Gringo's Spring Ak Bear Hunt

[iRem]

Hello, we can't handle it..........we need more...........this addiction can't stop..........

[grundy53]

Looks like your having a great time. Good luck!

[Huntbear]

stunning pictures...

Looks like a great time.  Now.. did ya get a bearskie???

[runamuk]

awesome story and pics so far...cant wait for the success pics.....

[bearpaw]

Sounds like a great time gringo, keep us posted...

[Gringo31]

Day 4:
Picked up a boat driver and were off to get back at it by early afternoon?  We spotted a few of the same bears we've been seeing on the way to the spot we thought looked real good.  The plan was to be on the beach by 4pm, play the wind and just sit and wait till dark.  We came in at 4 with the high tide being at 8pm.  The plan was to say out on the beach right at waters edge to not stink up the area.  So we dragged (carried) our raft to the high water mark and started glassing.



That picture of my brother shows how flat this area is an how far we had to carry the raft.  We were just going to keep it with us at waters edge, but if we saw a bear, we couldn't leave it as the tide was coming in.

You know how after you sit for awhile your eyes can start playing with you were everything looks like a bear/deer etc?  I'm keeping an eye on the beach but really watching the brush that getting closer as the tide comes up.  I'll post this picture because I think it's funny.  To me it looks like a panda bears head.....



After a few hours, we spotted the biggest bear in Alaska!  Well, that may be a stretch but you could see the bear on the beach with the naked eye close to 2 miles away.  We both looked at this bear in the binos and to me it looked like a bison walking down the beach.  Amazingly impressive.  We were coming up with a plan and even started that way for 75 yards when we decided it better to stay put.  That was a LONG ways off and the bear was walking the other way.  The wind was good, but we would have it at our backs the whole time should we never catch him.  It helped that while were were discussing he went back into the brush......so....back to sitting and watching.

[bucklucky]

Awesome thread Gringo, nice pictures too !! Your on a dream hunt for me, man your lucky to be there!!

[bigdave]

Thanks for sharing.....wish you the best of luck!

[mulehunter]

I asked my wife if I could book trip NOW.  she say no or I will be big trouble.     

Sound like ur having blast time than being home. 


Mulehunter.   

[Gringo31]

It was getting late approximately 8:45 (and it gets dark around 9:30).  We had not seen anything except way off on the beaches where we passed coming in.  We decided to walk 400 yards into the wind where another creek came out and watch for 15 min then work our way back to the raft by dark.  Our original location was on a bit of a point where we could see shoreline on one side and a small bay on the other.  We could see several deer 200-400 yards from us feeding and they were quite content.  We kept hoping for the to raise their heads....tipping us off....no dice.

So we head up wind, cross a creek and there is a big flat on the other side maybe 500X500 yards.  I glassed it and then focused my attention to the mouth of the creek.  My brother 30 seconds later glasses the same area and says, "Bear just came out of the woods".  I almost didn't believe him as I just glassed it....but sure enough.  There he was walking and feeding but spending more time walking.  My brother said when he stepped out he looked good, swaying his front shoulders like a big bear does walking pigeon toed.  I told him....alright, let's pretend, we'll put a stalk on this guy and get a better look. 

There was a small nob on this flat that would make for good cover if we could get behind it.  All we had to do is cover about 60 yards and we would be completely out of sight of him.  He had picked his head up a few times but not in alarm, just doing his thing.  We got behind the high point and closed the distance.  We stop and I peek around to get a range.....277 yards.  (I think I forgot to mention that on this evening I was talked into leaving the bow on the boat)

So we keep working our way towards this guy and he is looking decent.  Not like a monster, but solid.  I think we got to just about 200 yards and I told my brother that I would take this bear.  I was carrying his 338 Sendaro Ultra Mag.  I laid my pack frame sideways for a rest but it was too tall so I had my brother lean it back towards me at a 45 degree angle.  Ahhh...perfect (and he was doing a good job holding it steady).  All was fine and good but at this point the bear turn and starts walking dead away.........and keep walking, and walking.  All I have is a little bear tail in my scope as I wait for him to turn. 

