I didn't draw any special tags this year in WY, MT or my home state of SD.

I have shot a few bears in Canada, and I am getting the itch to try it again.

What western state would be my best bet for a fall black bear?

I an thinking Colorado, Montanna, Wyoming, in that order, with NM and Utah being possible also.

This will be a DIY hunt with rifle or bow, depending on whatever strikes me.

I am open to any suggestions or information to get me started in the right direction.

SDhunter

I have had several good hunts in Montana in the far north west corner.
You cannot bait there it is spot and stalk.
I did backpack hunts in the back country.

However many times I went uo a week early, stayed in a motel and hunted grouse before I backpacked in.
I saw several bears I could have shot but did not.

Look at a map.
The town of Libby is near Lake Kucanusa.
There is good grouse hunting on the east side of the lake, and bear on both sides.

Also the area between Eureka and Glacier National Park.

My favorite area to hunt is north and west of Troy Montana, on the Idaho border just below Casnada.

I now bear hunt, in fact I am leaving in a few days, for Idaho. Mainly because I have a buddy with a cabin there.

There is a good outfitter there, Elk City Adventures, that I have hunted black bear with several times, and some of my friends still hunt with them every other year. Several of them will be hunting with gthem when I am there, and in fact I will spend a week in that camo hunting bear with one of my buddies sons, as he is too young to hunt bear alone.
It is a bait hunt in Idaho, perfect for a bow or a handgun.

I would not recommend a DIY hunt in this area of Idaho as it is so thick the only way is to bait.

Montana is perfect for a DIY, as it is more open, but it would be tough for a bow, although I did kill a bear with my 450/400 double rifle at around 10 to 12 yards. I "bumped" into him durring a snow storm on a Spring hunt.

The bear meat I have taken from these 2 areas has been very good to eat.