Bearpaw's fall Black Bear hunts have become one of our premium hunts for trophy Bear Hunters. The fall season offer the serious trophy bear hunter the highest percentage opportunity for a 18" plus skull. The extremely voracious appetite the bears possess at this time of year allows for multiple mature bear sightings.

Success rate has traditionally hovered at 160% on our bear hunts with 1 to 2 seven foot bears, 18" skull or larger taken per week during the spring season. Success is about the same in the fall, however quality is definitely better. On a normal 6 day fall hunt, between August 25 and September 6, 4 to 6, seven foot 18" plus skulled bears are possible and realistic.

1997 was an exceptional year for our fall bear hunters with all of them harvesting bears over 6' 1/2 nose to tail. Our archery hunts saw our clients taking bears on either their first or second night hunting; with 3 out of 6 taking bears over 19" skulls with a bona fide 20" skull being lost. Our, archery hunters harvested 11 bears with 1 wounded for a 200% week. We averaged 11 bear sightings per man the week of August 25 to August 30.

Five clients harvested 10 bears during the week of September 1st to 6th; the smallest was a 5'10" beautiful brown and 2 huge 600 lb, 20 11/16", and 20 13/16" bears harvested by David Foster and Harry Schilling. Both these bears measured an incredible 8' + nose to tail. These bears are comparable to an 11' brown bear or a 200 point whitetail. They were aged at 16 and 19 years respectively. These bears are a testimony to the great bears available in the Peace River Drainage.