Roland on the River
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Winter time so I wrote up the story of my hunt.
My Kodiak Brown Bear Hunt
- Thread starter Roland on the River
- Start date
DRAFTSTUD
Well-known member
My Kodiak Brown Bear Hunt
The year was 1977. My hunting buddy Gerd Manzek and I found out we drew a permit for the Spring hunt. The area was Karluk river our second choice. You see our first choice was Karluk Lake. That was the spot the #1 world record Bear was taken in 1953 by Roy Lindsley. He was guided and was hoping to get a large specimen for the L.A. museum. As they were ascending the mountain stalking a huge Bear this second Bear came out of the brush. The guide said he's much smaller don't shoot. Yet roy was satified this would be big enough. World record what was the bigger one?
I met with several guides for advice. I bought a Ruger M77 in 338 caliber. I handloaded and bedded the action of the gun. My load was with Nosler 250 grain partition bullets. Three shot groups of 3/4 inch at hundred yards. I was excited. We met with Vern Burns the new Kenai wildlife manager. He spent 12 years as manager of the Kodiak Refuge. He studied Bears. He was a wealth of information.
Finally all plans were set and our target date was here. I had been shooting one shot out of a clean barrel each morning for 2 weeks. The accuracy was 2" high dead on each time. I was confident of the gun and of myself.
We flew in on April 27th telling the pilot to pick us up on May14th. We were allowed a 15 day period to hunt by law. No hunting same day airborne rules apply. That meant we would hunt April 28th thru May 12th. Then have a couple days to fish the river. Trip of a lifetime for sure.
We were told not to spread our scent throughout the area but to find a prominent hill and glass all day long. we did this for 5 days.. Not seeing any sign or tracks in the snow on the 6th day we decided to hike over a mountain pass and scout another valley. Beautiful high country. Great looking denning area. Then the snow sqall came in. Wind blowing snow sideways, cold as all get out. I put my binoculars down to see how Gerd was doing. This guy was shaking soo badly I thought he had hyperthermia. Gerd, no way we can hold the binos steady, Let's go.
Over the pass we went with me in the lead. As we were 1/3 down the mountain I saw movement below. Putting my hand up for Gerd to stop and be quite, I lifted my binos but could not find what movement I'd seen. Gerd, I'm sure it was a Bear. We made out way to a small clearing to set up the spotting scope. Just then he raised up on his hind legs. Chest above the alders. Whoa, now that's a Bear.Looking thru the scope now I find it and there's 2 Bears. First thought, must be sow and cub. As we keep looking they are facing each other, snarling and biting. Then it happened. HE tried to mount HER. Gosh if that female is a seven footer that makes him nine foot plus. I want him.
The wind is blowing about 20 knots so we circle some and head into the wind. We come out of the alders at about 100 yards. They are so in love we go unnoticed. I creep another 15 to 20 yards. The Boar goes sideways, I squeeze like i'm shooting my 4 position Anchultz 22 target gun. Bang and down he goes. But as I'm bolting another round he leaps up and jump foward about 8 feet. When he lands I shoot again. Both these shots are on the right side and at the second shot he starts to fall to his left but catches himself and spins for the brush. I'm bolting my third round when Gerd fires his Browning 375 H&H and the Bear disappears. I reload and we stand back to back.
Time passes slowly and I can't wait to see this monster. Maybe 10 minutes and finally i say let's go. What, no blood? No hair? I go back and line up and tell Gerd that's exactly where he stood. Look some more. Well. we looked from 1:30PM till 9PM without finding any sign. Man, talk about disappointment. Next day same thing, look for hours. Third day so tired and disgusted we stayed in camp. Fouth day we limb our little hill and I spot several Eagles cirling the area we had shot at the Bear. Gerd, I shout with excitement, the birds found the kill, let's go. We are under these Eagles and cannot find why they are there.
Now we start seeing Bears daily. Some high, some low, some small, some with cubs. We stalked a couple but as finicky as the wind is on Kodiak we get busted and they run off.
Last day of our hunt May 12th, 15th day right. I'm determined I'm going to score.
The plan is we get up at 4AM skip breakfast climb our little hill and glss until 10AM. If we don't see anything we come back to camp, have breakfast then have a nap.
