Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Steve H. on May 24, 2009, 12:16:00 AM
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(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Bear-08.png)
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My brown bear hunt really stared when I moved to Alaska in 2001. I didn't obtain my residency until 2002 so May of 2002 was my first year to bowhunt for brown bears.
My quest to arrow a brown bear has gone on for many years now as I semi-patiently await the perfect opportunity. Here is my long journey filled with sunshine and rain; inactivity and bears as thick-as-ticks; and nature at its finest from lowly invertebrates to THE apex predator of North America!
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This is going to be a good one!
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My great friend Charlie Rock of St. Louis came up in 2002 to keep me from drowning and to keep me from getting eaten by bears.
You know what the first time is like with anticipation, not knowing what to expect and what is going to happen!
Most of my quest occurred on Chichagof Island in Southeast Alaska during May and I had one trip in October on Unimak Island, the first Aleutian Island.
The spring hunts are conducted by using a 10 1/2 foot inflatable AVON with a Yamaha 9.9-4 stroke to motor around and check out bears on beaches.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/MotorboatCharlie_2002.jpg)
Here's Charlie at the helm in 2002.
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Walt, you may need to add a few items for your year so dig up some pics!
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This is the third in my series on play-by-play hunts I did so far during 2009. My other hunts by topic are listed below with links.
January 2009: Semi-Live on Kauai’
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=074385
February 2009: Alaska Muskox
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=074409
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Above I mentioned hunting on Unimak Island. I did a play-by-play on that hunt and three others that are featured in the TradGang (TM) Highlights 2005. I was accompanied by Charlie on the 2002 and the Unimak Island hunt in 2005 but the other years were solo.
Unimak Island Brown Bear Hunt
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=52;t=000083
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Here is a photo of the hunting area on Chichagof Island.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/TheInlet_2002.jpg)
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In 2002 we rented a cabin and had to boat about 4-7 miles to our daily hunting destination. Was tuff when we ended hunting at O-dark-thirty and the seas were rolling. Made for a looong ride back in the dark. Luckily Charlie is a boat person and always got us home safe!
2002 was a late spring and there was a lot of snow on the beaches and bears were slow to wake up but they eventually showed themselves. I was hunting with my 66# osage selfbow "Yellow Raven", cedar arrows tipped with Damascus tradepoints that Doug Campbell and I made. (MY avatar black bear photo was taken with the same bow and points)
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Charlie and I would hit the back bays and glass for bears and we went from seeing zero or a couple per day to several per day.
The weather continued to be difficult and rainy. Here is Charlie's best impression of someone glassing for bears.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/GrassNapCharlie.jpg)
(Notice binocs about 5 feet away, lol)
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We brought a couple Dungeness crab pots along and soaked them several days and ate us some bugs!
Here's Charlie with a keeper!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/DungieCharlie_2002.jpg)
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Late one evening we spotted a lone bear. We landed the boat and worked down the beachline. The bear came on. Charlie had a round stroked into the .375 H&H and I had an arrow nocked. The bear came on to about, say 18 yards, I had tension on the string.
I decided to hold out for a larger bear at the same time the bear hit my scent stream and skedaddled out of there like a scalded cat.
ANDRENAL Rush!
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A day or two later Charlie and I were in a similar situation, set up and locked and nocked with a bear working towards us. That bear also hit our scent stream before he got broadside.
A very similar theme was to happen on numerous occasions over the next several years even with the wind direction-bear location being favorable. Some times the wind just calms and when it does it eddys.
I have now spent a considerable time hunting brown bears and the simple logic of get along a section of beach and a bear will travel down it (like in the Fred Bear video) and in front of you is generally flawed. Yeah, I know they can and will do that but it is rare from what I have experienced. They generally come out of the woods onto a section of beach and re-enter the woods in the same proximity. That means the best way is to stalk to a spot in the woods adjacent to where the bear is on the beach. Exceptions exist but this is a good rule to live by that most bears will follow.
Back to 2002, towards the end of the trip we had another bear coming towards us the same place as the first close encounter but a larger bear. Darkness was on us. I peeked around one scalloped wooded edge--no bear. I stepped out to quick dart to the next wooded point 40 yards away as the bear came around the point!! Another scalded cat. Dang.
