My cousin lives in Wasilla and I want to visit him and hunt BLACK Bear.
I know ZERO about AK hunting. I would use a rifle but I REALLY prefer to
have all my shots as close as I can get them. The idea of game that's 100
yards away just does NOT make it for me. It's actually that I want archery
distance with my rifle. I LOVE THE THRILL of seeing game so close before
firing. I have an UNscoped SxS British 450/400 that I'd like to use, when
do I go up there. I need all helpful information.

What do you mean by “large”?
I’ve killed black bears pushing 8’ on the Alaska Peninsula, interior Alaska, Prince William sound and seen them in the wrangells as well. I’ve never hunted prince of whales island which is know for producing large blackies. Most have rubs on their paws and foreheads that I’ve seen pictures of. But they sure grow some nice ones!
I should add, you asked “when”. I didn’t see that at first. I would go spring for bigger bears. They won’t have the weight on them like the fall but a big bear is still big in the spring. Mid May would be my choice.

It would not be too difficult to sneak to w/in 50yds of a black in Southeast AK, but I can't speak to other areas of the State. Your 400 would be fine medicine; I haven't taken a bear with mine, but have carried it on several hunts.

The challenge re the open-sighted double was not getting close enough, but seeing the sights in fading light - prime time.

I like the idea! I think an outfitter/guide would be smart to really offer hunts that are exactly what the hunter wanted. A tailor fit hunt if you will.

Tailoring hunts to clients desires....there’s an idea.
Check this guy out...———>www.blackriverhunting.com. Bottom of the first page of his websight!!

AK weather can be really hard on a blued and wood stocked rifle...

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
AK weather can be really hard on a blued and wood stocked rifle...

Very true. To be fair, I usually carry a poor weather rifle along with a double. There are some days that are just too foul for a nice double - especially a vintage brit.

quote:

Originally posted by Fourtyonesix:
Tailoring hunts to clients desires....there’s an idea.
Check this guy out...———>www.blackriverhunting.com. Bottom of the first page of his websight!!

By LARGE I'll throw out the number 500 pounds fall/winter weight. For Spring hunting I guess
guys go by measurements, and I don't know what measurement numbers would equate. I'm re-
ceiving PM's and I appreciate them all. I will investigate all the options available.
I am open to using a different rifle, including a scoped one. But I am NOT open to changing
my desire to get VERY CLOSE before firing. There's no trophy better than getting CLOSE!!!

I’ve never seen an Alaskan weigh a black bear. Weight don’t mean much of anything. But if you just want a “lb” bear your gonna need a late fall coastal blackie. Alaska isn’t really known for heavy black bears due to our shorter feeding seasons. One reason the Carolinas put out some monster bears is because longer feeding season.
You could have a 7’ blackie hit 500lb and you could have a 8’ blackie hit 500lb. So weight doesn’t really equate to anything when it comes to the size of a bear other than its weight. I’ve always just squared black bears and gone off the skull. To me a bear in the spring is the same bear in the fall. Hide and skull represent that. Weight does not. Just go hunt and shoot what you like. Forget the numbers, hunt for you. Numbers and score are for telling others.

No telling how many black bears I've looked over; don't know that I've ever seen a 500 pounder....one maybe?

That's a GREAT answer FourtyOneSix, and I do agree with the idea that the hunt EXPERIENCE is for ME.
I used the number 500 pounds to indicate that I want a GROWN UP bear and not a one, two, three,
four year old. Believe it or not, in extreme western New Jersey, in the northern 1/3 of the state,
they have black bears so big that they can't squeeze into the bear traps that the wildlife depart-
ment has to capture and relocate nuisance animals. These traps are engineered for up to 600 pound
bears. I saw with my own eyes a bear trying to enter the drum of the trap to get to the mesquite
scented bait and IT COULD NOT GET IN!!! That bear pushed the trap all over the yard of the house
trying to get into it, but it's shoulders would not fit! The bear tried for half an hour then gave
up after final attempts to smash it's way into the trap. The wildlife officers were amazed at the
tracks on the ground and the gouges on the lawn from the trap being pushed all over the place by
the increasingly angered bear!. I want some big claws, big fangs, and a big hide to hang up on the
wall. Of course a big skull goes without saying. The field weight of the beast is just a concept.
I hear that BLACK bear's meat can be made into tasty jerky, sausage, etc. and I like that idea too!

Black bears don’t have big claws. More like a cat claw. Ya PA has pumped out some monster fatty bears over the years as well, when I was writing for bear hunting magazine they would have photos every now and then of some of them big boys! I’m not sure fat means old though...

I had the mis fortune to get the chance to shoot the same bear twice, three years apart. One client wounded and lost a fall blackie. Three years later we shot the same bear about six miles from where we shot it the first time. Was mid June the second time we shot him. Was neat to see his weight difference. Was about a 7’ black bear. Second time he was hanging out with a red fox. Third bear I’ve seen do that.

If money is no concern I would go to POW. It will cost you about $500 to get from Anchorage to Ketchikan, then you either have to take the ferry or fly to POW. There are lodges there that have packages that include a truck and lodging for hunters. I have family there and we mainly do baited hunts, but my brother and I have shot two that were over 21" green with our bows. Between the two of us I think we have 6-7 over 19". I can't guess on weights, other than the biggest on I shot was over 400 based on how big he was next to the 55 gallon barrel. I have a pic if someone could tell me how to post it. I live in Palmer and hunt around this area and have only seen black bears in the 200-250lb range and under with under 18" skulls. Not saying they don't exist bigger, they do, but I haven't seen them. You can hunt POW off the road system and get into bears on the beach in many areas. Ive seen record class bears cross the roads in front of our vehicle on a few occasions. I can't speak to the other areas mentioned above as I have not hunted there.

POW is a hard tag to pull. We stayed on POW and hunted Kuiu. No rubs on this guy. I could not get closer than 240 yards. The winter was long last year and the bears slow to rise. We hunted early and very few were up and about. I got lucky and was the only one in my group of three hunters to score. Sure is fun and a beautiful place. No clue how big he is.

I like this photo above. Nice looking claws!

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
Very true. To be fair, I usually carry a poor weather rifle along with a double.

Please site all the details of your "poor weather" rifle. Maybe it's
time for me to buy something with a stainless receiver and barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by D R Hunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
Very true. To be fair, I usually carry a poor weather rifle along with a double.

Please site all the details of your "poor weather" rifle. Maybe it's
time for me to buy something with a stainless receiver and barrel.

I have a 9,3X62 that is treated with NP3 and a 416Rem that has been matte hard chromed. Either of these are pretty bomb proof finishes in my experience.

Once a big bear you know it
Hunting them is more fun then worrying about the biggest