CO Spot and Stalk Black Bear

The September bear season is an easy to draw rifle tag. We provide guidance on acquiring the tag to all booked hunters. If you don’t apply before the deadline there is always leftover tags for purchase. Archery tags are over the counter. We have an abundant bear population that is accessible during September. On rifle hunts we average above 80%+ shot opportunity. Archery is around 60%. These hunts will take place at elevations between 8,500-11,500. This is a unique spot-and-stalk hunt. Horseback riding, hiking or 4x4s will be used for transportation. These hunts are conducted from our high-end lodge.

This is typically a 1 guide to 1 hunter hunt. 3 meals a day and lodging. Pairs that would like to hunt together can opt for 2 hunters per guide at a reduced rate.

This is a 3 day hunt. Because this is a short hunt, hunters should consider that 2×1 guided hunters will have a lower success rate than 1×1 guided hunters.

If you are looking for a Spring black bear hunt, consider our hunt offerings in British Columbia. These hunts occur in the off-season from almost all other hunting.

Dates	Full Service Guided 1×1	Full Service Guided 2×1
9/2-9/4, 9/6-9/8, 9/10-9/12, 9/14-9/16, 9/18-9/20, 9/22-9/24, 9/26-9/28	$3,300 per hunter	$2,700 per hunter

*All hunts include skinning and quartering of the bear. We do offer a rug add-on service that includes the fleshing, turning, salting of hide, and completed rug. We charge $210 per foot and shipping. Most bears will run a total of $800-$1,400.
**We offer a euro skull add-on for $275 plus shipping.
***Non-resident bear licenses are $100 and are not included in the hunt price above.
****Hunts are over once a bear has been harvested. If tags are available, hunters can continue to hunt a 2nd bear for $1,200.

A Few Common Questions on Our Bear Hunts:

I’m interested in learning more about your fall spot and stalk bear hunt in CO. Can you describe what a typical day is like?
10am-11am departure via horses. Ride 30mins up to 1.5 hrs to glassing spot that gives good vantage to see bear feed sources (berries or oakbrush/acorns, depending on the year). Spend 2-4hrs glassing and stalking. Lunch on mountain. Back to glassing 2-4hrs before dark for the afternoon hunt. 30% of our bears are harvested in the midday, 70% in the last two hours of daylight. We prefer to hunt one long afternoon hunt vs an early morning hunt and a separate afternoon/night hunt.

Given the short duration of the hunt, what percentage of your hunters have a shot opportunity?
Varies some year-to-year based on food sources the bears are currently working. Acorns are easier to hunt, berries a little more difficult.
-2018 opportunity rate of 100%, harvest 100%. – Heavy acorn year. Years like this we can see up to 5-7 different bears each day.
-2019 opportunity rate of 85%, harvest 65%. – Poor acorns, bears dependent on berries. Tougher hunting, fewer opportunities. 2-3 bears seen in a day was a good day.
-2020 opportunity rate of 80%, harvest 60%. – Good acorns near water, really dry conditions. Hunting was good/excellent for the majority of the hunts, but we had two 3-day windows that were slow.

What is the average shot distance?
-100-325yds

Can we add a 4th hunting day?
-We will only add hunting days in packages of 3 additional days. 1×1 hunts these 3 additional days are $2,500. 2×1 hunts the addition is $2,000 per hunter. Given the high success rates of our 3-day hunts, we leave this addition up to the client. Archers or hunters using primitive muzzle-loaders may want to consider this option to maximize their potential to harvest a bear.

Is there one time period that is better than another?
-Not a lot of difference. On a very slight margin, the earlier weeks do better. It varies enough year to year, that it would be hard to say there is a statistically significant difference.