I rmove my spotting scope from my pack, set up the tripod and aim it at the mountain. I focuse and guess what, I'm on a bedded Bear. Wow, Gerd I got one spotted. Whoa, this guy has a head like a 30 gallon drum, come see. So he kneels down and after a minute or so says no bear there. Shucks, he must of got up. So I scan back and forth and can't find him. Two hours go by and we see ( actually Gerd found them ) I say them because it was a sow with 3 big cubs being followed by a 10 foot plus boar. This bear stood up once and sniffed the wind and even at a 1/2 mile away you would not believe how huge he looked. Bad part was they were on the other side of the Karluk river meaning they were in another unit that our permit didn't allow us to hunt. Back to glasing for MY Bear. AH Ha Igot him now Gerd same spot. So Gerd looks and says I bet he was there all along and the rising sun caused shadows. Your right, let's go. So this Bear is up about 1500' on a 2200' mountain. As we climb we keep checking the wind and sqaushing the grass and letting it drift. Were doing good and closing in. Then, a puff of wind hits my neck. I look up and see a smaller Bear running up the mountain. Gerd, I just got a feeling the big Bear is the one I shot 9 days ago. That small Bear smelled blood. Anyway we get to a rock outcropping with the Bear below on the other side. I chamber a round, say a prayer and peek over. An empty bed. We scramble down and dried blood in the grass.We have a choice either he went down or he followed the smaller Bear. We take our chances and go up. Above is the snow. We find the tracks. The right leg is busted and he's dragging the rear leg. We top out. By now it's about noon. We sit for an apple. Then I see him. Who knows how far it was maybe 4 or 5 hundred yards. I lay down and as I'm settling in to shoot Gerd grabs my arm and says don't shoot look how bad he is . He can't go far before bedding again. As he disappears from view we take off. We found where he layed in a depression and that's why we didn't see him when we first topped out.
He headed down the hill. the snow was patchy. We decided to leave the track and circle the knoll. My gun was almost touching my shoulder as I crept along the hill. Then, crash, bam he must of dived into the alders. We had been close. The only time my adrenlaline got to me. I had to wait and calm down before proceeding. We found the snapped 2 inch alders. He was headed downhill and fast.
With no snow as we got lower it was impossible to follow. We just leapfrogged. One covering the other as we went over and under this jumbled pile of alder. Almost glad we didn't jump him. Got to a meadow, really beat and now it's late in the afternoon and we lay in the sun and both fell asleep.
We got back to camp about 9PM tired, hungry, thirsty and whipped. I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sit with my binoculars firm to my eyes. No giving up here, I've got 2 hours of daylight on my 15th day and I'm going to hunt till the end. Gerd says I see one. Where? That hill up river. See that lazy L shaped patch of brush well he just went in the left part crossing to the right. I can't find it so I scan above and below. There, I see him. Gerd says I see it too but it's really small maybe a Wolverine. No way, this is at the base of the hill and he's waddling as he's walking . Got to be over 8 feet. Let's go. So I'm running along the river and the river makes a bend. I come through some alders and realize he's on the OTHER SIDE. I lay down and close my eyes and try to slow my breathing. He's about 250 yards. I squeeze the shot and I see him drop before the gun recoils. As i chamber another round up he comes, spins and runs about 50 feet and stops. Boom down he goes I chamber another round and yell Gerd help me shoot and both guns go off simultaniously. Down he goes and we wait. I reload. I stand up. He's got to be in a hole cause it's all open around him we would of seen him. Time goes by. Finally I say Gerd one of us has to go back to camp and get the hipboots, pack camera etc. OK, he says I'll watch. So I run back about a half mile and double back. WOW. that didn't take long.
We got wet as the river was about hipbone deep just above our hip boots. He was in a hole. I tried to pick up the head to move it to sit on a hummock but I could'nt lift it. I spread my legs and heaved and he let some gas out and I jumped back thinking this thing is still alive. Gerd says my eyes got real big. I opened him up to cool took some black and white pictures and left him for the night. By now even with the spring long daylight it was getting dark.
We(I) slept off and on that night. By 5AM I was redy to go. We had brought a real small rubber raft in case we got one across the river.
I packed the raft and at the water's edge inflated it. Again we got wet crssing the river We skinned out the Bear and I floated down to camp. The hide laying flat measured 110 inches claw to claw and 98 inches nose to tail. Divided by 2 = 8.66 feet squared. The big one I wounded had to have been over 9' squared.
I spent the following day fleshing the hide and removing theskull, turning the ears, lips and nose. Gerd was catching Steelhead and sea run Dolly Varden trout.
The next day I fished while Gerd broke camp and I released several Steelhead the biggest was 34" long about 13 or 14 pounds.
