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NORTH AMERICA
COASTAL BROWN BEARS
A big, imposing brown bear will be found on most hunter’s Top 10 list of desired trophies. We utilize isolated sections on both the Pacific and Bering Sea sides of the Alaska Peninsula and specific ocean border sections of the mainland for trophy-class coastal brown bear. Skilled outfitters and guides who specialize in hunting big bears are intent on finding 9-footers or better.
The classic method of spot and stalk hunting can challenge even hunter-athletes. Hunters must be prepared to cope with weather and expect long periods of glassing. Even after locating one of these highly mobile bears, getting close enough for a clear shot is another thing altogether. When you hunt coastal brown bears, you know you will have been hunting in the real sense of the word.
When thinking of hunting coastal brown bears, the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia is an exceptional alternative with a longstanding record of success.
INTERIOR GRIZZLY
Non-coastal, continental environments like boreal forests, mountains, and tundra are home to the iconic interior grizzly. Yukon and Alaska have strong huntable populations.
Although coastal browns are bigger, grizzlies are omnivorous masters of their territory. Hunters must be prepared to patiently glass remote open country and be ready for a rigorous stalk.
Several combinations with grizzly are available depending on the location and hunt timing. We can help you understand the range options.
ARTICTIC GRIZZLY
Native Inuit guides in the northern most section of NWT and Nunavut host hunts for these exceptional trophies from late April through the end of May. Trophies will average between 7 and 8 ½ feet square. Their beautiful hides feature long thick hair.
Wolf and wolverine are available as add-on species.
MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY
This smallest of the grizzly family is no less ferocious than bigger bears. Their scrappy mountain existence gives them a determined demeanor.
Spring and fall spot and stalk hunts take place in northwest Alaska and Yukon from rustic lodges and tented camps in remote territory accessed by river rafting and fly-ins. Backpacking and significant glassing is always involved.
POLAR BEAR
Polar Bears are proliferating regardless of narratives to the contrary. Unfortunately, when the US Fish & Wildlife Department opened up the 90-day window for public comment what was then the proposed and pending import ban, only 150 pro-hunting proposals were received. Pantheon Hunters one of the 150 submitters who explained why the ban was unwarranted and harmful to the bears. Regrettably, 150 submissions were no match for the estimated 9 million postcards and letters submitted by anti-hunting groups. This indicates the challenge the hunting community faces and the need to fight emotion and ideology with more facts and force.
Less than 5% of the trophy rooms of even the most prolific hunters in the world contain a Polar Bear
mount, and yet, Polar Bears rank among the greatest hunting trophies in the world. The travel, weather, and effort required make these hunts extreme. Hunts are conducted between January and April and again in September and sometimes much later.
With today’s taxidermy technology, a successful American hunter has access to remarkable trophy replication. For those who want to remember their great Arctic trophy with more than a photograph, the skills and materials these craftsmen use today produce impressive life-like mounts.
Not every Polar Bear outfitter is sufficiently capable to conduct a safe and successful hunt in the Arctic! So, we rely only on longstanding pros who have a recognized track record of navigating extreme conditions with proven abilities and equipment.
BLACK BEAR
Coastal British Columbia and Vancouver Island have an enormous population of Black Bears and historically produce some of the biggest. Hunting is mostly by spot and stalk and cruising inlets and beaches by boat.
Interior B.C. also contains a large number of bears huntable by both the spot and stalk method and by hounds. In the past, 25% of the bears taken in this part of the province are of color variation in contrast to the coastal areas which produce bears that are virtually all coal-black in color. Many trophies will square 7 feet and range up to a little over 8.
Saskatchewan is a great option for baited hunts. Bears are especially plentiful in the regions where woodlands and farmlands meet.
ALASKA-YUKON MOOSE
Remote parts of Alaska still produce giant moose every year in areas where the density has been sufficiently large to survive predation by wolves and bears.
