I am wanting to go for brown or grizzly bear this fall. Does anyone know anything about unit 16b? Does the area have a lot of hunting pressure. Or does anyone know of an opening on another hunt. Also know of a Brooks Range hunt for mountain grizzly.

ya 16b is busy for sure, bears there though. don't expect ten footers..figure mid 8 would be a good goat to shoot for.
brooks has some really pretty bears, figure 7 foot or so and you'll have good expectations.
your startin' to look a little late for a bear hunt, guys that have openings either have alot of guides workin' for them or migth have some other issues with why they aren't booked by now.

I agree with 416. On one trip to the Brooks, off Hulahula R., I saw a strawberry blonde boar with dark (black?) stocking feet and dark muzzle; gorgeous bear. Was hunting sheep & didn't have bear tag; so, had to pass.

Were I you I would postpone trip until I could thoroughly research. As said, most all are likely filled up by now. I would be very leery of any openings left now- unless a cancellation by a reputable guide/ouitfitter. You can easily get screwed without doing your due diligence. I was, on my first bear hunt- even after doing due diligence: checking references, etc.

If after coastal brown, depending on area, you may have to wait until 2013 (some units only open every other odd year) but considering cost of the hunts it is well worth the wait in order to do the needed research.

One outfitter is asked for the last two years of bear references and only got one bear from last year and three caribou hunters from over two years ago so sounds like I should avoid even with a cheap price? I apply for 12 special licences and don't know until late so hate to book another hunt the same year. Have 4 hunts available but have not taken any yet.

Pheasantman- Avoid cheap; there is a reason why they are cheap. IMHO you will not likely see shootable bear, let alone "trophy" on a cheap hunt. I speak from experience. I did not know any difference when I started hunting AK. My first trip to AK, on the AK Peninsula, I paid $8,000 (in "99") for 17 days. Saw two boars miles away and a few sows & cubs. Hunt was not as represented & caught guide/outfitter in multiple lies. I could elaborate but won't bore all with details.

I returned two years later with different guide; price was $14,000. Killed my bear on 4th day after seeing 17 bears in 3.5 days. Learned something from the experience. Since then, cost has not been a prime consideration when selecting an outfitter/guide. On subsequent multiple hunts I have chosen top flight areas with superior outfits. And, no, I am not a wealthy man, just an ordinary, retired working stiff who saved his money and made some good investments.

Suggestion: find a good area & reputable outfitter/guide & be willing to pay a fair price. There are some, I think, who post here. It will take some effort on your part to find them. Check references & folks who have some knowledge; obtain recommendations; and check with AK F&G for status/good standing of guide/outfitters. Review prior posts on this website. You have a start by your inquiry here. Good luck.

Pheasent Man

I do have an opening for fall 2011

We are anoutfitter in Unit 17B and in our Area the state has jst turned it into a 3 Bear per year per hunter area.

Our prices are based on performance. We offer an 8 day fully guided and catered hunt for 8000.00.
Only upon harvest is an additional 4000.00 Trophy fee due.

Additional costs
1000.00 RT Bush airfare from Anchorage to camp and back
500.00 Brown Bear License ( per each)
85.00 non resident Hunting License

We have been featured on numerous TV shows the last few years and have an excellent hunt and success ratio.

Please PM me or give me a call for details.

Correction

Unit 17B is a 2 Bear per per person per hunter unit.

Typo on 1st Post ( sorry)

I worked for Alaska Trophy Adventures last year, and hunted with them in 2009. They kill some great bears in the 8.5-10+ range. Very reputable and hardworking outfitter, and they do still have openings for this fall. Call Dan Montgomery at 907-373-4898

Thanks for your input. Really enjoy this forum. I have booked a hunt. Hope you are wrong and I have a good hunt. There were 8 outfitters had an opening yet (economy)? An outfitter I went with 2 years ago still had 2 sheep openings and I'd reccomend him to anyone anytime.

I've hunted unit 16b for 44 years.I'm very familiar with that unit from Tyonek to the south. I've killed 20-30 Brn Bears there. Most of them were shot off a moose gut pile or from a tree stand on a river. It's a tough place to hunt. Lots of brush. Not much spot and stalk. That's the reason the price is lower than on Kodiak or the Alaska Peninsula.
The hair on the bears from that unit are not as good as the Peninsula. There are some big bears there, just hard to find.
Your odds of getting a good, 9' plus big bear are slim. But, I wish you luck. Keep us posted on the outcome of your hunt.
Thanks.

I also thought 16b was not the best. I am going to 17a on the Togiak Refuge and hoping to get some fishing in also. They tell me to expect a 9 footer unless they are stretching it? Did talk to 2 references and the fish and game there and the outfit came highly recommended by both. Also the guide that I will be with. They had a cancellation.

Who are you going with? I'll be hunting the Togiak Refuge with Bristol Bay Outfitters run by John Peterson this September. Jason will be my guide.

pheasantman:
Smart move. Your odds of getting a bear are better there. There is more bears in 16b but they are harder to find.
Good luck.

I will be going with Rick Grant out of Dillingham. Mark Romo will be my guide. Can I have good expectations of an honest 9 footer? Arjun contacted me about the hunt. I see he posts a lot of hunts on this site. Hope no one has had a bad experience with booking thru him. My hunt will start Sept. 17. I guess I can't take the hide back with me.

Why can't you take the hide? I'm going Sept 20th, flying in by float plane Sept 19th. I can take the hide and wouldn't go if I couldn't.

I was told Alaska Airlines no longer accepts bear hide as luggage so they have to be shipped later.

Oh, sure, you can't bring it home yourself. Sorry I misunderstood. I'm having mine handled (if I'm fortunate to get a bear) by D&C out of Anchorage.

I hear there are some very good bears that come out of Togiak, but that they tend to be smaller than on Kodiak Island (not as many 10 footers) for sure.

Best of luck on your hunt

pheasantman, just sent you a PM, here is it:

I saw your question about booking thru Arjun. I booked a lion hunt with him this year in Burkina Faso a path less travelled even by seasoned hunters. I also took my wife so was a bit concerned. Arjun told us what we can expect and it was exactly as he told it. My main focus was a lion and a tracked lion is no way close to 100% but arjun had done his research and the outfitter he put me in touch with was the best and I shot a nice lion. So no problem booking thru Arjun, he will say it as it is.

Have a good hunt,

DSC

I flew with Alaska Airlines in Nov and they only charged me $20 to bring the hide home with me.

That would be great if I could bring it on the airlines. I was told they don't accept them. I stuffed my dall sheep cape and horns in my duffle bag two years ago but I hope the bear hide will be bigger than that!

I got a bear on kodiak this spring and flew alaske to united. We put a total of 75 lbs of salt on the hide and pulled as much water out of it as we could. It would just fit in a bulging 80 lb fish box. The weight was over 50 lbs but they checked it at no extra charge going out of Kodiak. I got lucky.