Alaska Black Bear Hunts

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Alaska Private Guide Service

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Smokey Don Duncan,
Master Guide #136

Alaska Black Bear Hunt Information

You just found the best black bear hunt in Alaska. This web site will answer all of your questions, if you take the time to read it. With 25 years experience we know what we are doing and there is no higher success rate, anywhere!

We have 2 hunting areas for black bear. Unit 20 is a spring hunt over bait using boats or 4 wheelers for access. Unit 17 is a fly in spot and stalk hunt for coastal black bears.

See photos of APGS Alaska Black Bear Hunts on Picasaweb. Just select Slideshow or Individual photos of Alaska Black Bear.

New for 2011: We now have a cabin based hunt utilizing 4 wheelers in the same general area as our river and boat based black bear hunts in unit 20. Also we have a fall spot and stalk hunt black bear hunt in unit 17. Unit 17 is discussed towards the bottom of the page.

Also new for 2011 is the "quickie Alaska black bear hunt" for the traveling tourist who only has 1-3 nights. The limit is 3 bears.

If you are considering a boat based, coastal black bear hunt, you need to read the bottom of this page. It has a discussion on the current situation. We have coastal black bear hunts (20 miles inland) in unit 17 in the fall. These are our spot and stalk hunts. The unit 17 hunt is towards the bottom of this page

This is the best, most successful (99.9%), and inexpensive Alaska black bear hunts I offer. Late May to late June is prime time for interior Alaska Black Bear hunting in unit 20. I am the interior's most productive black bear hunting guide. Hunters fly into and out of Fairbanks. From 1991- 2010, I have maintained a 99.9% success rate on 5 day hunts. The average black bear taken is over six foot with about 50% - near 7 foot or bigger. The only way to leave with out a bear is to miss, miss repeatedly or not shoot at all. Plus; we have some free pike fishing near some of the baits if you like and if time permits. We can now offer fall spot and stalk black bear hunts during late September and early October in unit 17. See our Unit 20 Alaska Black Bear Hunting - 1 or Alaska video.

Unit 20 Discussion

In the spring, these Alaska black bears have the longest and densest fur of black bears anywhere. I specialize in baited hunts along remote rivers. I add new black bear hunting areas every year in a 20,000 square mile area. Primitive weapon hunters using bow muzzle loader or spear, are all welcome and all have taken Alaskan black bears in the past. I use ground blinds and portable tree stands set up, 5-25 yards from the bait. Quite often, we productively stalk the bears when moving in to the bait. 24 hours of daylight means the bears can't wait until after dark to come into the bait site. The prime time is between 9 PM and 2 am. This can be a dangerous hunt. Did you know, black bears are the most likely bear to stalk, kill and eat you? Some or most of the bears do not know they are suppose to be afraid of humans! They will walk right up to the blind and stare you down! Every thing that moves in the woods is potential prey. They will stalk you. And then there is the black bear rut and possessive territorial males. When we shoot a bear, that is why we put the bear on a cart and get the bear out of the arena and back to camp to skin them out. If you make a quiet, quick kill early in the evening, you can probably shoot another one that night. It is not unusual to see many bears in a night. 4 bears / night is average.

Alaska black bears go into the RUT in spring, during our season, and we know how to hunt them. I target male black bears, leaving the in heat females to draw in more big boars. Don't say hunting with bait isn't sporting, challenging and fun until you hunt with us! When bears come in, they walk on bear trails and are virtually silent. "Black Ghost of the Forest" is a nick name well deserved. Black bears come from any direction, including from behind you; often they're close, really close. Now think about being in a natural ground blind 10 feet away from a big bear! The maximum adrenaline rush! You must be mentally prepared. This hunt is ideal for the individual black bear hunter, family hunt, or group of hunting buddies. I have had excellent success with two hunters and one guide frequently taking two black bears in one night. We field prep the trophies; skin, flesh, take out paws, turn lips and ears and salt the hide dry. The taxidermist should give you a break. We salvage the meat and hang it in game bags. Upon your return to Fairbanks, the hide and skull are sealed by Fish and Game and you can take them with you. If needed, we will ship your trophies to you or your taxidermist C.O.D. A full service meat processor is also available and he can ship your processed game to you. You can take the meat with you as baggage by placing in a “Rubber Made” tote or fish box. Spring Alaskan Black Bear is good eating; we recommend you take it with you; we accept and distribute anything you cannot take with you. When convenient or needed we sometimes just skin the bear, removing the skull for sealing and then freeze the hide at the camp or cabin. -- top

