Hello, all.

I will be making my 3rd vacation trip to AK in as many years. We will be heading up the Alcan starting May 10. We will be doing as much day hiking along the way as possible.

Once in Alaska we will be visiting the areas around Eagle, Valdez, and Anchorage (Chugach park) and also do as much day hiking as circumstances permit.

My question is would you recomend bear defense at this time of year in these areas. I don't care for bear spray and handguns are out (due to Canadian law) so such defense would probly be the Marlin 1895G with heavy 45-70 handloads.

Is this a wise precaution or should I leave the gun at home and worry about more dangerous things, like the traffic in Anchorage :-).

PS: No tent camping will be involved. We will be in an RV the whole time.

Thanks in advance...

Well, there are bears in each of the locations you described, but during the time you will be traveling, there should be a lot of company on the trails. Unless you are really going to be getting into the backcountry, which it doesn't sound like (no tent), I would be more inclined to carry an air horn. No kidding!

If, say for instance, you are going to be hiking up Flattop, McHugh Creek, Bird Ridge, Winner Creek, etc.... in the Chugach State Park, you are going to hiking with a few people. It won't necessarily be crowded, but there will be quite a few other folks joining you. You'll get some strange looks and possibly ill-directed comments if you are carrying a long gun. Make noise, use your head, be aware of your surroundings, and if you encounter a bear, use the air horn.

There have been maulings in the areas you plan to travel, but I don't carry a firearm while hiking there. There's just too many other people around. If I do carry, its usually a big bore handgun.

Sounds like you may be hiking with your spouse, family, or friends, so stay together, stay alert, and make noise. Bears in these areas are use to seeing people and rarely cause problems.

There have been a few incidents. A family was doing a trail run on the trail at McHugh Creek and a brown bear attacked and killed a mother and her son. They had gotten too close to the bear's cache of a moose kill. A black bear got into a bit of trouble at Bird Point a few years ago when it ripped open the tent of a sleeping couple. A brownie was killed in Girdwood last year, or the year before, when it wandered into the school's playground, couldn't get out and got overly excited.

I'd bring the 45/70. Thats what I use mostly.

The only place around anchorage I would carry the rifle is Eagle River. Its just north of anchorage and is a really nice trail. Its also the place where I have run into the most bears. Like Alyeska mentioned are pretty well traveled but I also carry a good sidearm on those trails. Alot of huggers hike around the anchorage area. Theres no law saying you cant carry a rifle on the trails here (except maybe in the city itself).

Around Valdez, the places I hiked, I seen alot of bear sign but no bears. they are there but I guess better disciplined :D . I did run into one problem bear hiking around valdez and hes hanging on my wall. He wouldnt leave us alone so I taught him a lesson.

Since the Alaskans say that you are planning to hike busy trails, you might try the peanut butter and bacon grease trick. This method is lighter and cheaper than any firearm, but only works on crowded trails. The trick is to plan ahead and smear a bit of this mixture (ratio is unimportant) on a number of other hikers packs at the trailhead or a rest stop. The bears are then much too busy taste testing the other hikers to bother you.

Please, do not use this method in remote areas or without wash your hands after application of mixture.

Fireplug

Thanks for your replies. While alyeska338 and JoelS contributed much usefull information, and I thank you both, I must say that FirePlug gets the award for creativity.

I think I will use a combination of the advice from all three of you:

1. Carry the 45-70 only on the remote trails.
2. Use the bacon and grease method when encountering Greenpeace or Friends of Animals members.
3. Always include at least on person in my group I KNOW I can out run. ;-)

Scotty says buy a griz tag and you'll never see one :)

Hey - on the topic - let's say I wanted to go to Alaska and feel that I'd be adequately armed in the bush. What would be the problem(s) with flying in, picking up a used long arm of my choice, and then just selling it when I leave? Sure you'd drop a few bucks on the deal, but no worries about the airlines losing it, and certainly convenient.

