2015 Montana Backcountry spring bear hunt
 

It's official! I paid my deposit and booked my plane tickets! I am heading to the Swan Mountains and specifically the Bob Marshal Wilderness in Montana in May to Hunt Spring bears with Swan Mountain Outfitters. I've hunted all over the US but this will be my first back country horseback hunt. Depending on how this goes I'll book a fall Elk hunt with them. I am very excited. Now I'm going to begin my prep work. I've been working out 3 and 4 days a week and have lost over 40 pounds. I need to keep that up and probably kick up the cardio a notch.

You can work out all that you wish, but you can not compensate going from sea level to the higher elevations. Trust me on this, I've lived in Montana.

Congrats! Bob marshal is a beautiful area! I spend about 20 days straight in Glacier back in 04'.

Elevation Prep
 

Good luck on the hunt and training. Drink tons of water and gatorade take some Advil when you start your travel day and don't stop until you leave. I always had trouble sleeping the 1st couple nights @ higher elevations, but I was good after that. Be carefull with the booze its very hard to recover up there.

Awesome! I haven't been up that way in a while. You are doing right thing getting in shape. Higher elevation really would just get me on my first good "walk". After that, I'm good. And I am not the most "fit" person either and I do ALOT of walking when elk hunting. But my last elk hunt was probably 20-30 pounds ago!!

Thanks for the advice guy's. This is my first back country trip but we do go to the mountains pretty often. Last year I fished the snake river in Big Sky and Yellowstone. 2 weeks ago we got back from Pagosa Springs in Colorado snow sking. Lots and lots of water.

OH MAN I have been looking at that, where you fishing for Kings in the Snake River? how did that go?

Rainbow, browns and native cut throat. I tried to post pictures but couldn't on my work laptop. I'll be back in Lagos later this week. I'll post some from my desktop.

We did ok. I enjoyed the experience more than the fishing. Freshwater trout can't hold a candle to fishing saltwater.

yeah I grew up catching those cut throat in a lake called Pyrmid lake in NV, just north of Lake Tahoe.

have fun on your hunt too BTW

Went on a horseback archery elk trip when I was in junior high in Montana. Coolest thing I've ever done. Want to do it again one day!!