Looking for a place to hunt bear/fish

[MichaelRyanSD]

We are looking at the GMU 7 "Seward" and was wondering where a good place would be to go this Sat-Sun for a place to hunt black/brown bear and fish. We were going to set up camp at the lake so the fisherman of the group can fish while the hunters go off and hike. Any ideas which lake down there would also give a good chance at spotting a bear.

 

[cod]

Theres always ummmmm... Bear Lake. Just outside of Seward a few miles.

 

[AlaskaHippie]

....Or Bear Glacier.....

 

[AGL4now]

Bear Creek in Hope, Alaska. Also Cub Creek at Mile 6.8 Hope Road.

I would suggest Summit Lake for fishing and camping. And right across the road is Summit creek trail and Colorado Creek trail (Note: Colorado Creek is for "REAL" Men..........sissy-men should never attempt Colorado Creek Trail.

 

[Milo]

I hear banjo music...

 

[Roland on the River]

Bear Creek in Hope, Alaska. Also Cub Creek at Mile 6.8 Hope Road.

I would suggest Summit Lake for fishing and camping. And right across the road is Summit creek trail and Colorado Creek trail (Note: Colorado Creek is for "REAL" Men..........sissy-men should never attempt Colorado Creek Trail.

The challenge is on, try COlORADO CREEK

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Bear Creek in Hope, Alaska. Also Cub Creek at Mile 6.8 Hope Road.

I would suggest Summit Lake for fishing and camping. And right across the road is Summit creek trail and Colorado Creek trail (Note: Colorado Creek is for "REAL" Men..........sissy-men should never attempt Colorado Creek Trail.

So the guys I talked to who go up Colorado creek on their 4 wheelers to access their mining claims must be "REAL" men. I'll definetly let them know.lol
I was thinking of heading that way myself this summer as my Gold Prospectors club has a couple of claims up that way.

 

[akpolaris]

go up Mt Alice or the Iditarod Trail looking for bears

 

[Michael Strahan]

We are looking at the GMU 7 "Seward" and was wondering where a good place would be to go this Sat-Sun for a place to hunt black/brown bear and fish. We were going to set up camp at the lake so the fisherman of the group can fish while the hunters go off and hike. Any ideas which lake down there would also give a good chance at spotting a bear.

Hello Michael,

Welcome to our site! I just popped my head in the door here and I see you've already received the customary greeting from some of our locals, and some really great advice :hmmmm:

Call the Region 7 biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for advice on this. I linked our Biologist Page for you, but some of the names have changed since we posted it (there's always some movement over there, it seems). Black bear hunting down that way can be a real challenge, owing to a number of factors. I don't know what lake you're talking about, but you might also inquire of the ADF&G Sportfish Division on that too. They should be able to give you lots of info on area lakes and such.

I know you're new to the site, but I don't know if you're new to Alaska. If you are, you might want to take a look at our Hunt Planning Section. There's tons of info in there specifically designed to help you put your hunts together. One thing you will learn quickly; if you want good help from folks who know this stuff, they're going to expect you to have some investment in your hunt, in terms of research. We can usually tell if someone is serious by the questions they ask. NEVER ask where a good place to hunt is. EVER. You find places to hunt in one of two ways: 1) trial and error. Go hunting, learn about different areas on your nickel. In the process you will not only learn specific things about different areas, you will learn principles that can be applied to other locations, i.e., fall black bears like south-facing slopes because that's where the blueberries grow best. Once you know that, you start looking for accessible areas with south-facing slopes. You get the idea. and 2) research. Once you have some of the basic principles down, you can do your own research on different areas. Research includes talking with the area biologists and getting to know them. They're a wealth of information.

Sorry if it seems so difficult. Hunting Alaska is unlike hunting anywhere else in the country. We have perhaps the greatest variety of big-game animals here, but generally the lowest density per square mile of any state (although there is some density in this thread, but that's another topic). So there's a lot of real estate out there without a living thing on it for most of the year. You will probably notice that this coming weekend, and you will have learned some things you can use later.

But then again, you might see an eight-footer down there.

Best of luck!

-Mike

 

[MichaelRyanSD]

Thank you for the advice, I was trying to avoid looking like I was asking for someone secret hunting spot, since that isn't the case. I was more concerned with finding a place to fish for some of the guys since I don't know which lakes have fish in them or not. The hunters in our group are just going to hike from the lake to where ever we think the bears are at. Our whole group is in the infantry, so none of us mind hiking in to a spot if we have too.

I have read a ton of information on this forum from thread dating back 5 + years, look forward to gaining some more

 

[AGL4now]

Hard to beat Summit Lake for camping & fishing. And hard to beat Summit Creek for a majestic hike and chance at a bear. I would strongly suggest the hike depart at first light. Also topshelf hiking and hunting from Lower Summit Lake.

 

[Michael Strahan]

Hard to beat Summit Lake for camping & fishing. And hard to beat Summit Creek for a majestic hike and chance at a bear. I would strongly suggest the hike depart at first light. Also topshelf hiking and hunting from Lower Summit Lake.

What's the snow situation in there right now? I wonder if any of the trails are open? I haven't driven the highway this year.

 

[Brian M]

What's the snow situation in there right now? I wonder if any of the trails are open? I haven't driven the highway this year.

I tried to ski in to bear hunt in the area 3 weeks ago, but was turned back by a trail that alternated every 20 yards from dirt to glare ice to mud to knee-deep rotten snow. Given our recent temps, I'd bet the trails are just fine.