I am thinking of booking a spring black bear hunt for 2005.
I have been in contact with a couple of guys offering transport hunts off their charter boats out of Homer. Have any of you guys had any experience with this type of hunt? I am thinking of taking my girlfriend and thought that she would probably enjoy having a warm dry boat to call home instead of a wet tent.

Thanks
wyotyson

That all depends on whether she is prone to getting sea sick

Actually, I think the boat based black bear or black tail deer hunts are one of the best values in Alaskan hunts. They are usually combined with some great fishing, and the boats typically run some crab and shrimp pots as well.

I've never heard of Homer as a destination for black bear hunting. In South Central you should look at boats running in Prince William Sound, out of Valdez, Whitier or Seward. There are also many outfits running in South East, where the bears are bigger.

wyotyson,

That drop off thing is great if you know how to do everything yourself including judging bears. The guys that operate the boats are not allowed by law to advise you about hunting, touch your game or assist you in any way in the field. They are strictly for providing transportation and accomodations. Most of the boats are off season fishing boats and may be cramped and lack the privacy your lady needs. Sanitary facilities may be spartan affairs also.

A guided hunt on a boat in SE Alaska can be a joy for hunter and observer alike. I've done 2 of these hunts and they were well worth the price tag. Comfortable accomodations, great food, beautiful country and fantastic hunting. We saw 12-20 Black bears per day and passed on several in the 7 foot range looking for a "Toad".

Contact me anytime if you think you might be interested in more info. on organizing one of these hunts.

Regards,

Mark

I actually have quite a bit of experience with judging and hunting baited bears, in Wyoming right now I am maintaining two bait sites that require 34 miles horseback round trip to get them checked. I love to hunt bears but the amount of work that is required to hunt them down here is making a float based hunt pretty appealing.

wyotyson,

Good! This could be a different adventure for you with what I'm pretty sure will be a much larger bear.

Let me know if I can help with pricing, dates, references etc.

Regards,

Mark