Alaska Bear

International Association for Bear Research and Management: http://www.bearbiology.com/specdesc.html ...

Alaska's Bears Whether you are a homeowner, backpacker, angler, hunter, hiker or wildlife viewer, you will benefit from learning more about bears! ... [Read More]

Brown Bear Projects at the Alaska Science Center
Not only are firearms in of themselves a hazard to carry but consider for a moment that a bear has charged and you’ve killed it. Now you’ve a real dilemma because in Alaska this is termed a Defense of Life or Property (DLOP) incident and you, as the shooter must skin the bear and turn the hide, claws and skull into the nearest Fish and Game agent. There will be paperwork to fill out, explanations, and this all takes time. Have you ever skinned a bear? I doubt most of you have. It is a nasty, difficult job. What if this happened miles from the nearest road? You’re going to have to decide whether or not you can pack the hide, skull and claws out or not and justify that response to Fish and Game. What about the carcass? You’ve now created a kill site and other bears can be expected to be drawn to it. If it is along a major trail that carcass must be moved or other persons may find themselves in the same circumstance you were just in and may be injured, or worse. An average Alaskan bear wi ... [Read More]

Brown Bear Fun Facts, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
... that there are places in Southeastern Alaska where you can find brown bear populations as dense as one bear per square mile? This practically constitutes overcrowding from the bears' standpoint. On Alaska's North Slope, brown bear densities drop to around 1 bear per 100 square miles, giving the big grizzlies room to roam. Biologists attribute the extremes in bear densities to the richer food supply along temperate coasts, where bears feed heavily on berries and salmon. ... [Read More]

Alaska Bear Facts, Traveling in Bear Country, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
If Attacked • If a bear actually makes contact, you havetwo choices: play dead or fight back. The best choicedepends on whether the bear is reacting defensively or isseeking food. Play dead if you are attacked by a grizzlybear you have surprised, encountered on a carcass, or anyfemale bear that seems to be protecting cubs. Lie flat onyour stomach, or curl up in a ball with your hands behindyour neck. Typically, a bear will break off its attack onceit feels the threat has been eliminated. Remain motionlessfor as long as possible. If you move, and the bear sees ofhears you, it may return and renew its attack. Rarely,lone black bears or grizzlies may perceive a person aspotential food. Fight any bear that follows you or breaksinto a tent or building. Fight any black bear regardless ofcircumstances. Protection ... [Read More]

Bear Resistant Containers, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Bear-resistant containers come in all sizes and shapes, from ultra light backpacker food containers weighing a few ounces, to dumpsters able to hold 20 tons. Although some of these products have been tested by trial and error through direct experience with bears, some meet criteria for "bear-resistant" that can be found at websites of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee ( http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/ ) for grizzly bears, and the Sierra Inter-agency Black Bear Group ( http://www.nps.gov/seki/snrm/wildlife/sibbwg.htm ) for black bears. Select from the following list to read more about containers suitable for a particular use: ... [Read More]

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildife Conservation
Welcome to the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary internet information site!Visiting the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary is a unique wildlifeexperience. Nowhere else in the world can you see up to 100 wildbrown bears come and go throughout the day and have the possibility ofphotographing a group of 40 or more bears at one time! Brown bearscongregate at McNeil River during summer because the river and nearby creekshave an abundant supply of spawning salmon. Please tour our site foradditional information about the bears of McNeil River and how to visit thesanctuary. ... [Read More]

Black Bear Fun Facts, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
But the berry season lasts only a few short weeks; the rest of the time black bears are far less particular. When they emerge from their dens in the spring, black bears feed mostly on new shoots and other tender vegetation. After breakfast, black bears set out on a culinary ramble that could include winter-killed animals, newborn moose or deer fawns, insect larvae, bird eggs, and small mammals such as snowshoe hares. In coastal areas, black bears move to streams in mid-summer to feast on spawning salmon. ... [Read More]

Brown Bear Projects at the Alaska Science Center
Avoidance - maintaining a safe distance between yourself and bears as well as doing those things which does not attract them nor surprise them - is the most pro-active and important aspect of bear safety because it focuses on minimizing the chances of an encounter.  People in bear country can do many things which will minimize the probability of bear encounters.  Conversely, you can also inadvertently do things which will increase the chances of an encounter so it is important that those actions be identified and the chances of a bear encounter minimized.   Successful avoidance of bear encounters can be enhanced through 1) self-education, 2) effective camp layout and design, and 3) appropriate conduct in bear country.  ... [Read More]

Alaska Wildlife Viewing Department of Fish and Gam
In these magnificent settings, Alaska offers superb wildlife viewing opportunities. Bald eagles, caribou, and grizzly bears, driven away from other lands by the crush of modern development, roam wild and free. Walrus, muskoxen, and polar bears, which simply do not exist elsewhere in the nation, flourish. Species thrive undisturbed in their rich, natural habitats. ...

Learn the feeding habits of your quarry. Many shorebirds, marine birds, and waterfowl follow the tides in their daily feeding cycle. Other wildlife, including bears, spend large amounts of time during the summer near salmon streams and berry patches. Knowing the feeding habits of animals will help you to find them. ... [Read More]

Bear problems, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Bears killed in defense of life or property belong to the state. If you kill a bear you must remove the hide. If it is a brown bear you must also salvage the skull. You must give both the hide, with claws attached, and the skull to ADF&G. You must also notify your local ADF&G Wildlife Conservation office or Alaska State Troopers Bureau of Wildlife enforcement immediately. ...

Property means your dwelling, means of travel, pets or livestock, fish drying racks, or other valuable property necessary for your livelihood or survival. While game meat is considered your property, you may not kill a bear to protect it unless the meat is critical for your survival. Even in this situation you still must do everything possible to protect the meat (i.e. proper storage, scaring the scavenger, etc. See Hunting safely in bear country ) before you may kill the bear. ... [Read More]