AK spring bear 2021

[jasonwest0317]

Gentlemen,
I'm relatively new to AK and I was wondering if anyone had any snow reports along the Sterling Hwy/Hope/Cooper Landing areas? I plan on heading out for a few days to spot and stalk black bear, however one of the weather websites showed a current snow depth of 19" IVO Cooper Landing. Im hoping someone can confirm or deny what the current snow depth is. Thanks.

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[Sourdough]

Try the 511 Alaska Highway camera/weather system. It shows live current time camers pointed at the roads throughout Alaska. It even shows the mountainsides. And often you can watch bears and moose in the area. I use the Turnagain Pass highway cameras regularly.

I just clicked on both "Summit Lake" and "Tern Lake" cameras and shows very little snow even well up the mountainside.

Good luck hunting........I loath bears.

Alaska 511

Provides up to the minute traffic and transit information for Alaska. View the real time traffic map with travel times, traffic accident details, traffic cameras and other road conditions. Plan your trip and get the fastest route taking into account current traffic conditions.

511.alaska.gov

 

[jasonwest0317]

Awesome I'll check it out. I appreciate it.

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[william schmaltz]

You can also check the FAA weather cameras to get some info on those areas too. I made the drive last Friday. There is definitely a lot more snow than there has been the last several years. Probably a couple weeks behind. Areas through turnagain pass still had several feet right off the highway. Even a couple trails that are usually snow free by the first week in may had several spots of solid ice. You should still be able to access alpine areas, however there may be a bit more competition where access looks better. There were several places where I see guys spotting bears from the road every year around this time that were still pretty snowy. So I guess if you're willing to post hole a bit, you may have less competition in those areas.

 

[jasonwest0317]

I appreciate the info. I plan on heading out all next week so we'll see what happens. I've been "Google earthing" a few areas and after looking at the traffic imagery they may workout. So far I've only had time for a couple day hunts back in the ERNC, and man thats a hard area to get 1/4 mile off the trail with just a day. It'll be nice to spend some time living out of a pack!

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[Sourdough]

Just avoid all parts of the Hope Highway, especially mile 4 through mile 12. Don't even slow down, or glass, or get out of the vehicle to pee along miles 6 through mile 10.

I appreciate the info. I plan on heading out all next week so we'll see what happens. I've been "Google earthing" a few areas and after looking at the traffic imagery they may workout. So far I've only had time for a couple day hunts back in the ERNC, and man thats a hard area to get 1/4 mile off the trail with just a day. It'll be nice to spend some time living out of a pack!

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[jasonwest0317]

Just avoid all parts of the Hope Highway, especially mile 4 through mile 12. Don't even slow down, or glass, or get out of the vehicle to pee along miles 6 through mile 10.

Is this are all private property? I've only been to Hope a couple times for silvers/pinks.

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[Sourdough]

Is this are all private property? I've only been to Hope a couple times for silvers/pinks.

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It is just very dangerous.......way to high a concentration of bears, both Black Bears and Brown Bears. Especially along mile 6 through mile 10 of the Hope Hwy. is just thick with bears. Not safe. Has been many attacks over the last 50 years.

Last fall (2020) a very experienced Alaska Hunter and Outdoorsman was mauled to death and eaten by two different bears (one brown and one black bear) with-in a few hours at mile 7.6 of the Hope Highway.

 

[jasonwest0317]

It is just very dangerous.......way to high a concentration of bears, both Black Bears and Brown Bears. Especially along mile 6 through mile 10 of the Hope Hwy. is just thick with bears. Not safe. Has been many attacks over the last 50 years.

Last fall (2020) a very experienced Alaska Hunter and Outdoorsman was mauled to death and eaten by two different bears (one brown and one black bear) with-in a few hours at mile 7.6 of the Hope Highway.

Ahh I remember hearing about this. Ive heard the hope area has a high concentration of bears, I didnt know it was that high. Thanks for the info.

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[Sourdough]

Ahh I remember hearing about this. Ive heard the hope area has a high concentration of bears, I didnt know it was that high. Thanks for the info.

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A good example of how fast it can happen even when I was ready and had the rifle in both hands (cartridge in chamber), on full alert. I still did not have time to raise the rifle and shot from the hip.


1970' HOPE ROAD CHARGING Bear recount.
______________________________________________


Some of you must know Lance T. former head of Habitat at Alaska F&G. In late May 1970' three of us were engaged in unofficial Porcupine control. Back then there were thousands of porcupines, I don't know why.

So we were shooting porky-pines between Los Anchorage and lovely Hope, Alaska. It was about 10:45 night and the last, or nearly last light. We were on the rough "Dirt" road that was the Hope Road. Roughly mile 9'ish. We saw a large'ish Black Bear cross the road, and we pulled up and stopped at the spot.

Now Lance and the other guy both had .22 LR pistols only, for executing Porky-pines. I had a Winchester model 100 in .308 Win. w/ a tip-off scope. (Those tip-off mounts were popular back fifty years ago)

So we are all on the passenger's side of the truck, and we are listening to this God awful crying and thrashing just fifteen or twenty feet away. It went on and on, and we figured that it was a sow spanking and driving cubs up a tree.

It was almost "full" dark, then suddenly we could hear the crashing coming towards us, In one heart beat a bear busted out of the dark woods/alders/willows from about six or eight feet, coming straight a Lance T. With out a split second for thinking, from the hip I shot the bear as it was with-in a foot or two of Lance T.

