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Heading to Soldotna in Sept. Wanted to take a couple days to hunt black bear or open to other species. I plan on spot and stalk hunt. Can someone point me in the general direction for areas that would be good to hunt/hike for black bear. I am looking for trails or old logging roads with water and food sources? Any pointers or information that I should consider. Thank you.

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I haven't hunted the Soldotna area, but I think what you're asking applies more to BC/SE AK bear hunting.. I would be looking at mountainsides above treeline for bears on berries, especially late September. Bears may be a lot more focused on fish down there though, I'm not sure. Hopefully someone with more area specific info can chime in.

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Originally Posted by Esox357
Heading to Soldotna in Sept. Wanted to take a couple days to hunt black bear or open to other species. I plan on spot and stalk hunt. Can someone point me in the general direction for areas that would be good to hunt/hike for black bear. I am looking for trails or old logging roads with water and food sources? Any pointers or information that I should consider. Thank you.

Hate to burst your bubble, but you aren't going to find a black bear around Soldotna as a non-resident hunter.

1. Any good areas are going to be closely guarded, since there's a lot of people in the area, and not much easily accessible habitat... no one's going to give there secret area out on the internet.

2. You need a wheeler or boat to get to most prime areas.

3. There are more brown bears around than ever before, pushing blacks out.


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With an hour's drive or so there are plenty of bears to hunt...

No guarantees, but I bet you'll see some bears.

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Thanks CWh2 and others. I appreciate the info!

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Originally Posted by cwh2
With an hour's drive or so there are plenty of bears to hunt...

No guarantees, but I bet you'll see some bears.

I hear 14 year olds are good bait...


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Get up into alpine country and glass. Bears are fools for berries that time of year. Ressurection Trail, Palmer Creek Valley, Ptarmigan lake Trail, Carter lake. Someone here has a son who took one above Summit Lake- glassed right from the highway.

Skyline trail, Fuller Lakes trail. Summit Trail, lots of places.

No names mentioned..... smile

Last edited by las; 03/04/21.

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On the Kenai Peninsula I suggest my back yard or my front yard or sometimes in my outhouse or chewing on my buildings, snow machines ATV's, trucks, hand tools and a twice my body.

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ALASKA is a "HARD COUNTRY for OLDMEN". (But if you live it wide'ass open, balls'to the wall, the pedal floored, full throttle, it is a delightful place, to finally just sit-back and savor those memories while sipping Tequila).
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Originally Posted by las
Get up into alpine country and glass. Bears are fools for berries that time of year. Ressurection Trail, Palmer Creek Valley, Ptarmigan lake Trail, Carter lake. Someone here has a son who took one above Summit Lake- glassed right from the highway.

Skyline trail, Fuller Lakes trail. Summit Trail, lots of places.

No names mentioned..... smile



Thank you. I will do some researching. I was looking at Devils Pass area in there as well.

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Have glassed up tons of bears from turnigain pass south, right from the road. Climbed to within range of several, and even killed a couple. Got used several times too, but it was all fun.

September is moose (and sheep and several others) season, and I doubt there are that many people chasing bears.

AGL4now, I just now "got" your handle. Damn I am slow.

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Originally Posted by cwh2


AGL4now, I just now "got" your handle. Damn I am slow.


whistle whistle whistle whistle whistle whistle whistle whistle Comes from decades of driving Super Cubs.

Last edited by AGL4now; 03/04/21.

ALASKA is a "HARD COUNTRY for OLDMEN". (But if you live it wide'ass open, balls'to the wall, the pedal floored, full throttle, it is a delightful place, to finally just sit-back and savor those memories while sipping Tequila).
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Thanks again cwh2!

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With zero bear experience I glassed up 7 from one road off the 'Arm during the berry season. Finding them was easy. Getting to them? Another story smile


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If hunting bears in the berries, I would leave my iron-sighted pucker brush rifle at home. You may have to shoot a ways.


I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough. -- Col. Stonehill
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Good to know.

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If one will spend the bucks for maybe an hour of flying time (1/2 hr out and back), he can likely be dropped via float plane in a spot where few if any will ever walk in. Several years back a buddy did a sheep hunt, and as we were driving into town the next season, his GPS implied we were only 18 miles from his sheep camp. Might try the High Adventure folks. One can easily surf them up. Just prior to our caribou/moose departure, they were returning with a successful black bear hunter that had only been minutes out.

Last edited by 1minute; 03/06/21.

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Good to know 1minute. Any idea on cost for a trip out for approximately an hour?

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Originally Posted by Esox357
Good to know 1minute. Any idea on cost for a trip out for approximately an hour?

No need for flying, there are plenty of bears and It will take a lot more than an hour of flying time to figure out how to get to a bear after you spot one. Without references already established you will simply be lost.


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https://highadventureair.com/custom-charters/

I think we paid around $2000 for both of us. They currently show a rate of $750 per flight hour. A buddy and I used High Adventure Air for a fly out drop off BB hunt. I have no complaints. The folks that used them across the inlet might be a little more critical since they were on their Beaver when it flipped. Minor injuries, no deaths thank God. We were in the boonies when the accident happened so we didn’t know about it until after we were back.

Great trip, nice grayling on almost every cast, saw bears but none that were my idea of a shooter. We had more visits from federal game wardens than I’ve had in an entire lifetime which was really wearing thin. After the third or 4th visit (everything was by the book and in order since their first visit) we had decided that anymore visits would not be tolerated. The small stack of game warden business cards were our proof. 😉. Luckily we didn’t have to go down that road. If I were doing the same trip again I’d pay them a visit first because at some point their presence is borderline harassment, especially for 2 guys that were checked and in compliance with licenses, permits, etc.

