I've become interested in doing a brown bear hunt, well I've been interested for years but just couldn't afford one. Not sure I can now but would like to explore the idea. So anyway I've just started researching this hunt and have a few questions and thoughts I'd like to kick around.

Spring or fall? Which would you recommend? I sorta had fall of 2007 in mind but am open to the spring of 2008. I've talked to a couple of guys about this and have been told I "should" see more bears in the spring. Thats is IF the weather cooperates, spring doesn't come too early and I come late in the season or I come early in the season and spring is late. Been there done both on 2 different black bear hunts. I sorta like the fall hunt because the bears should be bigger and their hides should be better. Thoughts?

Boat or tent hunt? I got to confess I like the sound of the boat hunt, not that I can't or wouldn't do the tent hunt, for a lot of reasons. Now I may be all worng with this reasoning but the way I see it on a tent hunt your limited to how far you can walk, don't get me wrong I'm in pretty good shape, workout three times a week..., but with a boat hunt you can cover more gound and should be able to move to where the bears are. Plus at the end of the day you come back to a nice dry, warm boat and eat sea food! Sounds good so far but I'm going to be there to hunt and shoot a bear, not just eat sea food, so if a tent hunt improves my odds then thats where I want to be. Again which would you recommend?

Area and guide? I've only got the funds to do this hunt once, yes, I do understand its a hunt but I want to do everything I can to improve the odds of being successful. If that means spending a LITTLE more to hunt with one of the better guides and in one of the better areas then thats what I'm looking at doing. On the other hand I'm not an SCI type and won't have a tape in my pocket. Based on what little I now know about BB hunting I'd be happy with something in the 8 to 9 foot range. I talked to the biologist in Ketchikan Friday afternoon and based on the above he recommend talking to giudes in Unit 4 but didn't name anyone. So with all the above in mind anyone you'd recommend? Anyone you'd avoid? Thanks for your help!

Mark,

I can suggest Jerry Austin, his website is www.alaskahuntinguides.com Four of us hunted last year and all took bears. Plus we all saw lots of bears. He is fairly far North so the bears may not be as big as other areas but mine was a 9 footer.

Let me know if you have other questions.

You will get a bear with Jerry.

BigB

Thanks for the link, thats a heck of a web page with lots of info, I plan to call him soon. One thing I didn't see, is the bear he's hunting classified as grizzly or Alaska Brown Bear? Do you know?

Mark,
Have you read BEAR HUNTING IN ALASKA by Tony Russ? Very good reading for hunters interested in a Brown bear hunt. I can get this book up here for about $20. If you are interested I can send you one. The book will answer a lot of your questions.

You might want to take what Tony prescribes with a grain of salt. He spent a spring bear season with us on the penisula and went home empty handed. Most of the pics of decent bears in his book are not his.

BigB,

I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind sharing your hunt with me PM me your number and I'll call you one evening.

mark, check out www.alaskacoastalhunting.com.

Mark,

I think they are classified as brown bears per SCI map.

BigB

Will send number via e-mail

You might want to check out Iliamna Air Guides. I heard some decent things about them and they claim a 90% success rate on their bear hunts. Another you might consider is Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures.

I know from talking with a lot of people that the southwest part of Alaska is full of brown bears. I've had one outfitter complain that there are so many that the caribou population are beginning to really suffer from the bear predatation.

I'm flying out of Bethel on caribou hunt this September and hope to avoid a confrontation, but I am a bit worried about the bear situation.