Alaska Black Bear Hunts Success
Alaska Private Guide Service
Smokey Don Duncan,
Master Guide #136
Alaska Black Bear Hunts Success |
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| Brown Bear | Moose | Black Bear | Wolf | Caribou | Dall Sheep | Fishing | Waterfowl | Photography Trips | Snow Adventures | |
2007 Results 2006 Results 2005 Results 2004 Results 2003 Results 2002 Results 2001 Results Previous Years Results Black Bear Trophies
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2007 Alaska Black Bear Hunt ResultsFirst hunter - 3 black bears. 2nd hunters (father and son) 2 black bears each. 3rd hunter 2 black bears with a bow in 2 days. Biggest Alaska black bear 7 foot 6 inch with 19 1/2 inch skull. 2006 Alaska Black Bear Hunt Results10 hunters took 12 black bears. One of the first hunters had a 30+ black bear count on the first night. They figured about 10 different bears. The weather was cool and we had a hard frost during the first week of June. By the end, the baits were getting hammered and we left plenty bear including some big ones for 2007. For the first time, I got to fly over the area. What I saw convinced me that we need to be offering moose hunts in this area in Sept. SO... All black bear hunters are eligible for a discounted outfitted (camp, boat, etc) unguided moose hunt for 2-4 hunters. Sept 5-15. Any size bull + bear, wolf + fowl. -- top 2005 Alaska Black Bear Hunt ResultsThe weather was beautiful as is typical for spring black bear. We had 11 hunters shoot 22 bears. 2 hunters shot 2 bears each in one night. All but one hunter was done with 2 bears in 3 nights. The biggest was 7 foot nine inches square with a 19 1/2 inch skull. We found some more pike fishing spots and some bigger pike. -- top 2004 Alaska Black Bear Hunt ResultsWho knows why but we didn't book many hunters. We had 2 father and sons hunts. All got bears. Chester Plesz and son Rich Warren hunted first. This was to be their last hunt together. Chester got a decent black bear and then a beautiful big cinnamon phase. Rich saw plenty of bears but held out until the last night and bagged a big black. Next were John and John (Jr.) Crangle. They shot two bears in one night. We had some afternoon time to kill this year so we went pike fish scouting. Near our camp we found some pike sloughs and were rewarded with some decent fishing with the pike averaging 18-24 inches. Not big like the trophy pike trip but good enough to pass the time. The weather was record highs temps. Smoke from the early fires drifted in and out. Eventually something like 5+ million acres burned during the course of the summer. The hot weather and smoke seemed to slow the bear activity down somewhat but it didn't matter with the few hunters we had. Chester and Rich had wanted to hunt elk in the fall but the doctors weren't sure he would be able. Chester passed on in the fall. -- top 2003 Alaska Black Bear Hunt ResultsThe war with Iraq depressed the bookings but not the hunting. During a short time 7 hunters took 13 bears. 6 of the bears were over 7 foot! Several were just under 7 foot. The average hunt lasted less than 2 nights. Bruce Trapp and son Brian were the last hunters to arrive and they took 4 bears (3+1 respectively) in two nights. Then we took half the camp and went down river to the trophy Pike fishing camp. It wasn't long before they both had landed pike 45+ inches. Our biggest problem this year was keeping the baits baited in between hunters. We had more baits and bears than hunters. We used a record amount of bait to keep everything going. -- top 2002 Alaska Black Bear Hunt Results13 hunters took 19 bears. We added new baits on another river and did great! The largest bear was taken by Mike Hawkins of Houston TX. It squared 8 foot 2 inches and had a skull size of 20 3/16 inches. We had 2 bears taken with a cross bow, 2 with a pistol, 2 with compound bows, 2 with cross bows and 1 with a spear! The rest were taken with a rifle. We expect 2003 to be even better, both in the number of bears available and an increase in the average size of the bears taken. The black bears' attitude in 2002 was similar to 2001. -- top 2001 Alaska Black Bear Results10 hunters took 14 bears. One took three bears, three hunters took two bears and the others took 1 bear. The average shot was less than twenty yards. We used portable tree stands trees more than we have in recent years. The portability factor was much more effective than the permanent tree stands we had used in the past. Although the ground blinds still took more bears than any other method. The fur was exceptionally thick and long and no hides were rubbed. One bear bluff charged the boat three times and wouldn't let the 2 guides and 1 tagged out hunter re-supply a bait. Bears blatantly stalked the ground blinds with hunters and guides standing in the open. Every hunter left with a new appreciation and understanding of hunting bears over bait. We also saw an increase in the number of sows and sows with yearlings commandeering the bait sites. The rut was late probably due to their general poor condition (lack of fat) on the sows and a late green up. We ended up taking more sows than normal simply because they wouldn't let the boars and sometimes even other sows come in to the baits they were camped on. The big boars were their but weren't always allowed to get in range. One bait was abandoned because of three extremely aggressive sows; one black sow with 2 yearlings and one cinnamon sow with 3 yearlings (2 cinnamon and one black); that kept fighting and running up the trees around the tree stands 3-5 feet away and generally spooking everybody. One bow hunter at the bait, inspecting an arrow from missed bow shot 20 minutes before, stood up to face a large black bear less than 10 feet away staring at him. He drew his pistol and fired one shot below the chin dropping the bear dead in his tracks. We established some new baits this year and they really paid off. After all the hunters were gone, we figured we still had 1 or more 7 foot plus boar(s) at almost every bait site. I received a 5-year camp permit and if the hunt continues to sell good; a cabin may not be far behind. -- top Previous Years Results15 bears were taken in both 1995 and 1996! The two largest measured 7ft 10 in., 450+ lbs. and 7ft 6 in., 400+ lbs. with 20 in. and 19 1/2 in. skulls respectively in 1995. The biggest of 1996 measured 8 foot across the front claws. In 1997, 5 of 11 bears were over 7 foot. In 1998, three hunters took 3 bears in 2 nights and all squared over 7 foot with skulls over 19." In 1999, we hunted a new area and 4 hunters took 6 bears with bows, a muzzle-loader and a pistol. In 2000, again 100% success. Again, SINCE 1991! -- top |
| Brown Bear | Moose | Black Bear | Wolf | Caribou | Dall Sheep | Fishing | Waterfowl | Photography Trips | Snow Adventures | |
Smokey Don Duncan, Owner, Master Guide #136 and P.H. All content © 1991-2008 Alaska Private Guide Service |
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