That bear would have been right in front of us in under a minute had we seen him come around the corner first!
And so ended a great first attempt and set the stage for several more exciting adventures!
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Great stuff. Keep it coming.
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:bigsmyl:
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We need more. :bigsmyl: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Good to see this one started, Steve!
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Yeh, this is going to be good. Brown bear... one day I tells you.... one day.
ak.
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C'mom, let's go here! :D :thumbsup:
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Oh yeah...
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:thumbsup: :notworthy:
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I'm hooked.
:thumbsup:
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Alaska is a llloooooonnnnnnggggg way from here, but I'm gonna make it one day! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.
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:campfire: :coffee:
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I had an awesome experience in 2002 so I knew I would go back to the same area in 2003. Having Charlie come up was expensive and took a lot of time so after much internal debate I decided I would go solo.
To mitigate any opportunities for bad stuff to happen I would modify a few things about how I hunted.
1). I would camp in the area where I would be hunting so eliminate the long cross-channel trips twice a day. I believe that there is more opportunity for bad-things to happen by water than by bear.
2). I would carry a .375 H&H Magnum. I am actually more concerned with bears I don't know are there than the one I am stalking. Also for tracking and camp.
3). I would only target solo bears (which avoids problems with sows/cubs); I have about one opportunity for a stalk per year that is a boar and sow.
4). I would try and target bears that thought they were cows and munching on grass. Well, at least I would PRETEND they were cows that I was stalking!
5). No reading scary bear tales. Most of them are extreme circumstances and worst case scenarios and do not represent typical bear behavior.
This year I had all my gear flown in by Beaver to a little spot that was an island at high tide but was land connected at low tide. Since it was out of the way I suspected the bear would generally avoid this island of about 2 acres.
Here is a picture of my 2003 camp.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Camp1.jpg)\\
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Cool story Steve! Can't wait for the rest.
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I had my same bow/arrow/broadhead setup in 2003 as in 2002.
I didn't have a digital camera yet in 2003 so photos support is a little sparse but that will change!
The bears were out! I checked out places I had seen bears in 2002 and added some little nooks were they poke out.
I should also stop and mention another difficulty of hunting by boat in Southeast Alaska -- Tides. Our tide fluctuations are quite extraordinary and may range over 20 feet between high and low tide, twice per day! It is very easy to anchor a boat and go on a stalk and come back and have your boat be high and dry and there you sit and wait, potentially for hours until the tide returns!
Most Alaska coast has undergone the phenomenon called "isostatic rebound" which means that when Pleistocene glacial ice melted, so much weight came off the land that the coastline lifted about 20 feet or so. This has created a berm-like effect along the coast and has caused shallow bays to be lifted enough so they are exposed at low tide.
Imagine floating into a bay at high tide and at low tide the waterline is a half mile or more away!
I will add a few high/low tide comparative pictures a little bit later.
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Great story and pics..waiting for more
:campfire: :coffee:
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(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/CrabBayErieSky.jpg)
Here is a somewhat eerie photo of the hunting area.
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2003 must have been the year of the bear.
Bears everywhere! Usually how it works is you see a bear here and there until about May 15ish and then start seeing 4-6-8 per day and I have seen as many as...drum roll please....FIFTEEN bears at ONE time!
The season ends May 20 so there is only a short period of time when the bear are out in full force and the season is still open. Of course the later in the season the more sows/cubs and rubbed bears but more potential stalk opportunities in my experience.
And so I stalked bears.
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My typical hunting day is to roll out of bed around 9 or 9:30, make coffee and usually pancakes, glass and make sure no early bears are out and tempting the fates. Bear hunting generally is an afternoon affair and that works for me! I like to wake up slowly as this ole' boy is a bit stiff-boned in the mornings.
I have come to observe that although these bears are afternoon animals that their appearances are also tide driven. They like to come out earlier when the high tide has just receded to see what has washed up for their next meal. I have more recently started watching closer just after the tide goes out.
