Bear
There are four species of bear in North America (black, brown, grizzly, and polar) recognized by the various record keeping associations. Of these, the most commonly hunted are the black bears, which are also the smallest and most widely distributed. The brown bear is actually a grizzly that happens to live in the southern coastal zone of Alaska where food is both plentiful and rich. The great food allows these coastal grizzlies to attain sizes significantly larger than the bears in other regions, which is why they have been segregated for record keeping purposes. There is no mistaking the giant white bears of the polar region.
Black Bears
Black bears enjoy the largest range of any North American species (including the widely distributed whitetail deer), spanning from the eastern most portions of Canada to the western shores of Alaska, and from the far north of all Canadian Provinces down into the southern mountains of Arizona, California, and New Mexico. There are even large numbers in Florida, although the area is not noted for large bears.
Like all mammals, the size of mature specimens varies from one area to another. Unlike other species, however, black bears also vary widely in color phases as well. Those bears found in the eastern side of the continent are almost always all black. Of course, an all black bear will usually have a brown nose and a small percentage will have a white chest patch. Its when you get further west that the coloration gets real interesting! Black bears in the west run the full gambit of coloration from light blond to deep reddish brown. They also have black colored bears and some small isolated areas have white and/or blue colored "black bears". Some of the most beautiful bears I've seen have had light blond bodies with reddish brown legs. There is also a tendency for the bears of the more western regions to have bigger skull sizes, however this is certainly not always the case.
Black bears can be hunted any number of ways, but the most popular is by baiting. Baited bear hunts are available in both the spring and fall seasons in most areas where they are hunted. The advantages of baiting are that the animal comes to you for a close shot, that you should have ample time to size up the trophy potential before shooting, and that you should get to see more bears than any other hunting method. Other hunting methods include chasing them with hounds, and spot and stalk hunting. For the bowhunter, hunting them from a tree stand over an active bait site has to be the most successful. Some hunters accept the additional challenge of finding a remote region and doing their own baiting, however most will rely on the services of a guide.
The only spot and stalk hunting that has a reasonable chance of success is done when the bears are out feeding in very open areas during the day. This occurs on some south facing slopes in the spring where bears look for the first emerging green growth, and on some rolling hills in the fall that are covered with ripe berries. Hoping that the bears are pre-occupied with feeding, the hunter uses the wind to his favor and stalks in close enough for a clean shot. This can be as challenging as any bowhunting there is!
Chasing bears with hounds is an expensive proposition and the hunting regulations need to be checked carefully before proceeding, however this can be very successful and produces some huge bears every season where allowed.
One of the most important things to look for in trophy black bear hunt is an area that has not received a lot of hunting pressure. It takes bears 8-12 years to grow to Pope & Young record book size in most regions, so you have to hunt areas where they get to live that long if you hope to find one. Another important consideration when looking for big bears, is the food supply. More southern regions with longer feeding seasons, have a better chance of producing big bears. It is for this reason that bears from the southern portions of coastal areas are commonly found to have large bodies and therefore large heads/skulls.
Grizzly/Brown Bears
In the case of the coastal brown bears of southern Alaska, these bears can be HUGE. In all areas a good sized grizzly is a formidable adversary that should not be taken lightly.
Grizzlies range from as far north as the arctic shores of Northwest Territories and Alaska, to the mountainous regions of Montana. Most of the hunting for grizzly is in Alaska, however there are limited tags available in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and the Yukon.
All grizzly/brown bear hunting is done by the spot and stalk method, as baiting is not permitted. Spring hunts concentrate in areas where bears look for the first green growth of spring, usually on south facing slopes. In the fall they are usually found in open areas above timber line feeding on berries. Some hunting is done very successfully by watching moose or caribou carcasses left from earlier on a combination hunt, waiting for a grizzly to move in and take over. Another successful and popular method to find a grizzly in the fall is to watch areas in rivers and streams where bears come to feed on spawning fish. This works well on brown bears in Alaska, which rely heavily on spawning salmon for their fall dietary needs, and to a lesser extent on interior grizzlies near either salmon or sucker streams.
While unusual, it is possible to take grizzlies from tree stands set up at key feeding areas near dependable spawning areas in the fall. Find a guide/outfitter that knows his area well enough and you could get positioned in a tree stand with a very high chance of success. One very important thing to remember about grizzly hunting is that there is a much greater demand than there is supply of tags, and therefore these hunts are not inexpensive, and must be booked well in advance.
Polar Bear
It has been said that the polar bear is the most elusive and prestigious North American trophy animal. Given the fact that so few have been taken by sport hunters, that has to be true. Part of the reason for this has to do with the cost of a decent Polar bear hunt. The current rate is $27,000.00, and that does not include some of the incidental expenses involved. An additional deterrent to hunting these magnificent creatures for a number of years was the restriction on bringing them back into the States after the hunt. It is one thing to pay over $30,000.00 for a hunt, and another thing altogether to pay that kind of money knowing you can't bring the trophy home!
Much of the Northwest Territories has been opened up for limited polar bear hunting, and it is now possible to get permits to bring the trophy back into the States after a successful hunt from some of these areas. This spurred additional interest in these hunts which caused a jump in the prices and an extension of the lead time to plan a hunt. If you are one of those people that wants to hunt polar bear one day, start saving now, and get on a waiting list for one of the limited permits, it could be a 3-6 year wait!
There is only one legal way to hunt polar bears: following them with dog sleds. Typically you ride most of the day trying to find a fresh track. Once the track is located one of the dogs is released from the team to chase the bear. As the team gets closer to the bear more dogs are released. Ultimately, the plan is to have enough dogs loose to bay the bear up long enough for the hunter to arrive and approach close enough for a good shot.
There are two real challenges to this hunt. One is the severe weather which must be braved just to chase these bears on their home turf. The second is getting close enough for a good shot without the bear either running or charging. With a bow this is even more critical because you must get closer for the shot, and you don' t want the guide to put a bullet hole in your trophy even if it is for self defense.