Alaska Brown Bear Hunts

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Alaska Private Guide Service

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Smokey Don Duncan,
Master Guide #136

Alaska Brown Bear Hunts and Hunting Information

2012 Spring Brown Bear

We have hunters for 2012 so we will be there. We have 3 openings left. One opening for April 20-30 and 2 openings for April 25-May 4. We will have our plane and snow machines ready to go. We will be able to hunt more areas than in the past. Snow conditions are already good and I am looking forward to this spring. We have a good plan.

NEW: The Board of Game has opened the brown bear season August 20 and increased the bag limit to 2 brown bears. The area villages and native corporations have agreed to let APGS hunt on their lands along 200 miles of prime bear hunting country. All of this is in the areas we hunt. Also, the Board extended the non-resident river corridor moose permit registration period from July 15th to Sept 8th. (Moose season opens Sept. 5 for non-residents.) This will help greatly, especially for the moose and brown bear combination hunter who can't stay 15+ days. And the Board has approved an intensive management plan for wolves to help the caribou herd recover from the population crash caused by over population. While the relaxed methods and means allowed for wolf control they are allowed only for residents; we are developing new strategies and hunts for non-resident wolf hunters. All fall bear hunt prices remain reduced and I made the moose and brown bear combination hunt a kill fee for the second animal. Another big "change" was the Guide Board clarified when we can use our plane to spot game. We had been misled as to the intent of the Board for several years now and grounded the plane for spotting. We can now use the plane in the spring to spot all the bears we want and in the fall we can use the plane to survey the area for moose and bears. What we can't do is circle and circle individual animals and GPS them.

We brown bear hunt several guide use areas in Game Management Unit 17, 250 - 300 miles SW of Anchorage.

See a real Spring Brown Bear Hunt 1 and Spring Brown Bear Hunt 2 on YouTube or see photos of APGS Alaska Brown Bear Hunts on Picasaweb. Just select Slideshow or Individual photos of Alaska Brown Bear.

The Board of Game has opened Brown Bear hunting season August 20, a full 11 days earlier. This is a big deal. I have developed a new pricing system to encourage you to come and hunt with us and target bears. You will not find a better deal when you figure in the high level of service and the quality of the operation and the number of bears. Plus moose season opens Sept. 5th so you can get 2 hunts (moose and brown bear combo) for the price of one and I’ll put the second animal on a kill fee basis. The other great news is the BOG will allow you to get the moose registration for about 200 miles down river.

As attractive as the earlier bear season, the pink run year, and the combination hunts are; we have great spots for hunting later in September in the uplands where the bears go to feed on berries after the salmon have died off. In 2009, between Sept. 22 and 23, we counted 8 bears we saw from our fly in upland camp. From camp! In the middle of the day. Including bears over 9 foot. The New Zealand jerk shot his, 400 yards from camp, on the second morning. Back in the mid 1990s we always did great when the bear season opened Sept 20. So if you are in reasonable shape and prefer spot and stalk, you should strongly consider this later hunt. And the price is lower. Plus you may still get to hunt the river and utilize the moose and bear kill sites. From 2008-2010 we had to walk away from active gut piles because we had no hunters left. In 2011 the last 2 hunters arrived Sept 24th and killed 4 bears (3 brown and 1 black bear) in 5 days. The 2 camps were 5 miles apart and the first hunting day we counted 16 different bears. At least 5 were black bears.