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:thumbsup:
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It feels great to sit on a rock out in the sun after a long Alaskan winter and produce Vitamin D.
I have started a custom where each spring bear hunt I will re-read the important books, "Hunting with the Bow & Arrow" by Saxton Pope and "The Witchery of Archery" by Maurice Thompson.
Us toxophiliacs have been blessed to add another very important work to these two thanks to Cliff Huntington, "Toxophilus in Arcadia" by Maurice Thompson. I have added this book to my annual bear hunt traveling library!
Thanks Cliff!
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Good stuff! :campfire:
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And I stalked bears.
Small bears, medium bears, large bears.
To me method was more important than bear size and I didn't spend my time searching out a certain sized bear but prime stalking opportunities.
I had oh so many close calls. I had one bear at ~15 yards walk thru two shooting lanes. I had another equally close bear quarter toward me as he came into my lone shooting lane. Another day I had just stalked into position in the woods adjacent to a beach grazing bear and was closing that last few yards when a close cruising boat spooked the bear back into the woods. That bear was a doubly scalded cat when he saw me in the woods!
I have had dozens of close-range brown bear encounters. Only two or three bears have not run away from me as quickly as they could scurry (like a scalded cat) when they knew I was in the vicinity. The bears that didn't run did so as soon as they figured out I was human and where I was so they could run in an opposite direction.
Wind continued to often time be a revealing culprit when I was in tight but I maintained my composure to await the perfect shot and not get too rambunctious with shot selection.
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Crap. I just typed a HUGE page worth of stuff and hit some wrong button and it went away.
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May 20, 2003. The last day of my hunt, the last day of the season. I picked out a small protected bay for the last evening and slowly motored into the tight walled bay. (Hey Walt, you paying attention? You know the place!)
Charlie and I had spotted a MONSTER bear in the back of this bay in 2002 but we had only a quick glance as it entered the woods.
I spotted what looked to be a good sized bear in the back of the tidal flat and made a long circle around back to get a favorable wind. Two large twin "cubs" moved off ahead of me and I went on full alert.
I made my way to the edge of some scrub trees and brush and watched the original bear from about 60, maybe 75 yards away. I waited for the bear to make a move but it continually munched away on sedges in the tidal flat.
I glanced over to my left as what may have been the largest bear on the island (this island is probably larger than some eastern states) waddled (thundered) into the open. Now when I say this bear was big I mean he was HUGE!!! Most bears in Southeast Alaska just don't get this big, don't obtain the sizes as bears on Kodiak, Unimak, and the Alaskan Peninsula.
The big boar was on a path that would take him to the other bear which I realized was a large sow, and right in front of me, HOLY-MOLEY!!!
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Awkward as it was, I had my .375 laying next to me and a Damascus tipped cedar on the string of my little osage selfbow, David and Goliath poised for battle.
The bear slowly moved immediately in front of me as I knelt next to a small Sitka Spruce with nothing as much as a blade of sedge between me and the bear.
(Darn outta coffee)
Geez, I'm loosing it man! I forgot a whole important chunk while I was away looking for coffee!! Thank goodness for edit mode!
The bear was just too far out into the tidal flat, 35, maybe 40 yards out, not too far for Art Young but just too far for me. I kept thinking about those extra long pokes and how many were going in on my front yard practice range but no, can't do it!
The big boar went over and mounted and bred the sow in front of my very eyes!
The wind swirled and the boar stood on his hind legs FRANTICALLY tasting the air for more of my scent. he pinpointed my location and same as the tiny bears, he was a scalded cat and was out of there in a hurry! He didn't get to be that size and age (likely over 20) by interacting with humans.
Funnily, when he was on his hind legs and took off running, he looked like a cartoon with his hind legs revolving in a fan-like circular motion.
But that didn't end the season, I had another encounter with a blondish bear (rare on the island) at the end of the day.
What a fabulous last day of the season!
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Once again sorry about the lack of photos for this segment. The few I have are unscanned paper. I will make up for it later with so many you will probably get bored and your eyes fatigued.