The air service out of Moose Pass literally left 2 caribou hunters stranded and kept using the weather as an excuse. The hunters knew it was bullshit since the wardens got in (almost) every day with their Cubs....plus they saw that we got in. Finally after being “stranded” for 4 days and having eaten much of their caribou they made the hike around the lake to us. They brought a backstrap as a gesture of goodwill (not necessary since we were happy to help) and we called our flight service on our sat phone. Our guys came in and picked them up. A sat phone should NOT be overlooked.

All in all it was a great trip. We could’ve bagged a nice Billy and a nice (broomed) Ram....we’d be getting out of jail about now. 😁. I was happy just watching them. We encountered all 5 seasons (including mosquito season) while we were there. Howling sustained winds, snow, sleet, rain and sun all visited us. Lots of ptarmigan.....did I mention that the grayling fishing was ridiculously fun? If I didn’t have a fish on in 3 casts I’d move 100’ and cast again. I think the record was 15 fish in 15 casts. I pinched the barbs since we only kept enough for lunch or dinner each day.

PS....There were a couple of mosquitoes around and the Thermocell acted more as an attractant than it did a deterrent. The Thermocell was like a pay by the hour motel to the skeeters and we were afraid that some of the bigger mosquitoes might carry it off. We had 100% Deet which helped but I was afraid we’d grow a third nut based on the amount of Deet that we used. Our $1.79 head nets were in the truck in Soldotna....long sleeves kept us from being completely exsanguinated. 😉


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Aces,

Good information. Thank you! I'm thinking about a wolf tag as well? Figure if I get a chance it would be worth the 60.00 dollar tag. Worst case scenario, I will come back empty handed. Going mostly to fish but I never pass up a opportunity to explore and hunt!

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High air is a good choice. They also work with Talon air. Of they can't get you out for whatever reason, talon will try and vice versa. Atleast that's the way it used to be.

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Originally Posted by Talus_in_Arizona
With zero bear experience I glassed up 7 from one road off the 'Arm during the berry season. Finding them was easy. Getting to them? Another story smile


The "Arm" is near the top of locations for fatal bear mauling's. Massive amount of bears, but so "Hellish" horrific country to hunt.


ALASKA is a "HARD COUNTRY for OLDMEN". (But if you live it wide'ass open, balls'to the wall, the pedal floored, full throttle, it is a delightful place, to finally just sit-back and savor those memories while sipping Tequila).
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Thanks, I like a challenge!

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Originally Posted by Esox357
Thanks, I like a challenge!



YEP.......Fun and giggles till the chewing starts. Then you are compelled to accept that you can't stop having chunks of meat progressively ripped from your body. Something I and my neighbor know quite vividly.

Last edited by AGL4now; 03/07/21.

ALASKA is a "HARD COUNTRY for OLDMEN". (But if you live it wide'ass open, balls'to the wall, the pedal floored, full throttle, it is a delightful place, to finally just sit-back and savor those memories while sipping Tequila).
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Esox357:

Quote
Any idea on cost for a trip out for approximately an hour?


Can't give one a current quote, but they typically respond to e-mails. I believe they have an hourly rate, and it does not matter how many folks one tosses in. I think the Beavers can pack about 6 aboard, so if one splits costs, it gets less expensive individually.

Good luck,


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Thanks 1minute.

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Originally Posted by AGL4now
Originally Posted by Esox357
Thanks, I like a challenge!



YEP.......Fun and giggles till the chewing starts. Then you are compelled to accept that you can't stop having chunks of meat progressively ripped from your body. Something I and my neighbor know quite vividly.


Sounds like that area needs hunting!

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Originally Posted by Esox357
Originally Posted by AGL4now
Originally Posted by Esox357
Thanks, I like a challenge!



YEP.......Fun and giggles till the chewing starts. Then you are compelled to accept that you can't stop having chunks of meat progressively ripped from your body. Something I and my neighbor know quite vividly.


Sounds like that area needs hunting!


TRUE.......but as stated, this "Turnagain Arm" area is damn hard country to hunt. Steep and hard to penetrate. If you get something down, you soon wish you had not suffered the hell to get up to it, and are bewildered as to how to retrieve the harvest.


ALASKA is a "HARD COUNTRY for OLDMEN". (But if you live it wide'ass open, balls'to the wall, the pedal floored, full throttle, it is a delightful place, to finally just sit-back and savor those memories while sipping Tequila).
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Where are you coming from and what is your brown bear experience?


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0 brown bear experience.

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Buddy told me 30 years ago at first you are scared of the bears after 4 plus hours of Alder hell you just want them to kill you and get it over with! Later on, you will discover
the importance of picking a path and sticking with it, if your smart or not.

Last edited by kk alaska; 03/08/21.

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It’s easy to go up a mountain, your path is viewable. Coming down is another matter. All you can see is air. Paths are indistinguishable and, after the third or fourth trip down and back up to start again, you will wish you had brought surveyors tape. Plant it high (and line of sight) as the little bastards like to chew on it and pull it down...
Combine with a gps and one is well served.


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Yea several years back we went after a late Fall Brown bear broke ice barefoot to keep boots dry, pushing with toes in very steep stuff, the bear got away and I'm glad, it's a young man's idea of fun!

Was neat when I was glassing looking at probables and my son said asked if I wanted to see one that was walking! A good day spent with my wife and son!


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Black bear are common a buddy ALWAYS gets HIS! S Lucy Kenai lake and hike you’ll get one. In spring NOW, a bit early but April and brains you’ll do well.

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Originally Posted by 8mmRem
Black bear are common a buddy ALWAYS gets HIS! S Lucy Kenai lake and hike you’ll get one. In spring NOW, a bit early but April and brains you’ll do well.

But what about September when the op will actually be here?


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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