Category Archives: Alaska

Alaska Bear Hunting. Alaska Grizzly Bear Hunting. Alaska Brown Bear Hunting. Alaska Black Bear Hunting. Alaska Island Bear Hunting. Alaska Kodiak Bear Hunting.

Five stranded Alaska Bear Hunters Rescued

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At about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Ketchikan Troopers received a 911 call from a 35-year-old Georgia man, reporting that he and his 14-year-old son were stranded near the Harris River Drainage near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island.

The two were members of a five-person black bear hunting party, all from the Lower 48. The other three hunters had dropped them off, and then taken the skiff to the head of 12 Mile Arm to hunt, and were two hours overdue to pick up the man and his son. Weather conditions were deteriorating, and the man said nobody in the group had gear to spend the night outdoors.

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Written by: KRBD Staff
Source: KRBD FM Radio
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Bear Hunting in Alaska: Which Rifle to Bring?

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"Bear Hunting in Alaska: Which Rifle to Bring?" [file photo]

“Bear Hunting in Alaska: Which Rifle to Bring?” [Bear Hunting Blog file photo]

The question is not so much what you’ll be hunting as, will you be in bear country? I have hunted caribou in Alaska with a .270, .270 WSM, and 7mm Weatherby Magnum, and all three did fine. Except that, on the hunt where I had the 7mm, I was checked out by a young boar grizzly, who seemed to find the guide, my friend, and me mildly disappointing and wandered away. If he had been a mature boar grizzly, I might have wished for a much bigger rifle.

I’ve known, personally, two guides who had to kill bears (one a brown, the other a grizzly) who were trying to do the same to them. One guide did the job himself with a .416 wildcat. The other guide had a .44 Magnum revolver, and the attack took place very suddenly over the disputed carcass of a caribou. The guide told me that if his client had not stood his ground and shot very quickly and very accurately with a .338, he might not be there to tell me the story.

So, my solution to Alaska rifle question (unless you’re way up in sheep and goat country where the chances of a bear encounter are fairly small) is to take something like a .338 loaded with 200- or 210-grain bullets for whatever you’re after, and stick a half-dozen 250-grain loads where you can get at them very quickly if you have to. This is if you’re hunting the non-dangerous stuff.

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Story by:  David E. Petzal
Source: Field & Stream
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Wildlife Trade Convention Rejects Polar Bear Ban

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Bangkok, Thailand –  A six month diplomatic initiative by the U.S. State Department and the Department of the Interior to list the polar bear as an endangered species under Appendix I of CITES failed today. The 178 nations that are Parties to the CITES Convention decided that the U.S. proposal lacked the necessary scientific basis for such a listing and was merely a political move requested by the highest levels of the US government. The stakes involved included the right of indigenous peoples to trade in polar bear and to sustainably use the species as a critical wildlife resource.

Here in Bangkok at the 16th Conference of the CITES Parties, the U.S. proposal to uplist polar bear to “Appendix I” was strongly rejected because polar bear do not meet the biological criteria to justify listing.  An Appendix I classification provides the maximum level of protection for a CITES listed species and bans all commercial trade for that species.

The polar bear has not undergone a marked population decline. The global population is not small – it is estimated at 20,000-25,000 individuals. Its area of distribution is not restricted – it extends over several million kilometers.  These facts are the biological criteria.  The joint delegation of the SCI Foundation and SCI presented these facts to many of the 2,000 delegates attending this convention.

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Contact: Nelson Freeman
Source: Safari Club International Foundation
The Bear Hunting Blog

AK Brown Bear Hunters (U4) must watch “Bear Video”

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Alaska Brown Bear Hunt

“Hunters are reminded that prior to registering for the Unit 4 hunts, they must acknowledge viewing the “Take a Closer Look” video. The video is intended to help hunters determine the differences between male and female bears in the field.” [Bear Hunting Blog file photo].

SITKA — The spring brown bear hunting season in Unit 4 (Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands) opened on Friday, March 15.

Permits will be available at Alaska Department of Fish and Game offices, and online, beginning March 8th. Hunters are reminded that prior to registering for the Unit 4 hunts, they must acknowledge viewing the “Take a Closer Look” video. The video is intended to help hunters determine the differences between male and female bears in the field.

The video can be viewed online at ADF&G’s web page by typing “Take a Closer Look” in the search box and you will be directed to a link for the video. Or you can type http://vimeo.com/30511231directly into the address bar.