As I was typing this I was reliving that hunt, certainly a hunt of a lifetime.
There ya go. John
The year was 1977. My hunting buddy Gerd Manzek and I found out we drew a permit for the Spring hunt. The area was Karluk river our second choice. You see our first choice was Karluk Lake. That was the spot the #1 world record Bear was taken in 1953 by Roy Lindsley. He was guided and was hoping to get a large specimen for the L.A. museum. As they were ascending the mountain stalking a huge Bear this second Bear came out of the brush. The guide said he's much smaller don't shoot. Yet roy was satified this would be big enough. World record what was the bigger one?
I met with several guides for advice. I bought a Ruger M77 in 338 caliber. I handloaded and bedded the action of the gun. My load was with Nosler 250 grain partition bullets. Three shot groups of 3/4 inch at hundred yards. I was excited. We met with Vern Burns the new Kenai wildlife manager. He spent 12 years as manager of the Kodiak Refuge. He studied Bears. He was a wealth of information.
Finally all plans were set and our target date was here. I had been shooting one shot out of a clean barrel each morning for 2 weeks. The accuracy was 2" high dead on each time. I was confident of the gun and of myself.
We flew in on April 27th telling the pilot to pick us up on May14th. We were allowed a 15 day period to hunt by law. No hunting same day airborne rules apply. That meant we would hunt April 28th thru May 12th. Then have a couple days to fish the river. Trip of a lifetime for sure.
We were told not to spread our scent throughout the area but to find a prominent hill and glass all day long. we did this for 5 days.. Not seeing any sign or tracks in the snow on the 6th day we decided to hike over a mountain pass and scout another valley. Beautiful high country. Great looking denning area. Then the snow sqall came in. Wind blowing snow sideways, cold as all get out. I put my binoculars down to see how Gerd was doing. This guy was shaking soo badly I thought he had hyperthermia. Gerd, no way we can hold the binos steady, Let's go.
Over the pass we went with me in the lead. As we were 1/3 down the mountain I saw movement below. Putting my hand up for Gerd to stop and be quite, I lifted my binos but could not find what movement I'd seen. Gerd, I'm sure it was a Bear. We made out way to a small clearing to set up the spotting scope. Just then he raised up on his hind legs. Chest above the alders. Whoa, now that's a Bear.Looking thru the scope now I find it and there's 2 Bears. First thought, must be sow and cub. As we keep looking they are facing each other, snarling and biting. Then it happened. HE tried to mount HER. Gosh if that female is a seven footer that makes him nine foot plus. I want him.
The wind is blowing about 20 knots so we circle some and head into the wind. We come out of the alders at about 100 yards. They are so in love we go unnoticed. I creep another 15 to 20 yards. The Boar goes sideways, I squeeze like i'm shooting my 4 position Anchultz 22 target gun. Bang and down he goes. But as I'm bolting another round he leaps up and jump foward about 8 feet. When he lands I shoot again. Both these shots are on the right side and at the second shot he starts to fall to his left but catches himself and spins for the brush. I'm bolting my third round when Gerd fires his Browning 375 H&H and the Bear disappears. I reload and we stand back to back.
Time passes slowly and I can't wait to see this monster. Maybe 10 minutes and finally i say let's go. What, no blood? No hair? I go back and line up and tell Gerd that's exactly where he stood. Look some more. Well. we looked from 1:30PM till 9PM without finding any sign. Man, talk about disappointment. Next day same thing, look for hours. Third day so tired and disgusted we stayed in camp. Fouth day we limb our little hill and I spot several Eagles cirling the area we had shot at the Bear. Gerd, I shout with excitement, the birds found the kill, let's go. We are under these Eagles and cannot find why they are there.
Now we start seeing Bears daily. Some high, some low, some small, some with cubs. We stalked a couple but as finicky as the wind is on Kodiak we get busted and they run off.
Last day of our hunt May 12th, 15th day right. I'm determined I'm going to score.
The plan is we get up at 4AM skip breakfast climb our little hill and glss until 10AM. If we don't see anything we come back to camp, have breakfast then have a nap.