Benefits of Alaska Black Bear Hunts with APGS

3 black bear limit; 2005 results. 10 hunters took 22 black bears. 2006 10 hunters took 12 black bears! 2007 - 4 hunters took 9 black bears. Several over 7 foot! In 2008 the first hunter took 3 bears in 5 nights plus missed a big one. The next hunters were husband and wife. She took one and he turned down everything else down in search of a 7 foot minimum size bear. They came back in 2009 and she shot one the first night and he shot one the second night. 2009 was 100%. The average black bear hunt lasted less than 10 hours on stand. On any given bait on any night the big ones can come in or they may not. The next hunters in 2008 were father and 13 year old daughter. She got a nice one and he nicked one with a bow. The last 2008 hunter only had 3 nights. The first night he saw 4 bears and shot 1cinnimon bear. The second night he saw 4 bears and shot none. The last night he saw 8 bears including a 7 1/2 foot big black boar that got away and he killed a black phase bear later that night. 2009 was a big fire year in part of the areas we hunt along the river. The 2009 fire took out several of our good bait sites on the south side of the river. Some of those bears probably came to the other side of the river where we hunt and some probably went further away. In 2010, along the river, we got 3 bears 7 foot or better and a bunch between 6 and 7 foot.. Probably the biggest bear of the year met us at the river when we went to pull the bait. The guide had to fire a warning shot to keep him out of the boat. He then stalked us to the bait and escorted us back to the river. We knew a big one was there but never caught him. In 2011 we chased the ice down the river and hunted earlier than ever before. The baits went active pretty quick. The first hunter shot a 6 1/2 footer the 3rd night. We saw plenty and one night got some wolves howling and called 2 in and got a missed shot at one. All of the rest of the river hunters (4) took bears, between 6 1/2 and 7 foot 3 inches. The last 2 hunters at the cabin at the end of June took 2 seven footers with real good hides, surprisingly. Another year of great hunting big bears and excellent hides.

Alaska Black Bear Hunting Dates

2012 dates: 4 day hunts for 1 maybe 2 bears 5/17-22, 5/22-27, 5/27-June 1.
5 Day hunts for 2-3 bears 6/1-7, 6/7-13, 6/13-19, 6/19-25, 6/25-July 1.

These are the dates that you will arrive into camp and depart camp. You will fly to camp between 9 am and 4 pm. Homeward return flight should be scheduled after 5 pm: For example: For dates 6/7-13, you fly to Fairbanks on June 6, spend the night. On June 7th typically before noon, you fly to camp. You can not hunt same day airborne so you hunt the nights of the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and return to Fairbanks about noon on June 13. The bears are sealed at F&G. Meat is packed and frozen. You can fly home the evening of the 12th or spend the night and fly home the next morning.

Please note, and keep this in mind when planning your dates: The bear activity at the baits start out slow early in the season. Then it will pick up as the ground thaws, water drains off, plants start to green up, bears start traveling and more bears will track the first bears back to the baits especially as the rut kicks in. Therefore, we prefer to take hunters desiring only one bear early in the season and taking hunters wanting 3 black bears, or groups of hunters wanting multiple black bears, later in the season. Toward the end of the season, we need to watch for rubbed bears. The "prime time" is generally the middle of the dates listed above. So we prefer to start booking there and work both ways as needed. I call the "prime time"; the time when black bear activity and selection is good and the threat of a rubbed black bear is low. Prime time dates can vary some on a yearly basis due to winter conditions and spring weather but this is taken into account. All dates have produced fine bears in the past. -- top

Alaskan Black Bear Hunting Prices - River Hunts, CABIN AND OFF Road HUNTS

Hunt costs include YOUR TRAVEL from Fairbanks to and from camp and the first bear. All food, gas, boat etc… is provided. All you need to bring is hunting clothes, weapon, and game bags.

