Alaskan Brown bear hunts
Your Alaskan Brown Bear & Grizzly Bear Hunt with Alaska Bush Adventures
During August and September, it’s not uncommon to witness numerous Alaskan Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears in a single day within our exclusive guide-use area. The thriving population in our region has led the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to implement a significant regulatory change, allowing hunters in our area to harvest two of these magnificent bears per regulatory year. This is a notable advantage compared to the general limit of one bear every four years in much of Alaska, highlighting the healthy and well-managed bear population in our hunting territories.
The Thrill of the Hunt:
Hunting Alaskan Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears is an experience often characterized by extended periods of focused glassing, scanning the vast landscapes for these apex predators. These moments of patient observation are punctuated by the sudden surge of adrenaline and excitement when a trophy bear is spotted, and the carefully planned stalk begins. With the current robust bear population and the opportunity to potentially harvest two bears annually in our guide areas, now presents an exceptional time to pursue these iconic symbols of the Alaskan wilderness.
Bear Populations in Our Guide-Use Area:
The bears within our guide-use area typically range in impressive size, often weighing between 500 and 1000 pounds, making them outstanding trophies. Their diet is rich and varied, capitalizing on the abundant King, Silver, and Sockeye Salmon runs in the local rivers and streams during late July and August. As mid-August approaches and early September begins, their diet expands to include the plentiful wild blueberries and highly nutritious ground squirrels found in the upper alpine mountainsides and meadows.
Color Variations:
The coloration of Alaskan Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears can vary considerably, ranging from deep chocolate hues to strikingly blond shades. Interestingly, there is a general correlation between color and size, with darker bears often tending to be larger.
Alaska Black Bear Hunting:
Alaska Black Bear hunting in our guide-use area is conducted using similar spot-and-stalk techniques and often in the same productive areas as our Brown and Grizzly hunts. With liberal bag limits allowing for the harvest of up to five Black Bears per season, this offers another exciting hunting opportunity during your Alaskan adventure.
Understanding Alaskan Brown & Grizzly Bear Behavior for a Successful Hunt
Alaskan Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears are known for their craftiness, cunning, and elusive nature, often feeding both day and night. However, their gluttonous appetites create prime hunting windows. During the Alaska salmon spawning runs and when the blueberries ripen, bears tend to lower their guard, venturing out onto streams and into blueberry patches during daylight hours to gorge themselves and build crucial fat reserves for the upcoming winter. This intensive feeding behavior can make hunting productive at any time of day.
Physically, Alaskan Brown and Grizzly Bears are characterized by a prominent shoulder hump, less prominent, rounded ears, and notably long claws. Both the hump and the long claws are evolutionary adaptations related to their feeding habits. The long claws are invaluable tools for digging up roots and excavating the burrows of small mammals, a vital part of their diet. The powerful musculature and bone structure of the distinct shoulder hump provide the strength and leverage necessary for digging and for achieving the bursts of speed required to pursue and capture moose or caribou.
Spring Hunting Habits:
In the spring, typically during April and May, Alaskan Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears emerge from their winter hibernation with a significant need to feed. For the initial few days after leaving their dens, they often lounge nearby, offering a unique hunting opportunity. Soon after, their foraging instincts kick in, and they begin to roam the countryside in search of sustenance. During this period, bears are frequently found and harvested near Moose or Caribou carcasses, whether they were the bear’s own kill or a winter-killed animal. Spring also marks the start of the annual breeding season, with male bears (boars) actively seeking out females (sows). The presence of deep spring snow can also create hunting opportunities, as it can make Moose and Caribou more vulnerable to bear predation, given the bears’ superior ability to navigate the snowy terrain.
Fall Brown Bear / Grizzly Bear Hunting Tactics in Alaska
As the Alaskan Brown Bear and Grizzly Bear hunting season opens on August 10th, hunters can find bears actively feeding in two primary locations: along the rivers, still taking advantage of late salmon runs, and higher up in the mountains.
Around mid-August, a significant shift in bear behavior occurs as they begin their migration to the mountainsides. Their focus shifts to gorging on the abundant blue and black berries, a crucial activity for accumulating the necessary fat reserves for their winter hibernation. This period presents an excellent opportunity for the classic spot and stalk hunting method.
Our experienced guides will dedicate extensive time to glassing the mountainsides, patiently searching for your trophy bear. We minimize unnecessary movement around the hunting area, only relocating as needed to gain better vantage points for glassing and to keep human scent to an absolute minimum, increasing our chances of a successful stalk. Employing scent-masking techniques is also a valuable practice when hunting these keen-nosed predators.
