Bear search

[CocaCola19]

So I'm probably not going to go on a bear search because I will have to bring my 9 month old unless the DH and I split up for an excursion but I do want to inquire about it. For those of you who have been on these excursions, was it worth it? Were you scared? I have seen black bears in the mountains of CA and it didn't make me nervous but something about bears in Alaska has me a little scared. When I think of bears in AK I think of big bad grizzlies, especially after the recent stories of the teenagers being attacked. Also, are there mountain lions in AK?.... they scare the ^^^^ out of me. :eek:

[cruisecountess]

DH and I were on a bear search private tour in Icy Strait Point last Aug. It was a three-hour tour which went for five hours because the guide tried so hard to find bears for us to see. We went far out, riding on rough, unpaved roads, and saw nothing. We got out of the van and hiked around a lake (guide had a shotgun with him) and, other than beautiful scenery, saw nothing. It was very disappointing. However, I don't know that I can say it was not worth it, as we did get to see the area in depth and there really wasn't much else to see or do in ISP.

Harriet

[AKman2495]

A few years ago my mother came up looking to go one a bear viewing trip. Out of Anchorage, they fly into remote lakes. THe one we went on went like this. We flew into a place called Big River Lake, which is across Cook Inlet from the city of Kenai. We landed on the lake and got into a small boat and rode to the other end of the lake. At the end of the lake is a small stream in which salmon try to swim, but there is a small waterfall there and it is not easy fro them to et into the stream. Thus, they gather in a large school. Now, a big pool of salmon to bears is like a cruise ship buffet on embarkation day.

 

From out boat we way 8 different bears in the space of 2 hours. One black bear and the rest were all grizzles. We never got closer that maybe 30 feet from the bears and they would have to swim to get us so we were never scared.

[Budget Queen]

I have been on several bear watches. No I'm not "scared". And there aren't any lions.

 

The tours are very worthwhile for me.

[Tenn4ever]

We didn't do any bear watching tours but did see a few black bears - a couple up very close. We rented cars in Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage which we shared with another couple. On the train ride from Seward to Anchorage we saw bears too - one mother with a cub.

 

On highway 7 (Juneau) coming back from the Auke Bay Recreation area we saw a black bear (yearling) feasting on dandelions. On the Klondike Hwy (Skagway) we saw an adult black bear right next to the car. We met a man and his son who had made the same drive we did that day and they had seen two brown bears, and two other black bears, one which had three cubs with her.

 

 

The first two pictures are on Hwy 7 out of Juneau. The third picture is next to our car on the Klondike highway.

 

 

 

 

[AKman2495]

We didn't do any bear watching tours but did see a few black bears - a couple up very close. We rented cars in Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage which we shared with another couple. On the train ride from Seward to Anchorage we saw bears too - one mother with a cub.

 

On highway 7 (Juneau) coming back from the Auke Bay Recreation area we saw a black bear (yearling) feasting on dandelions. On the Klondike Hwy (Skagway) we saw an adult black bear right next to the car. We met a man and his son who had made the same drive we did that day and they had seen two brown bears, and two other black bears, one which had three cubs with her.

 

 

The first two pictures are on Hwy 7 out of Juneau. The third picture is next to our car on the Klondike highway.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know who the guy is in the middle picture, but it is a great example of what NOT to do around any bear.

 

First, NEVER NEVER turn your back on a bear. That bear could have run across that road faster than you can imagine. He would have seen the look of horror on the photographers face just before the bear would have face planted him on the pavement.

 

Second. Don't get that close to a bear and stand there with a goofy grin. YOu have no idea how dangerous that is. I guess it is true-ignorance is bliss.

 

Third, the fact that no one was injured was not because bears are docile. It was just luck. ANd in this case-dumb luck at that!

[Tenn4ever]

I don't know who the guy is in the middle picture, but it is a great example of what NOT to do around any bear.

 

First, NEVER NEVER turn your back on a bear. That bear could have run across that road faster than you can imagine. He would have seen the look of horror on the photographers face just before the bear would have face planted him on the pavement.

 

Second. Don't get that close to a bear and stand there with a goofy grin. YOu have no idea how dangerous that is. I guess it is true-ignorance is bliss.

 

Third, the fact that no one was injured was not because bears are docile. It was just luck. ANd in this case-dumb luck at that!

__________________

 

 

You are very correct:o It was very dumb. I shouldn't have posted the picture of my husband and I'm certainly glad I didn't post the pictures of me and my friend who also have pictures in front of the bear. :o

 

There was a young woman who stopped while we were there and she was only about ten feet from the bear making pictures. She was also in danger of getting run over by a car.