11 Reasons to Choose APGS for the Alaska Brown Bear Hunt of a Lifetime

• These Brown Bear Hunts have had a High Success Rate since 1991. With a 95%+ client satisfaction rate.
• Experienced Alaskan brown bear hunting guides. Average bear hunting guide's age is 50, averaging 9 + years brown bear hunting with me in the coastal bear area.
• We have Spring brown bears hunts and Fall brown bears hunts every year.
• We hunt 2 brown bear / year areas. Not one brown bear /4 year areas.
• We have brown bear hunts in areas that even old men, who should be having bypass surgery, can hunt brown bear and be successful.
• Our areas in Unit 17 are true Alaskan Brown Bear hunting areas, just as good or better for success as Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, or the South East Panhandle. More brown bear hunt, less money.
• Unit 19 is not a brown bear unit. Don’t be fooled. The average bear skull in unit 9 is 24”; the average skull size in Unit 17 is 23”. Save ($4000 for 1 inch)
• Mobility during the brown bear hunts. During the Spring Brown Bear Hunting Season we have snow machines and our own ski plane for covering long distances quick, spotting trophy brown bear tracks and/or bear dens or moving to a spike camp or cabin. During the Fall Brown Bear Hunting Season we have jet boats working on the river systems for hunting brown bears at the salmon feeding areas, on our moose kills and to reach nearby spotting bluffs along the river. We have our own wheel plane for surveying the game and accessing upland tundra ridges and camps where we can spot brown bears on nearby berry patches.
• Comfortable, fully equipped cabins, base camps and ready to go spike camps with (state of the camping art), "Arctic Oven" tents and steel frame tents.
• Large remote areas of State land for hunting brown bear with Native corporation land permission.
• Combination hunts are available. Spring has brown bear and wolf, and Fall has brown bear and moose, (caribou now residents only), with incidental species including wolf, wolverine, and black bear. Free World class fishing available at most fall brown bear camps.

We hunt trophy brown bears in the spring, April 10-May 25, and in the fall, August 20 - Oct 20. We hunt every year in this 2 brown bear / year area. This means that you could take 2 bears in the spring and another 2 bears in the fall. Many fall brown bear hunters choose our brown bear and moose combination hunt.

Since 1991, I have guided hunters for big Brown Bears in Southwest Alaska. This area is N.W. of the Alaska Peninsula, and West of Lake Iliamna. I have several Guide Use Areas ranging from the coastal brown bear areas of Bristol Bay and Tikchik State Park to 150 miles inland to the north to the upper Nushagak River and tributaries. The areas we use are GMU 17 B and C. This large area has a lot of big brown bears. I'll take it over Kodiak, the Peninsula or Coastal South East bear hunts anytime. I have maintained an 80% success rate with many - 100% seasons. The largest trophy brown bear squared 12 feet and is ranked #28 in Safari Club record books. These brown bears grow big and fast because they have a relatively mild and short winter with an unlimited supply of salmon to feast on all summer and an abundance of berries in the fall. The possibility of bagging a big brown bear is real, even a ten + footer, A 9 foot brown bear will have a skull size close to 27 inches. In the spring of 1999, I added snow mobiles, and 5 hunters took 5 Alaska brown bears with the two largest squaring just under 10 foot and the smallest was just under 9 foot, with the average hunt lasting 3 days! Ever since, we have been doing great brown bear hunting in the spring. While my success rates will vary from year to year, season to season and will vary with the hunters' ability and desires; overall it remains excellent for the industry. When comparing success rates, remember, if they paid us we took them. We didn't just pick the cream of the crop so to speak. We catered the brown bear hunt to what they could and couldn't do. And we dealt with unpredictable weather conditions. Still we came up with an industry high success rate. Also keep in mind there are plenty of guides who are excellent at client recruitment because they are good at looking you in the eye and telling a bald face lie. Success rates mushroom. A 6 _ foot bear is magically transformed in to a nine foot brown bear with a good photo. And there are several lying guides who operate in unit 17. When you read this web site or talk to me you get the truth. Good and bad. I do what I say I’m going to do. We have an excellent reputation because we provide an excellent hunt (never perfect) at a fair price. We do not make our money by dumping you in a crappy spike tent and leave you with next to nothing edible as some guides do. One guy who chose another guide later told me this; “My buddy and I paid $19,000 each for a moose and brown bear hunt. First we had to pay extra expenses to fly in that was suppose to be included in the hunt. When we got to camp and looked at the food; we had 1 can of Spam and 1 freeze dried / day. If I had not brought my own bag of candy; I would have starved. We had booked the hunt for unit 17 which is brown bear country. We got one small bear in unit 19 which is grizzly country between the 2 of us. Smokey; I work hard for my money, this was my once in a lifetime hunt.” And this was a master guide providing the hunt!! I don’t have to lie to sell a hunt and I am not going to. You can call and order my brown bear hunting video with 4 different spring brown bear hunts plus lots of never before televised footage. The cost is $8.00 with shipping. Call 907-457-8318.

