Hello, My 66yr old buddy and I are planning to book a brown bear hunt. We are sort of leaning towards a boat based hunt and I am looking for recommendations for a good outfit to go with?

The only two we are firmly considering right now are Brad Dennison (based out of sitka)

AND Phil Shoemaker- I realize he isn't boat based and I can't imagine that there is a better guy to go with than him but he isn't sure if he has any openings for next year.

Who else should we put on our shortlist?

Thanks very much
Dan

If your willing to do some ladn based hunts, here are a couple that you might consider.

Brent Jones of AAA Alaskan Outfitters, his crew takes some nice bears every year.

http://www.aaaalaskanoutfitters.com/page/page/1856159.htm

Have heard good things about R&R Guide Service as well and he hunts brownies on the peninsula.

http://www.rrhunting.com/ak-peninsula-brown-bear/

If I were doing a once in a life time hunt for brown bears, I would go with Phil Shoemaker and i'd wait until he had an opening.

It will probably be a once in a lifetime thing- I am also considering Scott Mileur and Lance kronenberg.

The boat based is sort of an issue for my friend- he isn't really sure he could handle a strenuous mountain climbing type hunt and I don't want to get him into a situation where physically he can't get it done...

Lance is in the running because I hunted with one of his guides in another area and really enjoyed his company and found him (his guide) to be super honest and a great hunter. I'm a little concerned abouts Lance's area compared to guys like Phil or Mileur. Those guys were easy for me to pick out as the "best of the best" so to speak.

With the Boat based guys I was looking to see who was considered "the best of the best" with that type of hunting and then have a good honest discussion with my buddy about what he thinks he could or couldn't handle.

I have already contacted R&R and although I haven't heard back from him yet I think I will get them to put me in the Unimak Draw... which might make it a twice in a lifetime hunt for me!

Unimak would indeed be a good hunt, some huge bears on that island. Good luck with whomever you decide to hunt with.

hopefully Shoemaker will chime in, or send you a pm


am thinkin Phil does well enough at his gig, that he'll most likely not have a problem recoing an outfitter that does boat based hunts to accommodate your friends limited physical capabilities, if he thinks his hunts would not work for your compadre.

even a boat based hunt though may involve some walking and climbing to bag a good bruin though. Certainly plenty of bears gettin taken on the beach and am hoping your friend gets a crack at one of those.

to my way of thinking I'd be inclined for a spring bear hunt.

but guys like Art that posts here and Shoemaker have forgotten more about bear hunting than I will ever know, even though I've guided a few gents to some decent bears.

so bottom line I hope they'll sound off, and if what they tell you differs from my line of reasoning go with what they say in spades.

I'm going with Mileur April 2014. I chose him on Kodiak because of his reputation, his area, and the length of his hunts. The peninsula hunts were hard for me to get comfortable with. I heard alot of things about excessive flying, high competition, shorter hunt durations, weather etc. Since this may be my only shot, I went with what I thought was my best, safest option. I do hope to someday hunt the peninsula also though.

wish you the best of luck.


Kodiak is a magical place in the spring, abundant wildlife and marine life, keeps your head on a swivel just tryin to take it all in!


hope it's a grand adventure for all parties

I briefly exchanged emails with Mr. Shoemaker yesterday, but he is in the process of moving camps right now so he asked me to follow up with him in a couple of days and he would check availability.... Probably pretty optimistic to hope he has 2 openings for the spring but time will tell.

Other than Mileur who are the premium guys to look at on Kodiak?




Does anybody have any feedback on Brad Dennison? Any other Boat based hunts that we should be looking at?

Dennison seems squared away. Others to look at out of Sitka would be Dale Adams and Bruce Parker. Call the local F&G biologist and see who consistently takes mature boars rather than sows or young bears.

if he's still doing it Tom Keirstein turned into a pretty danged good bear man.

but pabucktail gave you some good advice on calling F&G

I hunted with Brad and Minnie Dennison in the spring of 2010 for black bear. My wife came as an observer. There were 2 other hunters also on the boat. Minnie was the saving grace of the trip. Her personality and her excellent cooking was to die for. I gained 5 pounds! As for Brad, his personality was on par with the Dungeoness crabs we caught. It seemed like a chore to him when it came time to go out for the evening to hunt. He never wanted to try the mornings, saying it was not productive. Brad walked around like he was chewing on a lemon. Thats the only way I can explain it. We ran into Dale Adams, great guy, his boat was tagged out. Out of the three hunters on our boat there was only one opportunity. Luke Bastian was the other guide on the boat. He was wonderful, no other way to put it. I have to say the boat was comfortable and the food was great, but no bears!

