Hunting Black Bears in Southeast Alaska, By Jeff Lund

[Justin Crossley]

Jeff grew up on Prince of Wales Island which is densely populated with black bears. He has hunted them since he was young and shares his knowledge after years of successful hunts. If you are considering a spring bear hunt in Alaska, his latest article is a must-read.

Hunting Black Bears in Southeast Alaska

 

[robby denning]

Good tips Jeff Lund

 

[alaskalund]

Thanks Robby.

 

[wildwilderness]

Thanks Robby.

Black bears are neat, but I want to hear about that Blacktail in your avatar!

 

[alaskalund]

The short version:

Hour by boat. Seven mille hike to basecamp. Two mile hike once the fog cleared in the morning. Found a nice buck bedded under a cliff. Made the shot. Wife and I packed it back to camp. Collected camp, hiked two more miles toward the boat. Camped. Hiked the rest of the way to the boat the next morning.
Pretty low quality iPhone video of the hunt on my website.

 

[Oregonbowguy]

Well written and informative. Readers might not know there are no mean grizzlies on POW.

I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting Jerry & Pat Welch at there home in Whale Pass. He took us over to the beautiful church he and others built in Whale Pass. You could feel His presence in that church.

You are so lucky to have been raised on POW. By the way, do the residents ever lose the webbing between their toes once they leave that continously rain soaked Island?

Best Always,
Oregonbowguy

 

[alaskalund]

Thanks. I wanted to keep it helpful and understanding tides is a tough thing for people not used to them.

 

[carp_5]

Great write up, thanks!

 

[Bighorse]

I like the way u displayed the wind and topography read. I'll head around the south end soon for a week roaming the S. Wilderness with my friend. Spring bear hunts can be sooooooo enjoyable.

 

[Bearman]

1st time on POW island was in 2009, drove from WA to Prince Rupert, then ferry to Ketchikan. I took a monster pumpkin head bear and I was quickly ripped off by the local taxidermist. I guess I was the lucky one because I got the skin with only damage to the ears. I heard she skipped town with few down-payments……
2010 was a late spring, bears were still in their dens, out of 3 friends that went I was the only one to find a bear 2 days before departure. We filled the other coolers with fish.
2011 the tag drawing started, got skunked.
2012, my wife and I drew, had the best time of our lives, she shot an impressive bruin, mine was average but we love the summer sausage anyway.
If I could move to work and live in Ketch, I would do it tomorrow, I love the AK Panhandle, wildlife bounty is amazing! from shrimp, crab, mussels, fish, deer and bear……

 

[alaskalund]

It's a pretty special place, but the winters are pretty brutal. Nowhere to drive. Cold. Dark. Rainy.

Nice work on the bears. Seems to be a lot of hunting pressure, yet the population is in good shape.

 

[Bighorse]

I want to offer one observation on your article and the bigger bears inhabiting smaller coves. My theory is that the smaller coves are offering a semi circular air current eddy configuration that gives them some kinda consistent wind detection mechanism.

 

[alaskalund]

Excellent point. Survival instincts drive everything. Thinking in those terms helps us as hunters. There is always a difference between where we'd like to find a bear or deer, and where we're most likely to find a bear or deer. Easy and convenient for us usually isn't safe and secure for them.

 

[BIGBUCK247]

Great article! Thanks for the share.

 

[alaskalund]

Great article! Thanks for the share.

Thanks.

 

[lorenzo.a]

great article. thx

 

[alaskalund]

great article. thx

Thanks for reading.

 

[TAS1313]

Thanks for the info.

 

[7mm-08]

Very informative article. The tide stuff just scares the bejesus out of folks (like me) who have a very healthy respect for the ocean.

 

[alaskalund]

There is a lot that can go wrong, but the more you know, the more you can flesh out a good plan.