Which is the best season and when is the best time to hunt? Below is a detailed description of the pros and cons.

Many people have asked me; which season or camp is best? There is no set answer. The weather conditions are what they are when you are there. The season and camp/cabin locations will dictate whether we use snow-mobiles, jet boats or planes for mobility. We have the mobility, adaptability and flexibility which leads to a high degree of bear hunting success. Many factors change each year. Weather, ice break up, snow depth and hardness, physical ability of the hunter, river height, moon phase, salmon runs, berry production and sometimes plain old luck are all important and changing factors. Our various forms of mobility (boats, planes, snow mobiles) and adaptability (large guide areas, and different methods of hunting them) along with the flexibility, (cabins, base camps, comfortable portable spike camps) and experienced, dedicated and ethical brown bear hunting guides makes my operation your best choice. Hunting brown bears does not have to be hard and a smart hunter will be patient and flexible. We will advise you which camp is better for your hunting style and abilities. Below is a brief discussion on advantages and disadvantages of the spring and fall brown bear hunts, followed by a more descriptive narrative. -- top

Spring Brown Bear Hunt Advantages

• Brown bears, bear dens and fresh bear tracks can be spotted by plane or by riding snowmobiles and glassing.
• When the snow is hard, planes and snow mobiles can go almost anywhere.
• Brown bear tracks can be measured for size verification.
• Big brown bears are more likely to kill a moose or caribou and stay there a while. Plus whales and walruses occasionally wash up dead on the beach which is highly stinky and attractive.
• We have longer daylight hours.
• The brown bears can't hide in the snow covered brush as easy, they stick out and they travel more.
• The first brown bear you see is likely to be a big taker.
• As the snow melts and the rivers open; I use jet boats for mobility. That gives us a way to get through the transition period and continue brown bear hunting.
• Plus; wolf, ptarmigan and hare are open until April 30.
• Many hunters have said that the thrill of riding the snowmachines through the scenic mountains and valleys was worth as much as the brown bear hunt!

The prime time for hunting spring brown bears with the snow mobiles is between April 10 and May 5th. That is when the bears traditionally start popping out of the dens and the snow conditions are good. After May 5th we may fly in on skis, wheel skis or straight wheels and hunt on foot or launch a boat on the rivers -- top

Spring Brown Bear Hunt Disadvantages

If you can not ride a snowmachine or snowshoe you should not come on this hunt. To ride a snowmachine you must be able to go from sitting to standing quickly, ride with one knee on the seat or both feet on one side. Off trail and mountain riding experience is a big help. We can quickly teach you if you can move and listen to what we say. Good conditions and a capable rider almost guarantee brown bear hunting success. Repeatedly getting a 4-500 pound snowmachine stuck in deep snow wears you down mentally and physically pretty damn quick.

In the spring, you generally see fewer brown bears because fewer are out and the first one you see is more likely to be a shooter.

Warm weather makes soft wet snow. Ice bridges on rivers and creeks start to break up. The huge lakes get overflow on the ice. These conditions make mobility tough or impossible by plane and snowmobile. Sometimes you must leave that area, go further north towards K2 or switch to jet boats to keep from getting stranded during the transition period.

The weather can be colder with snow. Low lying fog is more likely making it difficult to see mountain tops and high passes. You should probably buy a higher priced plane ticket that allows you to leave early since a large percentage of my hunters tag out quickly. -- top

Spring Brown Bear Hunt Description

April 10 - May 3

The spring season is actually an extension of the fall season. That is, it opens in the fall and closes in the spring May 25.

