Grizzly Bear Hunts

Every April, we return to the frozen salmon spawning grounds to hunt the arctic grizzly bear. Setting up small camps on the edge of our hunting area, we start looking for bears that have recently left hibernation. We make use of the continual arctic sunlight to hunt nocturnal bears. The large boars in this area spend this time feeding on last fall’s salmon deposits. This is a hunt conducted ambush style, where patience is key to our high Grizzly Bear hunt success rate. Due to the rich nutritional value of the bears’ feed, they grow larger than most northern grizzlies, 7-8 foot being our common take. Wolves are commonly seen feeding on salmon during these hunts,  and wolves can be taken as a secondary animal.

After break up in mid-May, we provide hunts for arctic grizzly on the south slopes of the Brooks Range. Shortly after leaving hibernation, grizzly bears move onto the hillsides to feed on the new spring growth. We use this to our advantage, spotting bears from great distances and making foot stalks. Because of the poorer food quality and longer winters, the arctic grizzly is smaller than the bears we hunt in our southern grounds. However, due to living in this northern environment these bears do grow an incredibly thick coat, and tend to be much lighter in color.

The Alaska Grizzly, Ursus arctos, is the largest predator of our hunting area. Arctic Grizzly Bears are one of the main killers of caribou and moose calves in the spring. Coming out of hibernation in late April to early May, the bears start looking for the closest food source to make up for lost weight from the winter’s slumber. Salmon left over from the fall run or the early growth on south sloping hills are easy pickings for spring bears. In our hunting concession, spring grizzly bear hunting is extremely effective because we can focus our efforts on areas with high food concentrations.

Travel and Logistics

All of our guided trips originate in Fairbanks Alaska. We suggest booking a flight with an arrival date at least one day before the start date of your trip. There are several options of hotels near the airport that provide shuttle services. On day one of your trip we will pick you up at your hotel. If you have not already purchased your hunting license and tags, we will stop by Fish and Game before leaving town. From Fairbanks, we drive four hours north to Circle City. In this small rural community, your pilot will meet you with the float plane on the Yukon River. Most of our camps are accessed via float equipped Cessna 180. As we have to follow the strict laws of gravity, we ask that you keep your gear under 60lbs. Most flights to camp are an hour to an hour and a half. Due to the unpredictability of Alaska’s weather it is best to leave some flexibility in your travel plans. At times, delays of several days may occur due to severe weather keeping our airplanes grounded.

Fishing

There are opportunities to fish in most of our hunting camps. Some of the smaller rivers provide some of the best grayling fishing the state has to offer. Many of our lake camps are inhabited by both pike and graying. Light tackle, spinners and spoons are our choice for catching both species.