LAST EDITED ON Dec-27-12 AT 09:53AM (MST)[p]I'd suggest you start your research now, these hunts are very expensive and the more you put into it the better decisions you will make.
Brown & Grizzlies are going to be a guided affair, so I'd plan on attending the large hunting conventions this winter (SCI, FNAWS, Hunt Expo, DSC and devour all of the latest info you can on which outfitters are currently getting the big ones.
Get on the computer & contact the Kodiak F&G, they keep records of all bears killed including skull size, you can see which units are producing older bears.
If you opt for a truly large brownie, I strongly feel that you should hunt the first SPRING hunt available.
The biggest boars are the first to come out of their dens if you go later, you will see more bears, but you will see smaller ones and might be tempted to shoot
one.
Also if you go later, you will see rubbed bears that you will truly regret shooting.
You do risk too much snow however and bears late to exit the den.
You will see more bears in the fall but many will be smaller sows & cubs but days are very short, and weather often bad cutting precious time off of your hunt.
Big bears get killed on both hunts, my experience has been in the spring for both grizz & brown.
Hunt Kodiak Island or the south
western most part of the Alaskan peninsula.
Forget about southeast Alaska, they just
don't produce the kind of giant bears that Kodiak or the Peninsula do
The average grizzly isn.t a whole lot bigger than a big black bear, if you want a truly giant bear, hunt the coastal browns.
My outfitter info is dated a bit as I killed my last Brownie a dozen years ago, but these guys are still doing very well.
I took my 10 foot B&C bear with
Brian Peterson (907) 783-1886 Girdwood, AK
99587
http://www.ugakbay.com/
He is a very honest, hard working guide with a real
honey hole on Kodiak.
He was very reasonably priced at the time.
He offers a 14 day hunt!
($10,500 in 2001)
He was on the board of
directors of the Alaska Professional hunter's Assn.
He has MANY years of guiding under his belt considering he
is still in his 40's
Other great Kodiak choices would be:
http://www.huntalaska.com/
Scott Mileur Truly a legendary guide on Kodiak,
Most honest, tough, hard working guy you will ever meet
PERIOD.
LOTS of GIANT bears under his belt.
He hunts the legendary area of Olga Bay where Pinnell &
Talifson trained him. He too offers a 14 day
hunt for the price. (VERY
IMPORTANT!)
I would go with him if my life depended on killing
a giant bear.
HOLD OUT FOR A BIG ONE,
YOU WILL GET IT.
Friend of mine killed a 9'6
bear with Scott.
I know him and have talked to him for many years
at the different conventions.
HE IS SUPERB.
I would have gone with him but I just couldn't afford
it at the time.
Dennis Harms is a stand up guy with lots of big bears under his belt.
http://www.alaskakodiakbearhuntingsafaris.com/
D.i.c.k Rohrer is a Kodiak legend, his son Sam is running his operation now I believe.
http://www.kodiakbearcamp.com/hunting.html
Alaska Peninsula...
Butch King
http://www.wildmanlodge.com/prod02.htm
Has taken TONS of monster bears, but his hunts are short and he runs a lot of hunters through his area,
but he does really well.
R&R guide service does a bang up job on Unimak Island as well.
It's a tough to draw hunt but there are giants there (and lots of wolves)
http://www.rrhunting.com/unimak-brown-bear/
Tim Booch has taken bears up to 11 foot square.
He's a very accomplished outfitter with some incredible trophies under his belt.
http://www.aleutianislandsguideservice.com/index.html
Dan Montgomery has been killing some really great bears too...
907-373-4898
I hope you can attain one
of these hunts.
They are adventures of a lifetime, you will never regret it.