The Ins And Outs Of Bear Hunting
If you are looking for the hunting experience of your life, bear hunting is the thrill for you. Whether it is brown bear, grizzly bear, or black bear, bear hunting is a dangerous yet thrilling experience that excites most hunters.
If grizzly bear hunting is what tickles your fancy, travel to Alaska and hunt in the Management Unit 9. Grizzly bears dominate Unit 9. They dominate Unit 21 in Alaska, too. Grizzly bears are considered one of the most dangerous, unpredictable bears in the world, so considerable care is required when hunting these types of bears.
It has been noted that Grizzly bears and brown bears are interchangeable. Outfitters and guides will dispute this belief as they encounter bears – both grizzly and brown – in their day-to-day life. Those that travel on the shore line while bear hunting will experience more brown bears. Those bear hunting more in the interior will come across more grizzlies. Grizzlies are also smaller than brown bears, but genetically, they are the same.
Brown bear hunting is as dangerous as hunting grizzlies. Brown bears are physically larger because they live in a more temperate climate and their diet is high protein, high fat salmon. They are also distinguished by their coloring, which can be anywhere from blonde to brown, and even black.
Black bears, smaller than other bears, are not in any danger of becoming extinct. Their only major threat is poaching. Legal hunting – that is hunting with a licence – regulates the number of bears able to be harvested, which is extremely important to preserve the number of bears in the wild.
Before you go bear hunting, make sure you have the proper equipment to make your hunt successful. Your hunting rifle must be a 30 calibre or higher and the barrel must be channel glass bedded. The best rifle to use is one that shoots consistently in all types of weather. Outfitters will also tell you that you are responsible for your own gear – the ammo, sleeping bags, personal items, and your firearms permit. Make sure you carry that permit with you at all times when hunting. Alcohol is permitted in camp, but only in moderation. Excessive drinking and firearms are a dangerous combination.
Food banks are the recipients of harvested game animals. As a bear is a huge animal, you would not be able to go through that much meat on your own, so outfitters, who are required by law to salvage the meat, donate it. You can take some bear meat home, if you wish.
Learn the tagging system of the area you plan on hunting in. Knowing this information will allow you to hunt other kinds of wild game – pending that you have the right permit to do so – while bear hunting.
