Ol'Gator
Well-Known Member
Thought I'd finally get around to posting this of the brown bear I took on the Alaskan Peninsular last May.
Coastal Brown Bear
- Thread starter Ol'Gator
- Start date
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Joel Russo
Well-Known Member
Nice Bear Gator, and with a stick to boot!
MagMan
Well-Known Member
Stick/string + Brown bear = Balls that clank.
Well done.
Well done.
gamedog
Well-Known Member
Congrats!
Any details of the hunt?
Any details of the hunt?
Slopeshunter
Well-Known Member
Congrats, that's a great looking bear. Would love to hear some more details.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Waaaaaaay cool! You have my respect. I get nurvous just drawing on a trophy whitetail buck.
Like the other posters I'd like to hear all of the details. Any other images to add?
Like the other posters I'd like to hear all of the details. Any other images to add?
Ol'Gator
Well-Known Member
This hunt got started a little over a year ago when I was at SCI convention at Reno. I along with my hunting partner booked with an outfitter that had set up shop for the convention. My friend was to hunt with a firearm, I was taking my bow. The hunt started May 1st and was to be a 10 day hunt but if necessary, we could stay the entire bear season which runs from May 1st through the 15th.
To skip much of the details other than to say the weather was as advertised. High winds 20 to 40 mph, accompanied by torrential downpoor. This went on almost everyday. We hunted everyday except for two when winds were 40+ mph.
I saw a total of twenty six bear of which some were sows with cubs, some adolescents others were what I considered shooters, nine foot or better but unstalkable. The next to last day (#14) I did have a slam-dunk shot at an 8 1/2 footer at under 20 yards. Awful tempting but decided before leaving home it would be nine foot or better otherwise more tag soup.
Day number 15 (last day of bear season) was the usual weather. Lot of wind and rain. Temps ranged from mid thirties to mid forties and today was much like all the others. About noon my guide and I decided to work our way back to our tent have a warm meal and take an hour break before finishing our last day hunting.
Arriving back to where we planned to spend the last afternoon and without saying so, we both were all but certain our hunt was already over. With a few hours of daylight left, my guide whispered he see a bear coming from behind me. I eased around to see what was another 8 1/2 footer. This bear was traveling along the coasal shoreline headed our way. Another temptation like the day before except this was nearly the final hour so it was hard to watch this bear move to within 25 yards and not take the shot.
As this bear was moving out of range the guide again whispered "another bear" Taking my eyes off the first bear which was now fifty or more yards away, I looked to the direction bear number 1 had appeared. The sight was what hunting dreams are made of. Some sixty yards and coming was what I travelled all this way for. As this enormous bear closed the distance I was coming to full draw. As he was passing by our location, I ask my guide "whats the distance." He whispered "35 yards" By then I had the sight pin following along tight behind his gigantic shoulder. Upon telling him to stop the bear, my guide made a low grunting sound with his mouth. At the sound, the bear came to a halt and less than a second later the arrow was on it's way.
As the arrow burried into it's heart the bear had to run only a short distance to reach the alders. Waiting an hour and a half we took up the trail. He traveled approximately 150 yards and expired.
Sorry to be so long winded but this goes to show, it ain't over til it's over.
Bob
To skip much of the details other than to say the weather was as advertised. High winds 20 to 40 mph, accompanied by torrential downpoor. This went on almost everyday. We hunted everyday except for two when winds were 40+ mph.
I saw a total of twenty six bear of which some were sows with cubs, some adolescents others were what I considered shooters, nine foot or better but unstalkable. The next to last day (#14) I did have a slam-dunk shot at an 8 1/2 footer at under 20 yards. Awful tempting but decided before leaving home it would be nine foot or better otherwise more tag soup.
Day number 15 (last day of bear season) was the usual weather. Lot of wind and rain. Temps ranged from mid thirties to mid forties and today was much like all the others. About noon my guide and I decided to work our way back to our tent have a warm meal and take an hour break before finishing our last day hunting.
Arriving back to where we planned to spend the last afternoon and without saying so, we both were all but certain our hunt was already over. With a few hours of daylight left, my guide whispered he see a bear coming from behind me. I eased around to see what was another 8 1/2 footer. This bear was traveling along the coasal shoreline headed our way. Another temptation like the day before except this was nearly the final hour so it was hard to watch this bear move to within 25 yards and not take the shot.
As this bear was moving out of range the guide again whispered "another bear" Taking my eyes off the first bear which was now fifty or more yards away, I looked to the direction bear number 1 had appeared. The sight was what hunting dreams are made of. Some sixty yards and coming was what I travelled all this way for. As this enormous bear closed the distance I was coming to full draw. As he was passing by our location, I ask my guide "whats the distance." He whispered "35 yards" By then I had the sight pin following along tight behind his gigantic shoulder. Upon telling him to stop the bear, my guide made a low grunting sound with his mouth. At the sound, the bear came to a halt and less than a second later the arrow was on it's way.
As the arrow burried into it's heart the bear had to run only a short distance to reach the alders. Waiting an hour and a half we took up the trail. He traveled approximately 150 yards and expired.
Sorry to be so long winded but this goes to show, it ain't over til it's over.
Bob
Slopeshunter
Well-Known Member
Hey, not long winded at all! Thanks for the story. Good for you for sticking to it and passing on those other bears. Not many would have passed that 8.5' in the last hrs of the hunt. How big did your bear measure? Didn't notice if you wrote that.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Buffalobob
Well-Known Member
That is a very nice picture. I hate the ones where people are sitting on the animals.
What bow and what arrows and broadhead did you use.
What bow and what arrows and broadhead did you use.
Ol'Gator
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I still don't have this adding photos down too well but here goes with a couple more. Also, the bow is Bowtech 101st airborne @ 70 lbs, arrows are easton axis w/2"blasers and broadheads are 100 gr. slick tricks standards. Because of expected high winds I chose to do away with a bow quiver so went with the cat quiver.
Ol'Gator
Well-Known Member
According to latest data, this guy ranks number 12 in Pope and Young. Hide squared a couple of inches over the magical 10 footer. I'm first to admit luck played a significant part in my taking such a great trophy. Hunting gods worked overtime for me that day.
It was more than just "luck". If you would have shot one of those other's, which most hunters would have, you wouldn't have had the chance to be "lucky".
Paul