The muzzle of the rifle was an inch or two from the bears chest. The bear turned and went 180* the way it had come, back into the dark woods.

Now all Hell broke-out 15 feet away, crying and thrashing, and crashing, and it is now dark-dark. The story is getting long, so I'll wrap it up. I tipped off the scope, went in after the wounded bear (Which was hit center behind the shoulder). I skillfully missed the badly wounded bear three times form 12 feet with iron sights. The bear was just thrashing around NOT coming at me. I eventually flipped the scope back up, and could clearly see the bear through the scope and finished it.

OK, This is what is educational. There were NO bear cubs. The first thing I encountered on entering the woods was a day old moose calf that had a bite in the small of the back and still very alive but paralyzed. Next at about 10 feet was the wounded bear thrashing around, and a P!zzed'off cow that was about 12 feet away and lurching at the bear. The calf was crying, the cow was exhaling hard, and the bear was flopping around and crying also.

We figured that what happened is that we had not seen the cow and calf cross the road, only the bear right behind. And after the bear bit the calf in the small of the back, the cow charged the bear, and the bear retreating from the cow ran straight at Lance T. The bear was trapped between the truck and the cow.

 

[BrooksRanger]

I was doing a bit of camping in my truck last week and there was still ice on Trail Lake at Moose Pass. It was definitely a shock to see how much more snow was on the upper Kenai vs down here in Juneau. I spent some time camping along the Hope road as well as it's one of my favorite places to spend time. Didn't see any sign of bears where I was camped, and the snow was still really low.

 

[william schmaltz]

I appreciate the info. I plan on heading out all next week so we'll see what happens. I've been "Google earthing" a few areas and after looking at the traffic imagery they may workout. So far I've only had time for a couple day hunts back in the ERNC, and man thats a hard area to get 1/4 mile off the trail with just a day. It'll be nice to spend some time living out of a pack!

Let us know how it goes! I've done the ERNC hunt a couple times. Anyone who goes through that effort to black bear hunt sure isn't looking for a handout! Hopefully you found some bears to chase on the KP

 

[Sourdough]

Is this are all private property?

The "Private" Property starts at mile 7.3 and ends at mile 8.3 on "BOTH" sides of the Hope Road. There is a small piece down at mile 8.8 but it is down on the beach and sets 1/2 mile from the Hope Road.
(Worth noting there are some "Very High" SECURITY........properties in this area, with facial identification cameras hidden well back from the residences).

 

[Sourdough]

So......Jasonwest0317 Curious about your hunt "experience"......??? Hopefully it was a memorable experience, and you had fun.

 

[jasonwest0317]

So......Jasonwest0317 Curious about your hunt "experience"......??? Hopefully it was a memorable experience, and you had fun.

Sorry for the late reply guys. I got back and jumped into my list of summer projects. Unfortunately I didn't come across any black/brown bear. Not even so much as any sign. Kinda strange. One day I did about 18 miles between 3 different area's and didn't see any sign. With the amount of snow that's still on the Kenai I wonder if that's keeping them in their dens later? I'll be heading back down next week to get another day in on my way to the Russian so hopefully I atleast see something.

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[Sourdough]

Not even so much as any sign. Kinda strange.

Don't waste "ONE" second looking for or noticing "sign" of bear. Only be looking for very-very-very "Black" spots (or "Dark" spots) in open areas or semi-open area. Everything else is just wasting time. Quality binoculars.......or even "Fairly Good" Binoculars and "HOURS" with your eyeballs locked into them......is the key to seeing any game....."Especially in Alaska".

 

[jasonwest0317]

Don't waste "ONE" second looking for or noticing "sign" of bear. Only be looking for very-very-very "Black" spots (or "Dark" spots) in open areas or semi-open area. Everything else is just wasting time. Quality binoculars.......or even "Fairly Good" Binoculars and "HOURS" with your eyeballs locked into them......is the key to seeing any game....."Especially in Alaska".

Sounds good man. Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to getting back in the hills!

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[Wigeon kryptonite]

Sorry for the late reply guys. I got back and jumped into my list of summer projects. Unfortunately I didn't come across any black/brown bear. Not even so much as any sign. Kinda strange. One day I did about 18 miles between 3 different area's and didn't see any sign. With the amount of snow that's still on the Kenai I wonder if that's keeping them in their dens later? I'll be heading back down next week to get another day in on my way to the Russian so hopefully I atleast see something.

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Friend of mine got a black bear down in homer last weekend. When getting it sealed, the guy said he could tell it hadn’t been out of the den long by the way it’s skin was? Not sure how he could tell, but I think I believe it. We had a late spring this year by about 2 weeks, so I think the bear patterns are late as well.


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[dondondon]

I can’t speak for The areas mentioned but I can tell you Fairbanks and the northpole area is clear of snow along with majority of the low lying areas not on mountain peaks are clear. I was in Anchorage a few weeks ago and it feels like Florida weather in comparison.

 

[Marbles]

Friend of mine got a black bear down in homer last weekend. When getting it sealed, the guy said he could tell it hadn’t been out of the den long by the way it’s skin was? Not sure how he could tell, but I think I believe it. We had a late spring this year by about 2 weeks, so I think the bear patterns are late as well.


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Bears rub to shed winter coats. No rub spots and not covered in tree sap is a sign they have not been out too long.