I'm not much of a North American hunter, but have a friend who wants to go on a hunt for grizzly and that sounds like an interesting hunt. Would like to hear from folks who've done it. Spring or fall? And I'm not used to cold or wet. What extra gear will I need?

Just my personal preference, but the fall by far. To me spring bear is all about the timing and some folks have issues with rubbed hides.

The one time I hunted spring bear on Kodiak the season was ~6 weeks, but you could only hunt for 15 days and had to check in with fish and game to start your clock. I chose the last 15 days of the season even though that risked lots of bears being taken before me. Turns out, it was a late winter and we didn't see a single bear until day 14, the next to last day of the entire season. That day we watched 3 emerge from their dens. ZERO of the hunters ahead of me saw a single bear in a prime area as they simply weren't out yet. A guy getting out of a plane at the dock I chatted with was pissed he'd paid 25k and planned for a couple of years and didn't see a single bear. I have no idea at all how rare that is and others way more knowledgeable than me will surely chime in, but that is a risk I'd want to avoid. As an aside, fall hunting on salmon streams is more fun to me also.

I second that Bob

Other guys can get into specifics of gear brands for insulation and shells, but to start here are my generalized clothing recommendations:

Plan on what you need to be comfortable working like heck walking through rough terrain without getting soaked with sweat and then sitting stationary for an hour or more without freezing, repeatedly, in 40-50F drizzle with a breeze. Simple! Much worse than that and I have a hard time finding motivation, but glassing success is of course directly proportional to hours spent out in whatever the weather happens to be. The more comfortable I can make myself the more willing I am to endure it just a little bit longer.

For me I am a big fan of thigh waders vs chest waders as you can instantly roll them up and down to regulate body heat as needed. Other guys swear by chest waders, but they are worn under a lot of layers, your pack etc and to me are a lot of extra work to adjust. Either way, make sure they are comfortable to walk all day in.

I like to carry a fleece neck gator or balaclava, plus a wool stocking cap. For hands I like thin fingerless gloves with a long wrist gauntlet to cover that gap at the end of you sleeve under either waterproof gloves or mittens. I'm also fan of a skin tight super thin synthetic base layer. Joe Namath was onto something when he said he wore panty hose on the field, so something akin to running tight material top and bottom. Zero bulk and a lot of warmth for almost no weight.

Last 3 comfort items are some sort of pad to sit on and keep you clothing dry, a dry cloth in a zip lock bag in a chest pocket for drying glasses, wiping your forehead, rain covered optics, etc, and some sort of non-crinkly (not a space blanket) waterproof blanket or poncho to drape with when stationary. Even an old surplus rubberized army poncho works well. Just keeping the rain and wind from directly interacting with you outer layer massively improves any system's performance and give the option to unzip your jacket, roll down waders, etc to vent sweat without rain getting in.

Finally, the knowledge I've got spare warm dry everything plus my favorite comfort snacks, favorite coffee, etc, just waiting back at camp and knowing I'll be instantly warm and happy makes it mentally easier for me to sit in the rain for just one more hour.

Best of luck!

spring bear have long hair which is quite beautiful but look out for rub spots fall bear have short hair but are a couple hundred pounds heavier from a taxidermy point spring bear are ,icer

Lavaca,

The very best trophies for the condition of the fur come from the the spring hunt. As has been posted the timing has to be right. There are places where the spring hunt is more predicable though. The fall hunt will offer shorter hair but the fall bear I have mounted has fur 2" deep without a single blemish. Most fall bears will be beautiful.

As far as gear goes your outfitter should provide a gear list addressing his particular hunt.

Mark

Hi Mark, I've heard the weather tends to be better towards the end of the spring season and the days are longer as well?

Chuck,

That's true but the trick is to be there when the bears are coming out of the den. Late spring they may already be out and dispersed.

Mark

Yes, it's tricky for a real expensive hunt. I hear the biggest bears come out first, is that true?

True!

I went on two spring hunts so of course I am biased. But the main reasons I chose spring hunts:

Not much I can hunt in the spring, so why take away from other possible hunts in the fall?

My outfitter told me once: In the spring, the weather only gets better, in the fall the weather only gets worse.