[AKman2495]

You are very correct:o It was very dumb. I shouldn't have posted the picture of my husband and I'm certainly glad I didn't post the pictures of me and my friend who also have pictures in front of the bear. :o

 

There was a young woman who stopped while we were there and she was only about ten feet from the bear making pictures. She was also in danger of getting run over by a car.

 

Sadly, ll one has to do is read the headlines in the local paper-the headline usually reads "Another bear mauling...."

 

As this article makes clear:

 

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/grizzly-bear-attacks-alaska-woman-near-anchorage-area-campground

[CocaCola19]

Bears attacking in Alaska is like pedestrians being hit by cars in Las Vegas. It is rare when you think of the number of visitors but it does happen, relatively frequently and only the locals here about it. it has to be that vacation mentality that kicks in, but I work in a hospital close to the strip and see just how many visitors we get a year.

 

Budget queen- I was asking about cougars, not lions. :) But after a quick Google search, The Alaska Department of Fish and Game report that you are just ask likely to run into big foot as you are a mountain lion. Yay for me... they really really do terrify me. :D

[frugaltravel]

I don't know who the guy is in the middle picture, but it is a great example of what NOT to do around any bear.

 

First, NEVER NEVER turn your back on a bear. That bear could have run across that road faster than you can imagine. He would have seen the look of horror on the photographers face just before the bear would have face planted him on the pavement.

 

Second. Don't get that close to a bear and stand there with a goofy grin. YOu have no idea how dangerous that is. I guess it is true-ignorance is bliss.

 

Third, the fact that no one was injured was not because bears are docile. It was just luck. ANd in this case-dumb luck at that!

 

Exactly my thoughts when I saw that photo. No wonder places like Juneau have extra hospital staff in the summer - due to pretty dumb tourists.

 

There was a young woman who stopped while we were there and she was only about ten feet from the bear making pictures. She was also in danger of getting run over by a car.

 

Unfortunately being less dumb than the next person doesn't really matter!

[Tenn4ever]

Exactly my thoughts when I saw that photo. No wonder places like Juneau have extra hospital staff in the summer - due to pretty dumb tourists.

 

 

 

Unfortunately being less dumb than the next person doesn't really matter!

 

The young lady in the middle of the road making the picture wasn't a tourist. She told us she lived there and saw bears along that section of the road all the time.

 

My husband wasn't quite as close as the picture makes it look (yes, I know - probably still too close.) The car was next to him with the door open (so he could jump in the car and close the door) and I was on the other side of the car making the picture - then I pulled the picture up closer before I posted it :D

[travelingla]

I have been on several bear watches. No I'm not "scared". And there aren't any lions.

 

The tours are very worthwhile for me.

 

Are these organized tours for the cruisers that you speak of? I would love to take a tour that goes somewhere where we could possibly (I know no guarantees -- they are not trained for our purpose!!) see bear catching salmon - that is so facinating to me when I've seen it on TV.

 

Is Ketchikan one of the main ports for this (out of the 3 - Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan) ???

 

Thanks for any help

[bearbait]

The young lady in the middle of the road making the picture wasn't a tourist. She told us she lived there and saw bears along that section of the road all the time.

 

My husband wasn't quite as close as the picture makes it look (yes, I know - probably still too close.) The car was next to him with the door open (so he could jump in the car and close the door) and I was on the other side of the car making the picture - then I pulled the picture up closer before I posted it :D

 

I have ZERO problem with what your husband did. I've done it 20 or more times myself. Some with clients off of the cruise ships. If this was an aggressive bear you'd be posting pics of his injuries instead. You can do a lot with camera angles and zoom lens to make things appear much closer then they are.

 

Bears aren't ravenous human flesh eating monsters that some people make them out to be. I've found that black bears that feed off of the greens on the sides of the road are more curious then anything. They've become accustomed to the cars that pass by and know that they don't pose any danger to them.

 

They also have their own very unique body language. If you'll just pay close attention to them they'll let you know when they are getting uncomfortable with you being there.

 

I took this pic and about 30 more of this black bear along the Cassiar Highway just south of Dease Lake a few weeks ago. The glare on this particular picture is from my truck windshield.

 

 

I had stopped at a pullout to make lunch. Sitting in the truck with the windows rolled down. Heard a noise and noticed him walking towards the truck. He wasn't running or charging just slowly walking. It took me a few seconds to realize he had caught the scent of my lunch. As soon as I rolled up the window he just stopped in his tracks.