I rmove my spotting scope from my pack, set up the tripod and aim it at the mountain. I focuse and guess what, I'm on a bedded Bear. Wow, Gerd I got one spotted. Whoa, this guy has a head like a 30 gallon drum, come see. So he kneels down and after a minute or so says no bear there. Shucks, he must of got up. So I scan back and forth and can't find him. Two hours go by and we see ( actually Gerd found them ) I say them because it was a sow with 3 big cubs being followed by a 10 foot plus boar. This bear stood up once and sniffed the wind and even at a 1/2 mile away you would not believe how huge he looked. Bad part was they were on the other side of the Karluk river meaning they were in another unit that our permit didn't allow us to hunt. Back to glasing for MY Bear. AH Ha Igot him now Gerd same spot. So Gerd looks and says I bet he was there all along and the rising sun caused shadows. Your right, let's go. So this Bear is up about 1500' on a 2200' mountain. As we climb we keep checking the wind and sqaushing the grass and letting it drift. Were doing good and closing in. Then, a puff of wind hits my neck. I look up and see a smaller Bear running up the mountain. Gerd, I just got a feeling the big Bear is the one I shot 9 days ago. That small Bear smelled blood. Anyway we get to a rock outcropping with the Bear below on the other side. I chamber a round, say a prayer and peek over. An empty bed. We scramble down and dried blood in the grass.We have a choice either he went down or he followed the smaller Bear. We take our chances and go up. Above is the snow. We find the tracks. The right leg is busted and he's dragging the rear leg. We top out. By now it's about noon. We sit for an apple. Then I see him. Who knows how far it was maybe 4 or 5 hundred yards. I lay down and as I'm settling in to shoot Gerd grabs my arm and says don't shoot look how bad he is . He can't go far before bedding again. As he disappears from view we take off. We found where he layed in a depression and that's why we didn't see him when we first topped out.
He headed down the hill. the snow was patchy. We decided to leave the track and circle the knoll. My gun was almost touching my shoulder as I crept along the hill. Then, crash, bam he must of dived into the alders. We had been close. The only time my adrenlaline got to me. I had to wait and calm down before proceeding. We found the snapped 2 inch alders. He was headed downhill and fast.
With no snow as we got lower it was impossible to follow. We just leapfrogged. One covering the other as we went over and under this jumbled pile of alder. Almost glad we didn't jump him. Got to a meadow, really beat and now it's late in the afternoon and we lay in the sun and both fell asleep.
We got back to camp about 9PM tired, hungry, thirsty and whipped. I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sit with my binoculars firm to my eyes. No giving up here, I've got 2 hours of daylight on my 15th day and I'm going to hunt till the end. Gerd says I see one. Where? That hill up river. See that lazy L shaped patch of brush well he just went in the left part crossing to the right. I can't find it so I scan above and below. There, I see him. Gerd says I see it too but it's really small maybe a Wolverine. No way, this is at the base of the hill and he's waddling as he's walking . Got to be over 8 feet. Let's go. So I'm running along the river and the river makes a bend. I come through some alders and realize he's on the OTHER SIDE. I lay down and close my eyes and try to slow my breathing. He's about 250 yards. I squeeze the shot and I see him drop before the gun recoils. As i chamber another round up he comes, spins and runs about 50 feet and stops. Boom down he goes I chamber another round and yell Gerd help me shoot and both guns go off simultaniously. Down he goes and we wait. I reload. I stand up. He's got to be in a hole cause it's all open around him we would of seen him. Time goes by. Finally I say Gerd one of us has to go back to camp and get the hipboots, pack camera etc. OK, he says I'll watch. So I run back about a half mile and double back. WOW. that didn't take long.
We got wet as the river was about hipbone deep just above our hip boots. He was in a hole. I tried to pick up the head to move it to sit on a hummock but I could'nt lift it. I spread my legs and heaved and he let some gas out and I jumped back thinking this thing is still alive. Gerd says my eyes got real big. I opened him up to cool took some black and white pictures and left him for the night. By now even with the spring long daylight it was getting dark.
We(I) slept off and on that night. By 5AM I was redy to go. We had brought a real small rubber raft in case we got one across the river.
I packed the raft and at the water's edge inflated it. Again we got wet crssing the river We skinned out the Bear and I floated down to camp. The hide laying flat measured 110 inches claw to claw and 98 inches nose to tail. Divided by 2 = 8.66 feet squared. The big one I wounded had to have been over 9' squared.
I spent the following day fleshing the hide and removing theskull, turning the ears, lips and nose. Gerd was catching Steelhead and sea run Dolly Varden trout.
The next day I fished while Gerd broke camp and I released several Steelhead the biggest was 34" long about 13 or 14 pounds.
As I was typing this I was reliving that hunt, certainly a hunt of a lifetime.
There ya go. John
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