Black Bear Hunt Prices 2012

To take a second or third black bear you must buy another bear tag, available in camp, and pay a kill fee of $600 per bear. MORE PRICES AND PRICES FOR OTHER LOCATIONS INCLUDING THE CABIN HUNTS ARE LISTED FURTHER BELOW.

*Outfitted and Unguided Hunt - 2 person minimum. Everything you need is provided and you will be put in good locations but you must hunt on your own. That means hunt, kill, track, pack and skin out, flesh and salt the bear yourself. You must also take the bear baiting class online and pick up your bear baiting permits at F&G in person before flying out to camp.

Father/Son or Husband/Wife Hunt Price - River Hunt

Price includes one bear each. Extra bears are $600 each.

Need a shorter hunt? We can do a 1-3 day hunt for a decent size bear (over 5 foot but probably bigger). You might even be fortunate and have a big one come in the first night. The shorter hunts are an excellent choice for those who are short on time and aren't picky on size. The price is only slightly lower since you'll most likely still get a bear and we will probably have to fly the plane both ways just for you. LIMIT IS RESTRICTED TO 1 BEAR /HUNTER. Prices for 1-3 day hunts. 1x1 hunts deduct $500. 1x2 hunters deduct $300/hunter.

Free Fishing: When you go to bed soon after returning to camp and leave your guide up all night and half the morning to skin, flesh and salt your bear; do not expect him to get up the same time as you or to take you fishing the next day and guide you the next night.

Black Bear Spring hunt gear list in pdf

Cabin Based and Off Road Hunts

In 2009 we went back to some old areas we use to hunt off the road system 130+ miles out of town. My Class A Assistant Guide, Ed Mayer, has 2 cabins with a runway 8 miles off the road on a 4 wheeler trail. Ed has 1 main cabin and a guest bunk house cabin. We put out test baits in 2009 and were thoroughly impressed with at least 3 - 7+ foot bears hitting our baits plus numerous others. This area has always produced bears earlier than the river baits. I think because this area has denning hills and left over berries in the high country that the bears feed on first. We have some baits that are closer to the road than the cabin and when we hunt those baits we may base from a camp closer to the road particularly early in the season when the trail to the cabin is miserable. In other words when the trail is 2-3 hours long and we want to hunt the baits closer to the road we will not go back and forth to the cabin daily. In 2010 we had major fires in this area adjacent to but not in our hunting areas around the cabin and along the road system. Bears from the burn area inundated the baits with 2 baits having 10 + different bears. Left alone, these added bears, will wreak havoc on the local moose calf survival rates. So for 2011, we are offering some steep discounts in the last half of our hunting season.

Cabin and Off Road Hunts, exact dates will be determined on a first come first served basis but in general will try to mirror the river hunt dates as much as possible.

Beginning May 13 through June 30, transportation from Fairbanks to camp, round trip is covered in the price. All you need to bring is your hunting gear, weapon, game bags and bug spray.

Grizzly season is open until May 31st. There are grizzlies in the area and we do have places accessible from the road and cabin which are not associated with any bait sites. This would be a spot and stalk or predator calling hunt. Wolf is also open. Prices to be determined.

* Outfitted and Unguided Hunt - 2 person minimum. Everything you need is provided and you will be put in good locations but you must hunt on your own. That means; hunt, kill, track, pack and skin out, butcher, flesh and salt the bear yourself. You must also take the bear baiting class online and pick up your bear baiting permits at F&G in person before flying out to camp. We will tell you where and put you in a good spot.

Unit 17 fall spot and stalk hunts are listed further below.

Youth Hunters

If you are under the age of 16 you must have completed a basic hunter education course or be accompanied by a licensed adult who has completed a basic hunter education course. If you were born after January 1, 1986, you must have a hunter safety card. All non-residents regardless of age must have appropriate licenses. All non-residents 10 years of age or older must have tags and harvest reports. A hunter who is under 10 years of age may take big game only under the direct supervision of a licensed adult 18 years of age or older with the animals taken counted against the adults bag limit. -- top

Licenses, Permits, Tags

Licenses

Some pike fishing is available near some of the baits. This is not the trophy size pike but you can catch some fish between 18-36 inches. No part of this hunt price is for fishing. Any fishing, if available near your camp, is free of charge and is done as time allows. Fishing is not available at all camps.

