hAS anyone been on a good black bear hunt that was worth the money? if so please give me the details.

Do you want to climb a tree and shoot it while it licks a molasses bucket or really HUNT? If you want to hunt, avoid the Canadian outfits and check out the northwest New Mexico outfitters. There's also some around Raton who hunt fair chase. Good luck!

climb in a tree. im 14 and looking to go with my grandpa so nothing extreme

I hunted black bears in the Sierra Nevadas for years all spot and stalk. I don't know about guided hunts I always did DIY on public land.

I know this is going to sound stupid, but why is hunting deer at a feeder more acceptable than hunting bears at a bait?

good point wanderer. If thats what you want to do then you should be aloud to do it with out a bunch of people on the internet telling you that it is not fair chase.

This is one I have seen argued out, many times heated arguements, on varioius forums around the country.

The ones that suprise me are the ones in Texas.

Here it is standard, acceptable practice to shoot deer at a feeder, but mention hunting bear the same way and many people think that is wrong.

Check out the forums and talk to folks that live in states with huntable bear populations and most of those folks think that there are only two ways to hunt bear, either over a bait or with dogs, yet feel that hunting a deer over a bait is beneath contempt

I have yet to see anyone, from either side of the arguement, give a realistic answer as to why there is that kind of attitude.

i was thinkin same thing!

You're right tp93 and I probably did come on too strong with the kid. There's nothing wrong with hunting over a feeder, I've done it myself, but I do wish we could teach young hunters things about still hunting, the wind in your face, the sun at your back, etc. I think it should be part of the outdoor experience. There's so much more to it and the youngsters deserve it all.

I know an outfitter in Manitoba that is not overly priced and great chance at a great bear. PM if you need any info.

No arguement there, but many folks don't have the time or the finanaces to go on such a hunt, hoping to learn all about it and be successful at the same time.

Have we lost something because of that, yes, but I really don't see anyway that we can go back and capture that type of hunting experience, wished it was not that way.

Go sit at a bait barrel while a bear squaring 6'8" with a 20" skull full of bad teeth, and a bad attitude to go with it walks out within 10 yards of your "hiding" spot on the ground behind the nearest bush with only a bow, and tell me it ain't hunting. I did and it takes all the nerve you can muster to be still and quiet while his beady little eyes peer a hole in you. In Canada you won't see them if you don't bait them and as far as I can tell with all of the hunting I do out of state there is no difference sitting on a feeder, barrel, edge of cut corn, oak Mott, waterhole, or big timber block with boo boo feeding under the slash piles. I suppose you could get a bunch of dogs and chase him up a tree, and shoot him like a squirrel. Oh wait that's hunting too.

And all the philosophizing still doesn't answer his question.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what he is talking about. Not all Canadian hunts are baited. I had a great spot and stalk hunt in British Columbia. Wound up taking two very nice bears. Here is a link to the outfitter.

http://www.bolenlewis.com/

http://www.northalberta.com/contact.html

Two answers. M16 has a good one, and Troy Foster in Northern Alberta will put you on a quad and haul you 35 to 40 Kilometers back in the bush over floating bridges and through beaver ponds into some of the wildest bush you have ever seen and get you the opportunity at some of the biggest black bears I have seen in person for 3500.00 plus license and air fare with the chance at a second bear for an additional 500. You stay in a very cool tent camp sleeping out in the bush with the guides for 6 days, and can hunt wolves every night off of the carcasses of the bears for the 25.00 tag. I did it in 2009, and paid up and am headed back in May of 2012.

I know someone that did a bear hunt in central Idaho back in Septemeber in a 2 bear area, and it was from a stand over a bait, but the person had a blast.

If I remember, they were driving a 4 wheeler 10 miles one-way everyday they hunted, just to get to their stand.

They did kill one bear, but did not see a second, but if he had, it would have been an additional $200.00 for the second bear, and I believe he stated that if he had got the second bear, the total hunt cost would have been slightly under $1700.00.

He and his wife, who did not hunt stayed in a wall tent camp that was set at something over 7000 feet in the Nez Perce NF, and the stand he hunted out of was at almost 8000 feet and about or right at 10 miles from camp.

He is making plans on gong back in 2012.

You can buy over-the-counter tags in New Mexico and hunt there. Several good spots in the Gila and Apache Forest!

Any idea of what success rates are?

Don't know if your are asking in general, but Alberta is 100% opportunity. Don't know of anyone that didn't get at least an opportunity when I was there.

Squared 6'8", and skull dried to 19 7/8"

I've never hunted bear before, so I'm curious.. Is bear any good to eat? I love myself some backstap from deer and pigs.. I don't see any Creative recipes for bear.. Most are crock pots or stew.. Only seeing that makes me think it's not the best in the world..

From what I have found. Your cheapest area with 100% success rates for hunting baited Spring bear are in Quebec Canada. The outfitters rates are 1600 dollars. Tag is @ 160. Your door to door price with air, car rental ,etc will run @ 3000 dollars each. Westen Canada is twice as much.
I believe Idaho does offer Spring bear also but success rates arent as high.
If you are still in school, than the Spring season mid May thru June would be good for you.

I had a great bear hunt last year up in Maine. There is a ton of outfitters up there. I think most prices ran from 1700 - 2000. The tags were around $170 for an out-of-stater and they are over the counter.

Im going to alaska next year with my wife for coastal black bear. No baits, just spot and stalk. There are several areas up there that are comparable to price to the canada outfits. In my search for outfitters i found prices from 12900 pp to about 4000 pp. Those were for boat hunts you can charter your own boat and be dropped off for less than that too.

my wifes grandfather held the record for heaviest bear taken in maine, over 600 lbs.

beautiful animal