Looking for a good FALL black bear hunt

[Mad Dog]

Due to job constraints[I work in Ag, and spring is planting season], I am looking for a good fall black bear hunt.  Is a SE Alaska boat hunt good in the fall?  What about Montana, before the other seasons open?  Do any of the canadian provinces have a quality fall hunt?  Any help would be appreciated.

Mad Dog

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

Why not try Maine.  We have great Black Bear Hunting.  E-mail us and I will fill you in - frlodge@ainop.com.  Check out our web site at www.fishriverlodge.com.  I have references and some great stories.

[cdnclub45]

Mad Dog, Can you be a little more specific about what you consider a quality hunt.  Do you mean size or number of animals, do you include accomodations and meals, that sort of thing?  Are you looking at spot and stalk or hunting over bait?   How many do you expect in camp at the same time? How far do you expect to travel and by what means, flying or driving?  I have guys that drive from Illinois to here but I wouldn't expect them to drive to Saskatchewan or any of the eastern provinces.  A little more info and the guys here will be able to offer up a lot more help and maybe narrow your search a bit.

[lilbiggun]

If your thinking about SE AK. WHat timeframe are you looking at? I'd go later in the fall and hope that mother nature drops snow and forces the bears to the beach. Otherwise a spring hunt is great also(unfortunately it doesnt work for you). PWS is pretty good for bears also, usually average sized (around the 6 ft mark) with some monster taken. A boat hunt is something I always wanted to do but I just cant justify it right now, considering the oppurtunities that I have to hunt blackies up here.

[Maine_Hound_Hunter]

I'd recommend Border Pond Outfitters, if Border isn't booked full.

From what I've heard/saw on the site, it's a great place.

If Border is booked, keep it in Maine and go with Kathy Maine Black Bear NEVER disappoint, and with the referendum coming up this fall this might be your last chance to legally hunt with bait/dogs.

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

Here comes trouble.  I do not know why any American would go to Canada to hunt - period.  Right now Americans need our money and I do not understand going anywhere where we are not wanted.  It frosts my A... to read of people who want to go to Canada and hunt or fish when Canada will not support us in Iraq and they are hiding some deserters.  Please consider an American outfitter.  I do not necessarily say come to me but there are a lot of fellows out there who need customers and financial help.  Lets support each other, forget Canada, they don't like us anyway.  Remember, every outfitter who goes out of business, leaves us with one less place to hunt.

[wipartimer]

lol kathy, I don't see what Iraq has to do with hunting, but I'll hunt where i can afford, where I feel the hunting is good, and most importantly where I want to. I may even hunt Africa someday and I wont even check to see if any of those countries supported us in iraq.

[oso45-70]

Kathy,
I feel just like you do, I wouldent go to Canada if they paid me to. I'm surpised at some of the responses you got. By God it's America first every
time for me. In 1962 i took a trip into Canada and had a NRA sticker on my windshield and they pulled me over and tore my pick up apart all the time saying where is your guns, We know you have them where are they.
I thought i was in Russia. Long story short,, They will never get a penny from this old boy. If i can't do it in the good old USA i won't do it at all.
Number one they hate the NRA and if they hate the NRA they hate me.
Number two they hate americans and i'm sure as h$$$ an american. That being said you all have a nice day. Hang in there Kathy.........Joe..........

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

Surprised the devil out of me also.  My brother's father in law once told him that if they ran an Ape on the Republican ticket he would vote for him over a Democrat.  We are a contrary group up here, but lovable despite it all.  I hope you are all supporting the defeat of the bear hunting referendum, if we go down, watch out, your state is next.  Good safe hunting to all.

[Graybeard]

You guys who are not PAID advertisers of this site ARE NOT AUTHORIZED to use these forums to solicit for business. Either contact me to become a paid advertiser in the next 24-36 hours or your ads will be deleted. I'm not trying to be a horse's butt but I have a contract with my advertisers to not allow free advertising on this site.

This forum is sponsored by Fish River Lodge. They and Jim Hack are the ONLY paid advertisers in the guiding business at this time. No others may solicit for customers on this site unless you too with to pay for the advertisement.

