Where to hunt large game

[Photon Guy]

So obviously some places in the USA are better for hunting than others and depending on what you want to hunt, you might have to do some traveling. For instance, Colorado is supposed to be a good state for hunting particularly since there's so much wilderness there. For grizzly bear hunting though I heard you would have to go elsewhere. Supposedly there used to be more of a grizzly bear population in Colorado but not so much now. To hunt grizzly I heard you had to go north to states such as Idaho and Wyoming. Colorado has got black bears but not much grizzly bears. I really do want to hunt grizzly, I want the challenge.

[FrankenMauser]

I know of no legal Grizzly hunts in the lower 48 states.
Canada and Alaska will be your destinations.

[Scorch]

The best place to hunt any animal, whether large game or small game, is where they are plentiful. In the case of grizzlies, that usually means somewhere far away from people. Yes, Alaska qualifies.

I read that Montana is considering a limited grizzly hunt due to increasing numbers around Yellowstone, but I would not hold my breath for it.

And, as with anything that is thrilling or otherwise titillating, it is going to be expensive.

[jmr40]

Yellowstone NP is the only place with large numbers of Grizzly in the lower 48. They at times wander outside the park. There are a handful occasionally seen in other western states, but none are legal to hunt.

Alaska is the only state where they exist in huntable numbers, as well as some places in Canada.

Black bear are much more common and in many parts of the NE are quite plentiful. Pennsylvania is noted for a large bear population. Quebec in Canada used to be known as the place to go for black bear. Hunts there are reasonably priced with very good success rates. They are so common they are considered pests there.

Colorado is probably best known as the best spot for out of state hunters to take an elk. It has by far the largest elk population of any western state and with regulations that make it easier for out of state hunters to get a tag.

There is good hunting in many places, it just depends on the game sought after. Most of the southeastern states have large whitetail populations with generous bag limits. But states like Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky seem to be where the biggest racks are coming from.

[us920669]

I saved up pretty much my whole life to go to Africa and have never regretted it once. Plenty of big critters over there. I think the biggest bears on earth are in the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, or something like that. It is a brown bear, closely related to the Grizzly. New records are being set all the time, meaning the biggest one is still out there.

[Wyosmith]

Yellowstone NP is the only place with large numbers of Grizzly in the lower 48."
Oh no.....no so at all!

Much of Wyoming is quite full of them. I'll grant that they mostly came out of the park but that was something that was going on in the 50s and 60s and now we have far more then we'd like in much of the state.

I hunt elk about 80 miles from the park boundary many time. I have never, not once hunting in that area that I have not run into grizzlies. I have never been threatened by one, but I don't let my guard down either.

According to the US Fish and Wildlife, the population of Grizzly Bears per square mile in these areas of Wyoming is higher than it is in the park, and in fact there are more grizzlies per square mile here then in any other place in the world, including Russia or Alaska.

But the Federal Courts have blocked grizzly hunting here every time it has come up.

This if because #1 there is an agenda to coddle the bears for the purpose of the left and #1 we have never had a governor that understood the States Rights issue and proceeded anyway (as the governess of a few other states have done with other issues)

But do not believe that "only Yellowstone Park has Grizzlies"
Just not so. Not even close.

[kilimanjaro]

Alaska and Canada, for sure, and also Kamchatka for the big brown bears. Used to be the way to get there was via Sapporo, Japan, ship to Vladisvostok, and then fly or ferry over, but now there are flights from Alaska. If you want to hunt in the middle of nowhere, you will be there once you arrive.

[TimSr]

I know of no legal Grizzly hunts in the lower 48 states.
Canada and Alaska will be your destinations.

True. Also, Alaska used to require non-residents to have a guide for grizzly hunts. That's why we hunted back bears there.

[Photon Guy]

I would sometime like to go to Alaska to hunt Kodiak bears but first I would want to get some experience with smaller bears. The grizzlies in the lower 48 are smaller than the big Kodiak bears in Alaska but according to previous posts you can't hunt them. That would leave black bears as a hunting choice for me if I were to hunt bears in the lower 48. Im thinking if a .30 06 would be adequate for hunting a black bear, I would think it would be, if Im hunting larger bears I would want to bring along my .375 H&H but for black bears a .30 06 should suffice if they allow hunting with semi automatics.

[T. O'Heir]

The .30-06 will do for any game in North America with a change of bullet. Black bears are hunted with the same rifles and loads as deer. Yogi is not armour plated.
Some outfitters, up here, insist on .300 Win Mag as a minimum for Griz though.
A 2016 griz hunt in British Columbia(No season elsewhere other than the Yukon) starts at $10,000(usually much higher) without the non-resident licence($202.00Cdn), tags($1,155.00) or trophy fees(the latter runs 4 to 6 grand). And you need to deal with CITES rules.
And, of course, our stupid firearms laws require you to have a licence or make a declaration at the border. That part is not a big deal though.

[Photon Guy]

Yogi is not armour plated.

On the head they are.

[TimSr]

Kodiak bears are a subspecies of brown bear isolated on Kodiak island, and can and usually do get much larger than inland grizzlies or coastal brown bears. Some occasionally reach 1500lbs. Armor plated? May not be military grade, but mother nature does create varying degrees of armor. On the other hand, since it's entirely about shot placement, and energy is irrelevant, why not an AR in .223?

[kilimanjaro]

All you are going to do is brass off a very large bear.

Your little toy AR will need to penetrate a foot to a foot and a half of muscle, sinew, and deflecting bones to kill an Alaskan bear.

Do eat lots of table salt before going hunting with your mouse gun, the bears like their meat seasoned. Leave your watch and wallet at the lodge, they'll send the items home to your family.

