• Antelope
• Barbary Sheep
• Bear
• Bison
• Caribou
• Coues Deer
• Elk
• Moose
• Mountain Goat
• Mule Deer
• Sheep
• Whitetail Deer

Bear

There are black bears in The West ... not like there are in Canada, but there are bears. The populations for a given state (except Alaska) are typically modest, say 10,000 -- not nearly as prolific as elk or deer or even antelope will be. Most states don't allow hunting in the spring, and most states don't allow hunting over bait. So bears tend to be a long shot, and are often more of a target of opportunity than the focus of a Western hunt.

I don't hunt bears much. Once you get that first bear skin rug on the wall, you quickly realize that you don't really have room for another. The meat tastes OK, but can be pretty grisly and chewy. And in the fall, there are a lot of conflicting priorities. They're great animals, though, and every hunter should try to get at least one bear in his or her career.

There is currently no grizzly hunting in the Lower 48, although grizzlies in Wyoming are on the verge of being delisted under the Endangered Species act, meaning that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department may have the option of opening a grizzly hunting season in the not too distant future.

In general, if you want to get a bear, plan a dedicated trip to either Alaska or one of the Canadian provinces. In the other Western states, bear hunting will be a low priority. Getting a tag just in case you see one on a big game hunt for another species is very unlikely to be cost effective.