Woods:
Thanks for your honest opinion there, I guess maybe thre is a reason that Brad has openings this spring still.

back to the search I guess...

FYI: Spring bear hunt mornings are best spent sleeping in.

Many have said such... but I have killed a good many spring early risers and there is little worse than charging someone for long days while sleeping in...

We've killed many of spring bears in the early morning!! It's drudgery starting real early after a couple of days of hunting long hours for sure but well worth it! Napping is perfectly acceptable on long spring days for sure.

Hi Sitka,
Would you have any recommendations for us? Our short list of no worry outfitters right now is Mileur, Shoemaker and Rod Schuh. But I am a little worried that their hunts may be a bit to tough for my 66yr old friend.

On the radar with a less physical "gentlemans hunt" is Tony Lee with a spring snowmobile hunt or a boat based hunt with someone like Brad Dennison or Dale Adams- It seems like Dale might be the more personable of the two based on the discussion here.... Any other boat based guys I should be looking for?
thanks very much
Dan

I cannot imagine a snowmobile hunt being called a "gentlemen's hunt!" I do not know any SE guides currently working.

Phil would be my first choice.

Dick Rohrer on Kodiak usually does fairly well... he has been at it a long time. Many of the bears in Uganik Bay where he hunts have been shot in places an older guy could get to.

Here is a video of one of their hunts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SSXSdX_Qvo

The area where they start up the hill is exactly where Rick Bin and I started from on a Kodiak hunt about 9 years ago when we killed a bear. We went into the bay while they went outside. I know that area extremely well. I drew a tag for the same place for this coming spring.

In the spring of '12 a friend had the same tag and he got a huge bear that I posted about here.

Rohrer does not have a boat based hunt, but there will be lots of skiff-driving going on. One of his guides grew up in Uganik Bay and has some serious bear time for his age.

Rod Schuh will be easier to find if you spell his name right!

His link;
http://www.rrhunting.com/contact-us/

Uganik used to be Joe Want's old stomping grounds.


pard took a very nice bear there this past spring


agreed with others on hunting early, big bears get big at least in part by going pretty well nocturnal. Catching them going from bedding to feeding or vice versa is your best bet to get one imo.

that means up early and out late, with as mentioned naps during the day when the big bears are most likely napping.

I'd be disinclined to pay whatever the going rate is for a bear hunt these days and cut my odds by 30-50% because it feels better to sleep in.

also have to second Art's take on snowmachine hunting for bears!

yep you're on a motorized contraption alright, but you use your arms, legs and back extensively while doing so. Some of the most sore times for this old bod have been after riding a snowmachine.

snomachines and boats both have motors with horsepower to move you around, but that's about where the similarities end.

Hmmmm, so I should poopoo the snowmobile hunt?
Good to know. The list is getting shorter every day....

Yes, especially if you are not experienced at it. Getting stuck in ass deep spring snow sucks. It isn't a whole lot of fun and can wear you out quickly.

legit,,,,,Joe Want had Halibut Bay and The Sturgeon River area's on Kodiak. I was there with him!

If I was ever gonna hunt bear this would be the man i'd do it with!!!!!!!

I haven't had a snowmobile for a few years- but grew up with them here in ontario- so never really thought of them as hard work... I bet you guys do it different in Alaska than we did here.

But you are right my buddy has a grand total of 2hrs on a snowmachine and I suspect it would kick the crap out of him. (now that I'm really thinking about it I think he flipped the sled in that 2 hrs...dohh
He's a great guy and I am closer to him than my own father but athletic and coordinated are not words I ever use to describe him

Waterrat
Yup, IIRC Paul Chervenak had the Uganik Bay area before Rohrer and they were forced to swap by the Feds. I bet you have a picture of a cub or two you killed down there, don't you?

Who are you bear guiding for these days?
art

sorry Waterrat, didn't mean to give out bad 411, coulda swore my pards that went this spring met with Joe to talk specifically about that area, and they may have, imagine Joe had some clue about it whether he ever actively hunted that area or not.

I'll have to ask the guys that went and met with Joe a couple of times before they embarked upon their hunt.


if you hunted with Joe, then you have a better idea as to what type character he is than most! lol, guessing you got to hear the 500 H&H holler a time or two?

