How often do you see a bear?

[Arrowchaser]

I've had a black bear coming around the last couple days here. It made me wonder
how often different people see black or brown bears in Alaska? I'd hate to move up
just to see less bears.

This bear came snooping around Friday night. He looked like he was licking the sap
off a pine tree in our yard. I looked out the window and he bluff charged at me. (on the other side of the window) He must have
been relocated because he's got a couple ear tags. Then I saw him again today while I
was working on a gate post at my neighbors. He's a bold one. Huffing, puffing, and growling.

I just don't want to move to an area where there are no bears. That would be depressing.

So I guess the question is- How often do you see black or brown bears?

[SmokeRoss]

Not so much around home, but we used to average a bear sighting every 12 hours we spent at our remote cabin. The black bear numbers have dropped off, while the brown bear numbers have exploded. i don't care to see a brown bear every 12 hours.

[Frostbitten]

I've had a black bear coming around the last couple days here. It made me wonder
how often different people see black or brown bears in Alaska? I'd hate to move up
just to see less bears.

This bear came snooping around Friday night. He looked like he was licking the sap
off a pine tree in our yard. I looked out the window and he bluff charged at me. (on the other side of the window) He must have
been relocated because he's got a couple ear tags. Then I saw him again today while I
was working on a gate post at my neighbors. He's a bold one. Huffing, puffing, and growling.

I just don't want to move to an area where there are no bears. That would be depressing.

So I guess the question is- How often do you see black or brown bears?

I see them often (almost every time) when I go to the Russian River, but almost never otherwise. Contrary to what a lot of L48'ers have been lead to believe, there is not a bear behind every tree waiting to maul us everytime we walk out the front door.

[4merguide]

Depends on where you live. Some places in AK. will have a lot more than others. I've seen bears, lynx, coyotes, just driving around to and from work. Although I only had one brownie come into my yard in the 30 some years I've been here I used to see them only a mile or so away. A few years back a couple 10' brownies strolled into downtown Soldotna in the middle of the day in the middle of summer. Police had to kill one of them. People in downtown Anchorage may not ever see a bear in the neighborhood and yet recently they had to relocate a blackie sow and cubs from somewhere around there. In AK. there's always a chance to see a bear no matter where you live. It's just that some places have more than others. The more rural you are, the more chances to see them.....

[Music Man]

I see a blackie every day...... It's hanging on my wall.

[mlshore]

As he said, depends where. I'm about 30 miles east of Fairbanks and don't see bears but I do see tracks pretty often by the river.

[Arrowchaser]

I mainly see bears in the spring and fall here. I once had one show up 15 minutes after I shot a buck during
archery. I sometimes see them during the summer. The game commission relocates the city bears up the road some.
So I think the latest bear isn't going to last long. He's not too afraid and was not in a hurry to leave at all.
As I said, I looked out the window and he bluff charged me. I yelled at him and he ignored me. He slowly went
across the road and stood in the shadows. I yelled again and he went up a bank and sat down. They usually
run a short distance and then stop and look. This bear just did not care. The second time I saw him I was on
my atv. I was driving towards him and he just stood there and looked at me. Then he slowly walked across my
neighbors porch. He's a little over 6 feet tall standing on his back feet.
Today I found a big hole dug by our house. I am guessing the bear was digging up bugs.

Frostbitten- When we went to Yellowstone I was picturing seeing a lot of bears and wolves. So I can relate. Then we only
saw one grizzly and several wolves at great distances. While sitting at home you picture the vast wilderness and the potential
opportunity to see things. Then we got there and people were everywhere.

I have read some threads about the AK bears. I think there's only black bears on Prince of Wales. Not too many bears around Wasilla because
those who come around end up dead? That's what I read. But then when I used to watch shows like with the Kilchers. They had to
travel a ways to hunt deer and there didn't seem to be bears around their home. So I started wondering why there didn't seem to be
much game in certain areas. Especially considering the number of people per square miles in AK. But we have deer running all over here
and there's millions of people in this state.