The Yukon and Northwest Territories get strong nods because the herds do not experience the same level of predation and local hunting pressure that most of Alaska does. Also, each outfitting concession in these Canadian provinces is huge in comparison to Alaska, with some areas in NWT, for example, ranging from 9,000 to 14,000 square miles in size. Both of these Canadian provinces produce high success rates and larger racks on average.
CANADA MOOSE
While designated as Canada moose territory, the northern border region of British Columbia is home to some big moose containing genetics of the Alaska-Yukon species. Some of these "Canada" moose grow to sizes that would be hard to distinguish from an “official” Alaska-Yukon moose just across the border into Yukon and NWT. The bonus to hunting a Canada Moose is that they can cost less than an Alaska-Yukon moose hunt. Moose combo hunts could include elk, stone sheep, and mountain caribou. Alberta is an option, also.
MOUNTAIN CARIBOU
If a hunter needs a caribou on the wall, a big mountain caribou is the most compelling of all caribou species. Although mountain caribou can grow to trophy-class size in British Columbia, they are highly scattered and considered an opportunity animal in most concessions.
Yukon and NWT excel in taking exceptional mountain caribou regularly. Does a 400-inch caribou sound impossible? They aren’t everywhere, but more have been taken in the Mackenzie Mountains of Northwest Territories than anywhere else. This impressive animal can be hunted as a single species, or in combination with Alaska-Yukon moose, Dall sheep and grizzly in Yukon, or in combination with Alaska-Yukon moose and Dall sheep in NWT.
WHITETAILS
The number of big deer taken in northern Alberta on such a consistent basis is truly impressive. But Texas has never veered from being a top choice for big bucks. Some guides specialize in hunting the farmlands in Kansas and Iowa.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT
British Columbia holds a great population of goats, and the guides we use are skilled mountain hunters who know how to hunt them. As long as a hunter has the conditioning to ascend into terrain where the goats feel safe, they will have ample opportunity to take a mature billy. Later season hunts will produce goats with thick long hair that translates into a stunning, should, half or full mount.
DESERT MULE DEER
We have exceptional know-how in Mexico through a top-quality North American professional guide with over 40 years of experience and someone who we explicitly trust. His multiple years of involvement with numerous ranches in Sonora credentials him with the ability to discern the best hunting opportunities for us each year. And his guiding skills and judging ability are second to none.
The “high, wide, and heavy” desert mule deer are hunted by various means including stand hunting, spot & stalk (sometimes vehicle-assisted), and tracking. Tracking deer in the Sonoran Desert is an exceptional experience – where the hunt is in the hunting – and one that we consider to be among the truly best hunting experiences in the world.
Exceptional 200+ mule deer can be hunted on estates with a high predictability of success. And game management practices of the best free-range ranches can produce trophies of 190+ with regularity. High hunt prices will reflect the consistent demand by hunters for trophies of this size.
COUES DEER
We rely on private ranches in Sonora, Mexico for free-range hunting to produce outstanding trophies. These beautiful deer present a challenge to locate and often long range shots are the norm. But they exist in very healthy numbers on the same private ranches where we hunt trophy desert mule deer and desert bighorn sheep.
PRONGHORN
This is always a fun hunt that allows patient hunters to look over several antelope and hunt selectively for above average trophies. Private ranches in New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and West Texas have consistently produced the best trophies.
Preference points are needed in most Lower 48 states, but there are exceptions where few points are needed to draw a tag. For example, one area in Wyoming allows the purchase of a single point very cost effectively, and that’s all that’s needed to hunt solid areas. For a better chance at taking above average trophies, various private New Mexico ranches are a top choice. The price is higher to hunt private ranches with vouchers, but it’s a more exclusive hunt with less hunting pressure put on the herds.
MOUNTAIN LION, LYNX & BOBCAT
High percentage cat hunts take place in British Columbia with superb houndsmen and their troop of instinctive dogs. Single species or combinations are available over the winter months.
