Grizzly hunts in Alaska are right at the top of the list of popular trophy hunting adventures in North America. Considering that a full 98 percent of all U. S. Brown bears are to be found in Alaska, it is obviously the best state for a bear hunt. Grizzlies are the ones in the northern part of the state and those that are found inland.
Before getting into locations and guided hunting trip providers, it may be helpful to take a look at state regulations. In addition to the usual hunting license, everyone is also required to get locking tags priced at $25 each. Each tag is assigned to a specific person, and cannot be transferred to someone else. It must be locked to the bear's hide immediately after the kill.
The locking tag must stay on the hide until it is fully processed or exported. Hunters may use motorized vehicles while attempting to locate bears, but cannot use the vehicle to chase bears or herd them towards another hunter. Brown bears/grizzlies have to be reported within a month, along with evidence of the kill, to a sealing officer.
Non-residents don't have much to worry about because it's not possible to go on unguided grizzly hunts in Alaska. A resident friend or relative must be taken along, or it can be a guided hunt organized by a professional hunting trip provider who also takes care of all the paperwork and logistics. They also know how to locate grizzlies in the enormous vastness of the Alaskan mountains and tundra.
Many such providers arrange for stays in luxury hunting lodges. Hunters can use it as a base, and take up the chance to bag everything from brown bears/grizzlies to black bears, caribou, moose and wolves. Not to mention some freshwater fishing in between on the innumerable rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.
It's a given that the guide will be a local expert who will make sure hunters comply with the law while enjoying the thrill of bringing down powerful grizzlies. It doesn't mean visitors don't need to know what's in their own best interest. In fact, finding out a bit more about hunting units, regulatory years, hunting seasons, bag limits, etc. May help in choosing the right provider in the best possible location.
Kodiak, for example, is a part of Unit 8 where hunters have a bag limit of one bear in four regulatory years. It's also illegal to shoot cubs and the female with the cubs. Denali State Park, on the other hand, includes Unit 13-E which has a bag limit of one bear per regulatory year. Other hunting spots, such as Unit 17 near Anchorage, allow two bears/regulatory year.
The units with higher bag limits obviously have bigger bear populations. For the hunter, it means more time spent enjoying the thrill of the hunt and less time moving around on boats, snowmobiles and planes looking for a bear. This is the kind of planning and advance preparation that can make grizzly hunts in Alaska a rousing success.
Before getting into locations and guided hunting trip providers, it may be helpful to take a look at state regulations. In addition to the usual hunting license, everyone is also required to get locking tags priced at $25 each. Each tag is assigned to a specific person, and cannot be transferred to someone else. It must be locked to the bear's hide immediately after the kill.
The locking tag must stay on the hide until it is fully processed or exported. Hunters may use motorized vehicles while attempting to locate bears, but cannot use the vehicle to chase bears or herd them towards another hunter. Brown bears/grizzlies have to be reported within a month, along with evidence of the kill, to a sealing officer.
Non-residents don't have much to worry about because it's not possible to go on unguided grizzly hunts in Alaska. A resident friend or relative must be taken along, or it can be a guided hunt organized by a professional hunting trip provider who also takes care of all the paperwork and logistics. They also know how to locate grizzlies in the enormous vastness of the Alaskan mountains and tundra.
Many such providers arrange for stays in luxury hunting lodges. Hunters can use it as a base, and take up the chance to bag everything from brown bears/grizzlies to black bears, caribou, moose and wolves. Not to mention some freshwater fishing in between on the innumerable rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.
It's a given that the guide will be a local expert who will make sure hunters comply with the law while enjoying the thrill of bringing down powerful grizzlies. It doesn't mean visitors don't need to know what's in their own best interest. In fact, finding out a bit more about hunting units, regulatory years, hunting seasons, bag limits, etc. May help in choosing the right provider in the best possible location.
Kodiak, for example, is a part of Unit 8 where hunters have a bag limit of one bear in four regulatory years. It's also illegal to shoot cubs and the female with the cubs. Denali State Park, on the other hand, includes Unit 13-E which has a bag limit of one bear per regulatory year. Other hunting spots, such as Unit 17 near Anchorage, allow two bears/regulatory year.
The units with higher bag limits obviously have bigger bear populations. For the hunter, it means more time spent enjoying the thrill of the hunt and less time moving around on boats, snowmobiles and planes looking for a bear. This is the kind of planning and advance preparation that can make grizzly hunts in Alaska a rousing success.