I sometimes plant deer food plots here and like seeing bears every so often. So I'd rather be in an area with more animals.

[bobmikk]

Here's an interesting bear sighting...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbea...nabled%3Afalse

[willphish4food]

I mainly see bears in the spring and fall here. I once had one show up 15 minutes after I shot a buck during
archery. I sometimes see them during the summer. The game commission relocates the city bears up the road some.
So I think the latest bear isn't going to last long. He's not too afraid and was not in a hurry to leave at all.
As I said, I looked out the window and he bluff charged me. I yelled at him and he ignored me. He slowly went
across the road and stood in the shadows. I yelled again and he went up a bank and sat down. They usually
run a short distance and then stop and look. This bear just did not care. The second time I saw him I was on
my atv. I was driving towards him and he just stood there and looked at me. Then he slowly walked across my
neighbors porch. He's a little over 6 feet tall standing on his back feet.
Today I found a big hole dug by our house. I am guessing the bear was digging up bugs.

Frostbitten- When we went to Yellowstone I was picturing seeing a lot of bears and wolves. So I can relate. Then we only
saw one grizzly and several wolves at great distances. While sitting at home you picture the vast wilderness and the potential
opportunity to see things. Then we got there and people were everywhere.

I have read some threads about the AK bears. I think there's only black bears on Prince of Wales. Not too many bears around Wasilla because
those who come around end up dead? That's what I read. But then when I used to watch shows like with the Kilchers. They had to
travel a ways to hunt deer and there didn't seem to be bears around their home. So I started wondering why there didn't seem to be
much game in certain areas. Especially considering the number of people per square miles in AK. But we have deer running all over here
and there's millions of people in this state.

I sometimes plant deer food plots here and like seeing bears every so often. So I'd rather be in an area with more animals.

Alaska deer do not live on the mainland; the Kilchers live on the mainland. Bear hunting is often restricted in cities, and is best in more remote areas. Blacks and browns are entirely different animals, with different seasons and regulations.

And as you may have gathered, Alaska is different than Pennsylvania. Big country, sparse populations on the average. Some areas will have pockets of game and then vast areas with little to no game.

[cdubbin]

I've had dozens of interactions with brown bears over 30 years of moose hunting the same area, but only via tracks....never actually seen one in the flesh. So many times I lost count I would walk back down a trail an hour or two later, and see fresh bear tracks over mine....or fresh tracks first thing in the morning over my tracks from dark thirty the night before. Eventually I came to terms with the fact that they were around, didn't want to mess with me, and I didn't really need to worry about it, but it took a while. When I lived on the south side of Kachemak Bay I'd see black bears almost daily, early morning...that was during an upswing in the population cycle, after a few years they got pretty thinned out by hunting and sightings went down.

[SmokeRoss]

The thing about reality shows, is......they Ain't real. LOL

[SmokeRoss]

Kilchers live in Homer. On a paved road. They could walk to Safeway or McDonalds. The local High School is right down the road. Coffee shops by the dozen. Anchorage is a 3 hour drive.......on a paved highway. It's all FAKE.

[iofthetaiga]

Who are the Kilchers (and why should we care)?

[SteveAK]

If you are fishing on a Southcentral river most likely will always see sign. Seen bears in Juneau, Prince of Wales Island, Kodiak, Seward, Anchorage, Eagle River Nature Center, Kenai River, Bird Creek. Occasionally have scat near house in lower Hillside neighborhood.

[lonealaskangypsy]

I live in western Alaska on the Yukon River delta and I've never seen a black or brown bear. They're definitely here; I've seen their tracks. They just don't wander around town (not to mention the fact, they're not really allowed to wander around town- if you catch my drift). I don't purposely go out searching for them though. The one time I did see a bear I was in Anchorage with my boyfriend and his family driving up to Flattop in the morning. A black bear and her two cubs! So cute! But aside from that ONE time- honestly I'm a bear-viewing-less Alaskan. :(