5 Fall Alaska Bear Hunting Tips - Hunter's Gear Guide

Fall black bear hunts in Alaska are a mysterious, challenging game.

You’re in some of the most rugged country North America has to offer.

Half-rotten salmon swim lazily past while you slosh up and down streams.

And out of the endless expanse of verdure, you suddenly spot something coal black.

Is it a big bear? Can it see you? Smell you? Hear you?

These were all questions I had on my first fall hunt. After picking up a few bear hunting tips and two sows (one belonging to my brother), I can think back to my first hunt and reminisce on what could have happened.

In this post, I’m going to recount some of my black bear hunting stories, what went down, and what I’ve learned.

And hopefully, if you’re new to the game, help you learn how to hunt fall black bears in Alaska.

My Story and Some Alaska Black Bear Hunting Tips

It all starts when my brother and I both drew tags for Kupreanof Island, located just north of Prince of Wales in Southeast Alaska. It was our first fall black bear hunt , and only my third hunt in Alaska.

Joining us was my dad, a good friend from back home, and my uncle, who helps run fall black bear hunts at Calder Mountain Lodge and has taught me the bear hunting tips I’m going to share.

Bear Hunting Tips From The First Day

On day one we came across a large boar crossing the beach about 1000 yards out. We brought the boat up to the shore quietly, anchored up, and climbed onto a large, craggy rock still wet from the receding tide.

My uncle told my brother the bear was big, and that they should try to close the gap. I would stay behind with the others, letting them know if he wandered off.

They walked slowly towards the bear, crossing the stream that divided the beach, and began skirting the treeline. By the time they were getting close enough for a shot, the bear lifted his head, sniffed the air, caught a whiff of something strange, and shot off into the the trees.

This leads me to the first of my bear hunting tips.

Approach from downwind.

Bears have an uncanny sense of smell. They can hear alright, and are basically half-blind, but they sure do have a good sniffer. And it’s the same story every time, they lift up that big noggin, smell you out, and book it into the trees.

On a rocky beach, trees to the left, my brother in front, approaching a bear from downwind, one of my bear hunting tips. — Approaching from downwind is essential for fall black bear hunts.

It still amazes me how many hunters that know how to hunt fall black bear still don’t realize this.

Hike The Streams For Alaskan Fall Black Bear Hunts

After that first bear, we got excited. I mean, who wouldn’t be? My brother and I took to glassing the shorelines, optimistic we’d stumble onto another bear.

We went from cove to cove, bay to bay, glassing and glassing. We found geese, we found wolves, and lots of rocks, but no bears. So after hour upon hour of searching and zero bears, we finally figured it out.

Hunt the streams.

Salmon spawn up streams every fall. And black bears know this. These fish are a great source of energy and fat, which the bear needs for the upcoming winter.

4 hunters hunting black bears in a stream, surrounded by trees on both sides. Hunting streams was one of my bear hunting tips. — Hunting the streams. Click here if you want to see how we kept our feet dry.

So….. find the salmon and you’ll find yourself a bear.

Prepare For A Second Shot

One of my favorite black bear hunting stories come with the very first sow we shot on that hunt.

We decided to use the lesson we’d previously learned on how to hunt fall black bears, and took to the streams. The first stream we hunted we saw massive amounts of bear sign. Half-eaten salmon, scat, and plenty of tracks.

After wandering up the stream a ways, we spotted a bear. She stood out like a sore thumb, coal black against the green river bank. We left my friend behind to watch the bear and my brother and I both slipped into the trees starting off quietly through the brush.

We grossly overestimated the distance between us and the bear, and just as we were about to emerge from the trees, there she stood, 20 yards in front of us. My brother and I both laid down quickly, and I placed my backpack down in front, giving him something to rest my uncle’s Winchester Model 70 on.

The next few moments passed just like a movie scene.

My brother brought his gun up, aimed, and a twig snapped.

The bear immediately looked towards us, peering through the brush.

Sensing she was about to bolt, I whispered, “Shoot”.

BANG!

The rifle went off and smacked the bear broadside, right in the vitals. I was sure the bear was going down, but suddenly she turned and began spinning violently, snarling and biting at the exit wound.

Since we were only 20 yards away from an angry, wounded bear, I began to scream at my brother to shoot again.

BANG!

Another shot through the vitals, and this one dropped her for good. After shooting that bear I realized that these creatures are tough as nails. So…

Be ready for a second shot.

My brother holding his first black bear in the middle of a stream on a rock bed. — My brother with his first black bear.

Seriously, this isn’t the only bear I’ve seen do this, and I’ve heard countless stories of hunters watching them run into thick, Alaskan brush. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of chasing around wounded bears in the woods.

Take Your Time On Fall Black Bear Hunts

One bear down, one to go.

The next day we decided to hunt a different stream, worried that we may have spooked any nearby bears the day before.

We moved upstream, staying off to the left bank, just inside the treeline. Suddenly we saw something move on the opposite bank. I’d missed a wolf a few days before, and I wasn’t going to miss this bear.

She came into view, walking up the bank, directly away from me. I pulled up, fired between her shoulders, and she dropped instantly.

I’d done it.

I’d shot my first black bear.

We crossed a log to reach the other bank, and began searching for the bear. My friend yelled to me, and I rushed over, only for my excitement to quickly turn to shame.

Literally the smallest bear anyone could have shot. That day I learned another essential lesson.

Take your time.

Unless the bear smells you, you’ve got time to take a good look and judge the size of the bear. Look at the ears, if they’re small, that’s a nice bear. If the legs look long, that bear’s probably a little smaller than you want (if you want more info on how to judge black bear size, check out this video by Eastman’s Hunting Journals).

THE MOST IMPORTANT BEAR HUNTING TIP: Appreciate it

To me, bears are these mysterious creatures. They can slip away forever into thick brush, and who knows how many there truly are tucked away into long forgotten corners of Alaskan wilderness.

Taking one of these apex predators is a powerful, almost sacred moment that you can only come by while hunting. You don’t have to start skinning and quartering right away. Take the time to admire the bear and remember the experience.

Relish the moment.

Me touching black bear fur. — Relish the experience.

Black bear hunting stories are powerful, something that many people never get to experience. Share it and leave something for posterity and yourself by writing it down.

Conclusion

Fall black bear hunts in Alaska are amazing. Once you’ve been there, you’ll always feel it calling you back.

And if you’re trying to figure out how to hunt black bears, let me help you. Check out a few other articles and videos that I’ve read and enjoyed!

Alaska Black Bear Hunting: 6 Essential Items – I wrote this post hoping to help others know what gear they need on a spring or fall black bear hunt in Alaska.
Alaska Fish and Game – If your looking for harvest statistics, where to buy tags, etc., this is your place.
Grand View Outdoors – These guys write a great, short article on judging black bear size.

Have you guys been fall black bear hunting in Alaska before? Any other bear hunting tips? Maybe you have lots of awesome black bear hunting stories? Let me know below!