Early Spring: We start hunting about April 10. Before then there are some but not many bears out of the dens. Everything is covered with snow so we use the snow machines to get around. We can use our plane that is equipped with wheels or wheel skis to spot bears and dens from the air. Then we can set up a spike camp close by or ride the snow machines and set up to hunt them the next day. Our typical day would be riding out looking for bear tracks, dens and moose kills. We can cover many miles with the snow machine in a day. We also let our spotting scopes cover even more country. Basically, we are covering ground waiting for the big brown bears to pop out and looking for any signs that they have emerged. On a bright day, with the sun right you can see dens and tracks from many miles away. A mountain with no sign in the morning may have a fresh open den or tracks across it in the evening. We know from experience where they like to den. Sometimes the brown bear will come out and walk around and sun himself near the den and then go back in. He may stay there several days going in and out. Just as likely he may pop out for the first time and start walking and never return to the den. Some of those brown bears will go a ways and dig another den and crawl in and stay for up to a week. No matter what they do initially, they will eventually look for something to eat. That is usually moose, dead or alive, anything. Maybe a kill from last fall. When they moose hunt they cover ground and leave tracks to find. If we can spot a brown bear in the morning of a warm day, he’ll eventually bed down when the snow gets too soft for easy travel. Then we have all day to catch up with the snow machines and sneak in on him with snow shoes. When the snow gets hard again, he’ll travel more. Brown bears love to hunt moose when the snow is too soft for moose that are wallowing in it helplessly. The moose kills are generally in the valleys. When they kill a moose, they will usually stay on it and fight other brown bears for it. In the cases of dens or kills, we set up to watch and wait for a shot. The dens are usually high up on a steep mountain and climbing to reach them is no easy chore. And staying there after sun down without freezing is tough. On this early spring hunt, you must be able to walk some. But most importantly, you must be able to ride a snow machine. In both the early and late spring we can hunt bears along the beach and bays where bears are attracted to whale and walrus carcasses. When the bears get on them it is pretty easy to find and set up on and the bears will keep coming back for quite a while. -- top

Later Spring May 5-25

About May 5: We have to move from the snow machines to the boats and wheel plane for mobility because the snow is melting, the lake are covered with overflow and the smaller creeks are opening up. Of course each year can be different. We may also fly in with wheels and land on wind blown ridges, set up an arctic oven spike camp and hunt on foot from there. When we use the boats, we hunt pretty much the same way we do in the fall. The boats will get us around to where we want to hunt. When I first started hunting this area, the season didn’t open until May 10. Usually we head up river towards the mountains. We hop up on ridges to glass long distance up and down the drainage. There are berries that over winter and the caribou will be calving soon. The brown bears will be nearby. Another method we have used is flying into K2 or similar area. The moose are in the narrow vegetative corridor and the brown bears will work it looking for them. When they do, we see them and can take them. It is more of a stationary spot and stalk in that we glass from camp keeping an eye on the 360 degree view. And then go like heck to cut off a bear when spotted. The brown bears will also den in these areas. We are always looking for a moose kill. The boars will be looking for a sow to breed, so they travel more. Since the brush doesn’t have any leaves, visibility is excellent. -- top

Fall Brown Bear Hunts Advantages

THE SEASON NOW OPENS AUGUST 20 AND MORE BEARS WILL BE CONCENTRATED ON THE RIVER FEEDING ON FISH. YOU CAN HUNT FROM TREESTANDS AND GROUND BLINDS UP TO AND AFTER DARK. THERE IS NOW A 2 BEAR LIMIT.

• The hunt price is cheaper because we WILL BE OUT THERE for moose, caribou and fishing.
• All the brown bears are out and about and you generally see more bears.
• We have more ways to make this hunt physically easy. If you can walk to the boat, you can have a legitimate hunt.
• Combination hunts are possible. We now have an earlier bear season that overlaps the moose season which opens Sept. 5th. A moose and brown bear combination hunt is more successful and convenient than it used to be. Wolf, black bear and wolverine seasons are also open and are priced on a kill fee basis.
• Brown bears will almost always be attracted to the gut piles, kill sites and meat poles and now we can successfully hunt them when they do.
• We can set up tree stands and ground blinds for safety, spotting and get closer shots for bow hunters.
• The weather is more stable. We have full use of the jet boats as the rivers are open.
• You are more likely to get "A" brown bear (usually closer to 100%).
• Most, but not all, fall brown bear camps have access to world class fishing.
• We have been in the area hunting and fishing before the bear season opens so we know where the bears are and what they are doing.
• Low water means more fish available for bears to catch and more bears on the river.
• This is also probably the best method for bagging a brown bear with a bow.
• We have been in the area fishing before the bear season opens so we know where the bears are and what they are doing.

