Some friends and I are going to Alaska in May to hunt spring black bear. This is an unguided hunt in as much as the outfitter "can't" assist in the spotting, stalking, cleaning, etc. of the bear by his license. We are hunting from a boat that we will live on for 7 days in the Prince William Sound. Any tips, suggestions, guidance that could be provided would be great. We are all first time bear hunters and quite frankly really don't know a lot about what to expect and how to go about it in an effieicnt and safe manner.

I ran a previous forum question on bullets, so now that I have that part of the hunt down, thought I would solicit input on hunting itself. Footware is a big concern as is physical conditioning.

Ankle fit hipwaters or at least calf high boots will cover the footwair, I like lacrosse, X-tra toughs are std ware. I seem to manage getting that fraction of an inch deeper then calf boots cover, so like hip waders. For bumming around the boat, bring some sandles or tennis shoes.

I have never got along well with goretex, I do much better with a poncho. I like to wear poly-pro long johns, and fleece over them. Add the poncho if it's raining. Simply prepare yourself for getting wet, and know how to stay warm while wet, and how to get warm. If you keep the rain out, your presperation gets you wet, if you have clothes that breathe well enough, the rain or wet vegitation gets you.

You will be hunting in an area that resembles a jungle, but a cold jungle. Early in May, the trees will be bare, by the end of the month, things really green up.

Weather in May is a crap shoot, you could have perfectly blue skies and sun for the whole week, but don't count on it. Expect rain, and don't be suprised if it snows. You should be prepared for temperatures between the 30's and 60's. Expect wind, especially on the water.

Typically late May is a good time to hunt, but we've had an unseasonably warm winter, with little snow, and most of it has melted. The bears may be rubbed out by the time you get to them.

Good binoculars will help, and be ready for shots between 50 and 200 yds. Good physical conditioning helps, but a sheep hunt it isn't.

It's a good time to do some fishing, so see if your transporter has rods on the boat.

Get the ADF&G hunting regs, and thoroughly understand them. The fish cops have little tollerance for game violations, and the courts often hand out stiffer sentances then to drug dealers.

Knee high boots
Good spotting scope
Good nocs
Good rain gear
Good crab recipes(you have to eat alot of crab!)

I don't know what you learned on other posts but judging bears can be tough. I've walked up to a couple and had serious ground shrink.
Look for belly close to the ground, distance between the ears with ears looking short, fat legs and blocky apperance.

Good luck

Wear wool pants and shirt, no cotton, except for your rain wear. I have used expensive best quality gore-tex in the past, but for the past several years I have used waxed cotton for rainwear and MUCH prefer it to gore-tex. Take a look at Barbour or Filson Waxed Cotton gear.
A BIG bear looks like it has a small head with small ears and small short legs, the belly should look like it is touching the ground.
Take plenty of bore patches and dry out your bbl every night. Have a good H20 proof hat, the Filson Packer has worked good for me. Take wool fingerless gloves,2 pair, and wool mittens. Regular gortex gloves will be wet inside after the first long rain, and never dry.

The bears will be eating tidal grass mostly, so hunt the grassy coves. And if it looks like it's been "mowwed", there's probably bears around. But also check for tracks...geese will eat the grass too.
I like fleece, myself...BETTER than wool. I even use fleece gloves. Fleece will dry quicker, it's lighter, and is nearly as warm as wool, even when wet....And it WILL get wet! I don't care for fleece socks, though...heavy wool.
I guess "NEW" Gore-Tex rainwear might be OK, I've had Gore-Tex fail and just don't trust it anymore. I use HH Impertech mostly now.
GOOD hip boots (like LaCross) are hard to beat...knee-high boots always seem to be "just a little too short" for the stream I need to cross.
I know there's better stuff out there, this is just what I've used myself...

I live in eastern PWS, and hunt/fish/recreate year round in the sound.

Don't worry about eating too much crab, the otters beat you to it. No personal use or commercial crabbing at the present time in PWS.

Ankle-fit LaCrosse hipboots, with the bobsole are the best for in and out of boats and the occasional stream crossing. Wear Xtra-Tufs if you want to put up with the odd wet foot.

Fleece or wool, it's up to you, as long as you wear some capilene or other good poly long underwear that wicks well and dries quickly. I like the old Peter Storm raingear best, but the Helly Hansen Impertech is a decent substitute.

Black bears are tough to judge, the only reliable way to judge them without years of experience is to get as close as you can. Fifty yards is very doable on a bear intent on stuffing sedge into his mouth, and half that is better. I like to see a bear with a deep crease down the middle of his head, showing highly developed jaw muscles. The youngsters don't seem to show this. Another thing to look for is scars like tattered ears and a torn-up muzzle; the sign of a boar that's been through more than one mating season.

I like to use a spotting scope on distant bears to see if they're worth a closer inspection, but never make up your mind he's big enough until you take many good hard looks from as close as you can get.

Oh yeah, anything green and wet or brown and wet lying on the beach is very slippery, so watch your step.

....BHW - good advice so far, I would add that you should bring plenty of rope and tarp / poly material to erect a awning over your cooking / hanging out at the end of the day area. Plan on rain, set up camp with the thought that the wind will pick up strongly at times. Figure on a system to hang wet clothing for drying; also figure on a way to keep your bear hides dry. Take lawn chairs for camp time. Take good optics, take several cameras if this is your first time, very beautiful area for you to hunt. Take fishing gear and the needed items to properly cook the fish. Take lots of salt for the bear hides, you will need / use it. Have two sets of "camp shoes" as one will always be wet, lots of ground is sponge like in May. Take the time to relax and look around, you will have a great time. Also, don't sell any bear parts such as gall bladder to anyone, this practice is illegal - KMule

Everybody has pretty much covered the most important considerations of keeping your butt dry and safe. I'll reconfirm that hipboots with bob soles ARE the way to go.

May and June the bears are not only feeding on the beach but they are mating also. Start cruising the beaches slowly at about 8-9 AM. If you see a bear you like pull the boat up down wind and out of sight while you make a stalk. No need to plug the first bear you see there will be plenty.

I can't stress enough being aware of the tide. You can easily get stranded so don't leave the boat for too long.

There isn't much that one could add to this very good list of what to bring etc. One thing to remember is that you will need lots and lots of patience! It's a waiting game, don't go walking all over the place and stinking up an area that will or could have bears in it. Find a good area and sit. (it works) There is an old saying that when a feather falls in the woods the deer will hear it, the eagle will see it and the bear will smell it.
John

btt-it's almost hunting time