There are approximately 100,000 black bears in Alaska, which puts us with the highest number in North America. There are tons of different areas where somebody can hunt these mammals. 

The best hunting for black bears is going to be on the coast. They like to eat kelp off the beaches in the springtime, and then they eat fish in the fall. This is a great food source. Black bears are also found in the alpine and tundras. They like the higher elevations. However, they will come down to the woodland to feast when they need food. Black bears can be found anywhere. They can be in the high tundra, river beds, beaches, and your front porch. Black bears are prevalent to see because of where they can live. 

I live by the coast, so hunting black bears is either from a boat or hunting in the river beds. I shot my first bear back in September 2023. This bear was shot off a boat. About 100 yards from where my bear was laying was a salmon stream. You can find bears easily. I was pretty lucky to have shot my bear off a boat, but I spent a lot of time hunting that summer and was glad to be able to shoot that bear.

I was also hunting the high country and river beds. It is a lot different than hunting on the beach. When you are in the high country, you are scouting a lot more and trying to find a bear you can stock up on. It can take a long time to find a bear you want or even find a bear. Another issue, too, is if you do see a bear in the distance, you have to know if it will be easy to get to. Will it be hard to pack out or impossible? There are a lot of factors that you have to figure out before proceeding on a bear.

Black bear hunting can be challenging if you don’t know where they are or a good hunting spot. When trying to find a bear or baiting one, it is a waiting game. There are many other techniques for bear hunting, but I only do these two: beach hunting and river bed hunting. That is basically what you get when hunting by the coast.