Tags

NOTE: A tag will cover any animal of equal or lesser value. *Wolf tag is not required in unit 17.

You buy your hunting license and initial tag from me by mail before the hunt.

Additional Costs

Non-Hunter in camp $100/day, plus round trip airfare (approx. $350).

Non-Hunter going afield $150/day, plus round trip airfare (approx. $350). -- top

Logistics

Transportation

You will fly in to Fairbanks where you can stay at a hotel or Bed and Breakfast before/after the hunt. The next day you will fly to camp by float plane usually between 9 am and 2 PM. We use boats from camp to the black bear baits. At the completion of the hunt you will return to Fairbanks, get the hide(s) and skull(s) sealed at Fish and Game and you can fly home that night arriving home about noon. Fed X and UPS are located near the airport if you wish to ship anything yourself.

Since you are paying for the plane ticket to Alaska, you might consider renting a motorhome and tour the state. See RV Rental AK. A&M RV Center offers RV rentals, motorhome rentals, new or used RV sales, and a RV repair shop to Anchorage, AK and the surrounding areas. RV Rental AK Amazing Accommodations Alaska offers motorhome rentals, RV rentals, cabin rentals, and a bed and breakfast to Wasilla AK, Anchorage AK, and the surrounding Alaskan communities. -- top

Alaska Black Bear Hunting Camps

I provide a full camp with food; all you need is hunting gear and game bags. We have base camps and spike camps. Both camps have large free standing (stand up in) nylon tents (about 10x15) with plenty of mesh ventilation. Each tent has Rollo-cots and 3" fabric covered air and foam pads. Wood stoves are not needed but we do keep a campfire going on the banks of the river. Permafrost is usually nearby to keep drinks cool. We have shower tents. We have all the cooking apparatus needed including food. You bring any beer whiskey or tobacco for your needs. Give me notice if you need a light sleeping bag. All you really need to bring is your hunting clothes, game bags, and some mosquito spray. -- top

Alaska Black Bear Hunting References

#These people have been to most of my camps and have hunted all seasons and all game along with the fishing. *Hunted as father and son.

#John Henderson, OH 216-272-4997 -- 2 time hunter 4 bears; #Joe "Kastaway" Kulis, OH 440-232-8352 - 1 time hunter 2 bears; #Bob Migliore, TX 409-737-3986 - 1 time spear hunter; *Les and Curtis Smith, UT 435-258-2144 - 3 bears; Ken Warr, UT 801-963-2627 - 2 bears; #Larry Roby, VA 434-933-8608 - 3 time hunter 6 bears; #Bruce Trapp, OH 440-247-6755 - 2 time hunter 3 with bows and 1 each with rifle and pistol; *Matt and Dan Emery, PA 814-328-5279 - rifle and bow respectively; James Swidryk, NJ evenings 201-991-0860 - pistol hunter; #Vernon "VJ" Jacquel, PA 814-476-1058; *Rich Warren, TN 901-837-1736; Tim Sherick, PA 814-765-1019 2 bears pistol and rifle; *Jeffrey Pannier and Son, PA 412-915-9505; Joe Schleuter, MO 314-348-7472; Carmon Bennet, VA +3 friends 540-483-7454 - all got 2 bears; Bob Jeans, 540-489-6650 *Gordon and Jason Marsh, AL 334-567-0853; Les Forman, UT 801-446-4490; *Reggie Hopwood and son, AR 901-220-6112; *Scott Teal & son, AZ 928-533-8449; #Tom Owen, WI 414-640-7865; #Mike Hawkins, TX 713-249-0838. Brock Feyer Alaska 704-661-4598, Bob Hanna CO (303) 420-4809. Matt Mosher AK 316-765-2096, Nick Murphy AK. 907-743-0447 moose. Jammie Mullins CO 720-219-6088. Jeff Pratt OK. 405-317-1950 black bear

See our complete list of REFERENCES from all hunt and fishing trips.

