Alaska Guided Brown Bear Hunts


Alaska Private Guide Service


Smokey Don Duncan, old Master Guide #136 is no longer guiding any hunters, anglers or snowmobile trips. He has quit. These web pages are left up for historical purposes, cataloging and research and are not for client recruitment purposes.

Alaska Private Guide Service Brown Bear Hunts

Alaska Brown Bear Hunts 2018

NEW: We now have baited brown bear hunts in the spring and the traditional spot and stalk hunts. The Board of Game has opened the brown bear season August 20 and increased the bag limit to 2 brown bears in GMU 17.

We hunt brown bear (Spring and Fall) and moose in Game Management Unit 17, 250 - 300 miles SW of Anchorage. We have hunted brown bear and moose in this area since 1991. This web site strives to answer all your questions with truthfulness, but you will need to take the time to read it.

In the fall, we have 3 basic style hunts.
1) The early season hunts beginning August 20th are along the main salmon bearing rivers while the bears are feeding on fish. Physically, this is the easiest hunt because we can use jet boats to get close to where the bears are feeding and it is very productive.On the even number years like 2016 or 2018, we have very large pink salmon runs that draw bears in from long distances when the fish start dying . We do exceptionally well those years.
2) The moose and brown bear combination hunts are next beginning Sept. 5th for 11 days until Sept 15th. Both the moose and bears are along the river corridors and in close proximity to one another and our jet boats give us a longer range.
3) The late fall hunts, after Sept. 15, when the bears are moving to the berry covered hillsides. These are more spot and stalk style hunts where the ability to hike the hills is required. We still use the jet boat to move up and down the rivers to reach the nearby hills. 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.

In the spring we have 2 types of hunts. Snowmobile hunts from April 10-May 1 or so and river boat based hunts May 1-31.

May 1-31st. We use the jet boats to move about the area using cabins and portable camps to access the area rivers. Now we can use bait if we wish to. The bears will typically be moving along the river looking for winter killed moose, a fresh moose to kill and new borne moose calves. The spring is the mating season so the rutting boars will be looking for sows to breed and sows with cubs to kill and eat. If the caribou herd is in the area, we may be able to hunt bears on the calving grounds. When we first started hunting this area 24 years ago, the season dates were May 10-25 and no bait was allowed. Then they opened up the season much earlier where we could snowmobile hunt and use bait. We have 25+ years baiting black bears in unit 20, so we are not inexperienced baiters.

April 10 - May 1. This is our snowmobile hunt time frame. It helps a lot if you have riding experience. If not we will teach you. For many years, this was my favorite hunt. Beside being successful, it is fun. Just riding through in this beautiful country filled the spirit in ways nothing else can. Many hunters have said the snowmobile rides alone were worth the cost of the hunt. We cover many miles/day riding through the mountains looking for bears emerging from the den and moose kill sites. We stay in cabins and Arctic Ovens. The days are long and the weather tolerable at just above and below freezing. We can use bait after April 15th if we choose.

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

The Board of Game has opened Brown Bear hunting season August 20, a full 11 days earlier. Moose season opens Sept. 5th. Our most popular hunts in this area are the moose and brown bear combination hunt.

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 9, the peninsula has an average bear skull of 24”; the average skull size in Unit 17 is 23”. Save ($4000 for 1 inch)
  • Unit 19 is not a brown bear unit. Don�t be fooled.
  • Mobility. During any Brown Bear Hunting season we have jet boats for covering long distances quick and increasing our range. We can also idle or float silently down the rivers and use an electric trolling motor.
  • Comfortable, fully equipped cabins, base camps with steel frame tents and ready to go spike camps with (state of the camping art), "Arctic Oven" tents and Cabela's guide tents.
  • Large remote areas of State land for hunting brown bear.
  • 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.  World class fishing is available at most fall brown bear camps.

We hunt trophy brown bears in the spring from May 1-May 31. We may be able to start hunting a little earlier than May 1st if the river ice breaks up. In the fall, August 20 - Oct 10. 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.

