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Spot & Stalk Black Bear Hunts
The former #8 SCI world record black bear taken in the desert of Arizona and weighing over 500 pounds.
We are pleased to offer a unique bear hunting experience in Arizona! When searching for black bear hunts, many people would not ever think to look to Arizona. But, from recent experiences and publicity, more and more hunters are coming to realize that this State can provide some of the best trophy black bear hunting in the West. A glance at recent entries in the books will show that Arizona has produced many "book" black bears. It is considered as a top choice for record-class bear hunting. The Arizona black bear comes in all color varieties, from blonde, cinnamon, chocolate, to coal black. Seventy-five percent of the bears we harvest are colored with chocolate brown being dominant. Arizona black bears live in the thick timber at higher elevations most of the year, but during the months of August through September (our typical hunting season) bears come out of the high country in search of fat-building food sources. Some Arizona black bears travel to the lower desert elevations of their mountain ranges looking for prickly pear cactus fruit, which is very sweet and high in calories. Other bears may travel to areas with a high concentration of acorns, juniper berries or manzanita berries. What the bears are feeding on dictates where and how we hunt. The density of black bears in Arizona is not extremely high by anyone's standards, but the quality of the bears (whether it be color, large body size, or record book potential) is why most hunters come here. Our guided hunters see an average of three bears per trip. Some hunters may only see one bear, while others have seen as many as 12 on a four-day hunt. For the past few bear seasons, most of our hunters had shooting opportunities (90% either took shots, passed on bears, or killed)!
About Our Bear Hunts
As a secondary technique, we use calling. Some black bears prefer to stay in the manzanita, oak and juniper slopes where they eat the berries or acorns. These areas have thicker vegetation and allow for limited glassing. If this is where the bears are located at the time of your hunt, we may use limited glassing and a fawn in distress call trying to get a bear within shooting distance. The bears we hunt are usually old and BIG! Our bear hunters have taken large males up to 500 pounds! Bear rugs usually measure in the 6 to 8 foot range from nose to tail. The outfitter has taken the former #8 SCI World Record and has assisted clients in taking bears that measure in the top 50. If you fill your bear tag, the potential for it being a trophy specimen is very good. Please note: Our hunts can be physically demanding at times because hunting is done in mountainous terrain. Hunters are encouraged to condition themselves before arrival in order to increase their odds. Arizona fall black bear tags are over-the-counter (will be purchased by mail before you arrive). There is NO DRAW. Tag fee for non-residents: $237.50 and hunting license for non-residents is $151.25 ($388.75 total).
Our Arizona Rifle Hunt Dates: The season dates will be published in April by the AZGFD. Typically bear hunts are conducted throughout the month of August. Hunters meet us one day prior to hunting. Space is limited. We accommodate 4-5 hunters at a time per camp. Contact us as soon as possible to reserve your spot.
Fully Guided & Outfitted Trophy Bear Hunts: 2008 RATES
Description of Bear Package Package includes: accommodations (tent camps), meals, courtesy airport transfer from Tucson, camp transportation, packing out of animal, trophy prep and a guide. A minimum 50% non-refundable deposit is required to book a hunt. If cancelled, deposit can be transferred to a vacant hunt within the calendar year, if a tag can be obtained. We recommend cancellation insurance for all of our guests. Visit our general info page for more details. Choose from 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 packages. 1 on 1 means one hunter per guide and 2 on 1 means two hunters per guide. If choosing 2 on 1, you must bring the other hunter to share the guide with. For those that own a camping trailer/pop-up and would like to bring it to camp to sleep in are more than welcome to do so, but we cannot discount the hunt any. It must be small and high enough to be pulled on rough dirt roads. If a hunter has not tagged by the scheduled end of hunt, there is an option of paying at a daily rate thereafter. Licenses and tags nor possible hotel stay after the hunt are not included in price. * Friday through Monday noon. All hunters arrive to camp on a Thursday. Flying hunters should get a flight into Tucson on Wednesday, get a hotel and we will pickup Thursday morning for a ride to camp. Flying hunters should get a flight out on Tuesday morning (hotel required).
Be sure you visit our general info page. Also, read our bear stories for more feel of our hunts.
Our Latest Black Bear Photos
Jack McDermott of Pennsylvania with a record-class Arizona bear. This beat-up, old bear is chocolate brown with a blonde back. He was aged at 20 years and showed many years of battle scars.
Jason Poreda from Illinois took this bear with one shot at 308 yards using a .300 Ultra Magnum and a 6.5-20X50 Leupold.
George (G.O.) Heath from Georgia with a huge Arizona chocolate-colored bear (the dominant color). G.O. used the outfitter's Remington 700 in .300 Win. Magnum with a 6.5-20X Leupold. The bear only went 20 yards after being hit.
The bears did not show up in the lower elevations, so we were forced to hunt the acorns. Mike Rosio shot this bear in the scrub oak thickets after his guide called it into an opening using a predator call. The shot was 230 yards.
Hunter Steve Kremp (left) with outfitter Pat Feldt and guide Josh Epperson. This big chocolate bear took many bullets to put down. It holed-up in the brush and charged Steve before the ending shot.
***More Black Bear Photos***
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Home | Other Hunts | General Info | Rates | Contact Us | Stories | Links | References |What to Bring This website last updated: April 30, 2008 Copyright © 1999-2008 Arizona Guided Hunts. All Rights Reserved. "Arizona Guided Hunts" is a Registered Trade Name. |
Arizona
Bear Guides and Outfitters
Our bear hunts are fair chase in the purist form! Dogs or bait are not used on
this hunt. The primary hunting technique involves a spot and stalk method.
We hike to a good vantage point where a few square miles of terrain can be seen
at one time. When bears are amongst the sparse vegetation, they can be seen at
very long distances using high-powered binoculars. We occasionally spot bears up to 2 miles away since they
can stand out like a sore thumb.
Once a good bear is spotted, we plan our stalk. Rifle shots tend to
be across big canyons, so a bipod, good high-power riflescope,
and a big, flat-shooting caliber is needed. We prefer to use the .300
magnums or 7mm magnums topped with 4.5-14X or 6.5-20X variable scopes.
Boat tail bullets in 150g to 180g range are perfect for this long range bear
hunting. If you do not own
a similar setup and would like to borrow ours, we will gladly lend you one to increase your odds of taking a
bear.