How about Greg Jennen "grizzinater"? glacier Mountain outfitters?

It seems like he shoots some pretty decent bears in PWS - he also seems very proud of his hunts $$wise.

Boat based, spring hunt.

Seems like they have a Chugach National Forests pecial use permit...

Anyone ever been with Afognak Wilderness Lodge?

donsm70

Contact Sue Aiken at Kavik River Camp.

http://www.kavikrivercamp.com/

You seem sold on the boat based hunt so with that in mind, you might give this oufit a call and see what they have to offer you.

http://www.coastalalaskaadventures.com/

Another good one is Claude Bondy owner of the Alpine Creek Lodge
on the Denali Hwy West of Denali National Park.

http://alpinecreeklodge.com/

907-743-0565

Notlim, I made it out yesterday evening and after looking at my books 9 ( which my wife had with her ) we are fully booked for next spring.
If you are interested in a fall hunt we still have openings for Oct of 15,
and contrary to what Scott270 was lead to believe, the majority of us on the peninsula with Federal area do no excessive flying, see little or no competition, nor have shorter hunts. I think he must have been referring to many of the guides who hunt state lands where there are basically no limits to how many hunters, camps or guides can be in an area.

there were a number of very good guides mentioned here, and quite a few dodgy ones as well, but if you are still looking at a boat based hunt Dale Adams would be one of my top recommendations.

Neither to encourage nor discourage you...



...but if a 10-year-old can do it.

Change the angle of incline by a huge bunch of degrees and tell me how that 10-year-old is going to do on the 6th day of a 5-day hunt...

They do not make many 10-year-olds like you do!

That one there would (and does) get his ears fried just a little if he "parks" a machine on such inclines. (Therefore, no such pics. )

But I understand the thought here, and agree with the sentiments. I guess my suggestive photo op, other than the typical smartazz remarks suggested by it, is that it can be doable if you get with the right guys in the right place who understand the expectation. Of course it also helps if they convey the right info to the prospective client. And certainly it would help if the prospective client was willing to hit the gym for some specific back and shoulder strength exercises. Besides and in addition to getting stuck due to not knowing when to get on the gas and when not to, the muscles of the back and shoulders are going to get used and need to be in shape in order to ride 100 miles - give or take- in a day of hunting.

That kid in the pic rode, a couple of months later, 185 miles each on two consecutive days. My wife at mid-40s, tough, but not what you'd call fit and toned by any stretch, has ridden the same but also nearly 400 miles in a day. So I wouldn't necessarily discount the idea as long as there was full understanding between parties (hunter and guide).

Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting it is easy.

Notim, I am hunting in Sept 2014 with Justin Johns on Togiak refuge. I didn't set up the hunt but my 2 buddies were going and a spot opened up for me so I decided to go. He seem to have a great reputation and Phil says he is good at it. He has been very nice and informative with me.

The Togiak hunts seem a little more strenuous but he has hunts based out of a really nice fishing lodge with hot meals and showers every day on Wood River-Tik chik river state park plus he also has hunts on Admirality island which don't seem to be as bad either. Might want to check with him and see if he has anything.
Lee

as to Justin Johns, that dog can hunt, hunted for him and with him for more than a few years.

and he definitely has some hunts that would work for notlim's friend.

but they'd be fall hunts, I didn't do them, but pards did, basically you set up on a salmon spawning bed back in the brush, you have to be quiet and still for long periods of time. Not my cup of tea, I like spot and stalk and a month to 6 weeks was plenty long enough to be away from my then young family and our business.

Fishing Bear is a pretty skookum place, beautiful scenery on Lake Beverly right at the mouth of the Peace river.

So not only does he do the Togiak hunts where they take some very nice bears, but they take an occasional hog over those salmon spawning beds, where at the end of the day, depending upon where you actually get put to hunt, you go back to Fishing Bear Lodge for a good meal, possibly a hot shower if needed and sleep in one of the little guest cabins or a wall tent there.

It's called Fishing Bear for a reason, at night when you think you're hearing salmon jumping around by the shore spawning, often as not what you're actually hearing are bears swiping their paws down into the water to grab one of those salmon.

