Lower 48 black bear on a budget?

S

Scott Spencer

Handloader
Mar 27, 2008
525
0
Presume someone was starting to work on their bucket list due to a recently diagnosed health issue and black bear was on that list. Is there a place that the person could hunt for a decent black bear either with an outfitter or DIY for $1500 or less? Or maybe even with an OTC tag and the help of a friend in those states like OR, WA, WY, or ID in spring 2012?

This person can probably fly out west for about $400-$600 roundtrip and has a total budget in the range of $2000 - $2500 for the hunt, travel, license/tag, and food. Is this impossible, or damn near impossible, to pull off with this budget?
 
Yes. Sort of.

Several northwest states have over-the-counter bear tags, and excellent bear populations. Oregon, Idaho and Washington come to mind. Washington, my home state, is spot and stalk only, except for some of the Indian Reservations that offer guided/baited hunts. The Northwestern states also offer an excellent chance for a color phase bear: cinnamon, blonde, chocolate or black with white markings on the chest.

I resorted to using a guide, as I was often bumping into black bear while hiking or fishing here in Washington, but seldom came across one during the season. My son and I saw bear the first year we hunted with the guide, but didn't take one. The next year (last fall) we went back with the same guy and hammered a couple of good bears.

Spring bear in Washington though is a draw. And a tight one at that. Fall bear is over-the-counter.

Budget... Out of state license and tags can be steep. Each state is different, check their Fish & Wildlife department web sites for pricing.

Outfitters/guides can vary from cheap ($1,000) to expensive ($4,000).

Bear rugs are dad-gum expensive. A hunter does end up with two trophies, the skull and the rug. But... My taxidermist charges $150/ft for a bear rug. My bear measured a little over 6' long, my son's was a little under 6' long. The rugs worked out to $1,800 for a pair of bear rugs... Ouch. But they do look good. Or, a guy could just have the pelt tanned, for a couple of hundred bucks. Still nice. Hang it on a peg from the wall, or drape it over the back of a couch.

I can come up with more specifics via PM if you'd like.

Best of luck! Guy
 
Thanks for the answers, Guy. I'll shoot you a PM down the road. Your bear does look great! Idaho, and especially the two bear zones, may be the best bet but Washington does sound so appealing .....and its pretty country as well! Too bad the tag is so hard to draw for the spring hunt!
 
Guy nailed it. I'm a big fan of spring bear hunting, HUGE FAN in fact!

I happen to have such a spot that a guy can get an over the counter tag in Oregon for the fall, or if you want to try to draw in the spring. I'm always looking for an excuse to go hunting, and would be happy to point you in the right direction/and or help out. If you want to hunt Oregon let me know. I don't know a thing about Washington or Idaho, but I'm sure there would be people here that would be more than willing to help you out.
 
For a Non-resident in Washington the bear & cougar tag are $242.00 which is a fall over the counter hunt as Guy explained earlier. You have to buy the two together.

Corey
 
The price for a Washington bear hunt isn't prohibitive. That's not bad for a non-resident tag. What are populations like in WA?
 
I wish I could answer to the population. Maybe Guy or one of the other Washington guys could

Corey
 
Thank you for the answers fellas!!

Jake - what are the odds for NR spring bear hunt in your area? I would prefer a spring hunt as I have a deer/antelope hunt planned for my son's HS graduation gift in the fall (2012).

Scott
 
Scott, I am not sure of the prices for Idaho Bear tags, but in the unit I hunt, they were for the unit I was in 25.00 and you can get two tags. Can't remember how much a license is but somewhere in the 150.00 range. As for an outfitter to do this, one of my best friends is an outfitter in the Frank Church Wilderness. He is just finishing up his season out there and have only spoke with him a little since he went in. It is a combo baited and spot / stalk hunt. Pretty good odds of seeing a bunch of bears. Both blacks and color phase bears. Once I get back home I will give him a ring and see whats up and how his Spring went for you. Scotty
 
Good deal, Scotty. Hopefully Al has had some success!
I know we've discussed it before but I wasn't wanting to lean on you to try to make something happen with Al. You've got enough things happening and going on defending our country!
 
jmad_81":nvj4cdza said:
http://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/2011---700-Series-Spring-Bear

I hunt 749A. Looks like at 3 years you would have a 24% chance and a 100% chance on year 4.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Jake. I'd like to think I have 3-4 yrs but just not sure right now. :|
Seriously, thanks for the info!!
 
Scott Spencer":13fa8axg said:
Good deal, Scotty. Hopefully Al has had some success!
I know we've discussed it before but I wasn't wanting to lean on you to try to make something happen with Al. You've got enough things happening and going on defending our country!
Click to expand...

Hey buddy, thats what I am here for. I will give Al a ring as soon as I am back. I need to catch up with him anyhow. I was thinking of trying to get out there in Nov to hunt muleys with him anyhow. I would think you could do that Spring Bear hunt for the price you have alloted without issue. I am pulling for you buddy. Even if I have to throw in some money for your plane ticket, Al will take really good care of you. I don't think you would come home with less than 2 bears unless you were really picky and the hunting and scenery in his area is some of the best I have ever hunted. Scotty
 
As no one has mentioned Aizona, we has a fairly good sized bear population. When thing get a bit tough, they sometimes come right on into town looking for food and water. They evn like to swim in people's pools. This is right here in Tucson BTW. An NR license is $151.25 and a an NR Bear tag $245. As far as what area to choose? Who knows? The mountains just north of Tucson hold bears as do the Chiracua Mountains. The mountauns to the north are closed by the Forest Service due to the extreme fire hazard, at least for a while and drug smuggler rule the Chiracua's.
I've seen balck bears in area 1 when I hunt elk. Just didn't have a tag handy the day O iwas watching an elk "freeway" when a nice bear walked right up to me, literally. He couldn't have been more than about 8 feet from me as he passed by. Area 27 which butts up against area 1 is supposed to have a fairly high bear population but from what I've heard, they ain't easy to find. I recently bought an electronic caller to try for a few feral pigs but just might pick up a bear tag and go for one myself although I'd much rather get a Mountain Lion.
You can contact AZ Game & Fish at 1(520) 628-5376 or write 555. N. Greasewood Road, Tucson, AZ 85745. They can give you what you need to know.
Paul B.
 
Washington bear population is estimated at 25,000 - 30,000 black bear.

The "fall" season across much of the state begins on August 1st, the rest of the state opens September 1st. Obtaining a tag for the fall hunt is simply a matter of buying one. On the last two seasons, my son and I were glassing relatively open hillsides and seeing literally a half - dozen bears in a couple of hours as they moved around and between the berry bushes. A fellow should be prepared to take an uphill or downhill shot out to 300 yards for sure. This spot and stalk hunt is not a sure thing, but a guy will likely see bears. Getting a shot at one is a different matter, and can take some work, moving into position.

Let me know if you have any other questions about Washington bear hunting - with one bear down now, I'm a real gee-whiz bear expert! :grin: There are a couple of outfitters who work the area I hunted, or a do-it-yourself hunt is certainly possible.

If you can make that Idaho/Frank Church Wilderness hunt happen - I think that would be a mighty fine choice. They still bait for bear over in Idaho, which makes for a better success rate, and Idaho also has a lot of color-phase bears...

Guy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AMMUNITIONAmmunition BULLETSBullets BRASSBrass FirearmsFirearms GearGear
Back
Top