Arizona is known for great hunting.  What many may not realize is the quality and variety of color phase black bears that exist on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.  This area is truly a mecca for great bears.  As estimated in 2016, there was a population of approximately 33,000 black bears on the reservation.

In Arizona, where nearly every hunting opportunity requires a tag through the seemingly impossible draw process, black bear hunting, on the reservation, isn’t so difficult or frustrating. There is no other place in the country that has the number, size, and variety of colored bears as this hunt.

Additionally, the White Mountain Apache Reservation is the only area where it is legal to hunt bears over baited barrels in Arizona, making it even more of a unique experience.  The concept of hunting bears over baited barrels may not be exactly what you envision until you have experienced this hunt.

Check out the Territory short film, “Blue Barrel” to see what hunting these color phase black bears in Arizona is all about.