Think the cost of a fully guided bear hunt is out of reach? There are other options to help you get your bear rug at a fraction of the cost.
By Bernie Barringer
Growing up in Iowa, I had it pretty good as a bowhunter. I started bowhunting in 1973 at 14 years of age. In my first 25 years of bowhunting deer, I lived through the glory days of bowhunting’s growth. I had learned a lot about whitetails, shot some nice ones and even wrote a book about finding and harvesting whitetails in farmland.
But I had always wanted to shoot a bear. I was fascinated by bears from a young age and I knew someday I would go on a bear hunt. In the late 1990’s I booked a bear hunt in northern Minnesota. My plan was to shoot a bear and check that off my list. I would have a bear rug, I would be able to say I shot a bear with a bow and that would be that.
It didn’t exactly work out that way.
I have now shot 25 bears with a bow and I have helped friends and family shoot at least that many more. I have hunted bears from British Columbia and Idaho to Maine and a whole lot of places in between. I have shot bears on spot & stalk hunts, hound hunts and baited hunts, but I am most enthralled by hunting bears over bait. I am thoroughly addicted. I can’t get enough of the adrenaline charge that comes with having a bear at close range.

My friends and I have killed several bears from this bait in Ontario
I have been on quite a few outfitted hunts, but the hunts that give me the most satisfaction are the ones in which I did the work myself. It can take quite a few years to draw a tag in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, so I have learned to branch out.
Most Canadian provinces issue the bear tags through the outfitters, but Ontario is the exception. You can buy a tag over the counter and hunt bears on Ontario without an outfitter. I have an outfitter friend who allows me to run baits in his area, I do all my own baiting and hunt his concession in exchange for bringing him bait and customers. I have found that the best hunt for many people is the semi-guided hunt. While fully guided hunts will run from $2,500-$3,500, semi-guided hunts offer several options and price points, mostly between $800 and $1,200. Most commonly they work something like this: The outfitter gets the baits going then turns it over to you. When you arrive, you are responsible for three main things; getting yourself to and from the bait sites, maintaining the baits while you are there, and taking care of your bear once it’s down.
This also leaves you with the issue of lodging and food. My favorite hunt, one that I do every year is with Edward Wilson of Havik Lake Camp. Eddy guarantees his hunters two active bait sites for less than $1000. He also has a small rustic campground on Havik Lake. He charges only $15 a night to stay there, but there is no electricity or showers, just outhouses. My group camps there with all our own equipment and we bathe in the lake. The fishing is excellent as well.
The advantages to going with a group are many. There always seems to be a couple people eager to help get the bear out of the woods. We pitch in with the chores around camp such as keeping the campfire going, and usually there are at least 2-3 people involved in the skinning and quartering of the bears. Last year there were nine of us and we took home nine bears in four days.

The terrain in Ontario can be a little overwhelming, but once you learn to look for funnels and swamps, you will quickly figure out where to put your bear baits. Bears have amazing noses and they find the baits quickly.
Several fishing resorts in Ontario offer these semi-guided hunts and hope to put you in their cabins at a time of the year when the clientele is slower than peak fishing season. Beware of these hunts, and be sure to call references, my experiences has been that some of them do not put the effort needed into baiting consistently before you get there. Make sure you ask the hard questions and if they are evasive about giving you references, stay away.
Another option is to use a fishing resort as a base camp and do all your own baiting. This can be inexpensive because you are not paying for the cost of a hunt at all, but it can be very time consuming. It might take the better part of a week to get the baits going good before you feel confident in hunting them.
In Minnesota and Wisconsin, there are similar to Eddy Wilson who offer these semi-guided or partially-guided hunts. In Wisconsin, a good example is Art Hyde at Northern Bayfield County Outfitters. For $1200, Art allows you to stay at his camp (which has pit toilets but does have one shower) and he also takes care of the transportation to and from the bait sites. One of his guides will skin and quarter your bear if you like, which means you should add a gratuity to the overall cost. Art normally allows 10-12 hunters and is usually booked up at least a year in advance.
