Seven days with Nanika Guiding and six full days of hunting, In May and June the long day light hours, the hunter or hunters will have 12 to 14 hours of hunting. The hunter usually see 6 to 12+ bears per day. Color phases are all black, black with a white patch on chest, chocolate brown with a white patch on chest and a cinnamon color with white patch on chest. there is also a white Black Bear, but protected by law. Photos only. This is a spot and stalk hunt and the bears hunted are six feet and over. We look for the big boars. This area the hunter is allowed to harvest two Bears, so they can be of two different color phases. Success rate on a large Black Bear is 99% and usually on two big bears.
The package price is $3400.00 for two bears and that includes the hunting license and two Bear tags, cabin accommodations (with electricity and hot showers, home style meals, 4X4 vehicle transportation, skinning and care for the skin and skull. Government taxes. In other words if you agree upon the quoted price, that is all you have to pay the outfitter. The Guide or Guides would like a tip for their hard work in making this hunt a success. Last spring I had a hunter from Texas who took two bears in ten minutes of each other and the hunter wrote an article in the Austin Sarfari Club news letter. The following is his article. Bears In The Salt


I am a determined man. Twice I have struck out on black bear. The darn things simply wouldn’t cooperate. Probably about 10 years ago a friend mentioned that his brother, an Air Force non-com stationed at Eielson AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska, regularly hunted black bear each spring with several co-workers. A phone conversation with the airman brought a quick invitation to join their hunt that year. As we were to bait the bears and shots would be very short I took my Smith & Wesson .41 magnum as my only firearm. Unfortunately, although we saw several bear during the hunt, I did not have an opportunity at a mature bear. After observing how fast a bear can run up a tree I decided my revolver might be a bit short on power! I have been skunked more than once. It is all part of the game, but I sure wanted a bear!

Several years later I read an article by Jim Zumbo in “Outdoor Life” magazine about how great black bear hunting was on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. One only need cruise the many logging roads, scanning clear cuts, for outsize furry bruins. After some research two friends, my son-in-law, and I put together a trip for September 2004. Despite the heavy population of bears, only my son-in-law, Brent Stolle, was able to take a bear. The week was spent battling incredibly thick brush and trees, sliding down slippery stream courses choked with dead and dying salmon, and enduring an almost continuous drizzle. I do not think I have ever been more uncomfortable during a hunt. Now I wanted that bear rug even more!

This spring I was given an opportunity to take over a hunt a friend had booked but couldn’t make due to business obligations. When offered the option to take the hunt I decided it had to be the best chance to finally get my bear rug. I was especially willing to schedule the hunt because the outfitter was known to be very successful on spring bears. In 2009 SCI Austin had raffled a hunt with Nanika Guiding and Austin residents Greg Allen and Gary Joeris had each taken two excellent black bears and one grizzly during their short week of hunting in 2009. Black bears are so numerous in the area that a second black bear tag is available at modest cost.

Nanika Guiding, owned by licensed guide, Jim Tourond, operates in spectacular mountain country southeast of the western British Columbia city of Smithers, about 500 miles north of Vancouver. Regular Air Canada flights service Smithers from Vancouver. Jim’s hunt area, encompassing parts of both the Skeena and Fraser river drainages, is well known for its numerous lakes and streams as well as an abundance of wildlife, including moose, black bear, grizzly bear, mountain goat, and wolf. Jim has been guiding for each of those species in his exclusive 1250 square mile guide area for many years. The operation has been in his immediate family since 1948.

Our early May bear hunt was based out of Tourond’s convenient main camp but Nanika Guiding also has several backcountry cabins strategically placed for hunting other species or black bears or grizzlies later in the season. In some instances, tented camps allow access to backcountry areas for trophy moose. For mountain goats and some of his moose hunts he arranges charter flights into remote high country lakes. Six thousand foot Nadina Mountain, a massive mountain that was covered on top with snow when I was there in May, is the focal point of Jim’s hunt area. Jim has exclusive guide use of the entire south side of this imposing mountain area. Nanika’s clientele come from across North America, Mexico, Australia, and across Europe. Jim has guided European clients from Sweden, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Norway, and Belgium. Sighting of several bears on our route from the airport to camp heightened my excitement. I was suddenly confident that my long awaited bear trophy was near at hand!

My May hunt was conducted out of the main camp. I enjoyed my own cabin that had a complete bath, comfortable beds, a wood stove that was always welcome at the end of the long day, and a satellite TV! Jim’s daughter, Naomi, provided excellent meals. I cannot imagine how one could be more comfortable while hunting a wilderness area! Naomi even had the wood stove burning in my cabin each evening on our return. Fortunately the weather was quite mild for the second week of May. Temperatures ranged from about 30 Fahrenheit to 60 F or so. Although spring showers are not uncommon in May we saw no rain during the hunt period.