[Photon Guy]

I suppose you could take down an Alaskan bear with a .223 if you hit it right in the eye so that the round goes into the brain, good luck on making that shot. I heard a case of a bear taking 500 rounds from an M16 and it was still going.

[us920669]

Theoretically, any firearm on earth is probably capable of inflicting a fatal injury on any species on earth, but when it's you and him on the same piece of ground, you want to figure the odds. I shouldn't talk, I have absolutely no experience with bear hunting, but i did a little hunting and a lot of reading about the dangerous species of Africa. For the biggest bears around, I would think 338 as a bare minimum, 358 or 375 a much better idea, and I would personally prefer something that starts with a 4. If recoil is a problem, then you probably have no business hunting something for which you are incapable of using the required tool.

[TimSr]

On the other hand, since it's entirely about shot placement, and energy is irrelevant, why not an AR in .223?

I should have learned by now that no matter how ridiculously facetious I can make a statement, somebody will still want to debate it.

They are not armor plated, but they have body armor comparable to what police wear.

There's more to the shot than just where it hits.

He'll be just as dead...........eventually.

[us920669]

I hope you don't think I'm arguing with you - you are absolutely right. But for those who like to quibble - could you kill a T Rex with 22 long rifle? I don't know how tough the hide was, but how about a brain shot, through the roof of the mouth as he's swallowing you?

[Photon Guy]

I hope you don't think I'm arguing with you - you are absolutely right. But for those who like to quibble - could you kill a T Rex with 22 long rifle? I don't know how tough the hide was, but how about a brain shot, through the roof of the mouth as he's swallowing you?

Or through the eye, if you can make the shot.

[22-rimfire]

That's a big IF. Moving target...... eye. Nearly impossible. But you can dream.

[Scorch]

Don't be rash, youngsters. Back around 1900, the Smithsonian Institute sent a man to Africa to collect sample animals for displays. Can't remember exactly how many he took, somewhere over 300 animals from mouse-sized to elephants, all collected with a 22 rimfire. That doesn't mean you or I could do it, but it can be done. I am also quite sure he wasn't stopping charges with it. But most hunting situations do not allow surgical precision, or if they do I do not know how to take advantage of the opportunities. Usually we just want an animal down so we substitute brute force for finesse. I believe anything with teeth as long as my fingers and claws as long as my hand deserves the benefit of brute force.

[Tinbucket]

Moose, Elk, Big Bears, you'll have to hut Montana Wyoming, Canada and Alaska.
I endeavor to have reason to buy a .45-110 and .378 Wby, .460 Wby,
,257Wby for Pronghorn, .30-378 Wby, or .30 Jarrett, for Elk, at very long range and the .3783 and .460 for Africa and the big bears of Alaska.
There are some hunts or shoots, for Buffalo, on some, of the Indian reservations out West.

[22-rimfire]

I believe they are doing moose hunts in Maine now.

Elk hunts in many states that have seeded populations, but hard to get drawn as they are very limited.

Black bear...... wide open with many options. The 30-06 is fine for them and anything above.

Grizzly and Brown bear..... Alaska and Canada. I would choose something a bit bigger caliber wise myself.

[the357plan]

I heard a case of a bear taking 500 rounds from an M16 and it was still going.

You probably shouldn't believe everything you hear. Just watch Ted Nugent go full auto on hogs.

energy is irrelevant, why not an AR in .223?

Yeah, why not? Bella Twin (an Indian girl) shot the world record grizzly (at the time) in 1953 with a single shot .22 rifle using a .22 long (not even a Long Rifle). I'm being facetious too.

As for hunting grizzly, unless you have money, free your mind from that ambition (or switch to a camera and keep your distance). The most powerful gun I currently have is chambered in 7-30 Waters. Doesn't mean hunting big game is out of the question. Just means I have to get close in, too close for grizzly. Besides, I'm not willing to actually try bear meat.

[handlerer2]

First, I don't agree that there are far more Elk in CO than in any other state. The wilderness in Co is compressed into less than half of the state. I have traveled quite a bit in CO and it's a beautiful wilderness. Being smaller than MT , I believe it's easier for guides to find the best trophy's. I have read that the best trophy elk are coming from CO, but it is much easier for a hunter to get an elk in MT.

In my travels in Mt since 2006, I have seen many elk and almost hit one twice on the Beartooth highway. I have never seen one in CO, ID, WA or Utah. I have seen some in WY, and SD.

I think it was in 2007 that at least 6 hunters were attacked by grizzly that beat them to their kill. This included the Deputy Director of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. I think it was 2010 that a woman and her daughter were killed and partly consumed, while camping outside of Cook City, by a grizzly sow and her cub.

The state of Montana is very liberal issuing black bear tags. There were two or more camp grounds nearby that were closed due to Black bear intrusion.

The largest Grizzly taken in MT is on display at Museum of the Rockies in Billings. There is an interesting story.

An old Indian man was cooking bacon in his shack, when he felt the whole cabin shake. He looked out the window and all he could see was brown fur. He took his 22 rifle and went out the back and shot the bear once behind the right ear. He went back then and ate a good breakfast.

The easiest way to get a Grizzly in the lower 48, may be to go Grouse hunting in the Paradise Valley.

[Photon Guy]

An old Indian man was cooking bacon in his shack, when he felt the whole cabin shake. He looked out the window and all he could see was brown fur. He took his 22 rifle and went out the back and shot the bear once behind the right ear. He went back then and ate a good breakfast.

That was a very lucky shot. No doubt he hit the bear in just the right spot so that the bullet went into its brain. I wouldn't take my chances trying to make a shot like that on a bear with a .22 rifle.