alaska wildlife trip planned

[surfgeo]

i am headed to alaska the first week of july and am seeking advice from
anyone willing to share it. my particulars:

flying in to anchorage, renting a SUV and plan to camp out of it, so i
want to do day hikes - no overnight backcountry stays.

i am very fit and able to hike all day with elevation.

i prefer to be well off the beaten path. i love stalking deer, elk and
moose ans my website demonstrates.

i want bears as well, looking for places to get them feeding on
salmon so i planned my trip for prime time. i DO NOT want to go on a
tour and stand on a platform for 30 minutes shoulder to shoulder with
20 other shutterbugs.

i am a bit of a risk-taker, but calculated risks at that. i have
researched bear spray and bear behavior and how to handle encounters,
since the essence of wildlife photography involves some degree of
stealth and i understand the risks. that said, more open areas with
good fields of view are preferred to creeping along in dense brush
where surprises are more likely to occur.

i have read that the russian lakes area may be good for me, the first 2
to 4 miles of the river will have a concentration of people salmon
fishing but keeping on will put me into more uncrowded areas. anyone
been there?

i also want bald eagles. i have heard that Caines Head Recreation area
could be good for eagles as well as sea otters and such. this would be
great for variety.

interested in hearing any experiences and advice!

david
www.dcgphotography.com

i am not opposed to doing one day on the denai tour bus - but thats it!