See APGS Black Bear Contract

PLEASE NOTE: A hunters' tag is considered filled out if they wound a black bear that is not found. If they clearly "miss" a black bear, they pay a $350 penalty to maintain first bear status. The 2nd and 3rd bears are charged under the same conditions. This isn't practice and there is no good excuse for missing a whole bear at 10 - 25 yards. You miss - you pay. This also applies to outfitted and unguided hunters. -- top

Fall Black Bear Hunting Unit 17. Spot and Stalk Hunts. Sept. 20 - Oct. 10

There never has been an over abundance of black bears in unit 17. The brown bears far out number the black bears in all areas of unit 17. During the last 3 years, my pilot, Tom O’Connor, who lives in the area, has reported seeing good size black bears in a particular area during the same time of year. In 2009, I had the opportunity to hunt brown bear in this area. Besides getting a brown bear the second day; we confirmed from the ground the number and size of the black bears Tom was seeing flying over. I now feel comfortable offering 1-2 spot and stalk black bear hunts in the fall. Here is the deal:

Hunt dates are between Sept. 20- Oct. 10 for a 7 day hunt. We pick you up in Dillingham and fly you to camp. This is a guided hunt for 1 or 2 hunters /guide. We do not offer drop off or unguided hunts because we may very well be hunting brown bear in the same area and for the benefit of both hunters we need coordination between camps. All you will need to bring is your personal hunting gear and weapon. Some fishing may be available. I do not think this would be an ideal bow hunt because most of the black bear are pretty spooky due to all the brown bears about. The good thing about this hunt and this time of year is; the black bears tend to be high up on the hills eating berries and staying in the open where they can see brown bears and they feel comfortable enough to be out during the day for long periods. That means we can spot them and have enough time to stalk them. In 2009, we saw most of the bears from the runway. The camp is surrounded by hills and not mountains and you have long range visibility so your eyes can cover lots of ground. You need to be in good enough shape to cover the ground that your eyes are seeing.

Prices for 7 hunting days. Price includes flights to and from camp, food and camp equipment. You buy your $85 hunting license and $225 black bear tag from me.

1 guide/ 1 hunter $6,500. 1 guide/ 2 hunters $4,750.

We hunted this area in 2011. We had 2 camps 4 miles apart. We could not see each others bears. The first day, my camp saw 11 bears with 4-5 being black bears. Jimmie's camp saw 7 bears with 2 being black. Eventually they shot one. We took 3 brown bears and 1 black bear in 5 days. The black bear was 7'2". None of the black bears we counted were sows and cubs. They were all lone bears.

Smokey Don Duncan's Explanation of why I charge for missed bears: It is not always possible to tell if a black bear was missed completely or not. We have to check it out in most cases; how could you miss at 10 yards? That means we have to disturb and scent up the black bear trails and the bait area which costs us more than the black bear that was scared off. Alaska black bears don't always bleed right away so we have to cover the escape trails looking for blood and tracks. While doing this we are probably scaring other black bears that were trying to come in. And we may lose a productive bait for several days afterward not to mention the spooked black bear will hang up away from the bait if it ever comes back at all. And the blind is definitely done for that black bear. You get to pick your shot. Nobody makes you take it. I asked one guy who took offense to this policy; "How many bears do you think you should be able to miss before my end of the bargain is fulfilled?" No answer. That is why I charge for a "missed black bear". Several factors can prevent missing or wounding a bear and they apply to everyone regardless of "skill, knowledge and practice". First, put a scope on it if you can. Especially pistols or rifles with only open sites. Under low light conditions at 2 am the black sites disappear on the black hide of the Alaska black bear. People who wear bifocals must have scopes, period. Second, the black bears can be close and intimidating for a long period of time. Understand maximum sustained adrenaline rush sometimes. There is a good chance that even the simplest of "check off lists before you fire" is thrown out the window or forgotten altogether. And third, know your weapon and practice with it. The hunt is easy and the shots are close but intimately knowing the weapon is still mandatory. Unfamiliarity is never an excuse. -- top

A special note to those afraid of Alaska mosquitoes. Yes, we have them. No biting flies or anything else. They are more of a nuisance than anything. You'll need a head net with good visibility, large mesh and thin thread. A lot of mosquitoes at the bait is a great sign. The black bears bring them. The more mosquitoes the more black bears. We use insect repellant. It doesn't bother the black bears. Sometimes we'll use "Yard Guard" and spray the blind area to eliminate the nuisance. In reality, by the time you put on your camo clothes they can't bite through. About the only thing you need bug dope for is your hand or thin glove. Bring unscented cutters in the pump bottle. Do not try to bring aerosol cans on the planes. You can buy those in Fairbanks and bring on the float plane. -- top

Thinking of, or heard of hunting black bear on Prince of Wales Island? The following is letter, dated March 2008, from a registered hunting guide who lives on POW Island.

