Grizzley; Spring vs Fall?

24 August 2007, 08:37

Please help me understand pros, cons, advantages, disadvantages of hunting interior Grizzley in the spring vs fall.

Was all set to head to the Wrangells on Wednesday for a 10-day Dall/Grizzley hunt and the plug got pulled. Now we (3 of us) are looking to hunt next year for Grizzley in either Alaska or Canada. I somewhat understand the major differences, Fall, being the coats are starting to thicken up, the snow is starting to fly where as the spring bears are coming out of hibernation, their coats should be thick and luxurious. The weather can play a large part in this as an early melt may precipitate the bears rubbing early, possible ruining the coat's trophy qualities. Also, early or late melt may dictate whether or not the bears are even out of their dens. Probabley plenty of snow on the ground as well.

Am I off in my assessment? Is either better than the other? I see some cost difference between hunts listed on the Cabelas web site in reference to Fall vs Spring. Why? Which produces better success rate? Please point a guy in a decent direction to start researching.

Thanks!

24 August 2007, 22:03

M70Nut

You are pretty close to dead on, the best time to hunt bears when hide is concerned is in the spring. Hair will be long and thick but you got to get them before they start to rub. You can get bad weather on either hunt so plan accordingly.

26 August 2007, 20:28

ROSCOE

Spring bear weigh much less but have the best coats. Success rates on Spring bear tend to be much lower than fall...so keep that in mind if you book.

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