Hunting Grizz Off Denali Highway

[AKCarl]

So with the warmer weather I am itching to get out and do some bear hunting. I plan on heading down the second or third week of april. I have never done this hunt before but we plan on taking the mountain sleds and finding a good valley and heading up into it. Thinking about going in the tangle lakes area maybe. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to look for bears?

Thanks
Carl

[GMC_Hick]

want info tooo bump....

[Vince]

So with the warmer weather I am itching to get out and do some bear hunting. I plan on heading down the second or third week of april. I have never done this hunt before but we plan on taking the mountain sleds and finding a good valley and heading up into it. Thinking about going in the tangle lakes area maybe. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to look for bears?

Thanks
Carl

i would guess you are heading in from the paxton end? i would stop a the lodge and talk to the locals.. they always have a few they wish to be done with. and a lot of guys ride to from there and Mclarian lodge and report bears sitings...

[Grayling Slayer]

Your time frame is probably a little too early for that area. If possible you might want to try a week or two later. I'm planning a trip from the Cantwell side around the first or second week of May.

Be prepared for the worse. The snow storms in the mountains there are nothing to laugh about. Following you GPS is a whiteout through mountain terrain when you can't see past the skis on your snowmachine is very nerve wracking. I've seen it go from +45 in the day to -30 that same night.

A few years ago the guys that were parked next to us at the pulloff did in fact have to get rescued.

[Toklat3]

Denali hiway bears

I did a trip last week in April 2004 We stayed at McLaren river lodge for 4 days but we were way to early I agree with 2nd week of may and be ready for the worst. Snow,rain wind and punchy snow. Seen some nice bears up there! Good luck hope you are successful.

[AkGoat1]

Denali Hwy

When is the road cleared for vehicle traffic? Thanks

[Alaska_Lanche]

Last I heard the magic day was going to be April 15th to state opening the road. But it takes a while to get it all the way opened across the whole highway.

[denalihunter]

Spring Bear/DOT road update-Denali Highway

Just an update for you guys that are interested. We would sure like to see some bear hunters around our place!
I called the DOT 4 days ago, and they said they were going to start clearing the road April 15th from Cantwell. I'm not sure if they are starting on the Paxson end at the same time. Of course, this takes some weeks to completely open it up. The DOT guy in Cantwell said that a mining company is staging equipment, and he wasn't sure if they were going to wait for the state to open the road or if the mining company was going to do it before hand. So, it might be getting opened up any day. I'm trying to stay on top of that as much as possible so that we can advise our clients at the lodge that might be planning a trip in.
In the last few days, we have had high temps in the mid 30's, and even to 40! But the lodge is up on the side of the southfacing slopes of the Clearwaters, so we run a lot warmer then Cantwell or Paxson. I was up there working on the place 2 weeks ago, and we found one 'early riser' bear track up the Valdez mine road. I suspect with the high temps that are expected for the next 10 days, we will see a lot more activity.
Fish & Game told me 3 years ago that the concentrations of grizzlies are the highest between the Su and the Maclaren River, on the southfacing slopes of the Clearwater Mountains. I know of 2 dens from last spring within site of the lodge!
Personally, I like to hunt them really early and catch em out and about in April. If you can catch them right as they wake up, the hides are usually very good.
The guys running the lodge are keeping me updated daily and they are out looking around, so just let me know if you are heading out there and I can tell you what I know. Sure would be nice to thin out a few of them.
I'll be heading in this coming weekend to bring supplies into the lodge and see what I can wake up! My .458's itching!

[Akres]

Just an update for you guys that are interested. We would sure like to see some bear hunters around our place!
I called the DOT 4 days ago, and they said they were going to start clearing the road April 15th from Cantwell. I'm not sure if they are starting on the Paxson end at the same time. Of course, this takes some weeks to completely open it up. The DOT guy in Cantwell said that a mining company is staging equipment, and he wasn't sure if they were going to wait for the state to open the road or if the mining company was going to do it before hand. So, it might be getting opened up any day. I'm trying to stay on top of that as much as possible so that we can advise our clients at the lodge that might be planning a trip in.
In the last few days, we have had high temps in the mid 30's, and even to 40! But the lodge is up on the side of the southfacing slopes of the Clearwaters, so we run a lot warmer then Cantwell or Paxson. I was up there working on the place 2 weeks ago, and we found one 'early riser' bear track up the Valdez mine road. I suspect with the high temps that are expected for the next 10 days, we will see a lot more activity.
Fish & Game told me 3 years ago that the concentrations of grizzlies are the highest between the Su and the Maclaren River, on the southfacing slopes of the Clearwater Mountains. I know of 2 dens from last spring within site of the lodge!
Personally, I like to hunt them really early and catch em out and about in April. If you can catch them right as they wake up, the hides are usually very good.
The guys running the lodge are keeping me updated daily and they are out looking around, so just let me know if you are heading out there and I can tell you what I know. Sure would be nice to thin out a few of them.
I'll be heading in this coming weekend to bring supplies into the lodge and see what I can wake up! My .458's itching!

Yep it is fairly decent in the areas you are referencing. But be advised that area is NON-Motorized, even the road into Valdez Creek itself. I have hunted that region a bunch and have spoken with bios, F&W and dug up studies of theirs on my own. What they will not tell you, and you have to find out on your own, the highest concentration of denning area is on the Kosina Creek Drainage. I agree with you the bears need to get dead.

[Alaska_Lanche]

Yep it is fairly decent in the areas you are referencing. But be advised that area is NON-Motorized, even the road into Valdez Creek itself. I have hunted that region a bunch and have spoken with bios, F&W and dug up studies of theirs on my own. What they will not tell you, and you have to find out on your own, the highest concentration of denning area is on the Kosina Creek Drainage. I agree with you the bears need to get dead.

Actually you are allowed use the Clearwater Controlled Use Area with a motorized vehicles from March 15-June 30th for the taking of small game, wolves, & grizzly bears. Also you are allowed to wheeler around up there during the summer/fall so long as you are not hunting.

[Akres]

Actually you are allowed to use the area with a motorized vehicles from March 15-June 30th for the taking of small game, wolves, & grizzly bears.

You're absolutely correct. I had forgotten they changed it and stand corrected. So it is back on, go get them bears, before they change the rules, again.

[denalihunter]

Good on the clarification!

Wow, I had to run back and read the regs again when I seen the first post, even though I have them memorized! Of course, it's up to everyone to know the rules of the area's they hunt. I've been hunting that area since I could walk. There is some great bear hunting to be had! Just to help people out, here's the link to Unit 13. The note on the Clearwater Controlled Use area is to the left of the map.

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/regul...pdfs/gmu13.pdf

Good Luck!!

Claude

[elsielake]

grizz out yet

So has anyone heard of grizz stating to pop their heads out yet?

[Vince]

i was glassing on my end last weekend... no dens popped yet... but YESTERDAY was the first 40 deg day up here in Fairbanks... it was COLD down by Healy and Clear last weekend. North wind even though the temp in the sun was 30... it stayed CRISP... i cut one small set of tracks.. and where i am is REAL similar to Denali end...