Earliest Month You've Seen Bears in AK.....

[STEVE-O]

We're going on a 14-night cruise tour next year...May 20 - June 03. All the usual ports then Denali and Fairbanks.

 

We realize this isn't prime bear spotting dates but, we're curious...

 

What's the earliest you've seen bears in AK and where??

 

thanks......

 

Steve-O

[Yukon]

That's prime viewing time for both grizzlies and black bears along the highway north of Skagway, broadly from Fraser to the Yukon border.

[Travalerie]

I admit I am very naive, but please induldge me...I am actually concerned about seeing bears. I have two small children and I am hoping not to see any at all! I am just doing inside passage so I am not sure if I will be in an area where there are any at all. We will be going to Totem Bite in Ketchikan to hike a bit but otherwise will be on pavement for the most part. Am I going to be ok?

[dustyroad]

last year in the 2nd week of may i was on a tour up the whitepass summit in a van and a brown bear came right up too the side of the road. we were really close too him and he ate some vegetation. he didnt even look at us. so dont worry. if you are in a vehichle and stay still they will probably not even achknowledge you. it was a great site and something i will never forget.

[AkSusan]

I admit I am very naive, but please induldge me...I am actually concerned about seeing bears. I have two small children and I am hoping not to see any at all! I am just doing inside passage so I am not sure if I will be in an area where there are any at all. We will be going to Totem Bite in Ketchikan to hike a bit but otherwise will be on pavement for the most part. Am I going to be ok?

You'll be perfectly fine. If there is bear activity at Totem Bight (and for the inside passage it's mainly black bears) the state park rangers would post it.

 

I've lived here over 32 years and, not counting my trips into Denali, I've only seen one black and that was a sow and a cub crossing the highway as I was driving, one brown that was floating down the Kenai River (he was crossing it while we were sitting in the boat fishing), the four grizzlies at the dump in Yakutat and one crossing the road there. Shoot I've been to Kodiak 4 or 5 times and have never seen one and they're all over there.

 

Now I've seen evidence of them in the area, but when we hike we just talk alot, but there is so much activity at Totem Bight, trust me the bears don't want to come around for that.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[mlmalone3]

Steve-O

We have cruised Alaska two times, and others around us saw bears, but we didn't ourselves. We've heard on both cruises, that the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali Nat'l Park is a great chance of seeing wildlife. Plus if you get to cruise the Glacier Nat'l Park, bears were out in early June along the coast line, looking for food. Of course, we were on the opposite side of the ship. Look for moose in Denali. We walked up on a cow and her calf while hiking in the park....very cool. Enjoy your trip!:)

[PennyAgain]

Eeeek! Don't ever walk up to a mamma moose and her calf. Mamma moose is a very, very dangerous animal. I am not kidding.

 

I have seen plenty bears in Alaska and any time Denali is open I have seen bears there.

[CowPrincess]

Steve-O

We have cruised Alaska two times, and others around us saw bears, but we didn't ourselves. We've heard on both cruises, that the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali Nat'l Park is a great chance of seeing wildlife. Plus if you get to cruise the Glacier Nat'l Park, bears were out in early June along the coast line, looking for food. Of course, we were on the opposite side of the ship. Look for moose in Denali. We walked up on a cow and her calf while hiking in the park....very cool. Enjoy your trip!:)

 

ACK!!!! :eek: Don't do that again, please!

 

Eeeek! Don't ever walk up to a mamma moose and her calf. Mamma moose is a very, very dangerous animal. I am not kidding.

 

>snip<

 

Worth repeating ^^^^^ A cow moose or elk would not think twice about knocking you off your feet and stomping on you, if defending a calf.

[Adri204]

I repeat at the risk of sounding rude do NOT walk up to a any moose particularly a Mama and her baby. I repeat this is not a good idea at all. Moose do stomp and kill people. They are not all that timid especially a mama protecting her baby.

 

I dont think its at all cool to walk up to a Mama Moose and her baby in fact its uncool.

 

As far as Bears go just be safe, take it slow and easy and stay around other people. Smelly foods attract bears and other animals as do perfumes so keep that in mind.

 

Adri

[mytime53]

I would guess that moose injure more people in Alaska in a typical year than bears. As for when the bears begin appearing, that depends on where you're at. For southcentral Alaska they are already appearing.

[Travalerie]

Thanks Susan...I have been wanting to ask for months and finally got up the courage;)

[PennyAgain]

I would guess that moose injure more people in Alaska in a typical year than bears. As for when the bears begin appearing, that depends on where you're at. For southcentral Alaska they are already appearing.

 

I've been plenty scared by more moose than ever with bears and that covers many decades of seeing both.

 

I just posted on another thread on this topic about not walking up near moose.

 

I've seen tourists try to pet them!