Since 1991, I have guided hunters for big Brown Bears in Southwest Alaska in unit 17. This area is N.W. of the Alaska Peninsula, and West of Lake Iliamna. Unit 17 ranges 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 the most are in 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. 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. 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 jet boat mobility 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. All that being said, the even number years with the huge runs of pink salmon have always been good to us and the hunters in general. Success wise the biggest problems we have had over the years has not been lack of bears but unprepared hunters not knowing their rifle, missing and wounding bears, bringing noisy crappy clothes, refusing to be quiet and still in the blind and turning good bears down. Hiring a good guide and going to a good area is a good start. But there is more more to it than that. Look; even when you and I both do everything right, this is still hunting and these are not exceptionally dumb bears and there is not a bear behind every tree. I can not "present the game" upon your request. I have discussed this fact several times with the brown bear union rep and they have repeatedly refused to present themselves no matter what I offer to pay. 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

  • Big brown bears are more likely to kill a moose or caribou and stay there a while.
  • We have longer daylight hours.
  • The brown bears can't hide as well since the bushes and trees have not leafed out.
  • They travel more looking for something to kill or a winter kill.
  • The first brown bear you see is likely to be a big taker.
  • The rivers are higher which means we can go more places.
  • The moose are along the rivers and the bears will come looking.
  • We can bait brown bears for hunters that qualify for a handicap methods and means waiver.
  • Some years have a lot of over wintered berries on the hillsides so you can spot and stalk.

Spring Brown Bear Hunt Description

May 1 - May 31

The spring season is actually an extension of the fall season. That is, it opens in the fall and closes in the spring May 31. So we can hunt earlier if conditions allow.

We will meet you in Koliganek and head directly out to one of the cabins or camps using the jet boats. 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. 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 compared to the fall. When the bears travel along the main river or smaller tributaries looking for moose we hunt choke points; places where the bear most likely will travel and or be forced into the open. We can bait brown bears for hunters that qualify for a handicap methods and means waiver. We set up bait stations along the river choke points. We use the jet boats to travel up and down the river checking the sites. Once the bait gets hit, we can usually hunt/wait in the boat or near the boat in a blind. -- 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.
  • The even numbered pink run years, 2016, 2018... are always a good time to 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.
  • 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.
  • Low water means more fish available for bears to catch.
  • This is also probably the best season for bagging a brown bear with a bow.
  • We have been in the area fishing and setting up the camps before the bear season opens so we know where the bears are and what they are doing. -- 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 are allowed. 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. If September has a lot of rain, and the rivers rise substantially, most, but not all, bears will leave the fish sooner. So to be successful, it helps if you can hike up the hills and across the ridges. 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, gravel bars and cut banks, 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. 

The bears typically go through a transition during the fall hunting seasons. During the summer and through August and into Sept.; the bears are feeding on salmon in the river and some berries along the river 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 denning 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 we are not seeing bears on the river we know they are moving towards the berries on the tundra, and nearby hills.

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 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 our spike camps. When I say spot, I mean you can see a long, long ways and cover a lot of ground so 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. 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. Bears will also feed on our bear carcasses. Plus, wolf, waterfowl, ptarmigan and wolverine season is open. Most, but not all, fall bear camps have world class fishing if you take the time to enjoy it

Brown Bear and Moose Combination Hunt

Brown bear season opens August 20 and 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 31 for a 15 day hunt or Sept 4th for an 11 day hunt and hunt until the 16th. 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. -- top

Alaska Brown Bear Hunt Prices and Brown Bear Moose Combination Prices

Please read carefully and pick the trip and price that best suits your desires.

Brown Bear Hunt Prices

Moose cannot be "added" on to these prices. See combination hunt prices below. Dates are the dates you arrive and depart camp. Price includes round trip plane ride from Anchorage to village or camp, license and tags. Limits are 2 brown bear plus one black bear, wolf or wolverine if we see them which is not very likely.