I'm going to guess that he walked 50 yards or so then quartered away to his left.  I settle the crosshairs and touch off. 

I can say that he didn't appreciate that too much.  His back feet came 4-6 inches off the ground and his front feet came 15-18 inches off the ground as he threw his head down, and did a buck/jump.  While I don't think he had any idea we were there, it just so happened that he jumped and then here he come.....wide open, right at us.

I load another round and am starting to settle on him for a second shot while my brother still holding the pack, doesn't like the idea of this bear coming hard at us, drops the pack and picks up his 45-70.  So I go from laying on my belly to taking a knee and he touches off, I get the bear in my scope who is now no longer running right at us but to our right and give him one more.  He shoots a second time and I send my third.  When I shot, that bear went completely limp and skidded on his belly and face for 10 feet ending up maybe 10 yards from the brush.  I had thought I led him too much at first.  I remember kicking myself that this was no coyote and probably didn't require the same lead.  While I was happy to have a bear down, I thought I head shot him the way he went down.  With light not on long supply, we watched him for 20 seconds or so and went up to take a better looksie of what we had.

As we were walking up, this bear started getting smaller.  Then a bit smaller, then a bit bigger.  It was cool!  Here is the "as he lays" pic.  Many of my pictures were real dark and I had to lighten them up.  This pic looks like he had a rub mark on his backside, but that is not the case.









I don't know how to put in type how cool of a hunt this was.  To be in Alaska is awesome enough, to hunt with loved ones is tough to beat, and to kill a brown bear in Alaska with loved ones is just top notch!  While I did want to get one with my bow, that is of no regret.  Talk about cloud 9!  I was quite glad this bear died on the beach.  If he had made it into the brush, we would have had to wait till morning and well.....things are a bit more precarious in there

[ORCA_SIX]

Congratulations!!! Looks like a kick-ass time. Great pics and story.

[Gringo31]

I know that that last pick looks like a big black bear.  he was dark with a dandy of a hide.  Now I'm going to just flood you with a few pics...just because...





Just for some kind of reference, I'm 6'4 260

[bucklucky]

Thats awesome, you had me going with the first picture, I was like um .... thats a black bear    Awesome Bear man, congrats and great story and pictures!

[Gringo31]

So we did a "fast" skin job, finishing up with headlamps only for me to realize I lost my rangefinder.  I ran back to where I did the shooting from and was lucky enough to find it.  After we had the hide off, I opened him up curious to what happened on his insides.  The first shot took off the top of the heart.  I will say that those 240 gr accubonds didn't do crap for expanding....but never the less, they did the job.  We still can't quite figure out exactly what happened as we did a quick count of bullet holes in him and replaying in our minds how it went down.  My brother did hit his bear across the top of the hips, not enough to cut meat or even membrane but did make a nice slice in the hide.  I guess I'll have to ask Michelle where all the holes are later as he is in a big freezer right now.  There is some discussion between my brother and I where my last shot went.  Whether or not it was coincidental that he piled up and he just ran out of blood?  While I don't think so I suppose it's possible.  Most heart shot animals will thrash some after they do down, this dude was done and never twitched.

I did learn a few things, my favorite is that if you leave a brown bear skull in the back yard in Alaska that the ravens do a great job of picking it clean

Anyway, we loaded him up on our pack walked 1/2 mile back to the beach (tide was going out) set him down, went and got the raft and headed on in.  We had more beautiful weather and more scenery all the way back.  We were hoping to pick up a black bear for my brother on the way in but his work is just starting to take off and he was looking to get back.

We did have these guys play with us for quite awhile.  We actually both leaned over the front of the boat and while I tried and was unsuccessful, my brother was able to touch one!  Way cool!





And that is about it....headed back in and I got a few days to dink around and look forward to seeing my wife and kids Sundy.







 

[mulehunter]

Awsome.....  I hope I shot a bear up AK someday.  Very cool man.

Mulehunter