be hustling to stock up for their winter hibernation. Our guides will continue to monitor the baits, working around the clock to get hunters what they’re there for!

Stay tuned for another update and recap of the season, but for now, enjoy the following:

If you have questions, or would like to know more about 2020 hunting possibilities, you can visit hunttwyo.com or give us a call at 307.266.4229.

Happy hunting!