 

He sniffed of the air and then walked around the truck 3 times trying to figure out what happened. Just to make sure I was right I let him walk off about 50 feet from the truck and then rolled the window down again. Sure enough he turned around and started walking back. Thus the pic below.

 

 

This was a young bear. I think he was a 2 year old that had just been kicked out and run off by his mother. That's usually how that works. If he was older he probably would have been more presistent in trying to figure out what happened to the food scent. The youngs are more curious then anything.

 

My best advice is to stay alert, pay attention and trust your gut instincts. And lastly don't do anything stupid. Had the guy in this pic walked across the road and tried to stannd next to the bear, I would be calling him stupid.

[AKman2495]

I have ZERO problem with what your husband did. I've done it 20 or more times myself. Some with clients off of the cruise ships. If this was an aggressive bear you'd be posting pics of his injuries instead. You can do a lot with camera angles and zoom lens to make things appear much closer then they are.

 

Bears aren't ravenous human flesh eating monsters that some people make them out to be. I've found that black bears that feed off of the greens on the sides of the road are more curious then anything. They've become accustomed to the cars that pass by and know that they don't pose any danger to them.

 

They also have their own very unique body language. If you'll just pay close attention to them they'll let you know when they are getting uncomfortable with you being there.

 

I took this pic and about 30 more of this black bear along the Cassiar Highway just south of Dease Lake a few weeks ago. The glare on this particular picture is from my truck windshield.

 

 

I had stopped at a pullout to make lunch. Sitting in the truck with the windows rolled down. Heard a noise and noticed him walking towards the truck. He wasn't running or charging just slowly walking. It took me a few seconds to realize he had caught the scent of my lunch. As soon as I rolled up the window he just stopped in his tracks.

 

He sniffed of the air and then walked around the truck 3 times trying to figure out what happened. Just to make sure I was right I let him walk off about 50 feet from the truck and then rolled the window down again. Sure enough he turned around and started walking back. Thus the pic below.

 

 

This was a young bear. I think he was a 2 year old that had just been kicked out and run off by his mother. That's usually how that works. If he was older he probably would have been more presistent in trying to figure out what happened to the food scent. The youngs are more curious then anything.

 

My best advice is to stay alert, pay attention and trust your gut instincts. And lastly don't do anything stupid. Had the guy in this pic walked across the road and tried to stannd next to the bear, I would be calling him stupid.

 

THe sad thing is that this is how people get into trouble. They think they really understand bear behavior right up to the point where they get attacked.

 

True, most attacks occur when bears are surprised. And black bears are not as aggressive as grizzlies, but they have been know to attack and even kill humans. I , for one, am not confident to think that because I have done something 20 times, it is safe.

 

Sorry, but I think you are wrong.

 

Timothy Treadwell thought he knew bears too. He used to hang out with them and sing to them-right up to the day they ate him.....

 

I would not recommend anyone get anywhere near a bear to get a cute shot. And he really is not that far from the bear. That is not a wide road and the bear is close. Stay in the car and get the picture and stay safe.

[bearbait]

THe sad thing is that this is how people get into trouble. They think they really understand bear behavior right up to the point where they get attacked.

 

True, most attacks occur when bears are surprised. And black bears are not as aggressive as grizzlies, but they have been know to attack and even kill humans. I , for one, am not confident to think that because I have done something 20 times, it is safe.

 

Sorry, but I think you are wrong.

 

Timothy Treadwell thought he knew bears too. He used to hang out with them and sing to them-right up to the day they ate him.....

 

I would not recommend anyone get anywhere near a bear to get a cute shot. And he really is not that far from the bear. That is not a wide road and the bear is close. Stay in the car and get the picture and stay safe.

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I've been doing this long enough to understand their behavior. Timothy Treadwell? An effing idiot!! No sane bear researcher would take the risks that he took.

 

I would agree that if you fear bears as much as you do you need to stay away from them. That fear will keep you from reacting in a sane and safe manner.

 

Big difference between fear and respect. I have a great respect for these animals.

[AKman2495]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I've been doing this long enough to understand their behavior. Timothy Treadwell? An effing idiot!! No sane bear researcher would take the risks that he took.

 

I would agree that if you fear bears as much as you do you need to stay away from them. That fear will keep you from reacting in a sane and safe manner.

 

Big difference between fear and respect. I have a great respect for these animals.

 

All I can say is good luck to you. :)