GB

[wipartimer]

Yes Kathy I will try to help with the bear referendium. I signed an online pettition awhile back, not sure how else I can help, but I firmly believe ALL of us sportsmen/women need to stick together, whether it directly affects our personal hunting/fishing/trapping at the time or not, sooner or later it will.

[bigbore442001]

I would seriously look into the state of Maine for a fall black bear hunt. One thing you don't have any hassles with firearms. You can hunt bear with a bow, muzzleloading rifle, musket or handgun. You can hunt with a modern rifle, handgun or shotgun. No special permits needed or any paperwork for your firearms.


Maine has the largest population of black bear in the eastern US. I want to say they have around 22 -25,000 black bear in the state. Not many other states beat that. Also, the cost of a Maine bear hunt is still very reasonable compared to hunting some places like Alaska or Canada.

The issue of whether or not you want to support a particular outfitter for political reasons is a decision you have to make. You may take the view that  you will not support Canada in any way because of ________ reasons. You may decided that Canada offers something for you that is acceptable. That is your decision.
 
We as sportsmen and women need to understadn that there are forces north and south of the border that hate our lifestyle and would love nothing better to see it dissappear. Hunters and gunowners in both nations have more BS to deal with than in the past. it seems like common sense went down the toilet and we are forced to become more politically active to save what we love.

I know that Ontario allows baiting, but for how long? I am quite sure that the forces that closed the spring hunts living in yuppie-pukeville in the suburbs of Toronto will see the fall of bating in Maine as an impetus to do the same in Ontario and the rest of Canada. This idiocy knows no boundries.

Maine is about a day and a half drive from Indiana.

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

IF&W and SAM (Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine) can stand some financial help with advertising on fighting the referendum.  If you can send in $10 or $20 it would help.  Thats about all any of us can do now.  I had a guest tell me the other day that baiting was easy and mass slaughter.  When I told her that IF&W issues about 15,000 permits and we only harvest 4,000 bear and then asked her where the mass slaughter was, she had no answer.  This is the way to fight this issue.  Facts, not emotions and they need money to do this so anything you can do to help would be most appreciated.

[Matt in AK]

Hello in the camp.  Mind if I drop in and sit a spell?  Shucks, I could hear ya'll hollerin' a half-mile away and figgered one of ya musta done caught his foot in a trap.  If you've got some coffee on, all the better.

Here's my two-cents worth and likely it's worth considerably less:

I have very few friends and only my military buds would fight beside me at the drop of a hat...even if they believed I shouldn't have been fightin' in the first place.  So it goes with countries.  Gotta love the Brits -- anyone hunting in England this year?  Nah, me either.

I noticed that one outfit in Canada is offering US military personnel a substantial discount on their bear hunts.  Excerpt from their booking agent follows:
"T2C has arranged a special offer for all active United States Military Personnel for spring 2004 bear hunts in New Brunswick with outfitter/writer Ray Dillon. The regular price of these hunts is $1,200 US but for a limited period Ray has agreed to offer these hunts for $800 US to active US Military people."
I'd be willing to bet an awful lot of hunting guides in Canada say a quick prayer for me and my boys over here before they hit the hay each night.  I'm not gonna try and drive those men and women out of business.  I can dislike a government and like it's people.  Heck, it even happens to me when I'm home now and again.

I wonder where those draft dodgers ended up?  Think a hunting camp took them in?  Kinda doubt it.  Best guess is they're at some hospital getting free testosterone shots so they can still feel like men when they wake up in the morning... :twisted:

[freddogs]

Minnesota has some over the counter bear licenses. Some outfitters do well. You may want to check it out.

[crazyjjk]

Kathy,
You are right "here comes trouble".
 I am an American (and proud of it). I just happen to own a camp in Canada. I also know many Americans that own resorts in Canada, and yes we all could use the business.
At least, we will baiting bear next year.