Date Ranges Guides / Hunters Bear Hunting Days Cost per Hunter
4/30-5/10, 5/10-21, 5/21-6/1 no bait 1/1 10 $95,000
4/30-5/10, 5/10-21, 5/21-6/1 1 / 2 10 $70,000
4/30-5/10, 5/10-21, 5/21-6/1 1 /1 10 $100,000
4/30-5/10, 5/10-21, 5/21-6/1 hunt with one non-hunter allowed. 1 / 1 10 $120,000
8/19-27 1 / 1 7 $72,500
8/19-30 1 / 1 10 $85,000
8/27- 9/4 1 / 1 7 $80,000
9/1 - 9/16 1 / 1 7 $90,000
9/1 - 9/16 1 / 1 10 $100,000
9/16 - 10/10 1 / 1 8 $85,000
9/16 - 10/10 1 / 1 10 $85,000
9/16 - 10/10 1 / 2 10 $65,000

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. In the spring we would try and find a bear in the den and set up close by and wait for him to come out. There are no kill fees on these hunts.
   - 4/18 - 4/28 one guide/1 hunter for 10 hunting days $126,500. 2 bears
   - 8/19 - 9/4 one guide/ 1 hunter for 10 days $117,000, 2 bear.
   - 9/16 - 10/10 one guide/ 1 hunter for 10 days $126,000, 2 bear.
There are no additional kill fees for a second bear on this hunt.

Bear and Moose Combination Prices - Price includes round trip plane ride from Anchorage to village or camp, license and tags.

Date Ranges Guides / Hunters Bear and Total Hunting Days Moose Hunting Days Combination Prices 2nd Bear Kill Fee Moose Kill Fee
8/31 - 9/16* 1 / 1 15 11 $129,000 $3,000 $4,000
9/4 - 9/16 1 /1 11 11 $117,000 $3,000 $4,000
9/4 - 9/16 1 / 2 11 11 $102,000 $3,000 $4,000
9/9 - 9/20 1 / 1 10 6 $117,000 $3,000 $4,000

* This time frame allows you switch emphasis between bear and moose hunting during your 11 day window.

Logistics

Travel

You are responsible for getting to Anchorage. Depending on your flights arrival time in Anchorage, you may fly out to the village or camp that day or the next morning. Your return ticket home should be late in the evening on the day you are scheduled to leave camp and the village or the next morning. I recommend the next morning. That gives you time to get the bear sealed at F&G visit a taxidermist, ship meat hides or whatever you may need to do. Early fall bear hunters will fly directly to Koliganek from Anchorage. Moose hunters will fly from Anchorage to Dillingham.first and pick up your moose registration permit at Fish and Game and then fly on to Koliganek where I will meet you. On Sept. 16th the chartered plane will fly you from Koliganek back to Anchorage. We can mail any of most of your gear from Koliganek so you do not have to drag it through the airports. You can also mail your gear ahead before your hunt.

Some 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 expensive short notice ticket. So booking a full fare changeable ticket at least on the return may make sense to you.

Guns and cases: You will need a lockable hard case to either mail the long gun, (no pistols in the mail) or fly with the gun. Either way, you will need a soft case. If you fly with your gun, leave the hard case in Anchorage at your hotel (they have storage rooms) or at the air taxi operator. If you mail it, you will leave the hard case in Koliganek. Ammo must be in a bullet box and not laying around loose. When mailing gear it is good to mail it in a waterproof Rubbermaid tote 18-25 gallons. Bring an extra duffel bag. When you get back to Koliganek, you can mail the gear back in a duffel bag (extra stamps) and we will use the tote to ship the hide and skull to Anchorage and home. You need to bring your own stamps. An assortment of $1, $5, and $18 is a good mix. The P.O. will not have enough. -- top

Pre-Hunt Information

Before your hunt, you will receive a Hunting License and Big Game Tag application. You will fill them out and return to me with payment. I will issue them and send them to you. -- 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 may need or prefer to freeze the hide and get it to Koliganek where it is flown to a taxidermist in Anchorage where it can be sealed by Fish and Game and then fleshed and salted or frozen and shipped out to your taxidermist. You can take the hide and skull with you as extra baggage if it is salted and dried but it will be too heavy if just frozen. We are not required to salvage brown bear meat. If you are a combination hunter; you should also look at the moose page for more information. Basically the meat and trophies are flown back with you on the return charter and they will be picked up in Anchorage and taken to the taxidermist or meat processors for final shipping preparation. -- top

Licenses, Fees, Permits

NOTE: License. I sell you the license and tags by mail so I have all the numbers for the rest of the paperwork. Do not buy them from the state.  If you do, then you will need to send me a copy of the license/tag or forward the official F&G e-mail to me.

