Hi,

my company will send me next year in May to Chicago. However I am planing to combine this with some hunting in US which I want to do for some time.

I thought a black bear hunt would be very nice. To find an outfitter for black bear hunting is not to difficult. However I have the feeling most are specialist for American clients.

Since I am in US for my company I want to flight without rifle. So I am looking for an outfitter which has some good references, can borrow me a rifle and has some experience with non us hunters.

Has somebody a good outfitter or reference?

Thank you very much,
Hendrik

P.S. I would take a domestic flight to reach hunting areas. So I am not limited to Chicago area.

If I was going to Chicago I would take plenty of guns!!!!!!!

.

I have had friends go on guided black bear hunts in Idaho and British Columbia. The BC hunt was with Doug McMann from Skinner Creek. He posts on this forum as Chilcotin Hillbilly. There was no comparison between the hunts. The density of the bear population at Skinner Creek was reported as incredible. And, you can harvest 2 bears. His hunt was only a little more expensive then the Idaho hunts and those guys shot one bear between them, on the last day.
If I was going to book a black bear hunt, it would be with Skinner Creek, based on what my friend told me.
Being that you are coming from out of the country, does it matter to you if you hunt Canada instead of the US?

By the way, I spoke with McMann about a moose hunt a few years ago but other then that, I don't know him from Adam. Just trying to relay how positive my friend's experience was.

Good luck in your search and hope to read your hunt report one day.

Thank you Coyote Hunter. I will definitely check Skinner Creek.

Going to Canada would not be a problem except of the additional costs and maybe time for the flight. Main reason why ask for foreigner is that I can't bring much equipment, so a certain level of organization from the outfitter is required.

And of course I would love to take my own gun... but US Boarder control will take a lot of extra time and effort. Additionally I don't know what to do with the Gun in the hotel when I am working.

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:
If I was going to Chicago I would take plenty of guns!!!!!!!

.

and very true!

Check out Josh Rhodes web site, he is in Maine
http://blackbearhunting.us/Spring.html

What kind of bear hunting experience are you looking for? In BC you would have to spot and stalk. You could hunt behind dogs in Idaho and other places. Manitoba or Saskatchewan have very good hunting and decent prices as well but it will be bait hunting. Another option would be Alberta as you can also expect to see different color phase bears but those are available in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as well. Once we know what you may be interested we can likely give you better ideas of who to go with.

I'm sure that almost anyone will be able to loan you a gun if they know ahead of time it is needed.

Good luck

Lechwe,
Are you saying that you can not hunt black bear in BC with hounds. If so, that is not correct.
He could buy 2 bear tags in BC and hunt one each way, spot and stalk and with hounds. Almost like having 2 different hunts combined in to one experience.

I guess I should weigh in on this as coyote hunter has brought up my name.
My part of BC has about 25% color phase bears, from blond, cinnimaon, chocolate, golden and of course black. 2 bear limit, hounds, and or spot and atalk. No sitting over donuts in BC.

Coyote hunter you must be friends with Jeff?

Yes his friends hunt in Idaho is nothing compared to hunting here but his friends rebooked again with the the same outfitter. At least the outfitter must be a great guy to pull that off.
Usually one bear in a week will not get you a rebooking especially when it was a small bear.

Coyote Hunter,

No that is not what I meant but I can see that it appears that. I was basically trying to point out that different areas of the continent offered different types of hunting and that may be a factor for the OP.

The closest you could get to Chicago would be the non quota area of Minnesota there are out fitters there that well take you.

It well be a bait hunt but with in a easy days drive from Chicago.

From what I see hear a hound hunt with Skinner creek would be a blast.

Gerac:

You answered my post about Hans Riegel. If I were you, I would try and hunt black bears in northern MN. There is plenty of land up there; I can hook you up with some guides. It is a bait hunt, but the odds of success are high. You could drive there from Chicago. I would try and draw a permit around the areas near International Falls; I am 5/5 on black bears in that area.

Otherwise, I would go with Skinner Creek; guy is first class from what I can tell but have not hunted with him; only know what he does for vets and that is good enough for me.

Let me know if you are interested. I get to Chicago quite often for business; wouldn't mind meeting you and buying you a beer.

Here's a little story about MN black bears

That's fun reading.


http://www.freerepublic.com/fo...oggers/3080643/posts

This gentleman is looking for a hunt in May.I think Canada or one of the Rocky Mountain States are his only option.

Gerac.............. should be no problem to line up a black bear hunt in May, whether you go in the US or Canada. There are literally hundreds of black bear outfitters and I know good operators in several western US states and all the western Canadian provinces.

You are probably looking at an extra flight regardless of where you go and I would recommend going with an outfitter that has a bear allocation or over the counter tags and stay away from anything that requires you to draw. You do not have time to fool around with a draw and need to know that when you book a hunt you will have a tag.

I do not personally know Chilcotin Hillbilly but I do know where he operates and use to hunt in that country when I lived in BC. I have only hears positive things about his outfit and I know they have a good bear population and good scenery to boot!

Part of what you need to decide is if you want to hunt over bait or spot and stalk, that will have a lot to do with where you go. I have outfitted both ways for many years....... just getting a bear with either method is not really a big deal in good bear country. Getting a BIG old boar is a different matter.

Good luck on your quest and I hope you have a good hunt regardless of where you go.

Waidmannsheil!

Thank you for all this answers.

I am not 100% sure which kind of hunt I actually would prefer. Since I have never hunted a bear all three ways sound existing. Maybe I think different after I hunted.

So mainly I try to learn from other experience and want to get some good references. Some American Outfitters have already problems with answering my emails....

However thanks to AR members I have already some promising contacts and ideas Will check all your recommendations.

AnotherAZWriter:

Glad that Hans Riegel helped me somehow here. I will PM you about MN Guides and Outfitters.

In the meantime I am back from my American hunting trip.

At the end I ended up in Idaho and had a great week there. Hunting in US is quite different to my European hunts but it was a great experience.

I booked a hunt with hounds but shot my bear at the bate. The other guy who stayed me got his by hound and so I could enjoy both ways of hunting.

A small highlight was to shoot the bear with a 300 RUM which was the caliber I always wanted to try!

Definitely not my last black bear hunt.

Glad you had a good time.

Very nice, congratulations. Glad to hear that you had a nice hunt in the states.

Congratulations on your bear. I am glad you enjoyed Idaho. Wade

Weidmann's Heil!

Sie haben ein gut Bären geschossen.

Waidmanns Dank, John! It was a great experience.

@Wade: Thank you for organizing it!

Congratulations. Nice bear.

I hunted in BC near Williams Lake. Great BIG country and good spot & stalk hunting. Plenty of colour phase bears. You also get 2 bears on license but I took just one. I hunted in early Sept. You can expect long shots - mine was taken at 307 yards lazer ranged.

GERAC, glad to help. Thanks for your trust.