The fly in camps are positioned so you can watch large areas right from or close to camp. The bears are in the open where you can see and stalk them. -- top

Fall Brown Bear Hunt Disadvantages

The disadvantages to fall hunts are; the days are getting shorter as the season progresses; no snow mobiles or 4 - wheelers allowed in the up river areas. The big bears got big by not being stupid. They do not generally lay around in the open during the middle of the day, which makes the prime time, early and late in the day. Even with spotting scopes and jet boats, we can not cover as much ground as we can on a good day of snowmachining. If September has a lot of rain, and the rivers rise substantially, most, but not all, bears will leave the fish sooner than normal but then they are forced into the more open tundra for the berries. -- top

Fall Alaska Brown Bear Hunting Description

We have several different camps and options available. The basic types are: #1) Hunting along the river hunting the salmon holding holes, moose gut piles/meat pole and the adjacent tundra. #2) Using the boats along the river and hopping up on different ridges along the river to spot up, down and across the river looking for bears on fish, or traveling and eating tundra berries. We can hike the ridges inland to cover more upland country. More spot and stalk hunting. #3) We fly in, usually to a ridge where we can see bear country. We use a combination of hiking and glassing to cover the country.

The bears typically go through a transition during the fall hunting seasons. During the summer and through August into Sept.; the bears are feeding on salmon and staying close to the river. At some point, the bears start to move off the fish and toward the tundra berries, mountain berries and dening mountains. When and how fast that happens depends on the quantity of fish still available which depends on the water level and salmon run numbers. If the moose hunters at the upland K2 and the KS3 camps are not seeing bears on the tundra, we know they are still on the river. So either way we are prepared. The plane can also help us find the bears.

We can easily cover large sections of river with the jet boats. Some of the best bear feeding areas (on fish) are a very short distance from my K1 jet boat base camp. When we hunt these feeding areas we use tree stands and chairs in ground blinds near where we park the boat. If the moon is out, we can hunt into the dark on full moon nights. We can legally and legitimately hunt after dark. When the bears are silhouetted against the water, all we need is some moon light or clear skies and star light to make a close killing shot. The prime time in any area is the evening twilight. On the river, they become active since the fish can’t see them as well so the catching is easier. The bigger bears (smarter ones) on the tundra will also be active in the morning until the sun hits them hard. Traveling bears will be spotted all during the day. When the weather turns sour with hard wind and rain, the bears generally hold in the cover. When it clears up; they’ll be out in force all day filling their bellies. Eventually, the bears will start to leave the fishing spots and head out to the open tundra and alder patches on the hillsides to feed on berries. The tundra and mountain hillside (under 2000 feet elevation) are always covered with some kind of berries. Then we spot and stalk hunt from the camps, K2 and KS3 and fly -in spike camps. When I say spot, I mean you can see a long, long ways and cover a lot of ground so spotting scopes and good binoculars are needed and used. Most of the spotting can be done close to or from camp but being able to hike is required to take full advantage. During this time, bears stay put on berry patches giving you enough time to make longer stalks. It is not unusual to see as many as 9 bears in a good day of glassing. The bull moose are in full rut and we sometimes find a moose that was killed fighting or a rut crazed bull that mistakenly challenged a bear and lost. We can almost always get a bear from a fresh moose kill. Many times, several bears will find the kill and fight over it and usually the bigger ones command and control the kill site. Plus, wolf, waterfowl, ptarmigan and wolverine season is open. Most, but not all, fall bear camps have world class fishing.