Mountain lion hunts are available in the Lower 48, particularly in Idaho and Wyoming, which are proven to be successful. But we give the nod to B.C. for when lions of exceptional size are a priority.
ELK
Choices for elk involve a mix of high-yielding private ranches and public land in New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado as well fly-in areas of British Columbia.
B.C. is a sleeper destination with high success rates on 6-point elk that typically score in the range of 300-320 points on average. Some of the game management practices intended for Stone Sheep in B.C. such as controlled burning have benefitted elk with some impressive examples exceeding 350 being taken annually.
Elk hunters who eventually want to expand their elk experiences turn to hunting Asian elk. The big Marals of Kazakhstan and Mongolia are a big draw as is the mid-Eastern red deer (the Anatolian stag of Turkey), which is a natural blend of red deer and Asian elk.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP
Perhaps there is no greater North American prize than a Rocky Mountain bighorn because of relatively limited hunting opportunities, cost, and the inherent difficulty of hunting them on their terms.
Except for limited non-draw areas of Montana, the ability to hunt them requires a tag in the Lower 48 for those with sufficient preference points to have a chance at drawing. There are many tag services available that prepare applications effectively.
But for those who have the budget and interest in hunting bighorn sooner rather than later, solid hunts exist in Alberta and British Columbia. Our outfitters hunting close to B.C.’s border with Montana and further north near the border with Alberta hold some excellent rams. We’ve also taken some excellent California bighorns in B.C. in the Fraser River area.
STONE SHEEP
Market demand and quota restrictions for stone sheep have pushed many hunts up to and well past the $100K level. Most British Columbian outfitters rely on their own marketing and reputations and book their hunts directly. But, if you have an interest in hunting them, we will happily refer you to a few select outfitters that will plan and conduct your hunts properly.
DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP
Many Mexican desert bighorn hunts are not free-range. However, we successfully hunt free-range desert bighorns because we depend on an elite professional guide who has access to productive ranches on the Mexican mainland and on Tiburon Island where he has earned the high trust of the Seri Indians.
DALL SHEEP
We tip our hat to Alaska, especially for the trophy quality that the limited draw areas have historically produced. But we are partial to Yukon and Northwest Territories because of their large unpressured populations and trophy quality potential. The outfitters in these provinces have extraordinarily large concessions and they are not subjected to the airplane culture and local pressure typical of what goes on in Alaska. Both provinces produce excellent rams.
As with most sheep hunts in North America, the best ones have steadily increased in price as a function of both persistent demand and the effects of inflation. As the quest to hunt sheep in general has increased and the aspiration for above average trophy quality seems unabated, the areas that perform will cost more. These are the main factors that have contributed to the growing interest in the various Asian sheep and Ibex species. For example, a Marco Polo hunt in Kyrgyzstan can cost the same or even less that a Dall sheep hunt.
AOUDAD SHEEP
North American sheep hunting has become prohibitively expensive for most due to consistently strong demand by hunters, limited quotas, and the need to draw a tag in many cases. But for hunters still yearning to hunt mountain sheep, aoudad is the answer. A free-range mountain hunt for aoudad sheep is considered by many to be the best sheep hunting bargain worldwide, and they qualify for the World Slam of Sheep.
We utilize the Davis and Chinati Mountains in Southwest Texas for trophy aoudad hunts and use an outfitter who has specialized in hunting them for over 35 years, taking trophies that re-write the Top 20 annually. With access to over 500,000 acres on several private ranches, his focus is trophy quality.
The season spans from late September through the end of March, which presents a great “off-season” hunting opportunity with easy access and requiring minimal time away on a 4-day hunt. These are legitimate mountain hunts ranging to 7500 feet in elevation. Success has been 100% regardless of hunt timing over this period. The license is inexpensive at $48. And the fullness of their distinctive chaps correlates to their natural genetic traits, not weather related in the way that mountain goats will hair out only from cold weather.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HUNT?
We cover all the species, contact us for information on other North American species.