Canada Bear VS USA Bear?

[mambashooter]

Have an opportunity to hunt black bear in Alberta Canada Spring 2011. Price 2,900.00 which includes tags, license,lodging, food, guide,and preparation of bear for shipping.This does not include my transporation to get there.This is for bow hunters only.Ten others will be in camp at the same time.
I would perfer to hunt black bear in the USA but haven't seen that good of a deal in the states.
Am I making a good choice to leave the USA for bear hunting?

[calgarychef]

The bears here in Alberta "might" be a bit smaller than some of the southern ones.  On the other hand there are some real bruisers but kind of scattered. Most areas in AB will have two tags a nice benifit.  We also have a huge amount of "color phased" bears if that't to your liking.

I think any time you can leave your home country for a hunting trip it's kind of cool.  You get to see new areas, meet new people and especially in Canada you can..........drink better beer!!

the chef

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

That's a good deal for Alberta! (seeing as you get 2 tags)

As far as loyalty to hunting American bears??? I can understand if it's to keep $$$ in the U.S. in order to help the economy, or that travel costs are less. (I suppose you'd have to elaborate on why...it's all assumptions till then)

As far as quality of a hunt...I'm sure there's good outfitters in both countries. If you look at land mass versus # of hunters then Canada definitely has the upper hand. You also have to consider how important shooting 2 bears is to you. If you're happy with one then look to other Canadian provinces to fit the budget. I'd stick to Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba. (just my opinion) The only negative thing about Alberta is that most hunters are killing 2 bears. Often a hunter will kill one (just to be successful) then wait for a bigger one. Sounds great but years of this happening must take it's toll on the mature bear population (again...just my opinion)

Whatever you choose, best of luck. Keep doing your research and it'll pay off.....Ryan

[Don Batten]

If baiting was legal here, I'd take you for free. I can walk 200yds behind my house and show you all the bear sign you want. For every deer pic I got on camera I got 10 bear pics. Trouble is, It's hit or miss . I usually see a few every year while in stand. When the season comes in it's already gun season and dog running is a ritual here. Woods are really boggered up by then. Good luck . I think up north would be the way to go. Don

[bear track]

We have the same price at our bear camp here in Manitoba. I would agree with Stickflinger that shooting 2 bears for years would tend to deplete the over all mean age of your bear herd. We haven't aged our male bears for 3-4 years now, but from when we did, the average age of a bear at our camp was 12 years old. Our oldest male bear up there was 31 and oldest female is 27.
I think this is because of Manitoba's bear management program that, an outfitter only gets 1 tag for every 33 square miles of bear habitat in your allocation area plus no one else can hunt bears in your allocated area. Works for us anyhow.

[stickbowhntr]

Been 20 years since I hunted Canada but would go back in heartbeat if I could afford. Was in Peace river area of Alberta-Beautiful Country

[A811]

Originally posted by batman:
If baiting was legal here, I'd take you for free. I can walk 200yds behind my house and show you all the bear sign you want. For every deer pic I got on camera I got 10 bear pics. Trouble is, It's hit or miss . I usually see a few every year while in stand. When the season comes in it's already gun season and dog running is a ritual here. Woods are really boggered up by then. Good luck . I think up north would be the way to go. Don

Um...ill take you up on your free offer!  

[dan d]

I went on a bear hunt in ManItoba, up by "The Pas" back in 2006. Saw a lot of bear, More than half our group of 9 took color phase bear (cinnamon & brown) one member of the group took a blonde phase there the year before. I had a great time and would recommend it.
Dan

[fedora]

The Canadian bear said "That was a traditional archer, taste like wool Ahe"  The US Bear said " That was a traditional archer, taste like wool"

ROFLMAO

[calgarychef]

Alberta can probably get away with two tags simply because the habitat produces a lot of bears.  Think about all the cutlines that have been opened up, they are all full of grass and willows.  The animals have geat feed because of that.  The bears also play hell on the moose calves killing somwhere around 60% of the calves each spring.

[Firstlight]

I'm new to bear hunting but I think Vancouver Island in BC has the largest density of black bear per mile in North America and Island bear is considered it's own sub species...

This year will be my first bear hunt, using my old jack howard recurve / spot and stalk...

[YORNOC]

Alberta is great. Hunted 5 different times up there and was very successful. I'm not a big PY fan but all bears but one "would have made book". Hunted off the Peace river. Last skull green scored 21". Didn't have it measured after drying. Couldn't weigh it. I guess around 400#. Shot a couple 300#er's cinnamon phase. Saw one so big it could barely walk, just rolled from side to side(in the spring!)while it was hunting for beavers in a small river system.  Saw my first wolf up there, all kinds of game, different ways of life, the northern lights, ten foot thick ice on the Peace river give way, bears climbing my tree to check me out, endless fun and often deafening silence. Good price, hope it is a good outfitter.
You should have a blast!

[Warchild]

Try a Michigan hunt, I have never heard of a black bear hunt up hear costing $2,000.00. We have some huge Bears here.

[BBWV]

I"m about like Batman. If we could bait I could show you all kinds of Bear right here in the mountains of WV. Go for it, sounds like a great hunt

[coaster500]

I had this bear inside 10 yards but he never turned and gave me the shot (I'm guessing 400#s ish). This bear and the one in my Avatar were Idaho bears. Both hunts were 5 day fully guided meals, baits, under $2000. I would have harvested bears on both hunts but after seeing the picture of the monster I was hooked on trying for him. I went home with a great encounter and story  

 

[damascusdave]

Originally posted by fedora:
The Canadian bear said "That was a traditional archer, taste like wool Ahe"  The US Bear said " That was a traditional archer, taste like wool"

ROFLMAO

We spell the word "eh" up here, and yes that is exactly the difference between canuck and yankee bears.

I once lived in an apartment where some joker had changed the number to 1 EH.

I used to live at La Loche, Saskatchewan and one hunter took a picture of a bear that was sitting on its haunches eating beside a 45 gallon drum and its whole head and neck were above the level of the drum. I would guess it was at least 500 and could well have been 600 pounds. The guy said he did not shoot it because it looked small, I think he did not shoot it because it made him too nervous to aim his bow.

DDave