Successful viewing isn't as easy as it might sound. Even viewers who select sites with a great reputation may go away
frustrated and disappointed. Either they don't see any bears; or the sightings are all too brief. Or the bears aren't doing
anything more interesting than grazing or sleeping. Or, maybe the bears are perfect, but viewers can't get within 300 yards of
the animals, or fog and rain are so heavy that viewers can hardly see the bears, much less make great photos.
Don't let that happen to you. And don't let a tour company waive off your complaints by telling you something like "Nature isn't
predictable. That's why we call it 'wild'.
Really?
True, there is always an element of luck in finding viewable bears. However, the annual peaks (and pits) at each site are
reasonably predictable, plus or minus a couple of weeks. Any guide familiar with a site should know its peaks. But tour
companies need to stay in operation even during slack periods. So don't expect them to turn down your business during those
pits and recommend that you look for bears in another area, with another tour company.
If you really want to have the time of your life watching bears, don't depend on luck or on recommendations by friends, much
less on glib sales pitches. Depend on preparation and on information.
Worldwide, there are over 100 popular viewing sites -- most in North America, especially Alaska. Others are in the contiguous
48 dates, Canada, and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Siberia. At many of these sites, you can watch bears fish for salmon. But
at only a few sites can you watch them dig for clams or court or mate. Fishing occurs all summer long; but fishing at any given
site may last only a week or few. Arrive at any other time of the season, and you might be lucky to even glimpse a bear. There
are countless sites where you can happen upon a bear and watch it from hundreds of yards away for short periods. But
there are only a couple of dozen sites where you can reliably find bears and watch them for hours on end within 100 yards.
There are only a handful of even mediocre viewing sites that can be reached by road, plus a short hike. Most can be reached
only after a long hike and/or by boat or aircraft.
With so many sites to chose from, and so much variation in viewing opportunities between sites and seasons, how do you pick
the site and times that best meet your needs?
A good way to start is by defining your goals, for instance by asking and answering a standard series of questions (listed
below). Then use your answers as criteria for evaluating the suitability of each site during the weeks you will be viewing.
- What is it about bears that interests me the most? Do I most want to watch them digging for clams, chasing salmon, eating
berries, mating or nursing cubs?
- Do I want to photography them, and if so, what quality of images would I like to have?
nostrils of a bear?
- Am I seeking a sense of acceptance by bears or even of spiritual kinship with them? Am I seeking recreation or
- Am I hungry for the thrill of encountering animals that seem ready to kill someone with a single swat, but have never done
so?
- Would I be satisfied with viewing along a road or even from an elevating viewing platform? Or would I prefer being in a bus
or boat, or on foot in the wilderness?
- Do I want to be alone or part of a small group? Or would I be content being among twenty or even fifty other viewers?
- Am I after a 'true wilderness experience" where our group doesn't see any other people?
- Am I prepared for unpredictable extremes of weather? What are the harshest conditions I am willing to face, and under
which I'm prepared to keep myself and my photo gear warm and dry? Could I cope with several hours or even days of rain
and overcast, high winds, or clouds of mosquitos and noseeums?
- How can I learn the special challenges of photograhing at each site, and means of meeting those challenges? For example,
will I be in a boat that never stops rocking or where there isn't room enough to set up a tripod? Will I have to face into the
sun or cope with strong glare off water?
Verbalizing what you hope to accomplish, and identifying the constraints under which you can operate, provides criteria for
assessing each bear viewing site. But where can you find so much information about even a few sites, much less a broad
selection of them?
As you define your goals, compare them to the summary charts in BVA's book BEAR VIEWING IN ALASKA. Those charts
contrast viewing sites according to which species of bears and kinds of bear activity can be seen; means of access to the site
(e.g., by road, boat or aircraft), availability of on-site lodgings, and other factors. Further details on sites that interest you can
be read in narrative descriptions in that book.
BEAR VIEWING IN ALASKA also answers the following questions:
- What techniques can a view use used to minimize disturbance of wildlife?
- What techniques can be applied to minimize personal risk?
- Under what circumstances would you need the assistance of a guide? How can you find one with appropriate
qualifications?
- If a boat or plane is required to reach a site, can you use your own boat or plane? Can you charter one or buy a seat fare; or
must you join a commercial tour?
- Which sites require a viewing permit? How is it obtained? How long in advance need you apply?
- If you want to watch bears on more than one day, do you have to travel back and forth between town and the viewing site
each day? Or can you overnight nearby, for instance in a wilderness lodge? Is camping allowed and reasonably safe?
What equipment and supplies are needed for camping in Alaska, that are seldom required for camping else-where? (e.g.,
electric fence and bear-resistant food containers).
- How does your choice of transportation affect opportunities to watch wildlife on the way? Each form of transportation,
including hiking, has advantages and disadvantages, including hazards, that you should keep in mind when planning your
trip. For example, take a boat if you want to see whales and photograph whales, seals and other marine mammals and sea
birds.
The Bear Viewing Association advises that you watch grizzly/brown, polar and most black bears only when you are
accompanied by a guide whose expertise -- especially in bear safety -- has been certified by BVA.
Assuming you accept that advice, where could you find a certified guide? Most are self-employed. They specialize in bears and
perhaps other wildlife, not in business, and certainly not in marketing. So don’t expect an independent guide to catch your
attention the way a tour company does, using a snazzy website or contacts with travel agents. Independent guides
won’t chase you down to get your business. You’ll have to meet them half-way – for instance through this website.
BVA is developing a master list of guides from across North America -- especially Alaska -- and from other countries. The initial
entries can be read by clicking the “Guide Catalogue” button at the bottom of this page. Elsewhere on this website, guides are
also listed separately for each viewing site that they visit with clients, or for the gateway community from which
they launch expeditions.
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WHAT ARE YOU VIEWING GOALS?
Bear-Viewing Guides