During the course of our bear hunt we drove the many logging roads that have been developed to harvest the heavy forest of lodge pole pine, balsam (alpine) fir, and Engleman spruce. Occasionally stands of aspen broke up the conifer forest. As bears had been out of hibernation only a couple of weeks they were concentrating on south facing slopes, seeking the emerging new grass, clover, and dandelions. Jim and I frequently would find a vantage point and glass for grazing bears, sometimes seeing bears as much as two miles away. There is nothing in these woods that is as black as these bears. They could be seen from a great distance and were quickly spotted, even when on a distant hillside or in brush. Once when viewing a mountainside we noticed three moose running, an unusual sight, except when they are particularly frightened. As we continued to scan the mountainside a large grizzly bear stepped into view. Grizzlies require wilderness as do the many wolves that roam that country. On several occasions we spotted sows with twin cubs and once a sow with three young cubs. Obviously the population is very healthy.

The black bears (species name) in Jim’s hunt area are about 10% “color phase”, meaning that some bears are chocolate, cinnamon, blond, or even white in color. The extremely rare white color phase, known as the Kermode bear, was originally observed only on Princess Royal Island, just off the coast of British Columbia. However, being totally protected, the gene pool has now extended its range onto the mainland and is found in limited areas of interior British Columbia. Although I did not get a chance at a good color phase bear we did see several, including a large chocolate colored bear after the conclusion of our hunt. Perhaps some day I can go back to collect a chocolate or blond bear. Seeing bears was no problem. In four days of hunting we saw probably 65 bears. I wanted a large mature boar, so we often glassed animals and continued searching. Jim, a soft spoken gentleman, accommodated my wishes and patiently continued to the next ridge in search of my dream bear. The average bear taken is 5’ to 6 ½ ‘, but even larger bears are sometimes encountered. My largest bear was an honest 6’ which is a very large bear, probably weighing 350-400 pounds.

There had been a couple of stalks that didn’t pan out on larger bears and several opportunities for bears that would have been immediate targets if hunting in other locations but I was holding out for a large boar. As we watched yet another bear on Thursday afternoon Jim reminded me that I had two bears to shoot that week and we were on our fourth day of a six day hunt. I knew that I didn’t want to go home as a “black bear virgin” and decided I would take the next mature bear we saw. Later that afternoon Jim pointed out a bear feeding on the shoulder of the logging road we were traveling. Considering the ease of retrieving that animal and considering my need to fill a tag I slipped down the road and waited for the bear to turn so that I could see his shoulder. Bears reportedly have relatively poor eyesight but can hear well and have very good noses. Thankfully the wind was from the right direction and steady, so I was able to approach without detection. Finally the feeding bear turned and I had my shot. He dropped immediately and rolled into the ditch. It was a well furred 5’ boar.

I walked up to my first bear kill and felt some relief that my first one was down. Jim drove up, congratulated me, and commented about the shot. Before we had an opportunity to load my first bear Jim quietly pointed further down the road. A second bear, obviously somewhat larger, was lumbering down the shoulder of the road, grazing on the new grass and clover. Without further discussion I checked the cartridge in my rifle and began the stalk. The bear was moving steadily away from me as he fed. His black stern seemed 3’ wide and he rolled as he walked, his long black coat glistening in the afternoon sun. As I shortened the distance I realized I had to wait until the bear turned. Thankfully I could see the road curved ahead, causing the bear to come broadside as he came around the bend. One quick shot and he was gone but soon we could hear his dying moans, not unlike how I have heard people describe the moans of a dying cape buffalo. Oh, how lovely was that sound!

Now, with two bears down, it was time to go to work. Jim suggested we load the first bear before we went to look for the second. That made sense to me as neither of us knew if we had a wounded bear waiting for us. However, we were reasonably confident of a good result as we had heard the moans. Goodness, but bears are dense! Grabbing an ear or a paw and pulling, one would think bears have bricks in their pockets. Although the first bear was not as large as some taken in that region he was a handful for the two of us. God didn’t provide any convenient handles on bears. Thankfully we were able to bring the truck nearby. If we had taken the bears on a slope or across a clear cut we would have either had to use Jim’s four- wheeler for retrieval or skinned the bear in the field.

Now that we had the first bear loaded we proceeded down the road to where the next bear had been shot. The second bear lay only a few feet beyond the ditch, probably not 20’ from where he was shot. My hunt was over. Two bears within 10 minutes of each other! Battle scars on the boar’s massive head and a graying muzzle suggested the second bear was an older animal. Later, when dropping off the hides and skulls with a local taxidermist who would ship them for me, it was estimated the second bear was at least 10 years old. The hide measured a strong 6’. Both bears were well furred, coal black, and had long, shiny coats.

Finally, I have my bears! After three hunts in one decade my bears are in the salt. Although I have seldom had a guided hunt I know it often makes sense to engage someone who has the experience and can provide logistics. My successful bear hunt was no more cost than what I had spent on my two previous unsuccessful DIY bear hunts. The hunt was a great value. I will consider coming back to Nanika Guiding for a moose or maybe a grizzly. I would really love to shoot a mountain goat but I think it is well past time for this old man to scale the mountain for a white goat. Of course, another black bear or two would certainly be fun!Contact Nanika Guiding, 49336 Parrott Lake Trail, Burns Lake, British Columbia, V0J-1E0, Phone: 1-250-695-6351, Email: nanika#xplornet.com or check out my website www.nanika.ca. The business has been in the family since 1949. We know our area.