Thanks for your replies. While alyeska338 and JoelS contributed much usefull information, and I thank you both, I must say that FirePlug gets the award for creativity.

I think I will use a combination of the advice from all three of you:

1. Carry the 45-70 only on the remote trails.
2. Use the bacon and grease method when encountering Greenpeace or Friends of Animals members.
3. Always include at least on person in my group I KNOW I can out run. ;-)


Be sure you get a Canadian firearms form JUS 909 EF and fill it out and have it and $50 Canadian ready when you cross the border into Canada.
Heres the link -
http://www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/en/visitors/visitorqa.asp
It's also a good idea to have the bill of sale from when you purchased the firearm with you when you come back to the lower 48.
US customs at Sweetgrass,Montana gave me a bigger hassle than the Canadian customs did. They ******* because I didn't register it when I left the lower 48.
I had a copy of the bill of sale but they ran the serial # thru their computer anyway.Probably checking to see if it was stolen.
We were in Alaska for 3 months this summer,poking around all the back areas we could get to in a 4X4 pickup.There were several maulings during that time in relatively civilized areas.
There was a bad one on the Russian River where there were many fishermen in the area.The guy was still in a coma when we left Alaska about 5 weeks later.
In fact there were 8 grizzly sows killed in defense of life or property on the Kenai Peninsula this summer,so they voided the hunting season on grizzly/brown bear on the Kenai this fall.There were also some male bears killed but they don't like to lose the reproductive potential of the females.
My friend in Fairbanks,who works for the DNR,told me that the black bear are also not to be trusted.He also told me to carry the '06 when I was in the bush.
There was a case about a black that repeatedly attacked and followed a hiker on a trail south of Anchorage.The guy worked for the DNR and was a long distance runner and was able to stand the bear off but it harrassed him for a couple miles per the story in the paper.
You won't see much game from the highway in Alaska.We saw more along the Alcan in the Yukon and B.C. during the 6 days we went thru there(going and coming) than we saw in Alaska in 3 months.There is no hunting permitted in the highway corridor in the Yukon while any moose or caribou that hangs out within a mile of a road in Alaska is likely to end up in someone's freezer.
An Alaska non-resident license for the season,costs $100.If you want a few salmon to eat,go down to the docks at Kenai when the reds are starting to run and you can buy all you want for $1.00/lb.
There is a Walmart's in Whitehorse and Fairbanks,two Sam's Clubs and a Costco in Anchorage - so plan your trip to hit those places every 3-4 weeks and stock up on groceries.They are much cheaper than oher grocery stores.
Have fun - it's beautiful country so take a lot of film.
Ron

Be sure you get a Canadian firearms form JUS 909 EF and fill it out and have it and $50 Canadian ready when you cross the border into Canada.
Heres the link -
http://www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/en/visitors/visitorqa.asp
It's also a good idea to have the bill of sale from when you purchased the firearm with you when you come back to the lower 48.
US customs at Sweetgrass,Montana gave me a bigger hassle than the Canadian customs did. They bitched because I didn't register it when I left the lower 48.
I had a copy of the bill of sale but they ran the serial # thru their computer anyway.Probably checking to see if it was stolen.
We were in Alaska for 3 months this summer,poking around all the back areas we could get to in a 4X4 pickup.There were several maulings during that time in relatively civilized areas.
There was a bad one on the Russian River where there were many fishermen in the area.The guy was still in a coma when we left Alaska about 5 weeks later.
In fact there were 8 grizzly sows killed in defense of life or property on the Kenai Peninsula this summer,so they voided the hunting season on grizzly/brown bear on the Kenai this fall.There were also some male bears killed but they don't like to lose the reproductive potential of the females.
My friend in Fairbanks,who works for the DNR,told me that the black bear are also not to be trusted.He also told me to carry the '06 when I was in the bush.
There was a case about a black that repeatedly attacked and followed a hiker on a trail south of Anchorage.The guy worked for the DNR and was a long distance runner and was able to stand the bear off but it harrassed him for a couple miles per the story in the paper.
You won't see much game from the highway in Alaska.We saw more along the Alcan in the Yukon and B.C. during the 6 days we went thru there(going and coming) than we saw in Alaska in 3 months.There is no hunting permitted in the highway corridor in the Yukon while any moose or caribou that hangs out within a mile of a road in Alaska is likely to end up in someone's freezer.
An Alaska non-resident license for the season,costs $100.If you want a few salmon to eat,go down to the docks at Kenai when the reds are starting to run and you can buy all you want for $1.00/lb.
There is a Walmart's in Whitehorse and Fairbanks,two Sam's Clubs and a Costco in Anchorage - so plan your trip to hit those places every 3-4 weeks and stock up on groceries.They are much cheaper than oher grocery stores.
Have fun - it's beautiful country so take a lot of film.
Ron

