WOW!!
Plenty of great information on this board. Only problem is that there is to much of it!!.

I found after reading all that I could, I am more confused than ever. I am hopping you guys can give me a hand.

This is our situation. I want to take my Dad on a boat based brown bear hunt next spring. He not getting any younger and his physical condition is bad at best. Knees/Shoulders etc etc

His dream has always been to hunt Brown bear in Alaska. And I happen to think a Boat based hunt is going to be the only way it works.

In his ideal situation, he would like to hunt a respectable BB that would measure up only on his scale. Size is not as important as the experience.

He wants to be able to fish during the down time, eat seafood at night and hunt with someone who will try there very best for him. Safety and being on the good side of the law are paramount. 7-10 days would be best.

Now as for price.. I don't see a need to pay the most expensive, but at the same time we are rather afraid of the cheapest. Having a chance to see these BB would be a trophy in it self, but obviously we would like a hunt that showed us a good opportunity or 2.

Can you guys recommend a great outfitter or hunting service so that we could begin the conversation.

I want this for my dad due to the hard work he has put in thought his life and its just now that finances say its OK to go (read that as "Mom" finally said it was OK")

I want this to come together for my dad and for myself. He is coming up on 60 and I am not sure how many great adventures he has left in him.

I have already mentioned on another thread the following Boat based out fitter
Glacier Mountain Outfitters
Greg & Petra Jennen

Now Greg seems like a good guy, but I am a little apprehensive about the fact that I cant seem to find a ton of info on his company. I enjoyed our long conversation yesterday, but he is just in the process of getting permits from the GOV, so he has no references in regards to this particular area. Also he says there is no fishing in the area he hopes to hunt.
He did mention we would be hunting Hitchenbrook Island.
Does anyone have any info on this place?

I know it seems that I am asking a TON of questions, but I need knowledgeable answers and have always found it best to go right to those that know what they are talking about

Thanks
Jamie

try bruce parker 907 747 6026 just bought a monster new boat try website parker guide service

Anukpuk.
Thank you very much for the heads up.
I have a call into Bruce and his wife.

Appaerantly Greg Jennen (Glacier mountain outfitters) has worked with the Parkers over the past 5 years or so.

Have you heard of Greg?

Thanks
Jamie

Call Dale Adams at Adams Alaskan Safaris, Sitka AK. 907-747-6108

He has a 65' mother boat and then you jump in a skif to prowl the coastline. In between you catch and eat crabs, clams, shrimp and fish for halibut and salmon.

Dave, I saw mention of this outfit in all pages I have read.
I couldnt seem to find a web site.
Any idea?

Thanks
Jamie

dont know greg, dale is good and has some videos out

quote:

Originally posted by Calgary Guy:
Dave, I saw mention of this outfit in all pages I have read.
I couldnt seem to find a web site.
Any idea?

Thanks
Jamie

No ideas except try google search. I saw his booth at the Eastern Sports show this past spring and my neighbor just got back from a brown bear hunt guided by him. Unsuccessful, but it wasn't Dale's fault.

Not sure, but booking for next spring is pretty short notice as far as big game hunts go. Good luck.

Doubt that you will find a "good" opening even in '09, unless it is on a cancelation. 1st Spring hunt in early May cab lead to problems if there was a late spring (lots of late snow/cold April). Many bears won't be out on the beaches yet. Prime 10 day hunt starts about May 10; bears are out & rut ustally starts about the 15th. The 3rd hunt starts about May 21 & unless there was a LATE SPRING, many hides will be rubbed, some badly. (yes you will see a lot of bears). Fall boat hunts can be good or bad, depending on heavy rain/wind. It can be tough wading upstream & shots can be only a few yards. Heavy rains can wash the salmon out of the streams for days. Beware of inexpensive hunts; there are no cheap hunts for BB in SE Alaska. I think Dale Adams is a good choice. I have hunted twice with Brad Dennison, who has a great boat & hunts the same area as Dale does. Brad can be reached at 1-907-747-8759. His email is dennison@ptialaska.net....web site is ... alaskahunting.com. My hunting partner has hunted 4 times with Brad. Carefully contact each reference, looking for those who hunted in the last 3 years;giving old references would scare me off. Look for repeat customers; that says a lot. Brad is a man I would be proud to have at my dinner table; a MASTER GUIDE who has been guiding bear hunters since about 1975. One other I would contact is Eli Lucas of Alaska Coastal Hunting; 1-907-772-3455 (cell) or 907-772-3405. I know people who have hunted with Bruce Parker; good hunt but major $$$; don't think you need to break the bank, & won't shoot a "better" bear because you spent more $$. You can PM me & I will tell you one guide that I didn't think put on a good hunt. Lastly,don't book a hunt unless you can get a good date that will give you the experience you want; put it off one more year. Alaska has incredible beauty; its pepole are friendly & hospitable; this will be a memory to cherish./ Chaz

Chaz. Thats some great information!

Does you schedual of May hunts apply all across Alaska?

Thanks
Jamie

If I was in your shoes (I am) and could afford it (I can't) then I would take a serious look at Glacier Guides with Jimmie Rosenbruch.

http://www.glacierguidesinc.com/

These guys take the top black bears every year, year after year, and some very nice brown bears as well. Their boat is beautiful and they win a lot of guiding awards. Check them out. The daughter is one of the top guides in Alaska and her dad is no slouch either.

I must disagree with Y.D. on this one. I know that G.G. has a long established record for getting their clients quality blk. bears and putting them in luxury accomodations while doing it.

I can not say the same about their record on brwn. bears. A friend of mine confirmed this when he went with G.G. against my better advice.

I would look elsewhere, for brwn. bear.

I don't personally know anyone who has gone with GG for brown bear so I'll defer to Cold Zero.

The above is my personal opinion. No outfitter is best for all things. They all have specialites, whether or not they like to admit it. B.B. is not A. G.G. specialty, i.m.h.o..

Sounds like there is some background info there. Hit me on the PM or we'll discuss when I get around to calling you. I'm curious why they are not doing well as they slam dunk the black bear every year, they have tons of experience and excellent equipment. Maybe their areas aren't great for brown bear but they can certainly move in their big boat.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
we'll discuss when I get around to calling you. Maybe their areas aren't great for brown bear.

you can call tonite.

Calgary Guy/ When you mentioned Boat based bear hunt for 7-10 days, I made an assumption that you were after Coastal Alaskan Brown Bear. Almost all boat hunts for them are in SE Alaska, mainly the ABC Islands. My comments/opinions apply for these areas. Also, you indicated you didn't feel a need to spend max $$ for your hunt; that might rule out Glacier Guides as well as Parker. The 3 guides i did suggest I think will give you the best value for your dollar (from my personal experience), a chance at a good representative of the species (avg about 8 1/2 ft square), real quality guide service, and an experience of a lifetime. Yes I have another bear hunt booked for 2009. Be sure to plan for a day in advance AND after your hunt to get to know the city your hunt is based out of & the wonderful people who live there. I like to stay at a B&B to meet the residents. Alaskans are great people./Chaz

I used to fly with the a guy that guides bear hunts from his 42ft. boat. I have seen his hunts written up in a few magazines and he is a good guy and a great cook. Might be worth giving him a call and seeing what you might be able to work out.

http://www.polancobearhunts.com/