NBC’s services are basically identical to Chris Ford’s bear hunts in northern Minnesota. You are provided with a hunt, but you are responsible for your own food and lodging. For $1500, Chris will put you on active bait sites, his success rates are very high and his guides will help get your bear out of the woods and taken care of. Ford offers a package with lodging for $1,950. Both Ford’s Guide Service in Minnesota and NBC Guide Service in Wisconsin will provide the treestands so you can fly to these hunts.

Obtaining good bear bait is much easier than you think. Many bait distributors have plenty of options and some ship bait to you or to your destination.
There are a few things you should ask when booking a semi-guided hunt:
Can you drive close to the bait sites with your pickup/SUV or do you need to bring an ATV? This is an important consideration. At Eddy’s place, we can drive within 100 yards of all the baits, but you will need a truck, not a car to do it.
Where will you stay? Is there camping, motels or resorts nearby? Find out how much these places will cost and how much driving will be needed. Some bear hunts are in remote areas which mean long drives from lodging to the stands each day.
Ask them about success rates. While success rates may not be that appealing compared to fully guided hunts, keep in mind that many first time bear hunters make a lot of mistakes and they don’t have a guide to reprimand them for screwing up. If you hunt hard, take the wind into consideration, don’t fidget on stand and use good woodsmanship, your success rate will be above average.

If you are willing to hang your own stands, access the bait sites by yourself, and take care of your bear once it’s down, you can cut the cost of your hunt in half or less.
Make sure you have a plan about what to do with the bear. Find out if there is a place to freeze it or if you will need some coolers and dry ice. Bear hunts are normally in warm weather so the bear needs to be taken care of immediately. You can’t hang it for a couple days like you would a deer in November.
Have them guarantee you at least two active bait sites and I go one step farther, asking them for trail camera photos from the baits. I want to know the bears are appearing during the daylight and that’s it’s not just a sow with cubs.
Make sure you tell them you are bowhunting. You will want a bait site with a good stand tree having good background cover within 15-18 yards of the bait. If the outfitter is hanging stands for you, make sure you inform them if you are left or right handed.
Fully guided hunts with lodging and meals are great. Lodging can be luxurious, meals can be fantastic, and it’s nice to avoid the issue of hanging stands, transportation to and from the sites, and getting the bear taken care of. But spending $3,000 or more on a bear hunt is not for everyone. The options for partially guided and semi-guided hunts have a lot of appeal to those who like to take part in the process and save on the cost.
Bernie, thanks for the advice. I’ve been thinking about ways to do this more as a diy hunt than fully guided.
I’m interested in swap hunt. I have access to hunt hogs and coyotes on 500 acres beautiful Texas land located 80 miles east of DFW airport. I’ll pick you up at DFW or Love Field airport, and take you to an existing 3 hours night hunt.
I provide you with AR15s with thermal scopes. If you want to keep any of the hogs, you will have to take care them.
In return, I want to hunt bears.
Hello sir where are u located for hog hunts in Tx ?
You should check out 3riversguideservice.com . They specialize in black bear in northern Maine
In 86 hunted kodiak in terror bay. Stayed in tent terrifying. Nope done checked that box. I was stationed in adak friended coast guard in kodiak. Great experience, dinosaur hunt terrified but got it notched.
An other option for bear hunt is a swap with people in Québec Canada …like me ! I do that almost each year for deer hunt in the Midwest and save lot money for both !!
Great Idea! I’m sure there are people who will swap bear hunts in the US too.
Well if somebody are interested ,I am willing for !!
Christian, id certainly be willing to hear what you can offer. you can send me a direct message on twitter at @APBoz. I’ve got a primitive camp in Southeast Ohio with access to over 26,000 acres of Wayne National Forest. its full of whitetail deer and eastern wild turkeys.
Hi Andy That would be more easy by phone to explain my set up ,and how it work ,because my cabin is Inside a reserve ,I’m not perfectly bilingual ,but enough to talk with u .Tell me when is the best time to call you ! We may communicated by e-mail too .Chris
Andy are you still running a camp in Southern Ohio?
