I spoke with a friend today who tells me he will be hunting Grizzly in July. He said he will be about 140 miles north of Anchorage. He also said the Outfitter told him he would probably get his bear in two days. He also told him if he did'nt get a shot at a 9 footer he would refund $1000.
My questions are: Is the hunting that good in July that he can make those claims? What condition is the hide in at that time of year?
Oh I almost forgot the claims are being made with the knokledge that my friend is a bow hunter.

Doc,

I'm sorry but I have lived in bear country a long while and this whole thing smells of BS. Given that everything else was true the skin will have extremely short hair and make a terrible trophy.

Have your friend check the regulations for seasons in the area he will be hunting. Also have him call all this guys references.

Regards,

Mark

Dr C.:
Sounds very fishy to me. Not having more specific info on the location but I find no open season for grizzlies in July. Just guessing on where your friend implies that he's going. Maybe I missed something but I'm willing to bet that there is no grizzly season open anywhere in the interior in July. I looked at the seasons for GMU's 13, 16 & even as far north as 20. Basically guarenteeing a grizzly in 2 days 140 miles N. of Anchortown?
As was mentioned, even if seasons were open the hides would not be very nice. Think I'd advise your friend to do some double checking on this one. Bear in Fairbanks

I bet its near Denali hwy lots of bears F&G trying to thin them and wolves out to increase moose and caribou calf survivial.

Milo, et al:
Oooops! I do, most humbly stand corrected regarding the open season issue. Thought I took a close look at the regs but that's what I get for thinking. Apologies to all.
Bear in Fairbanks

It sounds like if the season is open the hides wont be very good. Is that right? Am I right in assuming that if he waited until later Sept. the hides would be much nicer?
Thanks to all. I will print this out to share with him.

Yeah, I doubt the hides would be at their finest.

But mid-June allows better access logistics. I tried to get into GMU 13A on Memorial Day weekend once (warm spring, too) with a swamp buggy & couldn't do it due to still lots of snow on the ground and iced up but thawing creeks.

The caribou drop their calves up there about then; late May or so. Figured there'd be lots of bears, wolves, wolverines, & everything else up in the calving grounds about then.

Milo, you don't happen to be the guide/outfitter in question do you? If so I did not intend to step on anyones toes. Just concerned what my friend is getting into.

Funny no one has mentioned the 9-foot refund? Not likely he'll see a bear that big in that unit/area. I'm not saying it can't happen but I am saying it isn't likely.

Milo, how much earlier do you think is necessary to see good hides?

I have only black bear hunted in Unit 13 and that was in the fall so i don't know specifically. But given that an outfitter buddy of mine in Unit 16 starts hunting about now and hunts until the end of April, I would think that in Unti 13 you would not want a bear after mid to late May, nor before September.



As for the 9 foot guarantee, I think that may be a marketing ploy for the guide depending on the price he is getting for the hunt. Giving back $1,000 on a $10,000 hunt to take place in July when the guide is doing nothing else seems like a good loss leader to me. Even if the guide knows it is extremely unlikely to get a 9 foot bear in a couple of days, what the heck, it makes the hunt sound like there is good odds of a big bear and he no doubt still makes a good fee.



Dr. C, I would tell your friend that this guide's marketing (in additon to the idea of hunting in July) would make me suspect that he is not the most forthright of people, although I cannot dispute that he might very well be able to put him on a nice bear (albeit probably not 9 feet) in a short time in that area, as it is overrun with bears. Checking with a few references may be in order.

Rob is absolutely right. The end of May at the very latest and then again after about the 2nd week of Sept.

In the past year or so the bears up in GMU Remainder of Unit 13 have gotten the attention of some of my hunting partners here in Anchorage. Apparently there are a lot of bears and people on the Talkeetna River and its tributaries on its north bank (GMU 13) and so ADF&G does not close the season on br.b. And the rivers are full of salmon at that time of year (July)....so I can imagine that if a person is not picky about the condition of the hide, there might be a lot of bears to shoot. But I also imagine that in a couple of years they will shoot all the bears out of that area.