Greetings Nala -- I live in Southeast Alaska and we have a lot of bear here. In fact, it is not unusual to have to shovel the bear poop off the lawn in the summer before we mow. As such, I do most of my hunting fairly near here. There are non-resident hunters every year that do, or attemp to do, DIY hunt in Alaska. But, it is really not easy to do, and I don't know that I could really recommend it to anyone not already familiar with this country. If you wanted to hunt black bear in Alaska, I would recommend you hunt with a guide on the first go- round. The down side with guided hunts is that they pretty spendy.
Three years ago, I got the bug to do a baited hunt, so I went to Alberta Canada and hunted with Silver Fox Outfitters (bow only outfit). It was a whole lot of fun. I think the week hunt cost about $1700. That included one bear tag. You could purchase a second tag for another $500. The food was good, the guides were good, their ATVs were good, their bait stations and stands were good. I chose to hunt from the ground and we built a couple brush blinds near some hot baits. I shot my bear at 12 paces with my Black Widow recurve. Very exciting and much fun.
The better outfits in Alberta usually approach 100% success or at least near 100% shot opportunities.
Google "Alberta Bear Hunting Guides" and look at what they are offering for '08.
Cheers from Alaska