Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Limited time to do a brown bear hunt.

Love my job but hate the fact that I am so limited in time off during the fall and spring hunting seasons. I am looking at combining two weekends and the 5 week days to squeeze in a griz/brown bear hunt.

I certainly know that there are many many variables to the success of a hunt, weather being a huge factor. Does anyone want to take a guess to the number of days needed to take a respectable representation of a nice bear?

Am I wasting time and money?

huntem-

There are some guys here that really know their bears and they'll be of far greater help but hopefully I can offer a little advice from other experience. While I've never hunted a brownie, (I hope to in the next couple of years) the lesson can be applied to anything - I've done some hunts trying to squeeze things in - then forgot to enjoy myself while I was there because I was in a time crunch.

I know that finally getting to do a brown bear hunt one day will likely mean I don't get to do a whitetail hunt/trip or two for that year but it'll be worth it, as I've always dreamed of doing it.

nothing etched in stone on the gig, examples run the whole gamut


you might get started only to find the bear of your dreams and whack him the first day.


you might go 14 days and never see a bear you want to take.


but we're talking odds, the odds go up the more time you're in the field ime. provided you're in a good field to begin with.


hard for me to say but I'm thinking if I had to travel to here from the lower 48 and spend the kind of money you guys do to take a brown bear, I'd want the odds stacked in my favor.

I'd want 14 days afield, perhaps settle for 10 and anything less, I'd save my money, but that's just my take on it.

Assuming you're in good bear country, weather is the unknown and a major reason for taking enough time.

On the other hand, few things perplex me as much as a guy who luckily takes a bear on the first day and then calls for a plane to come get him immediately. He leaves with no clue about bears or bear hunting or the country they live in.

True but that sadly is the mentality of many of todays traveling hunters. Seen it and heard of others doing that to many times. I would much rather take a representative animal after a extended hunt than a record book on the 1st hour of the 1st day.
Huntem: Just a suggestion. Your fortunate to be able to go on a hunt like that. Take the time to enjoy the entire experience. You just may come back with more than a bear.

Battue

most exteme example I ever saw of it was guy from Florida, came to hunt moose and brought a pard (the moose hunter paid the expenses for the bear hunter SOP for them)

he had a construction biz and was definitely a type A personality.

where we were hunting it gets better the later the season goes, mostly Canadian moose, that migrate to breed and then winter.

after 3-4 pretty slow days on a 10 day hunt, the guy was ready to pull the plug and call on SAT phone for them to be picked up.

so I climb a mountain behind us and sure enough find one of the first hard traveling moose headed for the valley we're in.

by the time I got back down and got the hunter and other guide, the moose had made it to the river we were on.

we got him 64"er and the guy was happy, they left the next afternoon.

biz is biz I reckon, and I'm sure his personality is part of why he had a successful biz, but he sure wasn't taking much time to smell the roses. real shame for him imo

There is a difference between wanting to hunt and wanting to pull the trigger. Some never get it right or want to.

Battue

Huntem,

7 days of hunting is certainly a reasonable amount of time to spend in the field hunting and if you are in good bear country should be able to put your tag on a bear to your liking. I know one thing for sure you won't get one sitting in the house watching TV.... go for it and have fun and enjoy the time out in the field.

My Alaska brown bear was taken on the eighth day of a nine-day hunt. I was fortunate to see 2 dozen bears , of all sizes, on this hunt, and took the big guy.

After seeing the mount and photos of my big brownie, a friend of mine booked a 9-day hunt. Hunted 9 days, never saw a bear.

He booked again, two years later, with another outfitter, a reputable name all would recognize. His buddy took an 8.5 footer, but again my friend did not have an opportunity.

Demoralized and disappointed, he vowed never again to go big bear hunting!!

At approximately $15K per hunt, that runs into money after awhile.

I've lived in Alaska since 1968. Never taken a brown bear. They have never forced the issue.....tho it's been close a few times.

Whatever floats your cork. It is "hunting" not "shooting".

Brown bear hunts, as I understand it, require a 10 day booking wherever you go. Any guide that "guarantees" a bear is bent... avoid him.

I agree hunting is just that but I'm not about to travel from PA to smell the flowers either. The ultimate goal is to kill something which is a big part of hunting.

I'm not looking for a guarantee to kill a 10' bear. I'm only researching the possibility of increasing my odds at shooting a respectable bear within the time I have available. If not, I will look for another critter. I've taken multiple black bears and I look forward to setting my sites on a big old bruin some day.

huntem,


guess another factor to consider is how many times will you brown bear hunt.

if it's going to be 1/2 dozen to a dozen I could see doing a shorter hunt if needs dictate.

if it's once or twice in a lifetime gig, I'd take care of first things first and get the time off so you can do it right.

just my thinking on the subject, best of luck to ya, maybe you'll be able to post a pic of a 9' bear that you nailed first or second day and tell us we're all wet in how much time it takes to get a good bear.

This is probably where I'm at with the frequency and that is good advice.



No chance on throwing it up in anyones face. (Not my kind of gig) I'd certainly post to tell all of you that I'm happier than pig in mud!!

Huntem,

If you are going guided, then definitely take off all the time possible, you want to get your $$ worth. With unpredictable weather, you might only get to hunt 1/2 the time you have scheduled. I was thinking you were on your own.