Kodiak bear

rimfire458

rimfire458

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I want to hunt the big ones. Most outfitters focus on Kodiak island. With that in mind one has to wonder if he wants to lay out 25 G's to go to an island that's pounded by so many. Anyone have experience with outfitters other places. With the price tag I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck
 
No experience to offer, but I remember reading an article years ago which strongly suggested that an incredible experience for massive world class brown bears could be had on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Not strictly speaking Ursus arctos middendorffi, but it might be cool to look into?
 
I agree with the post above about going to another part of the world. Hammering Kodiak Island continuously is likely to be removing the genetics, the lifestyle and the opportunity for those bears to grow really big. (I'm assuming you want to pound the biggest bear you can?)

Do some wildlife research. Ask the Alaska Fish and Game department where else to hunt big coastal brown bears.
 
Can not believe hunters believe controlled bear hunting will remove the genetics. It is more like from David Suzuki.
Kodiak island has more than 3000 brown bears. Biologists believe 6% mortality is sustainable for the Bears. So each year, 180 brown bears can be taken. Hunting can support local communities and do not harm the healthy growth of brown bear population at all.
 
elker said:
Can not believe hunters believe controlled bear hunting will remove the genetics. It is more like from David Suzuki.
Kodiak island has more than 3000 brown bears. Biologists believe 6% mortality is sustainable for the Bears. So each year, 180 brown bears can be taken. Hunting can support local communities and do not harm the healthy growth of brown bear population at all.
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IMHO, when the biggest, brownest and ugliest of any species are constantly hunted, there are secondary effects. Why do fishermen 'catch and release'? Same principle. They leave the best breeding stock for the next generations. Maybe the effects are subtle, but over the years they can't be ignored. I hadn't thought about it that way until a student in one of my hunter ed' classes asked me why hunters go after the biggest animals.

Heck, just think of natural selection in any small town. Even after a dozen beers, I wouldn't want to take credit for bagging some of those girls.

BTW, I have whiskers but not an scrawny as Suzuki's.
 
Absolutely correct, where do you think all the great tuskers went in Africa, their genetics were all killed off in a matter of decades.
 
Silverado said:
No experience to offer, but I remember reading an article years ago which strongly suggested that an incredible experience for massive world class brown bears could be had on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Not strictly speaking Ursus arctos middendorffi, but it might be cool to look into?
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+1

The owner of a Canadian Tire near my house has his stuffed and displayed behind a glass cube right in the middle of the store, and he took her in Kamchatka. Biggest brownie I ever saw (seen a couple in my life, but more in zoos than in the wild) and it's a female...............
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
IMHO, when the biggest, brownest and ugliest of any species are constantly hunted, there are secondary effects. Why do fishermen 'catch and release'? Same principle. They leave the best breeding stock for the next generations. Maybe the effects are subtle, but over the years they can't be ignored. I hadn't thought about it that way until a student in one of my hunter ed' classes asked me why hunters go after the biggest animals.

Heck, just think of natural selection in any small town. Even after a dozen beers, I wouldn't want to take credit for bagging some of those girls.

BTW, I have whiskers but not an scrawny as Suzuki's.
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Before the biggest, brownest, and ugliest bears were "harvested", they must have had years of opportunities to mate other females. So their genes are already in the next generations. So where is the concern?
Last night, I watched a brown bear documentary on YouTube. In one episode,A big brown was having ### with a female bear. Then another female bears showed up, this lusty male bear stopped having ### with the first one to jump on the newcomer.
 
The idea of over seas is a good one. I found from my over seas experiences that the things which are small conflicts in north America escalate (sometimes) into horror shows. If those horror shows cost 5-8 g's I can swallow that but when their an all in of 30 g's I don't need the the whole "we can get away with murder" cause he's not from this continent aura hanging over it. Believe me it is there
 
rimfire458 said:
I want to hunt the big ones. Most outfitters focus on Kodiak island. With that in mind one has to wonder if he wants to lay out 25 G's to go to an island that's pounded by so many. Anyone have experience with outfitters other places. With the price tag I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck
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I don't think that Phil Shoemaker hunts Kodiak. He would be my first choice.
 
