Best bear hunting

[hunting_Ben]

Hi everyone, I'm from New Zealand but my sister is currently studying in the States which gives me the perfect excuse to come for a holiday. I'm looking at coming over in 2025 and am after some advice on the best time and place to go. Being a student myself, I will never have the funds to go on all the hunts I would like to so I must pick one. I would love to shoot myself a black bear, so with this in mind, where and what time of the year should I be aiming for? I will likely only have 14-21 days all up and would like some of that to spend time with my sister. I assume the easiest way for a foreigner to hunt would be to hire a guide, am I correct in thinking this?

TIA

 

[Bubblehide]

I presume you are after black bear and not grizzley? You may want to tell us the area your sister is living and studying at, as that may have significant influence on where you hunt.

Generally I see bears often,cand bear sign pretty much all the time, without trying. I've takwn several bears, broke them down and packed them out; they are a ton of work if miles and size are involved. But, generally they are not difficult to locate with a little effort.

Considering you're not familiar with areas here, I would generally advise to get a guide. However, considering the distance you need to travel, and the impact bears have on our deer population, I would not be surprised if guys here offered to take you on a bear hunt, if you don't spill the beans on the area(s) hunted, or post area identifying pictures-video.

 

[hunting_Ben]

Hi, yes, I am after a black bear. She is in Charleston, WV.
That's good to know, I would be willing to do an exchange with someone wanting to come and hunt over here but wasn't sure if that would be anything that would receive any interest. Now you mention that though, I might have to advertise for that a bit!

 

[Bubblehide]

WV has a healthy bear population. Since you want to also spend time with your sister, you may want to stay in WV. If you want a DIY public land hunt, lots of guys including myself can provide advice that can work anywhere. But you will need to know the regulations for things like baiting, hunting hours... I am in Ca, not WV.

 

[stv117]

this is about the right time for black bears, there are just about done with hibernation.. if the bear hunt is all I'll be doing yea this time of the year will be grate..

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Hi everyone, I'm from New Zealand but my sister is currently studying in the States which gives me the perfect excuse to come for a holiday. I'm looking at coming over in 2025 and am after some advice on the best time and place to go.

Of The seven New Zealanders that I personally know who chose to do the same thing, they all chose Alaska for black bear and didn't regret it.

 

[pacoalcracker]

North Carolina has some of the largest black bears in the states, and you can hunt with dogs too I believe. Some great outfitters there. Pretty close to WV as well. We have some nice ones in Pa also.

 

[Cyril]

Per previous posts, North Carolina is a pretty good bet. Stick to the eastern side of the state, I believe Hyde County and Dare County have the highest black bear densities. Note these hunts have gotten a little pricey depending on the size of the bear, $5000-$8000 us dollars would be my guess but nearly 100% success and usually up close and personal in some swampy country.

I am unaware of any specific guides but I have watched some very awesome YouTube videos of guys hunting bears with hounds in West Virginia. If you could find a guide, it looks like that could be fun as well.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Here you go......

Clinte Burke a guide in WV, https://www.killeroutfitting.com/ he is a good guy, tell him I sent you, where he hunts should only be about 2 or 2 1/2 hours from charleston

 

[danhuntingmi]

Pretty sure you'd need a guide in Alaska as a foreigner and in Alaska these are expensive.

It appears you can hunt with hounds in WV so if you can afford a guide this might be your best bet.

Second best bet is hunting over bait. Not being able to draw a tag, you might consider going across the border to Canada. I think there's at least one state out east (Maine) or a few out west that are fall baiting options over the counter.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Pretty sure you'd need a guide in Alaska as a foreigner and in Alaska these are expensive.

Yes and no. You can get a quality wilderness guided hunt in Alaska for less than $5K.