The video is also available for loan at ADFG offices, and it can be purchased online at http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=370.

Fish & Game is encouraging brown bear hunters to watch this video in advance to prevent delays in the registration process. For additional questions, please call the Sitka Area office at 907-747-5449.

Source:  The Juneau Empire
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Alaska Board walks middle road for bear hunters

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Alaska Bear Hunting

“Public testimony given at the board meeting was clearly in favor of enhanced hunting opportunity through boosting the moose population and liberalizing the wolf and brown bear hunts.” [Bear Hunting Blog file photo]

When the Board of Game met mid-March in Kenai, members had their work cut out for them. They were set to address several local game management and hunting issues, many of them contentious and sensitive to those of us living here.

Somehow, the board managed to walk the tight rope, and successfully address local concerns about moose, bear and wolf populations. That’s no easy feat.

Public testimony given at the board meeting was clearly in favor of enhanced hunting opportunity through boosting the moose population and liberalizing the wolf and brown bear hunts.

The board took action to increase the hunting and trapping of wolves by expanding the public trapping season and authorizing the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to hire trappers to target wolves. That comes on the heels of a previous decision to authorize public permits to be issued for the aerial shooting of wolves in 15C and the shooting of wolves by department employees via helicopter in non-federally-managed portions of 15A.

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Source: Peninsula Clarion
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Pope & Young Record Alaska Black Bear with Longbow

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Two hours in the tree-stand, seeing nothing but squirrels, I picked up movement far off in the trees. My heart started racing and then … disappointment. Two adolescent grizzlies rolled into the baits, took a whiff, then trotted back off into the woods at the sound of a boat on the nearby river.

Not 20 minutes later movement caught my eye again. This time it was black.

I knew right away he was a big one.  He came in slow, studying the surroundings, huffing the air, following the same path the grizzlies came down. He waddled over to the bait barrel, then walked right under my tree-stand.

He turned and moved back towards the baits. I leaned forward, to make a quartering away shot, but he heard my movement and stopped. He looked up at me, then sat down and stared. It felt like an hour went by, but it was probably just a few minutes. He turned to walk away and showed broadside. Then everything blurred. All I remember was staring right behind his shoulder. All I could see was the 3D archery target I’d put hundreds of arrows into over the last three months. Before I knew it, my Easton was buried in his rib cage.

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Source: Tyler Freel and Outdoor Life
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Coastal Island Black Bear Hunting

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Coastal Island Black Bear Hunting

Giant Coastal Black Bears in Alaska

Alaska is considered to be one of the premier regions in the world for big game hunting, and those who have already tried their hand at hunting elsewhere come up to Alaska to see if they can really make it. One type of big game that is popular and plentiful to hunt is the black bear. The Prince of Wales Island, located in Southeastern Alaska outside of Ketchikan, is one of the best areas to harvest black bear. This Coastal Island black bear hunting yields success rates of almost 100% for hunters, due to the plentiful nature of the bears here as well as their legendary size.

A black bear that is harvested during Coastal Island black bear hunting season can be over eight feet in length and up to 350 pounds or more, making this truly the region to harvest larger bears than anywhere else in North America. Most of the bears in this area will measure over six and a half feet, and their skulls are usually over twenty inches in length as well, making them massive trophies. This species is now recognized by Safari Club International as a separate trophy category. However, bears are not the only draw for nature enthusiasts who wish to see something truly unique. The Alaskan wilderness teems with life, however, and you may also spot whales, bald eagles, black-tailed deer, and wolves during your adventure.

For the most successful Coastal Island black bear hunting adventure, you will need to have access to tents that allow you to plant yourself directly in the thick of the woods here. If you have no experience with hunting big game, it’s highly recommended to use a professional guide for this purpose. Boats are also needed to hunt in between different small islands off the Alaskan coast. While hunting in some regions will consist of baiting the bears, most hunters here will choose to spot and stalk their prey the old-fashioned way.

This makes Coastal Island black bear hunting more adventurous and exciting than other types of hunts. Not for the faint of heart, this pits man against nature in an up close and personal way, and can be an excellent bonding opportunity for fathers and sons or groups of friends who are interested in taking part in something unique from other types of hunting. Alaskan black bear hunts take place during two seasons, either the spring or the fall, when black bears are most on the move.

The Bear Hunting Blog