With the Arizona bear season fast-approaching, I wanted to provide an Outfitter Highlight with a prominent Arizona bear guide and outfitter. Pat Feldt of Arizona Guided Hunts has been guiding hunters in Arizona for quite some time now, and was gracious enough to allow me to ask him a few questions related to hunting bears in Arizona. My Interview follows below.
7/20/2008 Interview with bear guide, Pat Feldt:
DC: The audience is probably accustomed to watching Canadian bear hunts on TV where the hunter sits a stand over a baiting station. What type of bear hunts does Arizona Guided Hunts offer their clients?
PF: We offer a unique bear hunting experience in the Desert Mountains of Arizona. Hunting methods are not like your typical Northern or Eastern bear hunt. Our primary Western technique utilizes the spot and stalk method. We glass large canyons in areas where bears frequent to feed on the high calorie mast crops or sometimes prickly pear cactus fruit. Our secondary technique utilizes predator calling. There is no other “rush” like seeing a bear come charging the hunter looking for a fawn in distress.
DC: Arizona offers a diverse range of topography, vegetation, and elevations where bears reside. Do you hunt bears in one particular type or do you hunt all types?
PF: The areas we hunt vary according to what the bears are feeding on. Some years we get a good crop of acorns, juniper berries and Manzanita berries, which means we need to concentrate on higher elevations. The bears would much rather feed on high fat acorns in cooler upper altitude areas than go low in the hot desert looking for cactus fruit. When there is a low acorn production, many bears will go lower in search of the prickly pear cactus fruit. We hunt low desert-type habitat when this happens. Bears still have a “sweet tooth”, so there will typically be a few bears searching for cactus fruit even when there is a good mast crop.
DC: When are the bear seasons in Arizona, how do you get a tag, and what does your typical hunt include for what cost?
PF: The dates of the bear season in Arizona vary from year to year, but primarily there are spring seasons and fall seasons. Spring seasons have a very low success rate due to the bears being very inactive during this part of the year. For this reason, we do not offer spring bear hunts. The fall seasons are when bears start roaming and looking for fat-building food sources for their winter sleep. Typically we hunt the month of August. This is the best time to hunt bears spot and stalk. Tags are over the counter for these fall hunts. We offer a 4-day, guided and fully outfitted fall hunt for $2,800.00/person (2008 rate).
DC: How should a potential hunter prepare for bear hunting in Arizona, and what gear should they bring on their hunt?
PF: Physical preparation is usually the key to success on our bear hunts. Due to the rugged Arizona mountain terrain, this is not the type of hunt for an out-of-shape hunter. Preparing includes: hiking several times per week, aerobics, stair machines, and mountain biking or anything that will get the heart rate elevated. Hunters need to be in shape to enjoy the hunt to the fullest and to hike to our quality hunting areas.
DC: Finally, what is special or unique about hunting bears with Arizona Guided hunts?
PF: I feel we offer a very unique hunting experience, since most of our hunting is done in the Desert Mountains utilizing spot and stalk or calling techniques. These are much different than the baited hunts offered by many other bear guides across the country. Also, since it is rough terrain, the bears we harvest seem to get very old and score well. The large males we take range from 6 feet to 7 feet long with a couple taken up to 8 feet! As an added bonus, the majority of our bears are color-phased, meaning brown or cinnamon.
If you are interested in hunting bears or other big game with Arizona Guided Hunts, contact Pat at:
Cell: (520) 237-2705
Email: Arizonagh@aol.com
Web: http://www.arizonahunting.net/
