SE Alaska black bear by boat guide?

[Etter]

One of my best buddies (who killed his first trad critter this fall) and I were deciding between a lot of different long range trips. Maybe 3-5 years down the road, but even over Africa we have decided on spot and stalk black bears on the beach in alaska. We want a trip where you hunt from a house boat, fish for rockfish and halibut, run crab and prawn traps, and stalk big bears in the surf. Anybody done this and know a good guide?

Ive killed a bunch of bears and wouldnt have too much trouble killing one or two every year right here in georgia, but Ive always wanted to see alaska and do a hunt this way.

[Pine]

Sounds like a neat time .

[wingnut]

Give  http://www.bowhuntingsafari.com/  a call and see what they have to offer.  I've used them in the past for great hunts.

mike

[Stickbow]

Homer ocean charters is an outfit I would look at

[Jerry Russell]

Sean,

Don't limit your search to just hunting guides.  Look at a fishing boats that can put you out there. I would look at Whittier, Valdez and Cordova.  Those places are awesome with unreal beauty. If you choose the right place and time you can shoot blacktails too.

Watch out for those silvertip bears in the fall when hunting over the salmon streams. They can be a nuisance and don't really like bowhunters, lol.    

The hunting and fishing is unreal there.

I'm no help on the guides, but that sounds like it would be an awesome hunt!!! I'd love to catch a few of those giant flounders!!!

Bisch

[Etter]

Originally posted by Jerry Russell:
Sean,

Don't limit your search to just hunting guides.  Look at a fishing boats that can put you out there. I would look at Whittier, Valdez and Cordova.  Those places are awesome with unreal beauty. If you choose the right place and time you can shoot blacktails too.

Watch out for those silvertip bears in the fall when hunting over the salmon streams. They can be a nuisance and don't really like bowhunters, lol.    

The hunting and fishing is unreal there.

I guess I probably should have just called you. Sometimes I forget youve been everywhere. Lol

We have plenty of time to figure it out. Ill pick your brain next time I see you. Almost time for gar to get shallow aint it jer?

[Steve H.]

Prince William Sounds is NOT the place to go any longer--black bears populations have tanked out there.

I would get ahold of Johnny Laird of Muskeg Excursions (Ketchikan area) and ask him about his mainland Misty Fiords area.

Another angle to check out is Roark Brown and Homer Ocean Charters.  You could also consider doing a boat-based Sitka blacktail trip on Kodiak with Roark.

[macbow]

A group of us PBS guys did the Homer Ocen bear hunt in 2001.
Fantastic fishing, one bear killed. Fantastic trip.
There is a difference between outfitters and guides.
Outfitters, Homer Ocean, take you to locations and deliver you to the neach. They are not allowed to help with spotting and directing hunters.

[chinook907]

If you want the whole package, you pretty much need to go to SE Alaska.

As Steve H said, we had an extreme winter and following spring several years ago and black bear numbers near the coast beginning in Prince William Sound and North are very low. Still pretty good out of Homer but lower than prior.

Way better chance at a 7-8' bear in SE.

No crabbing or shrimping out of Homer during spring bear.

If you go with a guide it may not be too much more to "add" in a brown bear, in SE anyway.

I've only tried it once, with a friend in Ketchikan with a boat. Glassed most times of the day, especially late. Covered 300 miles by his logger, pulling dungie and shrimp pots here and there for the protein part of our meals. Slept on the boat in a different bay every night. Wish he hadn't moved lol.

[amicus]

Prince William Sound used to be an AWESOME place to go Black Bear hunting when the season opened on Sept 1st. I went 2 or 3 times and it was a blast. The salmon were running and the bears were every where. But then they moved the opening day to Sept 10th and it was a huge difference in my opinion. Salmon had spawned out and bears were very hard to find. I quit going after that. I talked to the biologist and asked why they changed the season and claimed to many sows were being taken. We never took sows and I almost never saw anybody else hunting. Might have better luck on Prince of wales and surrounding areas.

Good luck

Gilbert

[Etter]

Wow. I had never heard of winter killing bears before. Thats crazy. Guess this will take some work. I really wanted to hunt them during the salmon run.

[Steve H.]

"Wow. I had never heard of winter killing bears before. Thats crazy."

When you get bitter cold with low snow to insulate dens is when bears become susceptible. A couple of my people and Chinook's people initiated a capture and radio collar program last year.  A couple dudes I know were in on it.  The belief is bear out there were probably over harvested a few too many years too.


"I really wanted to hunt them during the salmon run."

Check into the boat based hunts that hit Kuiu or, once again, Johnny Laird--although I don't think we does an actual boat based trip.

Also, the forgotten corner, look into the Yakatat area although those will probably not be live-aboard boat based either.

[T Lail]

Homer Ocean Charters......

[charles suttles]

Homer Ocean Charters but remember these boat "guides" are in most cases just "transporters"

[Etter]

Really dont need a guide I guess but just a trip into prime territory and we get left a boat for fishing, a few crab and prawn pots, and some tents and fishing gear for a week. In all my years, I have yet to kill anything on a guided hunt. All my "success" has been on diy trips

[FITTER]

Sounds like a really neat hunt..... something I wouldnt mind eventually trying myself.

[Julian]

Very interested in this topic myself I've always been fascinated by Alaska.  Not trying to hijack your thread but do any of y'all know a round about price for a black bear tag and availability? I've tried to research it a few times but it is a bit hard to fully comprehend the actual tags prices (not sure what all licenses stamps are needed etc.). How is the public land camping? I saw a DIY boat trip where a guy did exactly what you are talking about. Randy Newberg I believe was his name.

[Julian]

Forgot to say I believe he stayed in a small cabin owned by the state like a state park possibly? Not sure where he was hunting.

[Steve H.]

Julian, I can give you some hints.  Various land management agencies have public-use cabins available for rent.  State of Alaska DNR, Tongass National Forest (Southeast); and the Chugach National Forest (South central), maybe some on USFWS Refuges as well, oh and Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Most are first come first serve, may be a limit of how many consecutive days you can reserve the cabin, and available for reservations 6 months in advance.

Almost anywhere is also available for dispersed camping--up to 14 days on the National Forests without moving a set number of miles.

There is no round about way of getting licenses.  Some areas such as Southeast Alaska, you now need to apply in advance for a drawing tag for southeast black bears (ADFG December application period), some areas you need a Harvest "Tag" instead.  These pieces of paper allow you to hunt in a particular area for a particular species.

You ALSO need a locking tag for each animal you are hunting that is the bag limit and a hunting license.  So you need THREE items to complete your licensing/permitting.

Keep in mind that the areas around the comfy cabins get hunted very hard in many cases.