More than one guy has been surprised to bump into a fuzzy britches camper on the way to the outhouse at night!

it's actually a very good reco for the needs of notlim's friend.

course like anything, the better shape you're in, the better your odds of connecting, still hunting over salmon spawning beds is a pretty decent way for a guy of limited physical abilities to get an opportunity at a decent bear. Dress warm, and waterproof, take chem packs and make sure you can hit with your rifle and I can think a guy has decent odds of seeing a big bruin.

it's a danged good reco Ebby, makes me blush that I didn't think of it first!

hunting the refuge at Togiak has been known to take some hogs, and Justin certainly knows how to hunt that area.

best of luck to you and notlim

If he still does, Justin also hunts Admiralty Island in the spring, and there they often use little rafts to patrol the beaches.

worth a call to him I'm thinking

North Alaska Expeditions

Dennis Harms of Alaska Trophy Safaris has some good areas (Aliulik Penensula), and a copy of Lance Kronberger guides do guiding for Dennis on Kodiak.

Deltana hunts the Peninsula. I saw a video where a 60ish gentleman which two artificial knees took a 10'8" brownie.

Boy, are you in trouble....

Yeah sometimes self edit is the bomb....

Klik,

Something tells me you'd better slip some $50 bills in your Christmas cards!

Bob

I've met Klik's wife. She seemed fit and toned to me!







(hey ain't no reason for both of us to get hurt )

Scott Mileur is a good man.

I hunted with Paul Chervenak in the Sturgeon River area on Kodiak.

I also hunted with Joe Want in Sturgeon and Halibut Bay area. Joe was a real character to say the least.

Of the two areas, I thought Sturgeon had the better area and would hunt with Paul's outfit again.

Cole Kramer was my guide and he is one hell of a guide and hunter.

I would hunt anything under that sun with that guy.

If you want more detailed info, send me a PM.

Is that the same woman from the TV show below zero ? I did not know she is also an Outfitter. Not easy on the eyes, is she. What does she Charge ?

Joe Want is a legend, if he was still working I would say his long time proven reputation speaks for itself.

As for Phil Shoemaker, he too is at it a very long time and is still working. He has a long time reputation for taking quality animals and even more impressive is that he has been able to avoid drama with his clients for such a long time, speaks volumes. You can't please all the people all the time, but I have not heard of any complaints.

I did not know that you wanted only Kodiak. I recomended Alaska Trophy Adventures Dan Montgomery in the Penninsula due to his long time record of taking bears over 9' avg. year after year, near 100% success rate and policy of allowing guys who need more than their contracted amount of time for no extra charge. He too has been able to avoid drama with clients, likely due to the above policies and practices that he has been following for almost 25 years. I once hunted almost 30 days in the field, on a hunt that was contracted for 10 days. I went home empty handed with no shot taken, no extra money was asked for either. Even though it was unsuccessful, it was one of the best hunts i have been on. As for your friends limited mobility, they will carry all his gear, including his rifle as he has to do is walk. I will be applying yet again for the Chugach State Park sheep lottery again this Winter. I want one of those 42" sheep they have been taking.

As for Rohrer Bear Guides, Dick Rohrer has been at it a long time. Based on my own hunt with him I would not recomend him. There are many more Outfitters out there who are more focused on having happy customers.

As for Afognak Wilderness Lodge, I have hunted the area they are in although not with them and did take a huge Boone and Crockett Bear. I would recomend a Spring hunt there. Check the Safari Club and Boone and Crockett record books for bears from AWL and ask for reference from both successful and UNSUCCSESSFUL hunters.

Hope that helps. Post photos when you come back. Hit me up via PM if you have other questions.

hello .... may I suggest looking into Steve Hakala and Jeremy Davis of Canoe Bay Outfitters just north of Sand Point on the Alaska Penn? Third generation exclusive Brown Bear consession and a very productive area at that. they can provide a VERY accommodating lodge based hunt for guys that are limited mobility wise......definitely worth checking into. either way....good luck

canoebayoutfitters.com

Deltana has a great area and great guides. I haven't hunted with them since Ralph passed, but I'm sure Jim Widener is doing a great job keeping the quality up. They take very big bears every year.

I have hunted twice with Brad Dennison and think he is an exceptional guide. Boat well maintained, excellent area to hunt, excellent guide, good guy to spend the day with, very good grub. He and Dale Adams hunt the same area. I might suggest trying to book the spring hunt about May 10th. Earlier and a "late spring" may find not many bears out. Later hunt may find more rubs. Chaz

Yeah, that would be Sue Aikens. If someone plans on staying at her camp, you best bring your checkbook.

Kavik

As long as it's a "nice even rub".