Black bear hunting

From Alaska Outdoors Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Black Bear Distribution in Alaska 3 Bear Hunting Areas 4 Hunting Methods 5 Special Bear Hunting Considerations 6 Resources

Introduction

Black bears are widely distributed in Alaska and a popular game animal. They are taken both for their hides and for food. Black bears that have been feeding on vegetation and berries in the fall are considered excellent table fare.

While bear season is open year round in some areas, most hunting takes place in the summer and fall. Bears are normally dormant in the winter months, becoming active in March, April or May and denning up in the fall.

Black bears are the smallest of Alaska's bears. Adult males average just under 200 pounds in the spring with greater weights in the fall. While most black bears are black in color, there is a cinnamon color phase, and a "glacier" or blue phase. Rarely white bears will be seen. It is possible to confuse a cinnamon bear with a grizzly bear if one attempts to judge by color alone.

Black Bear Distribution in Alaska

These bears are widely distributed in Alaska. They are found through out the state except north of the Brooks Range, the Seward Peninsula, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the Alaska Peninsula south of Lake Iliamna, some of the large islands in the Gulf of Alaska including Kodiak and Montague, and on the ABC Islands (Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof) in SE Alaska.

Bear Hunting Areas

The greatest populations of bears exist in Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound. Many bears are taken on tidal areas where bears come out to feed on fresh spring grasses. Hunting in these areas is normally from early May until early June.

Where bears are more hidden in the forests of southcentral and interior Alaska, bears are often spotted and stalked when they are observed on hillsides and other open areas or taken over bait.

Hunting Methods

Bear baiting is a productive hunting method. Baiting done right can allow hunters to select larger bears with better hides and avoid females with cubs. Alaska game regulations require bait stations to be registered, and in some Game Management Units (GMU), hunters using bait must attend a training session before hunting. Many hunters avoid meat baits in areas inhabited by both grizzly and black bears as grizzlies seem to be more attracted to meat than vegetable based baits.

Black bears may be effectively hunted from boats in the spring in coastal areas of Alaska. After winter, many bears come to the open areas along the coasts to eat emerging grasses and other vegetation. In southern Southeast Alaska, this is the dominant method for hunting black bears.

Guided black bear hunts are available in some areas of Alaska, especially where black bears are abundant, as in southeast Alaska.

Special Bear Hunting Considerations

Black bear meat should be thoroughly cooked as their meat sometimes contains trichinella larvae which cause trichinosis. Many cases have occurred in Alaska.

Good hide care is essential in the warmer days of late spring and early summer when spoilage may quickly diminish the value of a trophy. Adequate salt and advance training or education are important.

Resources

• Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series: Black Bear
• Hunting Black Bear in GMU 6D Prince William Sound
• Hunting Black Bear Over Bait
• Black bear meat care and preparation
• Black Bear Field Care Guide
• Bear Hunting Magazine