I was hoping that you may be able to provide some much needed advice for some one who has never been to your side of the atlantic before.

I would very much like to do a trip for Bear, and have done the usual thing of trawling the net looking at guides sites. Various european companies such as Diana do group trips from England. However these always look like being expensive for what you get.

Ideally I would like a 10 day spot and stalk trip for black bear, with the possibility of color phase (would love a glacial). I am not fussed over high accomodation levels. But i do need recommendations. I could probably go spring 2006 or anytime in 2007.

If you have any recommended outfitters or guides I would realy appreciate their details.

Thanks

SWS

sws: You might make a similar inquirey over on the Alaska Forum...western Canada I know has lots of black bears, but southeast Alaska is also an excellent place to hunt some really nice black bears (look at DavidAK's post titled "How was your April" on the Alaskan Forum). Glacial blue bears are rare, but if you want to find one, SE Alaska would probably be the place to look (I have only seen mounted specimens of these beasts). There are folks that post here that can book or help you book a good black bear hunt....the best hunting is from a boat in the spring.

SWS, might I suggest that you visit www.huntingbc.com and have a look see? BC(British Columbia) has some great guides and outfitters and I am thinking that if you did a coastal trip you could get in some great fishing as well as breathtaking scenery. Oh yeah, we have hoards of bears in a couple of colour phases! derf

Derf;

Great website - Lots of information

FOr a coour phase, I'd say forget it...

In BC, you cannot shoot a glacier (blue) bear or a Kermode (white) bear.

I think you can shoot a glacier bear in Alaska, but I doubt any outfitter would promise you one.

Spot and stalk pretty much means BC, as far as I know. The restof the provinces I bait, I think. While there is nothign wrong IMHO wiht baiting, spot and stalk is 100% more fun, IMHO.

The colour phases you are allowed to shoot in BC are the black, brown and blond "black bears."

Vancouver Island has alot of big bears, but they are all black. That being said, big bears in BC are where you find them. There are big boars everywhere.

I would suggest Niut Trails outfitters in BC, as they are friends of mine, and I personally htink they do a great job at a reasonable price, and they are in prime black bear turf!

Pretty much any outfitter in BC willdo the job, though.

BCHunter took a reddish coloured bear this last weekend after a 700yd stalk. His story is also at HBC.
Our Gates is also a gentleman of distinction as he has agreed to be a mod at HBC as well as being an all round decent fellow. derf

quote:

Originally posted by JeffMc:
Derf;

Great website - Lots of information

I try to never lie or decieve Jeff! derf

Have you looked seriously at Newfoundland? It will get you part of what you are asking for. 1st the airfare will most likely be cheaper for you. You can do a spot and stalk bear hunt in the fall or a baited hunt in the spring. If you choose a fall hunt, Newfoundland has some the best pricing around for a combination hunt. You can add moose or caribou or both to your bear hunt.

For color phase bear, you are best off looking in the middle of the continent. Manitoba, Alberta, Idaho, etc will be the highest numbers of color phase. You will have to look a little harder for the combination of stalking and color phase. But those hunts are out there. You might check with Ann of Aspen Hills who posts here. I know she has been out west doing this exact type of hunt. You can get some idea of pricing if you check Cabelas.

As for the blue or glacier bear. Yes, it is out there. I simply have never seen harvest figures for these animals. Matter of fact, I have seen any figures for Glacier bear. I am sure they exist, just have never found them.

I would be very carefull and check and then double check any outfitter who claims to specialize in this particular type of bear. No one can promise a color phase more or less a blue color phase. If they do, then they should have a refund policy built into the contract.

Bears are funny animals. An area may be loaded with large boars, color phase, etc, but being able to find them is whole other matter. If you have never hunted bear before, you should have a great experience. Even a baited hunt is very exciting and much more difficult than it sounds.

Hope this helps some.

I just returned from B.C. with three other hunters from Spain. We hunted with Binta Lake Outfitters for five days and killed five bears
six foot plus including one "blond" bear. All hunting is spot and stalk. We saw an average of about five bears per hunter per day with the highest of 15 bears in a day. I saw three phase change bears in the five days but considered them too small (about 5'6" nose to tip) to shoot. We have hunted spring bear with them for the past three years and have always shot good bears. Their camp is basic but confortable.

Hi, Partner !!! Glad to see that you're still whacking bears !!!

quote:

Originally posted by sws:
Ideally I would like a 10 day spot and stalk trip for black bear, with the possibility of color phase

Make sure you don't get a drive-and-shoot operation, as opposed to the desired spot-and-stalk. As for choice of area: most of Alberta, at least where the bears are in numbers, is baited hunting. The boreal forest isn't really condusive to spot-and-stalk. Trees, trees, trees, and swamps with growth that covers a bear.

If you can stand boats, and like fishing, I'd probably consider a coastal trip. Bears in numbers, good sized. I can recommend an outfitter that works the BC coast if you like, both spring or fall trips are possible. The price is a bit higher that many inland trips though.

Frans

If you want a colored bear I know an outrfitter in Manitoba that will show you lots of colored bears. But, it is not spot and stalk, all bait. However he mighthave some ideas about taking you places where you can spot and stalk around green fields if you with. I hunted with this outfitter 5 times and he is first rate ,not expensive either.