In the Fall 2008 we shot 5 bears. For the first time in 19 years, a wounded one got away. 4 bears were shot from the boat or the hunters got out of the boat and shot bear close by. One bear rolled down a tall, steep hill hit the boat! 2 bears were taken the first day. 2 other bears were taken within one day of moving and hunting on the river. 2010 is another pink run year and the bears will be all over the rivers, thick. UPDATE: In 2010 we took 9 bears, 7 from the boat or the river bank and 2 on gut piles! -- top

Brown Bear and Moose Combination Hunt

Brown bear season opens August 20and moose season opens Sept 5. Moose hunters along the river can now pick up their river corridor moose permit in Dillingham as late as Sept. 8th. So combination hunters typically come in between August 30 - Sept 8th and hunt until the 16th or later. For more information on the Brown Bear and Moose Combination Hunts go to the MOOSE HUNT page. Select the "resident" or "non resident" moose hunting link and read about the various moose hunts. You'll see why most hunters are choosing the combination hunt during the fall -- top

Alaska Brown Bear Hunt Prices and Brown Bear Moose Combination Prices

Prices now include transportation from Dillingham (in the spring) or Koliganek (in the fall) to camp round trip. Please read carefully and pick the price that best suits you. The price of gas, nor anything else, has declined in Dillingham. These prices have already been lowered to reflect the state of the economy. They are a steal when you consider the quality and level of service that we provide.

Brown Bear Hunt Prices (Fuel prices are $7 gallon and rising)

NOTE: The Non-Resident Moose Registration Permit for K1 and K2 areas

* Wolf is considered incidental and priced as such. This means that once your primary animal/s are taken, your hunt is over and we do not spend money chasing wolves for the chance of a $200 kill fee. Our minimum daily rate to continue hunting for wolves (once your primary animal/s are taken) is $350/day.

Double Dip Brown Bear Hunt. This option allows you to hunt in the spring and if unsuccessful then you can return in the fall and use your license and tag to hunt bears again all at one set price with no kill fees. Insurance, guaranteed return what ever you want to call it. You get 10 days in the spring and 7 days in the fall. $16,500 with no kill fees.

Brown Bear Bow Hunts. These hunts are specifically designed for bow hunters. In the fall we have the early season when the bears are on fish and we use tree stands and ground blinds over fishing holes and travel paths. In late fall we have the spot and stalk hunts which are typically located in the surrounding hills out of the river vegetation where the bears are feeding on berries. We may have some moose kill sites to sit on. There are no kill fees on these hunts.
   - 8/19 - 9/4 one guide/ 1 hunter for 10 days $13,500.
   - 9/16 - 10/10 one guide/ 1 hunter for 10 days $12,000.
There are no additional kill fees for a second bear on this hunt. However we charge $400/ day to continue hunting after the first bear is taken. We do not recommend early spring snow mobile hunts at this time. Late spring hunts may be available in 2012.

Bear and Moose Combination Prices

* This time frame allows you switch emphasis between bear and moose hunting.
** Wolf Kill fee: Wolf is considered incidental and priced as such. This means that once your primary animal/s are taken, your hunt is over and we do not spend money chasing wolves for the chance of a $200 kill fee. Our minimum daily rate to continue hunting for wolves (once your primary animal/s are taken) is $350/day.
NOTE: If the hunter has 2 brown bear tags and takes a second bear instead of a moose, the second bear kill fee is $2,500. IF the hunter takes a moose and brown bear and elects to take a 2nd bear, the kill fee is $2500. APGS may elect to not pursue a second bear after primary animals have been taken for many reasons.

