It was a typical late May in central Idaho—sunny and warm days, chilly nights and an impressive snowpack up high. The beautiful cinnamon-color black bear was feeding along the snowline, devouring the new green shoots sprouting up as the snow retreated. The ground was soft and the wind right, so I climbed ahead and above the bear and let him feed right to me. At 35 yards the shot was a gimme, and my arrow blew right through his chest. What followed was the usual—hours of skinning, boning meat and packing it all back to my truck in the dark. It took two trips. The next day, I slept until noon.
Spring black bear hunting prospects throughout the West are excellent, with bear populations high in most states and competition from
