This Forum looked kind of lonely here with no posts I noticed so I thought I'd add one. I had always hoped, throughout my military career, to be stationed in Alaska and be able to enjoy some of the hunting opportunities there. As it turns out I never was able to get stationed there, but never lost my desire to go. I found a very good opportunity (read that inexpensive) to go this past spring, along with a good friend, on a black bear hunt to interior Alaska.
We made our plans, sent our deposits and found ourselves leaving Nashville, Tn. for Anchorage in late May 2010. We were able to do all the traveling necessary to get us to our outfitters lake/lodge in one day, including the 100 mile float plane portion. (no hunting on the same day you fly in Alaska) Four hours of sleep later my fiend Al and I were creeping along a trail adjacent to the main camp area, bear hunting.
Our hunt consisted of days spent in the bush (4 hour ATV trip) in a spike camp alone, plus time around the lodge which was 100 miles from Anchorage, hunting black bear. In Alaska you are allowed two black bears a year with proper tags. I don't have any exciting climax to our hunt and no great trophy pictures to show you. But we had the trip of our lives. I chose to stay in the spike camp for all 8 nights we were there and loved it. I never slept at the lodge again after our 1st night there. Spike camp consisted of a 9X9 tent and a tree (we were right at treeline in the Alaska Range). My picture here was taken within 50 yards of our tent.
The views, snow capped mountains for 360* around our simple camp kept us smiling and although neither of us took home a pelt, we saw several bears including one large grizzly. My point in writing this is simply to encourage anyone else interested to make that step and go to Alaska if at all possible. I had previously hunted a couple times out west; Idaho and Alberta, Canada, but being in the bush in Alaska was a completely different thing, altogether. If you think you'd enjoy a great adventure, as well as a hunt, I highly recommend our last frontier to you all. It really is that different and that great.
Thanks.