License

License and tag fees are included in the hunt price.

 

  Non-resident Non-resident Alien
Hunting License $160.00 $630.00
Fishing (7 days) $70.00 $70.00
Fishing (14 days) $105.00 $105.00
Fishing Year Round $145.00 $145.00

Tags

Extra tags are sold in camp.

  Non-resident Non-resident Alien
Black Bear $450.00 $600.00
Brown / Grizzly Bear $1,000.00 $1,300.00
Caribou $650.00 $850.00
Moose $800.00 $1,000.00
Dall Sheep $850.00 $1,100.00
Wolf* $60 $100.00
Wolverine $350.00 $500.00
State Waterfowl Stamp $10.00 $10.00
Federal Waterfowl Stamp $15.00 $15.00

NOTE: A tag will cover any animal of equal or lesser value. *Wolf tag is not required in unit 17 or 20.

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 will 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

We take your meat and trophies to Anchorage at no charge. The taxidermist and butcher in Anchorage may charge you fees for sealing, fleshing, drying, and salting the hide or meat processing and shipping. The meat can be given away at camp to someone in Koliganek.

Non Hunters Charges

The charge ranges from 50% -75% or more of what the hunter pays. Call for exact price. -- top

Alaska Brown Bear Camps

Fall Hunts:  I use several base camps, temporary base camps and spike camps. I also rent cabins on the rivers for spring and fall hunts. The K1 base camp is located on the main river where I use jet boats to move around to hunt different areas. The KS3 temporary base camp is on a tributary river. 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. Or, we may use a Cabellas Guide Model Tent. Like I say; my spike camps are better than some guides base camps!

Base Camps are outfitted with steel frame weather and wind proof tents (10x12, 12x12 or 12x20) with wood floors, wood 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. You can rent an extra satellite phone in Anchorage for business purposes. (We have 3 Sat. phones. K1 will always have one and the others are used where the radios may not work. K1 is our main base camp. It has a full cooking stove, freezer, generator, tent and trail lights. 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.) The cabins are equipped with everything we need. -- top

Spring Hunts: On the early snowmobile hunts, we use cabins and Arctic Oven tents. For the later river base hunts, May, we use our camps, Arctic Ovens and cabins.

Handicapped hunt and Methods and Means waiver

Alaska law allows Fish and Game to waive some of the methods and means restrictions for disabled hunters. In this case, they will allow bait to be used to hunt brown bears. IT is not set in stone what qualifies for a waiver. The application instructions lists some examples but they are not the only conditions that will qualify. Congestive heart failure does and maybe real bad knees, who knows? The only way to find out is to apply. The application review will take about a month. The bear baiting season must be open, here in unit 17, that is spring season only; and the brown bear season must be open. So the spring baiting season for brown bears is effectively April 15-May 31st. We have never baited brown bears and never baited this area in unit 17. We have 25 years experience baiting black bears in unit 20.

Our game plan in unit 17 is to place baits along the rivers near choke points and travel corridors. We will use the boats to place and maintain the baits. We will use spike camps to be mobile and so we can stop and set up when we find an active bait. I expect the shots to be 100 yards or so. Not close like the black bear baits. Once an active bait is located, we will set up on it with a ground blind pop up tent and stay there round the clock with a chair, cot, heater and some food. The hunter needs to be mobile enough to walk 100 yards to and from the boat to camp and the blind. 

References

Barry Brevik, PA 724-816-8588; James Swidryk NJ 201-991-0860, Ken and Sara Hebard IA,  641-221-1000; John Smythe, OH 614-354-4211; Mark Hedges, IN, 574-952-7345 cell, 574-935-4526 hm.; 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; 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

Smoke;, 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

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Smokey Don Duncan, Owner, Master Guide #136 and P.H.
299 Alvin St. Fairbanks AK 99712
Landline: 907-457-8318     Verizon Cell: 435-890-8328
Email: apgs@gci.net

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