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Regarding method and time of year, I'd say pretty much the same. Bears, like most things, are stomach and sex driven, (which when it comes full circle is still food driven, ie. boys look for girls, girls are looking for food). In Montana, where we can't legally bait you concentrate on hunting natural food sources, spring go where it's starting to green up and in the fall chokecherries, etc. So vantage points over creek bottoms, southern slopes places like that and where there are winterkills, meat sources are always worth checking out. I've never been on a guided bear hunt, the hunts we did in Ontario were from a fishing camp and we just did the bear hunting on our own in the evenings (killed my first there). I would think a decent outfitter in a good area, that maintains bait stations, would give you very good odds at taking a bear.

Depending on spring or fall and area would determine what other game would be available. For instance here, in spring there may be turkey and fishing. In the fall, with the proper tags, all the big game we have, elk, muledeer and or whitetail, upland birds( various grouse etc.) just to name a few although some are very difficult to draw (moose, bighorn sheep).

For the different color phases of the black, the west is the best. They can range from blond to black here.

I can't speak for other places but in Montana you don't need an outfitter for bears. You can buy just a bear tag after passing a bear ID test which you can take online. If you were to want to come out in the fall, and hunt the other big game as well, then going through an outfitter would be recommended (guaranteed draw on the combination tag). If I remember right, In Ontario you need either hunter safety course or previous hunting license,and in Colorado if born after '49 then hunter safety course.

As for trophy, I feel a good mature boar that's a least 6' (nose to tail) is good. I think the bears to the east probably average heavier than ours here. Our typical sow is only about 150lbs. but a good boar can push 300lbs with a few that'll go more. Myself, after taking a number of them, look for one that'll go the 6' mark and at least in the 250lb range. They can be tricky to judge, but a young bear will look leggy and kind of big eared. A mature boar, like a big barrel on little stumps with a broad nice head.

Most of my bears have been in the late evening, so I like my scope then. Even when things are up close it's just easier for me to see in the dim light with one. I think the 9.3 would do fine and the 450/400 would too. I made a large walrus ivory bead for my 450 (slides over the standard bead as a "night sight") that helps but I still can't push it as late as a scope will let me.