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Where to shoot Alaskan Bears


wmjivey
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Okay Photogs I want to shoot bears feeding in a steam, I know some of you have done this. Give me the scoop!!!, Just ordered a Sony A6300 and will be renting the new FE 100-400. cruise ports

Icystraits, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage. We are looking to drive/train into Denali

Thanks

John

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Okay Photogs I want to shoot bears feeding in a steam, I know some of you have done this. Give me the scoop!!!, Just ordered a Sony A6300 and will be renting the new FE 100-400. cruise ports

Icystraits, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage. We are looking to drive/train into Denali

Thanks

John

 

When are you going?

 

DON

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Denali and Ketchikan are your best bets but NOTHING is guaranteed. I can't think of anywhere near Skagway or Juneau except maybe the excursion that goes up to the Yukon either by train or van in Skagaway and that would be a lucky shot. Ketchikan has some of the latest running streams nearby but not on your list.

 

At that time of year bears are more focused on digging dens (we went in Sept, saw them digging in Denali but the salmon was pretty much done in most streams)

 

In Denali, a lot of the stream feeding is off the tour bus path (you can't just go wandering on your own there, well not easily)

 

If you want to be sure, you would probably need to locate and hire a private guide who specializes in such things, they are not cheap.

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To coordinate to get bear photos like you describe will be difficult. IMHO You will need to go later in the season then the above air services do have packages that meets your needs but make sure the ship stays long enough. Better choices can be found if you are on your own on land before or after your cruise. Good Luck...

 

framer

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I've heard that Anan Creek is the top spot, but there are limited slots available. The air operators can tell you if they have any permits available for your dates, usually out of Ketchikan. Likewise, Traitor's Cove and Neets Bay are out of Ketchikan.

 

We saw bears feeding from a stream by doing a tour with Wild Wolf Tours in Ketchikan. We could see that the folks who went on the Rainforest Excursion ($80?) with the Bear add-on (another $120 on top, I think) had a better and slightly closer vantage point, but like many tours I suspect they were time-limited and had to keep moving after a few minutes. We were on a private tour and could stay as long as we wished.

 

Another year, I did the Neets Bay Bear Watch & Flight via Princess out of Ketchikan, on day 2 of the bear season...no bears. Again, ship-run tour, had a relatively short time at the viewing spot (45m?), and had to return to not miss our plane. :(

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Note that Ketchikan is not on their port list and is not easy to get to otherwise.

Note that best bear locations are around Ketchikan, so if that's really important, they should consider switching to a different itinerary.

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Form what I can tell Icy Point may be best of your list, but MAY be a little late in the season for optimal viewing for there, but even if you don't see them the options sound pretty good...

 

https://icystraitpoint.com/tour/wildlife-and-bear-search/

 

 

We choose this cruise to see different ports from last visit, it looks really good to do bears at Icy Point and not that expensive either. Thanks everyone for your support

 

John

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Certainly possible, just less likely (per our guide when we were there, we saw bears with cubs making dens in Denali, the potential limiting factor is that's what they may be doing away from usual viewing points (and you do NOT want to approach a den build)

 

I am going first week on September and the last time I was in Alaska it was several weeks later and I did see them still cruising aroung

 

John

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We saw more bears in Yellowstone than we did in Alaska. (none in Alaska, mother and cubs black bear and grizzly in Yellowstone). That being said, another good option would be the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. If you are thinking about driving, get the Milepost guide that is put out by Alaska Tourism. It contains mile by mile guidance on all roads in Alaska. I think it's free, or a nominal charge from Alaska tourism.

 

Have fun!

Vic

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You’re late in the season for optimal bear viewing. Although you’re reluctant to post this on the Alaska forum, you’d get more responses to your question. Your best opportunities will include a fly-in bear viewing trip such as Lake Clark, Chinitna Bay, Brooks Lodge or Pack Creek. Icy Strait might be a good place. Your cruise line will offer excursions although booking independent gives you much more flexibility for finding bears in that area where sightings are only 50-70% successful. This is much less about photography than it is just finding areas to see bears which is on the Alaska board.

 

Poor man’s bear viewing from Anchorage is a 30 minute drive south to Bird creek. Brown bears are frequent visitors to the creek looking for salmon although, again, you’re a bit late in the season.

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  • 1 month later...

If there is any way to get to Lake Clark, I highly recommend it! We were there on August 28 of this year, and there were lots of bears. My husband stopped counting at 35. Some close encounters too!

 

We toured with www.alaskabearviewing.com out of Homer. Highly recommend! But I do know there are trips based out of Anchorage.

 

24070450418_1c593fd2b3_b.jpgBrown Bear by SHARON OBERHOLZER, on Flickr

 

36582682524_e12c0b3baf_b.jpgLake Clark Brown Bear by SHARON OBERHOLZER, on Flickr

 

36853530660_42c797d606_b.jpgLake Clark Brown Bear by SHARON OBERHOLZER, on Flickr

 

38828796361_da7daa6213_b.jpgBrown Bears of Lake Clark National Park, Alaska by SHARON OBERHOLZER, on Flickr

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