gunslinger
New member
Guys i have been on a quest for the last 4 years to complete the north american 29, i guided for 5 years in the yukon and in british columbia, i am sitting at number 21 right now and heres a brown bear i was able to harvest this last year.
This was the last of the bears that i needed to get.
Alaskan Brown Bear.
Well fellows it’s been two years waiting for this hunt and the time finally come for me and my brother to get on the turbine otter and head into brown bear camp, we would leave out of Kenai Alaska for unit 9a, the highest density of brown bears in the world. What a world wind of emotional trip it had in store for us. Brian would be filming what i was hoping would be the last of the four bears in north america for me, the brown, the polar, the grizzly and the black.
Once landed on the tide flats we knew we would be staying in a remote tent camp with the bare essentials of a sheep camp, mountain house food, and cup of soup but we were ready for the adventure to say the least
Once we had camp set up and things organized it was time to glass for bears, the tide flats would act as a crossing ground for us and that would give us time to get in front of a bear and cut em off for hopefully a shot.
Just as the excitement was at its peak the glassing began from a rock I nicknamed Hagen hill, (the outfitter and my brother chewed Copenhagen and believe me that hill got a work out of Hagen). The excitement would quickly diminish.
Hours and hours and hours of glassing for three days brought us only a sow and three cubs. The first three days were in the books and it was time for bed.
The 4th morning finally brought us a single bear that was on the run and there was no way of catching him and that was all that day brought other than allot of stories.
Day 5 morning was here and I was pumped as I thought for sure I had put in enough time that I was going to spot me a bear. Well hours went by and nothing other than two sows and cubs.
I was now half way through the hunt and not an opportunity yet, but staying positive we ventured into the downhill slide of the hunt.
What I was in store for was told to me by numerous people could happen, torrential down pour of rain and heavy winds kept us from even being able to glass for the next 4 days, 60 mph winds and rain had the binos and spotting scopes so fogged up you couldn’t see not that anything was even moving anyway. Very upsetting.
Day 10 morning the last day of my hunt arrived and I was up an hour before sunrise in anticipation of a clear day with no winds, nope. socked in so low you could see across the flats, probable the lowest point for me in the hunt, my last day and I can’t even see to hunt, as the day went on the fog lifted barely and evening come before I knew it, my Alaskan brown bear hunt was over, without even having a opportunity at a legal respectable bear,
As I layed on my cot that night I reflected back on the hunt and tried to put all the positives of the hunt together so I could at least fall asleep, it didn’t work I was possibly at the lowest point in my hunting adventures on this trip.
Well morning come with a fresh single of coffee and there wasn’t much said around camp as we started packing the garbage and propane bottles out to the air strip in preparation for the new hunters.
When out of the blue the other guide yells out THERES A BEAR AND HES A BUTY.
I’ve never ran so fast for my rifle in my life, boots on and I was Hagen hill on the flats ready to go, my brother Brian right behind me. The outfitter yells you can’t go without a guide and the new hunters are on the plane, I said laine please call and stop the plane and if that guide is coming he better hurry.
We were gone, we had about a mile to go to get in front of the bear but at a walking pace we knew we could get him, the guide was right behind us he was as excited as I was.
The last thing out of the outfitters mouth was you guys stay along the bush line the tides to high you won’t get across the sloughs, so what do me and Brian do, yea right out in the darn middle, we get into as close as we can and can’t cross the slough have to backtrack 400 yards to get around, if we would have listened we would of been alright.
So the bear is coming across and now has the inside track on us and turns right for us, at 500 yards here he comes. Oh no he stopped I said, Brian says darn guys he smelt our boot prints from where we were, and boom , he turns and runs as fast as he can away from us at 400 yards, my dreams are crushed again. I am totally devastated at what just happened; if we would have just listened we would have had him.
Oh hey guys another bear my brother whispered over, if you can believe it another big boar is coming across the river 1 km off, I’m up again and things are back to a high, up ,down, up ,down, like a yo yo.
This bear is coming right for us we got the wind in our favor, the cameras are rolling and we are in position, range finder says 300 yards, 260 yards, 200 yards, Brian says to me , has in range take him when you ready, 140 yards, 80 yards. And with one BOOM of my 30-06 I shoot high, I missed him at 80 yards, jacked another round in and connected with the second third and fourth shot and I had my brown bear on the ground. The guide backed me up with one shot and took the scope right in the face.
With a prayer to the good lord and with a huge thank you to my brother and the guide and I was finally able to put my hands on the grand slam of bears and my Alaskan brown bear.
Later to find out the new hunters were on the otter plane and seat belted in when the secretary went out and stopped the plane. I was 10 minutes from not getting my bear, my hunt was over but with a lot of luck I scored on the morning of the 11th day of a 10 day hunt.
I can’t say enough about the outfitter and his operation and for the phone call he made stopping the new plane, the new hunters were just as happy for me as I was.
