Polar Bear Hunting Guides and Outfitters – Trips and Guided Hunts

The Polar Bear is an inhabitant of as far north as the Arctic Circle and lives on the ice flows and the cold waters, and is well suited to their icy environment. This big game lives on the shores of land and on sea ice, but constantly is moving in search for food. The sea ice allows them to travel hundreds of miles from the shore. Some polar bears spend part of their time on the arctic shores of Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. Many however, live on or near the islands of the Arctic Ocean, and never come within hundreds of miles of the mainland. Many outfitters or guides will have to travel many miles with their clients to find a good spot to hunt. The favorite hunting ground of this bear is the edge of the pack ice, where icebergs and broken pan ice alternate with areas of open water. Occasionally, polar bears are seen in the Atlantic Ocean as far south as the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Their heavy white fur not only blends in with the snowy surroundings to keep them almost invisible to the pray they are hunting. It can creep silently unseen over the ice toward the seals which it kills for food. The polar bear has a smaller head, a longer neck, and a more slender body than other bears. This build helps to make it a powerful swimmer with great agility in the water. The soles of their feet are covered with hair to prevent them from slipping on the ice, and they are strong swimmers. The largest of the polar bears grow to a length of eleven feet and may weigh over 1,500 pounds.

Around September the polar bears mate, after which time the pregnant females start looking for a home to give birth. They seek out hollow caves in the icebergs or dig out dens in the snow large enough for the mother and between one and three cubs. The mother has to feed regularly before this to last until spring. At which time she will emerge with her new cubs. The cubs will stay with their mother for about two and a half years. She will feed and protect them along with teaching them what they will need to know to survive.

The polar bear normally hunts seals and has developed many ways to hunt them. Since the polar bear is an excellent swimmer, it can hunt seals in the water. It also will wait by air holes created by the seals to breathe with. When the seal comes up for air, the polar bear will grab them. Lastly they hunt walruses. He will swim up to where they are sunning themselves and catch one before they get to the water to swim away.

Eskimos depend upon them for food and clothing and do hunt them regularly. They are prized for their hides, which are made into bear rugs or are used as trimmings on coats.

Scientific Classification: The polar bear belongs to the family Ursidae. It is classified as genus Thalarctos, species T. martitimus.

Tips for Polar Bear Hunting