 

A professional at the University of Alaska was killed by a moose ON CAMPUS!

 

Please please be careful! Tell your friends to be careful about moose. You will likely still see people doing stupid things around moose, but maybe you can save a life.

[PennyAgain]

Thanks Susan...I have been wanting to ask for months and finally got up the courage;)

 

I think it would be hard for you to come up with a question we haven't seen on this topic.

[AkSusan]

Thanks Susan...I have been wanting to ask for months and finally got up the courage;)

Heck, that's what were here for. And if we can help make your trip to Alaska more enjoyable, all the better!

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[CowPrincess]

I just posted on another thread on this topic about not walking up near moose.

 

I've seen tourists try to pet them!

 

Picture this. Nighttime, dark. A 15-passenger van pulls over to the side of the road. Occupants exit and run into a field where elk are bedded down for the night. Tourists make their way between the elk, so the tourists are now interspersed into the herd. Suddenly a BLAZE of camera flashes erupt from the group of tourists, standing in the midst of all the elk.

 

When my DH and I said "get out of there now -- those are wild animals" (before the flashing of camera flashes) we were told "oh its fine, we're fine".

 

That's when I officially gave up trying to save people from themselves around here :) We now just consider that kind of action "thinning the herd".

[AkSusan]

Picture this. Nighttime, dark. A 15-passenger van pulls over to the side of the road. Occupants exit and run into a field where elk are bedded down for the night. Tourists make their way between the elk, so the tourists are now interspersed into the herd. Suddenly a BLAZE of camera flashes erupt from the group of tourists, standing in the midst of all the elk.

 

When my DH and I said "get out of there now -- those are wild animals" (before the flashing of camera flashes) we were told "oh its fine, we're fine".

 

That's when I officially gave up trying to save people from themselves around here :) We now just consider that kind of action "thinning the herd".

One year here, it was a brown bear that had wondered into the center of town. Of course, one of the radio stations started broadcasting where it was, so of course lots of people wanted a picture. So then the police and Fish & Game got concerned and unfortunately, the bear lost its life, because of a bunch of stupid people.

 

Most of the time, if there is a nuisance bear, Fish & Game will dope it up and relocate it.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Yukon]

Picture this. Nighttime, dark. A 15-passenger van pulls over to the side of the road. Occupants exit and run into a field where elk are bedded down for the night. Tourists make their way between the elk, so the tourists are now interspersed into the herd. Suddenly a BLAZE of camera flashes erupt from the group of tourists, standing in the midst of all the elk.

 

When my DH and I said "get out of there now -- those are wild animals" (before the flashing of camera flashes) we were told "oh its fine, we're fine".

 

That's when I officially gave up trying to save people from themselves around here :) We now just consider that kind of action "thinning the herd".

 

LOL - that sort of genetic selection to improve the species is seen as a good thing in an anthropologic sense but when their /husband wife gets de-selected by a moose, elk or bear doing what it needs to do to improve their species, people get all crazy! Man, the things I've seen people do!! :D

[mlmalone3]

Let me rephrase this....we didn't walk up and pet the moose...OMG...we are smarter than that. We were on a paved trail through the park, not far from one of the campsite stores....My husband spotted a mama bedded down....about 20 feet off the trail...we slowly walked right by, keeping on the trail, with no sudden moves...managed to use the zoom lens and grab a picture without disrupting her. We met another couple on the trail and gave them the heads up. The baby actually stood up as they walked by. It was just cool to see the animal so close to where campers were moving about. In Yellowstone, the park ranger told us that mama moose would keep their calves closer to people in camps...this helped protect them from bears somehow.

[AkSusan]

Let me rephrase this....we didn't walk up and pet the moose...OMG...we are smarter than that. We were on a paved trail through the park, not far from one of the campsite stores....My husband spotted a mama bedded down....about 20 feet off the trail...we slowly walked right by, keeping on the trail, with no sudden moves...managed to use the zoom lens and grab a picture without disrupting her. We met another couple on the trail and gave them the heads up. The baby actually stood up as they walked by. It was just cool to see the animal so close to where campers were moving about. In Yellowstone, the park ranger told us that mama moose would keep their calves closer to people in camps...this helped protect them from bears somehow.

Unfortunately not everyone is as cautious and courtesy as you were.

 

There are a couple of cows hanging out in my neighbor, so I suspect soon we will have a couple of new ones join the hood.

 

My dog and I walk every day and I'm very fortunate that I have a dog that has always decided that she doesn't need to bark or lunge at moose. I just put her on a short leash and we walk right on by. I know enough about moose nature to watch the ruff and ears (I actually have talked to plenty as we have strolled by) to know if all is safe. Some days we've had to walk through one on each side of the street. But as long as you give them their space, there should be no problems.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)