And most importantly thank you Brian for being there for 17 days in Alaska with me through the highs and lows of a hunt I will never forget.
The bear scored 24 inches and is 8 feet long.
This was the last of the bears that i needed to get.
Alaskan Brown Bear.
Well fellows it’s been two years waiting for this hunt and the time finally come for me and my brother to get on the turbine otter and head into brown bear camp, we would leave out of Kenai Alaska for unit 9a, the highest density of brown bears in the world. What a world wind of emotional trip it had in store for us. Brian would be filming what i was hoping would be the last of the four bears in north america for me, the brown, the polar, the grizzly and the black.
Once landed on the tide flats we knew we would be staying in a remote tent camp with the bare essentials of a sheep camp, mountain house food, and cup of soup but we were ready for the adventure to say the least
Once we had camp set up and things organized it was time to glass for bears, the tide flats would act as a crossing ground for us and that would give us time to get in front of a bear and cut em off for hopefully a shot.
Just as the excitement was at its peak the glassing began from a rock I nicknamed Hagen hill, (the outfitter and my brother chewed Copenhagen and believe me that hill got a work out of Hagen). The excitement would quickly diminish.
Hours and hours and hours of glassing for three days brought us only a sow and three cubs. The first three days were in the books and it was time for bed.
The 4th morning finally brought us a single bear that was on the run and there was no way of catching him and that was all that day brought other than allot of stories.
Day 5 morning was here and I was pumped as I thought for sure I had put in enough time that I was going to spot me a bear. Well hours went by and nothing other than two sows and cubs.
I was now half way through the hunt and not an opportunity yet, but staying positive we ventured into the downhill slide of the hunt.
What I was in store for was told to me by numerous people could happen, torrential down pour of rain and heavy winds kept us from even being able to glass for the next 4 days, 60 mph winds and rain had the binos and spotting scopes so fogged up you couldn’t see not that anything was even moving anyway. Very upsetting.
Day 10 morning the last day of my hunt arrived and I was up an hour before sunrise in anticipation of a clear day with no winds, nope. socked in so low you could see across the flats, probable the lowest point for me in the hunt, my last day and I can’t even see to hunt, as the day went on the fog lifted barely and evening come before I knew it, my Alaskan brown bear hunt was over, without even having a opportunity at a legal respectable bear,
As I layed on my cot that night I reflected back on the hunt and tried to put all the positives of the hunt together so I could at least fall asleep, it didn’t work I was possibly at the lowest point in my hunting adventures on this trip.
Well morning come with a fresh single of coffee and there wasn’t much said around camp as we started packing the garbage and propane bottles out to the air strip in preparation for the new hunters.
When out of the blue the other guide yells out THERES A BEAR AND HES A BUTY.
I’ve never ran so fast for my rifle in my life, boots on and I was Hagen hill on the flats ready to go, my brother Brian right behind me. The outfitter yells you can’t go without a guide and the new hunters are on the plane, I said laine please call and stop the plane and if that guide is coming he better hurry.
We were gone, we had about a mile to go to get in front of the bear but at a walking pace we knew we could get him, the guide was right behind us he was as excited as I was.
The last thing out of the outfitters mouth was you guys stay along the bush line the tides to high you won’t get across the sloughs, so what do me and Brian do, yea right out in the darn middle, we get into as close as we can and can’t cross the slough have to backtrack 400 yards to get around, if we would have listened we would of been alright.
So the bear is coming across and now has the inside track on us and turns right for us, at 500 yards here he comes. Oh no he stopped I said, Brian says darn guys he smelt our boot prints from where we were, and boom , he turns and runs as fast as he can away from us at 400 yards, my dreams are crushed again. I am totally devastated at what just happened; if we would have just listened we would have had him.
Oh hey guys another bear my brother whispered over, if you can believe it another big boar is coming across the river 1 km off, I’m up again and things are back to a high, up ,down, up ,down, like a yo yo.
This bear is coming right for us we got the wind in our favor, the cameras are rolling and we are in position, range finder says 300 yards, 260 yards, 200 yards, Brian says to me , has in range take him when you ready, 140 yards, 80 yards. And with one BOOM of my 30-06 I shoot high, I missed him at 80 yards, jacked another round in and connected with the second third and fourth shot and I had my brown bear on the ground. The guide backed me up with one shot and took the scope right in the face.
With a prayer to the good lord and with a huge thank you to my brother and the guide and I was finally able to put my hands on the grand slam of bears and my Alaskan brown bear.
Later to find out the new hunters were on the otter plane and seat belted in when the secretary went out and stopped the plane. I was 10 minutes from not getting my bear, my hunt was over but with a lot of luck I scored on the morning of the 11th day of a 10 day hunt.
I can’t say enough about the outfitter and his operation and for the phone call he made stopping the new plane, the new hunters were just as happy for me as I was.
And most importantly thank you Brian for being there for 17 days in Alaska with me through the highs and lows of a hunt I will never forget.
The bear scored 24 inches and is 8 feet long.
