Over Bait · Black Bear
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho Unit 17
Bait hunting for black bear in Unit 17, where over half the bears come out blonde, brown, or cinnamon and the unit allows two. Days are free to bait with the guides or hunt wolves; evenings are on the bait until dark.
This trip is guided by
Cameron Outfitters
Gary Cameron
Owner
The Selway is a two-bear area, and Cameron Outfitters' bears average over 50% colour phase: blonde, brown, black, and cinnamon. Non-resident bear tags run $41.75 and wolf tags $31.75, so a hunter can carry both cheaply, and wolves come to the bear baits often enough that they throw the wolf hunting in.
Base camp hunts are drive-to, at the most comfortable camps they run. You stay in heated wall tents, and many of the baits are an easy walk from the vehicle. Mornings you can relax in camp or ride along while the guides bait, with a chance at spot and stalk. After the midday meal you are guided to your bait and hunt until dark, then back to camp for a hearty evening meal. It is a good hunt to bring a junior hunter on, or anyone you want to introduce to hunting.
Backcountry hunts trade that for horses and mules into country far from the road, where the bears have had little or no contact with people. These are more strenuous than the base camp hunts, and the ride back is usually in the dark. The camps are simple, the tents warm, and the food good.
Bear hunts run in the spring.
Camps and durations
- Base camp, 3 days: from $2,200 per hunter
- Base camp, 6 days: from $3,700 per hunter
- Backcountry, 7 days: from $4,200 per hunter
Idaho requires fixed broadheads for all bow hunting. There is a $500 trophy fee on a second bear, and 50% off for junior mentor hunters. A 25% non-refundable deposit books the hunt. Airport pick-up is available from Missoula, Montana. All food, lodging, trophy prep, and guides are furnished; licences and tags are not.
Black Bear
Wolf
Rifle, Compound Bow, Traditional Bow
Over Bait, Spot & Stalk, Calling
Wilderness / backcountry, Public / leased units
Free-range (fair chase)
Hunter buys over-the-counter (we advise)
Non-resident bear tags $41.75, wolf tags $31.75. See the Idaho hunting regulations for current pricing.
Not included
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho Unit 17 · Fly to a regional airport, then drive
Approximate area, not an exact location.
Cameron Outfitters
Operating since 2019
Gary and Sherri Cameron run a family outfit out of Darby, Montana, hunting Idaho's Unit 17 on the far side of the Bitterroot divide. They hold exclusive guiding rights to more than 800 square miles of the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church wilderness areas, with 25 authorised camps spread from Burnt Mountain in the north to Parker Mountain in the south.
Gary Cameron
Owner
Gary Cameron
Owner
“Guided elk, deer, bear, and lion hunting on 800 square miles of exclusive permit ground in Idaho's Unit 17.”
Trips from
$2,200 / person
Set by the outfitter and subject to change. Confirm current rates directly.
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Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho Unit 17 · 3–7 days
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