I realize your message was posted a couple of years ago but I’d definitely be interested in this trade. Message me back if you happen to see this.
Sent you an email.
Great article Bernie. I have a great Guide for a semi-guided hunt in Minnesota. Been with him for a long time(whenever I can draw). When you find an honest guide or outfitter, stay with him.
Thank you so much for the great article, it was fluent and to the point. Cheers.
None of the links in this article work, and the Havik Lake Camp was closed for a year by the time this article was published. Not very helpful info…
I was at Havik Lake Camp just three months ago and it was open. I’ll check the links, this article was published several years ago.
Bernie i was at havik lake spring 2019. Still there. VERY hard to get ahold of Ed the grandson. Ed sr. has passed. Ed jr. Is a great guy and i had a great time. Just cant get ahold of him this year!!! Any help???
I have not had any contact with him in over a year.
Joseph, what sort of hunts are you looking for? I have access to some lands that frequently are over run with hogs. What sort of hunt would you being willing to swap?
Semi guided hunts are cheaper for sure but it will limit where you can hunt. I live in Michigan but own an Outfitting business in Saskatchewan. Non resident hunters have to go through a guide in Saskatchewan. Some of the states have no color phase bears. That’s where I draw some hunters. I get guys looking for color or like the 100% opportunity on good bears. To each his own. I chose to become an outfitter because I love to hunt. Good luck to all hunters out there. Shoot straight!
Chris please send me your contact information as I’m just starting to look for a quality bear hunt for a working class employee. Thanks
I would love to hear more about your outfit up north
Sorry, but I,m old school. Me, nature and the animal, be it deer, bear, etc. It,s called ” hunting”. Not sitting in a tree stand, spraying bait. Shooting a animal 15, 20 feet above at a range of 15 feet. That is not “Hunting”. Baiting a animal is “cheating”. This new generation wants everythung made easy. How can you feel satisfied baiting an animal. Try learning and using “Hunting” skills.
You should do a little research on bear hunting and familiarize yourself with bear hunting and baiting before you express an opinion on a subject you know so little about.
Hunting Bear in dense forest is very challenging –much more than putting a donut in the trail and sitting by it. It takes dillegence in scouting for bait sites preparing the site then tending the site for sometimes weeks before they are comfortable to risk coming in. Bears have an incredible sense of smell , hearing and site– you are not going to sneak up on one easily. Getting them to show themselves is much more a challenge than to shoot a rifle at long range and long range is not an option in the woods. Check the statistics for bear harvests in states like Minn and Wisc. percentage of license holder success is low for these reasons.
Great points.
Bungalow Outfitters in Idaho offers hunt over bait 7 days all inclusive with guide $2,000 per person.
Ronnie here in North Carolina .I have some private land loaded with bears .I would like to trade a bear hunt.we have harvested a bear on this property the last 5 years.There is a 95% you should be able harvest a bear.Feel free to call me 919 542 7848 if anyones instrested
hey an the bear hunt , is this a trade or can we offer you a guide fee thanks
I have started guiding, here is the info: /bear-hunting-outfitting/
I have a 5.56 NATO would that be enough to bring down a bear ?
I PERSONALLY think it’S A BIT LIGHT NOW YOU WITH THE RIGHT SHOT PLACEMENT CAN TAKE DOWN ANYTHING. BUT TO FACTOR ALL IN I’D like SOMETHING BIGGER.NOW YOUR TALKING TO A BOWHUNTER SO YOU MAY THINK WHATS HE TALKING ABOUT IT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF HUNTING BUT A GUN REALISE ON KINEDIK ENERGY AND THE BOW WORKING A BIT THE SAME A ARROW MAKES THEM SUFFOCATE IN STEAD OF ENERGY SHUTING DOWN ORGINS.JOHN SCUDDER
I recommend .270 for a all around effective caliber for larger game. Some outfitters won’t allow 5.56 too small for quick kill.