With years of experience, our guides prioritize extensive glassing of the mountain terrain to patiently identify trophy bears. To increase your chances of a successful stalk, we minimize any unnecessary movement, carefully positioning ourselves for the best views while diligently controlling human scent. The use of scent-masking techniques is another valuable tool our guides employ when hunting these perceptive animals.
Making the Most of Your Alaskan Bear Hunt
To maximize your success, quality optics are essential. Expect to spend a significant portion of your day glassing the surrounding hillsides from strategic vantage points. We strongly recommend investing in a reliable pair of 10x or higher power binoculars for optimal game spotting.
Once a trophy bear is located, the pursuit begins, and our experienced guides will dedicate all their efforts to positioning you for a successful harvest. Additionally, if a moose or caribou has been harvested and the edible meat salvaged, we will monitor the carcass, as bears often claim these remains. If the carcass lies in dense cover, our guides will strategically create shooting lanes to provide a clear shot opportunity.
Fall in the Alaskan wilderness is a truly spectacular time to hunt. The vibrant colors of the changing foliage and increased animal activity create a breathtaking backdrop for your adventure. Our seasoned guides bring years of expertise in hunting, glassing, and scouting, along with in-depth knowledge of bear habits, giving you a significant advantage in locating your bear.
As an added bonus, you can also enjoy excellent sport fishing in the pristine freshwater rivers we hunt, with opportunities to catch rainbow trout, arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, burbot, northern pike, sockeye salmon, and silver salmon.
Alaskan Hunting Camps: Comfort and Access to Prime Hunting
Our River Base Camps provide our most comfortable accommodations, offering excellent opportunities to harvest Alaska Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, Moose, Caribou, and Black Bear without the need for strenuous spike camp hunting. While a reasonable level of fitness enhances your enjoyment and success, these camps offer a comfortable retreat with spacious wall tents for dining and socializing, heated by wood stoves and equipped with propane cooking facilities. Enjoy the convenience of generators for power, hot showers, outhouse toilets, and comfortable cots in your sleeping quarters. For communication and emergencies, satellite phones are available, and our guides strive to capture your hunt and daily experiences on video, preserving your Alaskan memories.
Our access to remote hunting areas is unparalleled thanks to our fleet of Jon boats with outboard jet motors. We can navigate rivers for miles, exploring smaller tributary streams inaccessible to conventional aircraft. This allows for flexible hunting strategies, utilizing spike camps or returning to the base camp each night. This method provides a significant advantage, as other hunters cannot easily access these prime locations. As the only Guide/Outfitter operating these rivers in this manner, we can even navigate extremely shallow waters and clear logjams to reach virtually untouched areas.
Beyond the rivers, we utilize Piper Cub planes, versatile Argos, and reliable ATVs to access the uplands. This multi-faceted transportation approach allows us to effectively glass and hunt the higher mountain valleys, expansive alpine meadows, and open country for Alaska Yukon Moose, Caribou, Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, and Black Bears. Our experienced guiding team is led by Alaskan Master Guide/Outfitter Hugh Les Krank, along with Registered Guides Ryan L. Krank and Roy Austin, supported by our dedicated and seasoned assistant guides, many of whom have been integral to our operation since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
If the prospect of a Brown Bear hunt in these exceptional locations has sparked your interest, please call us with your questions. We’d be happy to provide more details about our services and help you plan your Alaskan adventure.
Thank you, Master Alaskan Guide/Outfitters Hugh Les Krank and Ryan L. Krank
Guided Hunt Pricing with Alaska Bush Adventures
Brown or Grizzly Bear, Wolf & Fishing:
- 1×1 Hunt (1 hunter per guide): $31,900 (11 days)
- 2×1 Hunt (2 hunters per guide): $28,900 per person (11 days)
- Second Brown/Grizzly Bear Trophy Fee: $8,000
Moose & Brown or Grizzly Bear, Wolf & Fishing:
- 1×1 Hunt (1 hunter per guide): $39,500 (14 days)
- 2×1 Hunt (2 hunters per guide): $32,500 per person (14 days)
- Second Brown/Grizzly Bear Trophy Fee: $8,000
Additional Fees:
- Brown Bear Trophy Fee (added to other hunts): $8,000 per bear
- Non-hunters/Observers on Guided Hunts: $650 per person, per day
Important Notes:
- The “x to 1” notation indicates the ratio of hunters to guides.
- Trophy fees are charged only if a second Brown or Grizzly Bear is harvested.
- Please inquire about specific license and tag fees as they are additional costs.
This pricing information provides a clear breakdown of our guided hunt options and associated fees. Please contact us to discuss your specific hunting goals and any questions you may have.