2026 SE Alaska Spring Bear Hunt

[Southern Elk]

My son and I were lucky enough to draw Unit 2 (Prince of Wales) black bear tags for the spring of 2026. Having never done this, I’m looking for tips from those who have.

My preference would be to stay at a lodge or cabin and hunt from there. Is this feasible? Should I be looking into a float plane to get somewhere more remote?

Some of the lodges offer a truck with their hunting packages. Would having a truck even help on a bear hunt? All of the videos that I’ve seen show hunting from boats? Where’s a good place to rent boats?

We would love to do some fishing in our down time. Any tips on fishing methods, tackle, species, ect.

If there are specifics that you don’t want to discuss on an open forum, please PM me. It seems like I have a ton of time to plan, but I’m sure things book up fast.

 

[WildWill]

Following along in the same boat as you but just north in unit 3.

 

[Nick87]

That'll be 2 good recaps to look forward to from both you guys.

 

[Salmonchaser]

POW has a great road system, for Alaska. It’s been quite a few years since I was out there hunting but we had no trouble getting around finding deer. I’ve fished POW quite a bit in August, there were lots of bears.
Spring time on POW I would definitely stay in one of the lodges out there. There are also a number of Forest service cabins available to rent for low fees. Most are on lakes fed by freshwater streams that allow access to the salt at high tide. The ones we used years ago came with a boat and motor. There will be kings and Halibut on the lee side you could fish for on a calm day from a small boat.
Good luck. It’s a great trip

 

[npaden]

I've hunted POW twice and just rented a truck both times and saw plenty of bears. I think it would be tough to go to POW in the spring and not see bears. You might see more and have a better chance at a big one from a boat but if you work at it you are going to have a chance at a bear.

Last time I was there we stayed at "A Place to Stay in Alaska" https://aplacetostayinak.com/index.php/cabin-rentals/ They were cheap and had freezers and a place where we butchered up our bears. The couple running it are getting pretty old, I'm hoping they are still around.

Depending on your budget the places that have skiffs and or pickups as part of their cabin is probably the way to go. I was being cheap last time I was there.