Ron,
Yeah that guy is still pretty messed up. Hes doing better but lost half of his face. According to the papers it sounded like people were harrassing the bear to begin with and he caught the brunt of it.

A friend of my wifes killed a sow this fall on Skilak lake road. Put a whole mag of 10MM into her and she finally dropped. Luckily the cubs were big enough so they didnt have to be put down. The kenai bear hunt is always cancelled, its a bummer cuz I know where a real nice boar is on kenai lake that I wouldnt mind hanging on my wall.

As for that state guy who fought off the blackie by girdwood, he was killed recently when a 650lb slab of ice fell off a building and crushed him in portage. I believe thats the guy you were referring to.

Ron,
Yeah that guy is still pretty messed up. Hes doing better but lost half of his face. According to the papers it sounded like people were harrassing the bear to begin with and he caught the brunt of it.

<b>They were forecasting he would be blind in both eyes,even if he recovered.</b>

As for that state guy who fought off the blackie by girdwood, he was killed recently when a 650lb slab of ice fell off a building and crushed him in portage. I believe thats the guy you were referring to.

<b>Yes,that's the fella.Darn shame to go like that.
Looks like you folks are having a more normal winter this year!
Ron</b>

Thanks for the info manyplews. One detail I forgot to include is the rv trip is one-way. The return is a flight from anchorage to the lower 48 so I should be able to avoid the US customs at least.

I think you are right about the black bears. Acording to what I've read they attack and kill more people than do the Browns/Grizzlies. Also, the bear spray tends to be much less effective on them than it is on the Grizzlies.

I know that the odds of a bear attack are pretty low -- but I can't think of a worse way to go.

Blackies are more dangerous than brown/griz. Usually a brownie will attack to get rid of a threat and wants the threat is down, they usually leave you alone. Blackies will still usually try and attack you even when your down. Thats why live by the saying: if its brown get down (play dead), if its black fight back. Although moose are more dangerous than bears IMO.

As for spray, the stuff sucks. I sprayed a small blackie about 7 years ago and it ran about 15ft and started come back at me slowely. I ended up throwing rocks at it and I guess I hit it just right cuz it ran and never came back. A big blackie came out later and fortunately it wasnt as curious as the other bear cuz the guns were out.

Hey trde930, you mentioned "handguns are out, Canadian law",.. I inquired a while back with a couple dealers in Tok and Fairbanks, it IS possible to ship your handgun to a dealer in AK and pick it up. You can't BUY one, but ATF says that if it's yours to begin with, you can take possesion from a dealer in another state under these circumstances( traveling thru Canada to AK). Check with "Down Under Guns" in Fairbanks. There's a gunsmith/FFL holder in Tok also that does this, but I think he charged more. In asking around about this, I got different responses from different shops, some said "Oh no, you can't do that!" to others saying "We do it all the time for hunters and people moving up here, ATF says 'it's OK under THESE circumstances'...."

