Can't bait black bear where I live and we only have a fall season. However if it is bear you want I'd look towards a DIY spring bear hunt in SE Alaska. That is what I did, and you probably have most of the gear you already need to be successful in Alaska on a black bear hunt.
When I went my roundtrip ticket cost me $600, and my Non Resident Hunting license, bear tag, and fishing license cost me right at $500. I spent another $800 on a Rem 700 ADL .30-06, Leupold VXIII 2.5-8X36, Leupold QR rings and bases, and a trigger job. I spent another $5-600 on military surplus wool pants and sweaters, base layers, wool socks, ankle fit hip waders, rubber boots, Helle Hansen Impertech rain gear, and a Garmin E-trek GPS. I took a pair of RB800 Leupold binocular/rangefinder and my Burris Landmark 20-60X80 spotting scope, but I had already had these for a couple of years.
The hard part might actually be finding transportation when you get to Alaska. If you hunt SE Alaska the towns are very small as well as the airports, so you probably will not find a rental car. However if you make arrangements I'm sure the hotel/Lodge you might stay at or the boat rental people will pick you up. Baggage is a premium on flights as well and could cost you a small fortune in fees, so I'd mail some of your gear up before hand.
Boat rental will be the most expensive thing when you get to Alaska that and the fuel you will need. You will not want to hunt AK alone so make sure you bring a couple of friends so that you can split that expense. The rental fees on a boat run anywhere from $500-1500 to even more depending on the boat you rent. The $500 boat will be just some kind of aluminum boat probably around 16' with may be a steering wheel more likely a tiller steer 25-50 hp motor. 3 people with gear will be the max you want in it. Obviously the nicer the boat the price goes up.
Lodging can be really expensive or really cheap. If you stay at a lodge like:
http://www.greenrockslodge.com/packages.html it is going to cost quite a bit but you get your boat rental as well as meals included and transportation. Forest Service cabins are the cheap way to go will probably run you around $35 a night and most sleep 4-6 people. You can reserve them 6 months in advance. But there you have the added logistics of getting food, fuel and cooking supplies to them.
It is kind of a daunting task at first going on a DIY bear hunt. I have a friend who has been going to AK the last five years to hunt bear and he is more than willing to share what info he has on it just send me a PM and I'll hook you up if interested. He is always willing to talk bear hunting and give advice.
Bears up there are not hard to find but at least learn a little about them before hand. Learn how to judge a bear and tell the difference in sex by looking at a lot of pictures there are plenty of places on the web if you search. The only big thing to watch out for is Sows with cubs; it is illegal to shoot a sow that has cubs. That is why it is very important to learn how to tell the difference in sexes. Hone up as well on your skinning skills, the skull must be removed from the hide when you go to AK fish and game to get the hide and skull sealed.
Here is the story of my hunt:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248020&highlight=petersburg+ak
Here is a little bit of an update I did later:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271590&highlight=petersburg+ak
My advice from you is if you decide to do this kind of hunt don't over think it too hard and buy too much gear. I sent a lot of gear back to the stores I got it from as I bought way too much and wound up not using most of it on the hunt. If you got a good rifle and scope use it, synthetic stock and stainless is a plus but you can do it with a wood and blued rifle if you take care of it. I used a synthetic and matte blued rifle no problems but I did get surface rust on a daily basis.
I enjoyed this hunt more because I was actively looking for bears, not waiting for them to come to me. The bears in the spring in Alaska are out all day you just got to find them. Good binoculars come in handy get at least an 8X but a pair of 10X or 12X might be a little better. Doing this kind of hunt where you are glassing more than hunting very good optics are actually the most important piece of hunting equipment you will have and will give you the greatest chance of success. Make sure you view this kind of hunt as an adventure because you will enjoy it more, and will even have a great time if you don't get a bear.
