My dad and I recently purchased plane tickets to Alaska for a May black bear hunt. A family friend of ours that has hunted on our property since before my dad was born, is a fishing guide in Alaska and talked us into going on a spring black bear hunt with him (it didn't take much to convince us). This is my first ever black bear hunt and I was planning on taking my bow and trying to sneak within bow range. I was wondering if anyone has ever done a spot and stalk on black bears and if so, I was wondering if you had any tips or tricks to getting with in bow range?
I haven't been up there in the spring, and we didn't hunt black bear last Sept when I was up filming. Alaska is a beautiful place. Hunting there can vary depending on weather and area. #1, find out where you are going. Look into the weather! What is the average normal temperature? Will you be trecking through snow? Your gear on your hunt will make a big difference and the terrain will determine if a archery kill is even achievable. #2 Raingear, Footwear, and layer clothing accordingly are extremely important. #3 Optics. You will be spending more time than anything looking for bears through glass. Good waterproof optics are a must! Trust me, on the brown bear hunt I filmed last fall...we glassed 90% of the day. Once we decided if a bear was good enough, we then came up with a plan on how to stalk. #4 Scent. A bears nose is beyond our comprehension. Stalk with the wind in your favor and be patient. The stalk we were on before we got our bear was a long one. over 3 hours in the pouring rain with no cover for hundreds of yards besides one aspen tree. The guide, hunter, and myself (cameraman) stalked in line with that one aspen tree which got us within 74 yards while the bear was feeding. #5 Food. Know the bears food sources and where they come and go to and at which times of day. The more you know the better. #6 Practice. Practice shooting your bow at longer distances. Be comfortable past 60 yards if possible, but hope for closer. Good Luck! Hope you have a camera to take with you!
Definitely take the bow. Not to downplay rifle hunting for bears but weather would be the ONLY reason you don't bring a bear home w a gun. They are extremely self absorbed while feeding so as long as the wind is right they are pretty oblivious to their surroundings. Don't make noise and keep the wind in your face and getting into bow range isn't that terribly difficult. The above points are great advice. Where are you hunting? AK is a huge state and the different regions lead to very different hunting strategies. I hunted Prince of Wales Island May 2012. We had over 30 bear sightings in one week. One B&C bear killed and I shot and lost one even bigger. We were hunting on the coast though so it was watching tidal meadows waiting for one to pop out and feed and off we went to try and intercept. Ill be backpacking in the Talkeetna Mtns this September right outside Denali National Park for a repeat try at them. Totally different hunting style hiking above timberline and watching the alpine berry patches for bears coming out to feed.
Thanks for the pointers! I will have a GoPro mounted on my bow to film with, and I will be taking a lot of pictures! We will be hunting across Kachemak Bay from Homer. I shouldn't get eaten, I will have 2 guys with rifles to back me up!
You will get eaten.... Black flies so thick they'll lift you off the ground!!! Bring a good net and repellent. Otherwise they'll draw so much blood you'll be able to stamp your Red Cross donor card. Good hunting, Alaska is beautiful
