Pricing on a Interior Grizzly hunt AK ?

Wildatheart

Lil-Rokslider
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Oct 15, 2018
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123
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Muscle shoals , Alabama
What would one pay or be a reasonable price for a interior grizzly hunt guided 1x1. Hunting out of a Spike Camp? Including a flight from anchorage to the base camp. I’m getting the
18k-22k range.... so far. Fully outfitted and guided of course for a non resident...
 
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
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Location
North Carolina
When I checked on it about 5 years ago it was in the 15-16k range each. It was a 2/1 which included a brown bear & adding a black bear, wolf & fishing for each hunter. It was 8 days in the field if I remember.
That did not include any taxidermy or shipping back home.
And yes, that explains why we didn't go
 

MattB

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
5,410
We recently booked with Jonah Stewart for $15K but that does not include flights from/to Anchorage/Fairbanks/Cold Foot. With airfare from/to the lower 48 plus license/tips/incidentals, I would think $20K is a good number.
 

Cspraggins

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 17, 2019
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201
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Tx
For interior grizzliesI have seen anywhere from 15-18k recently for the hunt, not including flights, tips, Taxidermy.

If you want a coastal brown bear, add on another 10K.

I think the spring hunts are more dicey than the fall, as you could be too early and all the bears are still denned up (in talking with folks, this was a problem this year early in the season). Too late in the spring, and their coats start to get rubbed up. But if you catch it right, the claws and coats are top notch!
 

keller

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Oct 30, 2017
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wi
You can go to Kodiak for $20k ish for bush flight license tags etc. Not counting getting to ak.
 

AKBorn

WKR
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Aug 14, 2018
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Tennessee
Here are most of the items you need to consider to come up with an approximate total cost for a guided interior AK grizz hunt:

Guide Fee - $________

Tip for Guide - $1,000 (just throwing a number out there)

Roundtrip Airfare from Alabama to Alaska - $800 (just throwing a number out there)

Bush Flights Roundtrip - $______

AK NonRes Hunting License - $160

NonRes Grizz Tag - $1,000

Baggage Fees on AL to AK Flight and Back - $_____

Lodging while in Alaska? - $______

Meals - $_____

Incidentals - $150

Need to factor all of those things in to get your true cost...

Also, please understand that the Interior grizzlies, for the most part, don't have a stable food source like coastal brownies that can gorge along the same salmon stream for days. A lot of the interior grizzlies have to travel a pretty broad range to stay fed, so you may see one for a couple of days and then not see it again for 8-10 days as it moves through other parts of its range searching for food. Please don't go into this thinking it's a sure thing to bag a grizzly - that's why it's called hunting and not shooting.
 

ATC

FNG
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Jun 13, 2014
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Location
Delaware
I've been on three Alaska bear hunts since 2014 with three different outfitters. Average cost with everything including travel has been around $18K.

First hunt I saw six bears with only one being a mature bear but no shot opportunity. Second hunt (Admiralty Island) I saw 62, yes 62 bears but mostly young or sows with cubs. Third hunt I saw eight but no shot opportunities.

I'm headed back next fall and hopefully the fourth time is the charm. Thankfully my wife doesn't ask about my hunting travel costs.
 
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
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Eagle River, AK
What would one pay or be a reasonable price for a interior grizzly hunt guided 1x1. Hunting out of a Spike Camp? Including a flight from anchorage to the base camp. I’m getting the
18k-22k range.... so far. Fully outfitted and guided of course for a non resident...
Are you looking for a Grizzly by Boone-Crockett boundaries description? If not I know a guide that may have a great price on a hunt in a new area- would be a first time spot so price would be low, with a trophy fee if successful.

Have you looked at Canada (Yukon, NWT) prices?
 

Sourdough

WKR
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Oct 23, 2013
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In a cabin, on a mountain, in "Wilderness" Alaska.
I've been on three Alaska bear hunts since 2014 with three different outfitters. Average cost with everything including travel has been around $18K.

First hunt I saw six bears with only one being a mature bear but no shot opportunity. Second hunt (Admiralty Island) I saw 62, yes 62 bears but mostly young or sows with cubs. Third hunt I saw eight but no shot opportunities.

I'm headed back next fall and hopefully the fourth time is the charm. Thankfully my wife doesn't ask about my hunting travel costs.

This is "not" uncommon. It is just not discussed very much. We live in a world where-in people "only" want to hear about success. Also noteworthy to point out that I have run guided hunts that were scheduled for 10 day hunt. But because of volcanic eruptions and/or extreme weather causing long flight delays of up to a week, have had the hunter show up in camp the very last day he could hunt. I also was guiding hunters during the 9-11 World Trade Tower destruction There was zero flying anywhere, I learned of the 9-11 attack on Sept 21'st.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
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1,747
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Western Montana
I went with Ovis Outfitters (Matt & Emily Thoft) up on the North side of the Brooks Range the fall of 2019. Had an absolutely wonderful time and got a wonderful old bear. Almost got a wolf as well and fished for Char and Grayling back at base camp for a couple days. Yes it cost money but it was worth EVERY single penny and then some. I have absolutely NO REGRETS. If it is something that you have been wanting to do for a long time, bite the "bullet" and go! Ovis Outfitters are fantastic. If I could afford it I would book another hunt with them in a heartbeat for a different animal.

$16,000 was the price for a hunt then but they had one more grizzly tag come open for their area on a first come first serve basis. I got my hunt for $13,500. All of the stuff below was extra.

Round trip flight from Montana to Anchorage. Spent one night then flew into Prudhoe Bay. After hunt had to just reverse things.

Grizzly tag if I remember correctly was $1000.00. Wolf $60.00. Couple days fishing license wasn't a lot but don't recall exact price. $30.00? $400.00 to have my bear hide and skull shipped to Tundra Tanning & Taxidermy in Wasilla Alaska. Clint (owner) did a great job taking care of my hide and salting it prior to shipment to Montana making sure he got all of the moisture out. He also cleaned and bleached the skull for me. The fee included all of this and sending the hide to my taxidermist locally who would be making a rug out of it. He contacted the Alaska FWP so they could tag my bear and remove a tooth for aging. Once the skull was finished he shipped it to me in Montana. Paid my taxidermist $1400.00 to do the rug which turned out exceptional. Tip to my guide (Mike Lettis) of course!!

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David
 
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