Gunslinger said:
Absolutely correct, where do you think all the great tuskers went in Africa, their genetics were all killed off in a matter of decades.
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A scientifically based and sustainable harvest of a small percentage of the oldest animals in a population that reaches maturity in 10 years cannot be compared to a commercial slaughter of animals that take 60 years to reach trophy potential. That comparison is the sort that an uninformed anti hunter would make. Not calling you an uninformed anti-hunter, just pointing out that your argument isn't based in fact or reality.
 
There are coastal brown bears in BC, and a big grizzly doesn't particularly care if he's Canadian, Russian, or American. I know a couple of fellows who hunted Kodiak, they got to know each other real well having to spend 10 days together in a tent due to bad weather - 100 mph wind bad weather! After all that, they got one bear, but it was quite a nice one, so the genetics seem to be intact, despite the hunting pressure. I recall an article in Field and Stream back in the '70 suggesting that a bear hunter on Kodiak would probably score a 400 pound bear if he got one at all, it seems they've rebounded since that time.
 
rimfire458 said:
I want to hunt the big ones. Most outfitters focus on Kodiak island. With that in mind one has to wonder if he wants to lay out 25 G's to go to an island that's pounded by so many. Anyone have experience with outfitters other places. With the price tag I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck
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Check out guys that offer hunts in the panhandle, specifically the "ABC Islands" area. There are hunts out there starting for around $15K, of course you have to get yourself there and all the rest of the expense. I always thought that a Alaska brown boat hunt with fishing thrown in would be pretty cool rather than spending two weeks in a drenched tent.

Coastal BC grizzly is generally more money than Alaska Brown as they're classified as "Grizzly" even though they share a close geographical area. Most of those hunts seem to be bought by guys that have shot an interior grizzly and want a monster for the books.

Kamchatka brown is the least expensive. I've heard good reports and also horror stories of flying for 8 hours/day along the tundra and rivers in derelict helicopters.

Bottom line: Do your homework, bad outfitters have a hard time hiding from the internet these days. Go with a reputable booking agent so you have recourse just in case and talk to previous clients, successful and unsuccessful. Speak with the outfitter. If he tell's you 100% success, hang up.

I researched this quite a bit a several years back, then life got in the way. Maybe one day yet.
 
bearkilr said:
. . . .
Coastal BC grizzly is generally more money than Alaska Brown as they're classified as "Grizzly" even though they share a close geographical area. Most of those hunts seem to be bought by guys that have shot an interior grizzly and want a monster for the books.
. . . .
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I thought it was decided years ago that all brown bears were grizzlies, and that differences in size had more to do with a more abundant food supply in coastal environments. But just to be clear, is there a difference in the cost of the licenses between coastal bears and interior bears?
 
Bears in Russia are definitely smaller on average than Alaska but it can be an incredible adventure....it can be a disaster too. With the limited harvest on Kodiak, there is still a great opportunity to kill a monster bear. If size is what's foremost on your list I'd say go to Alaska. If it's adventure you seek, then Russia gets the nod. My trip to Kamchatka was one of my biggest adventures.....I'd go back in heartbeat.
 
Boomer said:
I thought it was decided years ago that all brown bears were grizzlies, and that differences in size had more to do with a more abundant food supply in coastal environments. But just to be clear, is there a difference in the cost of the licenses between coastal bears and interior bears?
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You're correct, but I should've said that it was in regard to Boone and Crockett classification. Alaska Brown are mainly the bears from the islands of Alaska whereas grizzly is Alaskan interior, Yukon, and BC, plus the tundra grizzlies which are smaller yet. The coastal BC grizzlies are by far the largest due to them being on the same salmon diet as what's classified as Alaska Brown, hence pretty much all top grizzlies in the record books come from coastal areas which don't fall into Alaska Brown bear boundaries.
I'm not sure on license costs, but from my research the coastal BC grizzlies are the most expensive bear to hunt after Polar bear and some prices even approach those. Bella Coola and those areas you're looking at close to or over $30K for grizz, a large part of the reason also being that available tags are so limited now.
 
Boomer said:
I thought it was decided years ago that all brown bears were grizzlies, and that differences in size had more to do with a more abundant food supply in coastal environments. But just to be clear, is there a difference in the cost of the licenses between coastal bears and interior bears?
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When I bought my Alaska grizzly licence it simply said "Brown bear". $600 and there was no distinction between the two.
 
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