As for your long guns, as you know, you can take them thru Canada, need to do a bit of paperwork, but it's simple. If you ship your handgun, you can take the ammo thru Can. but don't take any hollow point handgun ammo. Have your handgun shipping info handy when crossing the border, helps things go smoothly when you can prove you shipped your gun around. (especially when you have handgun ammo and holster etc with you) Might also be a good idea to have your dealer on the home end that sent your gun give you a receipt describing that he has your gun to ship to a dealer in AK for you to pick up. The Customs Canada people seem happy if you impress them that you repect their laws and play by their rules. I kept everything I needed at the border in a folder under the front seat, (dog vac records/health cert. Canadian auto ins proof, gun ship info, "registration of items taken abroad" from US customs etc) makes border crossing smooth. Stop on the US side before leaving and get a "registration of items taken abroad" to prove you had them (guns) before leaving the US. Makes re-entry into US easier.

I would carry the 45-70. If you get funny looks from others, thats their problem.I have lived and hunted in Alaska for over 50 years and have had several friends and relatives mauled,so why take a chance when you can avoid it.

Agree with Blackhand. Carry the rifle if it's legal. (some parks it's not, but otherwise...) You'll get a lot more "funny looks" after a mauling, (if you're around) than while carrying a rifle and/or pistol.

Hello, all.

I will be making my 3rd vacation trip to AK in as many years. We will be heading up the Alcan starting May 10. We will be doing as much day hiking along the way as possible.

Once in Alaska we will be visiting the areas around Eagle, Valdez, and Anchorage (Chugach park) and also do as much day hiking as circumstances permit.

My question is would you recomend bear defense at this time of year in these areas. I don't care for bear spray and handguns are out (due to Canadian law) so such defense would probly be the Marlin 1895G with heavy 45-70 handloads.

Is this a wise precaution or should I leave the gun at home and worry about more dangerous things, like the traffic in Anchorage :-).



PS: No tent camping will be involved. We will be in an RV the whole time.

Thanks in advance...

trde930,

Good luck on your trip. Before retiring I worked a lot in Alaska (for BP) but really only saw the area around Anchorage. We have an RV and I've often thought about taking it thru Canada, but everytime I think about all the "restrictive gun laws" I choose another vacation site.

If I were you I would definitely take the Marlin 1895G with me. Normally when I travel I have several handguns with me. It would be a strange vacation not "packin." Have a safe trip.

I would carry the 45-70. If you get funny looks from others, thats their problem.I have lived and hunted in Alaska for over 50 years and have had several friends and relatives mauled,so why take a chance when you can avoid it.

Blackhand, couldn't agree with you more. Better safe than sorry. Regards,

My two cents:

Bring the rifle, and have it close at hand. I prefer a backpack scabbard for the 1895G. If you can't get it out and shooting in a second or two, it probably won't do much good. The biggest threats come from preadatory black bear and brown bear sows. Brownie boars can get mother-of-god big in this area, and frankly if you get attacked by one like that family on McHugh did it's doubtful a rifle will help. They can easily kill you with a single swipe--they don't have to maul you. The two dead on McHugh were not mauled, for example. The woman's back was snaped from the impact of the bear, and the man was hit once in the side by a paw swipe that threw him many yards and pierced his internal organs. There was little blood and at first people thought he had been trampled by a moose! Thankfully the big boars rarely attack. We're not on their menu.

LISTEN! Every single run-in I've had with bear I heard the bruin long before I saw it. The vegetation in SC is very dense in the summer, and you may not see the bear until it's right on top of you. A rule of thumb is that moose make cracks and rustling noises as the mill around and eat. Bear running near a trail tend to make a steady crashing/swishing sound lower down in the underbrush that moves fast, then stops, then moves fast again. They move through their trails like big fat torpedoes. Forget the bells, or anything else that would keep you from hearing things clearly.

Moose are potentially dangerous but easy to avoid. Males are angry during mating season, and I've been chased by them. But just get out of their way and you'll be OK. They don't want to kill you, just assert their dominance over the world. Females with calves are always potentially dangerous, but just give them a wide berth and you'll be fine. You'll have a very hard time justifying a claimed self defense killing of any moose.