"Dear Smokey,
You were talking about your black bear area in the interior. You know everybody has been told that Prince of Wales Island is supposed to be the place for large black bears. Well, I personally can tell you that the information has changed. I have been living in Thorne Bay and Whale Pass on Prince of Wales Island for 6 years. I know a large majority of the operations on the island and have talked to many hunters and seen a large number of black bears that have been taken on the Island and the size of black bears has been going down hill . The average black bears that I have personally seen are way smaller than people are saying. I can remember when I first got here. You could drive down a logging road and see black bears all over the place and a good number of those bears being of trophy class. Now the last couple of years the hunters are asking me, WHERE ARE ALL THOSE BIG BLACK BEARS THAT WE HEARD ABOUT?

Hunters and myself are not even seeing large numbers of black bears period. I’ve been a guide for 16 years and I tell them, “Well you should have come here 5-6 years ago before the big push of hunters pounded this place. When you harvest around 500 black bears a year for a long time, you’re going to have a impact on the bears.” This island is not that large of a land mass, even though it is the 2nd largest island in the US. Most of the S. E. Ak. coastal areas have seen a large increase in the number of black bear and black bear boat hunters. The bears have been shot and killed or educated. It ain’t like it used to be years ago. I personally would recommend that hunters take a good hard look at your area up north before going on a black bear hunt anywhere else. Because of the vast country and your remote location your area is kicking some butt for large trophy class Black bears! Hell, just being able to shoot 3 black bears a season should tell people, there's a lot of good bears in your area!
Sincerely, Aaron Kulas"

UPDATE: The Board of Game severely restricted black bear hunting in the Prince of Wales area. Good, smart move. Just not soon enough. The damage has been done and people and businesses harmed.

There has been a general explosion of boat based, coastal black bear hunting from the Anchorage area down along the S.E. panhandle. Most of the new operators are transporters and are not guides and are not restricted to any particular areas or species. Transporters are very restricted by law in what they can do for you on shore. Basically, they can only load and unload the boat. They are somewhat restricted on what they can do for you on board. They can not help you butcher, skin, flesh, etc… A lot of these operators/transporters are sport fish charter boats extending their revenue seasons before and after the fishing/bear watching tourist arrive. The way this hunt is typically conducted, inherently puts it straddling the line of legal and illegal. The Big Game Commercial Services Board has just authorized a special investigator to concentrate on this area and this type of service providers. Boat based hunting in these areas use to be rather good in the "old days". It was done mostly by brown bear, goat or deer guides who are restricted by guide use areas and guiding logistics and consequently only took so many hunters. This is no longer the case. A lot of the areas have seen greatly increased hunting pressure due to the increase in transporters. Boats usually consist of six hunters/trip. And the areas most likely to be hunted are the areas close to the major harbors and airports. This steady increase in boat based hunting pressure has been going on for some time. And the bears are not as "stupid" as they use to be. I am hearing more and more reports of hunting success failure concerning these types of hunts in these areas. Years ago, under a different guide board, service providers were required to tell you the truth, there was a truth in advertising requirement. It is no longer there. The truth is written here on this web site. You will not be catching halibut or eating crab on my black bear hunt but you will be seeing and killing bears. I can not say for a fact, but I doubt any operator has the success rate and or the average size bears taken that we do here in the interior. -- top

Smokey Don Duncan, Owner, Master Guide #136 and P.H.
Tom O'Connor Registered Guide #1204 and Pilot
Wayne Gregory A.G., Fishing and Waterfowl Guide
299 Alvin St. Fairbanks AK 99712
Phone: 907-457-8318 Email: apgs@gci.net

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