AK blacktail rifle selection

[Bulldog0156]

Leaving in two weeks for an AK blacktail hunt SW of Anchorage using a transporter. The islands we are going to be hunting are known for big brown bears. The transporter we are using said they're usually denned up by mid-November but he also suggests bringing a 30.06 minimum caliber rifle and 10mm/.40 handgun just in case. My options are 6.5 creedmoor or 22 creedmoor for rifle. The 22 is significantly more compact which would be nice for thicker cover we are likely to hunt. They both weigh about the same.

Would be interested in getting thoughts from folks on which gun to take.

 

[Gellar]

What’s your partner going to carry? Will you be with them most of the time or going your separate ways? Is bear spray an option? You’ll most likely have to buy in ANC and carry in the float or strap it to a wing strut.

I carried a .300 and bear spray. I had a 12 gauge with buck shot and slugs at camp if we needed to go into the brush to retrieve a deer, it never came to that.

 

[Hunting Wife]

We hunted deer on Afognak over Thanksgiving a few years ago. Bears were still out and about. I took my .270, and my husband chose his .338 so we’d have something with some stopping power. Talked to several different parties as we waited around for various flights, and there were plenty of bears still out and about, and a couple groups had run ins with bears getting into stuff. I would take at least one firearm that is brownie worthy.