Black bear options/ideas?

[mossyhorn]

I took up bear hunting this spring for the first time and got a late start on about May 20th. I've been hitting it hard and climbing and climbing looking for bears. Yesterday I left Anchorage at 4:30 am and glassed all down the arm, checked out Palmer Creek out of Hope, glassed down the highway, hiked all the way into Crescent Lake saw nothing for bears. I'd been seeing a few but nothing I could get close enough for a shot on. I think the greenup has hid quite a few of them and they're feeding in thicker cover.

I don't have a boat or atv but am looking for maybe some different ideas on things to try or is it going to just be this slow till next spring? Any cheap options on getting out in the sound to hunt?

[Brian M]

In my limited experience, spot and stalk hunting for black bears seems to be better in the late fall. I've found this to be especially true on the Peninsula in the areas you mention. This time of year there are lots of active bait stations down that way, and you've got to figure that it diverts a lot of bears into the thick timber that might otherwise be feeding on open slopes. Go out after moose season and scope the tops of the mountains. You'll see plenty of black bears feeding on berries way up above treeline - often above where the goats are.

[mossyhorn]

How are their coats that time of year? Do they start putting more hair on in preparation for winter?

[Brian M]

Yep, late fall coats are beautiful. The later you get, the better they become - but anything after September 1st should be pretty nice. Better yet, the meat of black bears on blueberry patches is excellent. I certainly plan on chasing them in late September through October. Stay in touch and we'll compare notes over a beer or two.

[454casull]

Sent you a PM.

[mossyhorn]

Thanks Brian, I'll take you up on that come September!

[jssbastiat]

got my black bear while headed BACK in from the spot and stalk!

well, walked all day,, got up early, blah, blah....then coming back in the road, I saw a flash of a black head looking over a rock at me! Heheheheh, a black bear checking me out!

This is my first black bear and it is the BEST eating...i looked at all of their scat piles, NOTHING but cranberries from last year and grass! This sucker was not huge, but it tastes like pork to me....I put mortons smoked brown sugar ham salt on my ribs for 2 days with a bbq sauce on it...then rinse salt off and reapply sause...cook...man, it's awesome..my sausage is better than my moose sausage...needles to say, i've been out hitting it hard again...

just a word of caution to you guys...i hit my 175 lb bear in a double lung shot...my shell from my 7 mag hit my scope and jammed my gun....the bear was only 15 yds....that bear made it 40 yds, dead run, luckily away from me...if he had run at me, i would have never gotten my pistol out....he would have had about 20 secs of life in him to wear me out.....I should have hit him a neck shot, but, instinct took over and i did the double lung...my 7mag is pinpoint so i have no excuse but got the shakes....and learned a lesson...I don't want to shoot a front leg and damage meat...so, a neck shot would put his down KO immediately....just my thoughts...