"Soil type is a big influence," he says. "You get into the eastern Cascades and you'll find blond, cinnamon, even 'skunk' bears, which are brown or black with a white stripe somewhere. The largest bruins often come from the Blue Mountains, but there are big animals throughout northwest Washington, particularly in the Wenatchee and Okanogan national forests."

The state offers a limited-quota spring hunt, followed by a long fall season. Last year, 58,000 bear licenses were issued, and hunters shot close to 1,200 bears.

In the East, Pennsylvania hunters continue to tag some monster bruins, registering one animal over 800 pounds in 2004 and, according to the Game Commission's Mark Ternent, "a whole handful" in the 500- to 600-pound range.

"We have at least 13 counties that have registered a bear over 500 pounds," he says. "Since we began mandatory registration, we've had six bears of 800 pounds or bigger."

The Pocono Mountains are where most of the big boys call home, but trophies could come out of Clinton (northcentral), Westmoreland or Somerset counties (southwest). New for this fall will be an extended season, held the last week of November in several management units in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Maine hunters tagged 4,000 bears last year, a harvest that indicates what the state's Randy Cross refers to as a strong, high-density population.

"We conservatively estimate numbers at 23,000 animals," he says. "We have a lot of bears in every place where people don't live."

Maine hunters can bait bears for four weeks starting in late August, followed by a dog hunting season that runs through October. Deer hunters occasionally shoot bears well into November. The state record bear weighs 680 pounds, and the potential for a trophy is there.

"The best bet for a nonresident is to book with an outfitter by contacting the Maine Professional Guide's Association," Cross says.

New Yorkers have something to look forward to this year. Nine new units were opened to bear hunters in the last year, and some of these haven't been hunted in 10 to 15 years, says the state's Elizabeth Renar. Seven of them are in the southwestern corner of the state (Allegany region), and two lie in the southeast (Catskills).

"Though the units were technically open last season, many hunters didn't have the opportunity to hunt them," she adds. Still, New York bear hunters had a good season in 2004; they tagged about 1,800 bears, among the top four harvests in state history.

Hunting north of the border will be as promising as ever. Saskatchewan's Rhys Beaulieu predicts another excellent year. "Our populations remain really strong," he says. "We kill about 2,200 bears here every year, and success rates are about 70 percent for nonresidents--people who don't go home with a bear are typically holding out for a large or color-phase bear. Most outfitters have room for more hunters [nonresidents are required to hunt with a guide]."

Beaulieu says the province's strongest populations are found in the central section, in a line drawn from Meadow Lake to Hudson Bay. Trophy bears pop up most anywhere, but Beaulieu says: "If you're really interested in a big bear, book with an outfitter whose allocation includes a wilderness area. Many of those populations have never been hunted."

Ontario estimates its bear population to be between 75,000 and 100,000 animals, and its seasons open in mid-August and extend to the end of November in some units. "Last year our harvest was about 5,000 animals, 75 percent of which were shot by nonresidents," says the province's Maria de Almeida.

While bears are found throughout the province, densities are greatest in the mixed-forest region that extends from the eastern border to Thunder Bay and into the northwestern reaches of the province. "We've recorded some bears with live weights up to 700 pounds," de Almeida notes.