Logistics

Travel

You are responsible for getting to where we meet you. All spring bear hunters will travel through Anchorage directly to Dillingham or Koliganek. Spring hunters will leave Dillingham or Koliganek and go directly to camp by plane, boat or snow machine. Fall hunters can choose to fly directly to Koliganek from Anchorage with Dena'ina Air at $310 each way 907-332-2216. Dena'ina treated us right. We will meet you in Koliganek and either fly or boat you to camp. Fall Combination hunters that intend to hunt moose along the river will need to fly into Dillingham to pick up the moose registration permit by Sept. 8th and then fly to Koliganek. Don’t worry about booking reservations from Dillingham to Koliganek.(about $100 each way depending on luggage). We use Shannon's Air 907-842-2735. Or you can send me your full incoming and outgoing flight schedule and I will arrange the flight for you. Combination hunters going to hunt moose outside the river corridor will fly directly to Koliganek. Many hunters who are hunting only bear choose to leave once they have a bear. Keep that possibility in mind when booking a ticket if your time is important. Airlines are so screwed up now that to change a ticket you basically give up the return and book a new one. So booking a full fare changeable ticket at least on the return makes sense. Penair flies from Anchorage to Dillingham. About $440 roundtrip. Right now they are your only choice. Penair has a habit of filling the plane with people and then leaving the luggage on purpose. Sometimes they make 3 more flights to Dillingham before they actually bring your luggage. They did this again last fall to 4 hunters. I recommend mailing your rifle or bow and some of your hunting clothes to Koliganek and picking them up there upon arrival. It saves you baggage fees and airport hassles. APGS will charge you the cost of picking up your delayed luggage from Dillingham or Koliganek. It is time someone sued them or charged them the cost of what it has been costing me all these years. -- top

Pre-Hunt Information

Before your hunt, you will receive a packet containing a gear list, a travel plan sheet, contact numbers and Hunting License and Big Game Tag applications. Total airfare should be between $800 -$1000 from anywhere USA (less from the NW). -- top

Trophy and Meat Shipment

We skin the bear where it falls and remove the skull. At camp, time permitting, we will flesh and salt the hide. However we prefer to immediately fly the hide out to be sealed at Fish and Game, then it is given to the expediter to freeze and ship. You can take the hide and skull with you as extra baggage. We are not required to salvage brown bear meat. We use Bill’s Delivery in Dillingham to expedite the boxing, freezing and shipping. You can call and deal with him directly. Bill’s Delivery 907-842-2715. -- top

Licenses, Fees, Permits

NOTE: License. I sell you the license and tags by mail. Do not buy them from the state.

License

Tags

Extra tags are sold in camp. A tag will cover any animal/tag of lesser value.

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

Kill Fees

Permits

There are no permits needed for brown bear. I sell the license and tag. However, if you are on the bear and moose combination hunt; you may need the moose registration permit. available at the Dillingham F& G office Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm July 15th to Sept. 8th.

Additional Fees

I charge $75 to have a bear or wolf sealed at Fish and Game which must be done before freezing, before leaving the state and between Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm. I charge a maximum of $100/animal to handle moose or caribou meat donations and I may reduce or waive that fee if the meat is given away at camp to someone at Koliganek.

Non Hunters Charges

Charges are base on whether the non hunter stays in camp, snow machines, fishes photos etc… The price must cover transportation food and lodging at a minimum. Call for exact price. -- top

Alaska Brown Bear Camps

I use several base camps including the K1, K2 and the KK camps. I also rent cabins on remote lakes and rivers for spring and fall hunts. I use temporary portable base camps, KS3, and short term fly in spike camps. The K1 base camp and the KS 3 temporary base camps are located on the main rivers where I use jet boats to move around to hunt different areas. K2 is a fly-in only camp and is up a small tributary 19 miles from K1. It is located on a ridge with a 360 degree view of prime bear feeding and denning country. Here we have a creek valley with fish spawning in the fall, berry covered hill sides and flats. We are with in sight of the local denning mountains and on a natural travel corridor for bears going from the dens to the west to the rivers to the east during the spring. Many bears are spotted from camp. The KS3 temporary base camp is much like K2 except we use jet boats to reach the rolling small hills along the river where we can hop up and spot longer distances or hike out the ridge for spotting. We also use spike camps through out my hunting areas. I typically use a custom Alaskan made, "Arctic Oven" tent which is water proof, insulated and heated by a wood stove. It is rated for -60 degrees and 100 mph winds. Like I say; my spike camps are better than some guides base camps! In the fall we are going more towards setting up temporary spike camps with in walking distance to where the bears are feeding. That allows you to be there early and stay later and gets you in and out with much less noise.

