AK Spring Bear Hunt Ideas

[PGWest]

My brother lives in Anchorage and I will be going up there in the beginning of May to do a spring bear hunt. Since the bear transporters are typically pretty expensive since there's only two of us and most want to fill the boat, we are looking to take a water taxi and rent a Zodiac type boat to get around and cruise shorelines. We'd like to go out of Whittier, Seward, Ninilchik or Homer. Anyone ever done something like this or have any recommendations on who to go through?

 

[Salmonchaser]

I haven’t spent much time around Whittier or Seward. I’d be careful around homer and ninilchik. Rented a 16 foot boat in Homer once, wind came up and we spent three days in a little cove until we could cross back over.
Did you look at going to POW?

 

[PGWest]

Yea weather is definitely of concern. We have, but it would require quite a bit of travel and requires a draw tag for non-res, which I don't have.

 

[Slam38]

What ever you decide it should be a great time your in Alaska !!!!!

 

[Hudge]

I have been out hunting in PWS and we went out of Whittier. Luckily for us, the rock fish were biting good, as we saw no bears. We went out May 4th, but most guys I know that go out have their own boats and wait until Mid-May to go. We didn't quite make it to Montague, and that's a good thing as we limped back to Whittier on the kicker motor. I think we had trouble just past Green Island or Naked Island on our way back. Good luck.

 

[Beendare]

I would heed Salmon chasers advice on small boats up there.

My biggest pucker factor hunt was with an AK buddy in his 34" cabin cruiser crossing the Clarence straight when the wind kicked up in huge seas..... green water just burying us. We were towing a skiff and I swear you could reach out and touch the outboard in some of those troughs.

And that morning the lee side of the islands was like glass.

Big tides too....whole bays go dry at low tide. Be safe.

...

 

[cruzer17]

Spend enough time in the Sound and you shouldn't have any issues seeing bears. Focus on low tidal grass flats and plan accordingly for the low water.

 

[MTSabo]

If you wait too long it gets too thick to spot them easy

 

[SLDMTN]

Mother's Day seems to be close to the perfect time frame to go. As mentioned above, watch the tides. Grab a tide book from the harbor that you leave from. Just because we don't have big waves crashing on the shorelines doesn't mean the tide isn't ripping. Tidal range out of Whittier will hit 18' depending on season.

 

[Huntsheshall]

Go to POW! Best bear hunting ever!

 

[chinook907]

Beginning of May is on the early side of things.

Anyone who would transport you out of Ninilchik would be taking you for a long boat ride, say across Cook Inlet. Or trailering their boat and launching from Homer.

I'd lean towards getting dropped off on the other side of Kachemak Bay by a transporter in Homer, and hauling your zodiac with. They might also take you out to the Gulf of Alaska side.

I would start with Mako's (his first name, sounds like mach-o like the speed mach 1) WaterTaxi. Or Homer Ocean Charters.

 

[Sourdough]

Cooper Lake area and Mills Creek area and the back of Cripple Creek

 

[PGWest]

Update: So we went out of homer the morning of May 4 and got dropped off by Homer Ocean Charters. They were a good service, although some of the spots he wanted to drop us off to camp on the beach were right up against cliffs and were under water about an hour and a half later, so I'm glad we knew better and didn't listen to him. We cruised a lot of shorelines in our skiff, but didn't take us long to see the bears were still up high. On one south facing mountainside we counted 11 bears in 2 days. We hiked up there, but once up there, it was tough to see anything due to all the alders. Spotted a bear about 400 yards and spent over an hour trying to get closer to get a shot, but despite every effort, couldn't find a spot to get a shot from over/through the alders, it was very frustrating. I think we ended up being just a little too early, but was a fun hunt! thanks for all the advice!