Alaska Peninsula Bear Hunts
Hunting the World's Largest Brown/Grizzly Bear Pictured above: Jens Perto from Denmark with a very big Alaska Peninsula brownie. Click to read his story. Alaska's trophy bear area The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has designated the Alaska Peninsula as a trophy bear hunting area for game management purposes. The goal is to produce bears of the largest possible size for sportsmen. To accomplish this, seasons have been restricted since 1976. Fall hunts take place in October of odd years (i.e. 2007, 2009, 2011 etc.) and spring hunts take place in May of even years (i.e. 2008, 2010, 2012 etc.). The technique has proven to be quite successful. Before we go any farther, it's important to know that in Alaska you can shoot only one brown bear every four years in most areas here in Alaska. If you have shot a bear recently, we have a chart that will tell you in what year you will again be eligible to hunt brown bear on the Peninsula. Alaska Peninsula or Kodiak? The question as to whether the Alaska Peninsula or Kodiak Island produces larger bears is largely a matter of opinion. Both areas have produced so many 10 foot bears through the years that the question is almost pointless. I personally believe that the Alaska Peninsula has been producing the largest animals on the average over the past fifteen years (nine to ten foot bears, even some eleven foot monsters) but many Kodiak guides of course will disagree. One thing is beyond question, the Alaska Peninsula has been producing the largest hides and largest skull sizes in Alaska over the last 20 years, and anyone considers those to be trophy brown bears. Bears from our camp have ranged between 8 foot 8 inches and 11 foot 6 inches in size with an overall average of 9 foot 4 inches for many years. There are no excuses, a "camp legal" bear will measure 9' or more. It is our goal to only take bears that square more than 9' and we do that... for everyone. Want to see? Seldom has a season gone by that we have not taken at least one bear over the 10' mark. Yes, we do occasionally take bears in the upper 8' range. Weather Weather on the Peninsula is seldom what you could call good, often it’s downright horrible. But then big bears live where the weather is the worst so it's something everyone tolerates. The worst weather is generally encountered during October when high winds can be a major factor, however, we tend to see more bears in the fall than in the spring. In the spring the hides may be somewhat thicker and the bears move about during the day. In addition the wind and rain are significantly below fall levels. The liability is that we never know just when the bears may come out of their dens, so patience is a greater factor. The Alaska Peninsula is wild and remote country with a long history of producing some of the largest bears in the world -- and some of the worst weather you have ever hunted in. If you want to hunt the big bears, you just have to hunt them on their turf. Success Though success on brown bear is over 90%, and many years we have enjoyed 100% success, it's inevitable that occasionally a hunter will go home without a bear. For some it will simply be a matter that they held out for a really large bear, others will not be willing to hunt in bad weather and for a very few the circumstances and game movement just will not fall in their favor. Regardless, occasionally we do have clients go home without the bear they came for. Most clients are successful within the first 10 days of the hunt and there really is no need to commit to the extra expense of a longer stay. If for some reason you do not take your bear in this time frame, you may extend your hunt on a daily basis if your schedule will allow. The additional cost is $750.00 per day for each additional day in the field. This will give you up to 5 additional days of hunting. About getting to your hunt and back The town of Sand Point is the point of outfitting on the Alaska Peninsula. Sand Point is served by Peninsula Airlines out of Anchorage. every day except Thursday and Sunday. Reservations can be made through your travel agent. You can make reservations on the PenAir web site. From there you will fly out to the hunting camp and meet the guide that will be with you throughout your hunt. Once you have taken your brown bear trophy, it will be carefully and professionally skinned, fleshed, salted, dried, and prepared for shipment. All bear hides must be shipped airfreight to Anchorage. You will have to make your own decision on how to mount your trophy and who will do the work, of course; but it is our recommendation that you allow us to make arrangements to ship your trophy to one of the best taxidermy studios in the world. This will ensure that you will receive a world-class mount that makes us all proud. There are some BIG bears here.... Hunting Technique
As the days become longer the bears break out of their dens and move into the valleys in search of food. Unusual weather can bring the bears out early -- or cause them to stay in late -- so weather is always a factor. Regardless of which period you choose, bear size will remain about the same. We do not encourage any hunter to shoot the first bear seen. You can shoot only one bear every four years, so it might as well be a big one. As with all of our hunts, an animal wounded is usually an animal killed. We encourage clients to take only those shots they are very sure of. We respect the game and its precious value. If a client wounds an animal and it escapes, your guide will be required to search for it until found or the hunt is over. As true sportsman, lost wounded game is not an option. WHAT ABOUT THOSE BIG RUSSIAN BEARS YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT?There is debate about whether the largest Trophy Brown Bear come from the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island or the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. There should not be ... on the average, the Alaska produces the biggest bears by far, year after year after year. I can assure you that Russia does not, has not, and never will have bears equivalent in size to those taken in Alaska. The Russian bear is actually a Eurasian Brown Bear. Expecting them to be the size of Alaskan Brown Bear is like expecting a white tail to be the size of an elk, it's just not going to happen. In all fairness, some folks selling these hunts actually believe that the Russian bear is equal to the Alaskan bear, and most are not guides or outfitters at all, and have never even skinned a bear, let alone squared one. In all honesty there are a lot of Alaskan guides who have never seen a true 10' brown bear, and until you do there just is no way you can understand how big a bear of that size really is. Those hunters that claim they shot 10' (or 11') bears in Russia have either been deceived by their professional hunter as to the size of the animal they took, have never seen a truly 10' bear to compare with, or they know the difference but just aren't telling. Trust me, if you want a chance at a 10' Brown Bear, you will have to go to Alaska. On the other hand, if you would really like to hunt Russia, (and everyone really should) give me a call, I will be happy to arrange your hunt there as well. So....to conclude....if you have been looking for an opportunity to hunt the famous Alaska Peninsula, do not delay any longer. We believe you will be deeply impressed with this incredible country and the wildlife it offers. Here's your chance for the hunt of a lifetime. Call toll free at 1 (800) 601-5006 or 1 (907) 895-5006, use our contact form or send me an e-mail today, and let's start talking about it.
We have limited open dates for these hunts. If you have a serious interest in a true trophy moose hunt, |
Video - Bear Hunt (NOTE: 83 MB file)
Audio Hunting big brown bears
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Like all successful bear hunting, the primary activity in
fall or spring is glassing. In October, you glass the mountain walls and
valley floors for bears feeding on roots, berries, or in the salmon
streams. In spring, you hunt by glassing the mountainsides in search of
fresh bear tracks or dens appearing on the snow-covered mountains. 
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