Base Camps K1, K2, and the KK camps are outfitted with steel frame weather and wind proof tents (10x12, 12x12 or 12x20) with wood floors, stoves, cots, pads, shower, food, privy, lanterns, cookware, and spike camp supplies, etc... Camps also have V.H.F. radios, which can be used to contact the other camps, the village and planes for in coming or out going emergency messages, or you can rent an extra satellite phone in Anchorage for business purposes. (We have two Sat. phones but they are not designated to a particular camp.) You will eat good and rest good. You should never have to sleep on the ground or in an unheated tent. And there is always plenty of good food. (Think - Not oatmeal or freeze dry every day if at all.) -- top

References

Barry Brevik, PA 724-816-8588; Buck & Brad Carroll, GA 478-256-2018; Gerry Mumfrey, TX 214-564-6300; Phil Humphrey, NY 585-765-2139; Bob Stogdill, TX 376-421-9046; Glen Buckner, ID; Joe "Kastaway" Kulis, OH 440-232-8352; John Henderson, OH 216-272-4997; Wayne Shelton, OH 330-336-7001; Bruce Robison, OH, 440-353-0768; Tracy Fisher, OH 440-298-1569; Allen Henderson, PA 724-676-5091; Bob Vanicek, PA 814-323-4647; Larry Fenton, PA 814-825- 8182; Joe Marino, PA 814-774-0517; Doug Maine, PA 814-665-3012, Jim Brozell, Pa 814-774-3790, Don Young, PA 814-833-5058; Rick Morris, PA 814-824-8119; Richard Startek, NY 716-826-2003; Ed Fernandez, WI 715-384-8095; Craig and Cory Power, TX 713-535-5500; Bob Migliore, TX 409-737-3986; Wes Neal, TX 713-946-0497; Phil Stringer, TX 281-852-6356; Jim Davis, AR 870-901-0071; Jerry Vestal, VA 434-973-5828; George Johnson, NJ 609-859-2733; Jan Smith, NC 336-434-3283; Jerry Smith, NC 336-279-6022 wk#; Bob Endres, SD 605-886-6502, Dan Wesen, MT 406-586-0775; Tom Owen WI 414-640-7865; Jerry Dennis, AZ 623-327-0934 or 623-341-9271; Barry Barton, PA 724-234-3656.

Fall Brown Bear Hunt: 2010, Report from Chris Reilly, NJ

Smokey, Just wanted to send a note and thank you for the excellent hunt I had with you this year. This was a landmark year in breaking my brown bear jinx which has been hanging around my neck for about 9 years and included six other hunts. I had a great time with each of my hunts and everyone gave their best but it just never came together. I must have spent over sixty thousand dollars over the years on the hunts and sure did my best to support ADFG and Continental Airlines.. But I digress, I had a great time and Brad is an excellent guide, probably should do two on one hunts as he has that much energy. The scenery, everyone in camp and the silver salmon fishing were outstanding. I look forward to coming back up and seeing if we can get a big old boar, maybe a spring hunt is in order. Look forward to speaking with you soon and if I don't get to you before have a great Holiday. Chris Reilly

SPRING BROWN BEAR: APRIL 13-27, 2008, Report from Ted Martin, TX

I can’t say enough about the people, services, and equipment that Alaska Private Guide Service provided for my hunt. Smokey Don Duncan, Don Young, and Tom O’Connor are truly professionals in their field. Hunting for brown bear in the Tikchik State Park wilderness on snow mobiles is an experience I will always treasure. The logistics of such a hunt is not easy, but these guys made it happen with such ease, which only speaks to their expertise. The guiding, food, and equipment were top notch. They all gave 110% and truly wanted each client to fill their tag. If you want to experience a spring brown bear hunt in amazing country, you can’t go wrong with this outfitter. My great bear will attest to that!!
Ted Martin TX. e-mail: charles.martin@luminant.com -- top

See our additional REFERENCES for more client listings.

Enjoy the Alaska Brown Bear Success Narrations / Hunting results

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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