Here is trouble. You know why do we all become blind sheep behind our politicians. Here we are neighbors at each others throats because of what are politicians do. You know I have hunted on both sides of the border and found most of the outfitters and hunters just to be working Joe's and Mary's who love to hunt. I sure that if North America were attacked and we needed to fight for ourselves we would gladly stand by each other.  We are both dealing with and fighting for the same issues as the right to own firearms and the right to hunt. And we all are hurting for lack of income. If I were the outfitters in both countries I would be working together to preserve bear hunting as $#!t flows down hill and if one place gets laws passed to limit it, it's sure to follow that it will be tried in other places. As for me I will hunt both places and screw the political issues of both countries that we the average person have very little control over. I happen to enjoy the working non political people of almost any country.

PS: Given the opportunity I would hunt Siberia in a heartbeat. Does that mean I agree with the politics of that country? No. Does that I enjoy the average people of that country just trying to survive. Yes

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

I agree in some measure but you are missing the point.  It is not the people of a country who determine the politics its the politicians.  I could care less about either frankly.  What I am saying is that if we do not use our own outfitters, we will lose them and then have to go to another country because our outfitters will be gone.  I don't care about politics I care about us.  Canada subsidizes its outfitters and so do most other countries.  We get no help only restrictions and limitations.  In Canada an outfitter has control of a whole area where no one else can hunt or fish.  Here we have to share with everyone and anyone.  Every time an outfitter goes out of business, we lose a little bit of heritage, I just think we should support our own people and that has nothing to do with the people of Canada or Russia or wherever.  Why is the grass always greener somewhere else.

[crazyjjk]

I agree in some measure but you are missing the point.  It is not the people of a country who determine the politics its the politicians.  I could care less about either frankly.  What I am saying is that if we do not use our own outfitters, we will lose them and then have to go to another country because our outfitters will be gone.  I don't care about politics I care about us.  Canada subsidizes its outfitters and so do most other countries.  We get no help only restrictions and limitations.  In Canada an outfitter has control of a whole area where no one else can hunt or fish.  Here we have to share with everyone and anyone.  Every time an outfitter goes out of business, we lose a little bit of heritage, I just think we should support our own people and that has nothing to do with the people of Canada or Russia or wherever.  Why is the grass always greener somewhere else.

I'm not saying the grass is greener somewhere else. I use US outfitters about 90% of the time. It's just that I like the adventure of going somewhere else and hunting with people from different lands and cultures. It  isn't just about killing an animal. You cannot blame a Canadian outfitter if he has exclusive land rights and subsidies. If it was that way here I am sure every outfitter would take advantage of them.  I just feel (and this is only my opinion) that if you look at the BIG picture, little by little the entire heritage of hunting and gun ownership is being whittled away in all of North America and and even the world. I just feel that fighting among ourselves is kind of shooting ourselves in the foot. Because little by little the political zealots who's sport it is to take away individual rights are working to take away out heritage. Like I said before  since I steer away from the big corporate backed outfitters most of the people I have hunted with in all countries are just working Joes and Marys trying to make a living. They must love to do it because I don't see any of them getting rich from it. As for the politics one of the reasons I brought that up is that someone posted that they would not hunt Canada because of there lack of involvement in Iraq. Here I just felt that the outfitters and hunters of Canada had little to do with that decision. It's the politicians of that country that made that decision and like here in this country those decisions the average working person has little control over.

I borrowed this quote from someone else but I think it is fitting:
If a animal rights activist is getting mauled by a bear, should we let nature take its course?

[David Parenteau]

Kathy,
   Where did you hear that Canada subsidizes the outfitters and that the outfitters have control over the whoile area they are alloted.
     I live in BC.I know several outfitters and they are by no means subsidized by the government.In fact,they pay levies(the government doesn't call them taxes but thats what they are)on every cabin and horse that they own,as well  as on other assets as well.On top of that they are taxed like every other person in Canada.
     As far as total control over an area goes it sure doesn't apply to my home province.As a resident of BC I can hunt and fish anywhere I choose in the province with the exception of private property where I must first get permission.I've camped beside outfitters main camps and even used their spike camps in the past.Nowhere in BC can an outfitter tell me I can't hunt or fish unless I'm on his private land.That leaves me a lot of land to hunt on.Remember too that Fish and Wildlife are under provincial or territorial jurasdiction and the federal government has no say in these matters.
Dave