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Oops, I had one more photo ready from 2003. The amount of wildlife in this area is incredible. Brown bears, Sitka blacktailed deer, river otters, humpback whales (and orcas), porpoise, seals, sea lions, mink, and birds, lots of birds. I have fallen in love with one sea duck out there, the Surf Scooter. They raft in groups of a few to several thousand and the music they make brings a smile to my face. Maurice Thompson would have loved this place. Usually the Surf Scooters feed out further in the channel but here is a rare close in picture with a few bluebills for good measure.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/SurfScootersAndBluebills.jpg)
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2004 $ucked. I was getting my gear together and threw out my back lifting my motor. I spent the next week or two crawling around the house in pain. Uggghhhhhh...
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2005 was better but not much from the Spring bear hunting stand point. I had a couldn't get out of work commitment that put me in California during this time, uggggh-AGAIN!!!
I knew I wouldn't be there this year so I shared my hot spots with TradGang's own Walt Francis since his brother Bob had moved to Juneau. Walt and brother Bob hunted the area and maybe we can get Walt to post a section on his trip?
WALT?
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Come on Walt the boys are anxious!
(Actually it must be nice across the country and everyone is out enjoying Memorial Day weekend!)
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I am here Steve. We are all waiting for more!
Nathan
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I'm here...keep it coming!!!
Benny
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I've got the popcorn popping so keep it coming. Thanks for taking us along on these adventures.
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Good reading, Steve! Keep at it, please!
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Great read Steve keep the story coming.
Love that area of Alaska we were in Moose Pass last summer after some fishing,we stopped there to mail post cards.
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Steve.......you're nuts.
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Steve,
Walt must have something ready...about two months ago, he was going to e-mail it to me to read :knothead:
Great stories AND info so far. I never wanted to hunt big bears until I hunted Blacktails on Kodiak and saw them in person. Now they are WAY out of my price range. Ah, the perks of a resident ;)
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:wavey:
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Good read Steve!
I just finished a home repair while grilled backstraps invaded the air around me. The tools are put up and the fork tender steaks have been put away as well.
Looking forward to reading more...Thanks for taking time to share!!
Charles
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Wild hog backstraps in the dutch oven(low and sloooow).
Great read keep it coming.
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Good stuff Steve! :thumbsup: I did some work on West Chichagof while in college, it's a remote, beautiful and amazing area. Love seeing the photos! :campfire:
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Steve thank you for your time writing this out for us that can only dream.Kip
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Steve,
Sorry for the lack of communication, I will re-write an account of my hunt in the morning; My son and new daughter in-law are in town and I was away from the computer the entire day playing Yellowstone tour guide. It was a good day though, we managed to see and photograph several yogies (both with humps and without), hundreds of elk, hundreds of bison, and numerous big horn, pronghorn, and mule deer.
Steve O,
Sorry for the delayed account of my hunt, I had it written up but lost it when my laptop crashed last fall. I had all the old files and stories retrieved from the hard drive then, and figured the story was buried in one of the disks but neither myself or my IT guy have been able to it on the disks or the old hard drive: Guess I had better start writing.
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This is good stuff!
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First, let me state that Alaskan Brown Bear has always been my number one dream hunt: even before I started big game hunting in 1986. A short history: The summer of 1977, between my freshman and sophomore year in college, I worked on Kodiak Island in a fish cannery, the fishermen went on strike, so I fished everyday until my left arm couldn’t reel in another fish, then I fished right handed until it tired, then fished with both hands, then rested until I could fish some more….and then fished some more: It was a great summer. While fishing along Yuyak Bay (sp) and a river about two miles away I had numerous encounters with brown bears, nothing life threatening, but definitely hair raising and it sparked my desire to hunt something other then pheasants and dove. I also learned about Alaskan coastal tides, coastal brush, and devils club, the hard way!
Forward to 2002: I read on another traditional bowhunting site (before Tradgang) where this guy had recently moved to Juneau and is looking to meet up with other traditional bowhunters. I responded that I didn’t live in Juneau but my Brother Bob who shoots traditional had recently taken a transfer with his work and was moving there in a couple of weeks. We emailed each other a couple of times, realized we had a couple of mutual friends and have touched bases off and on since. As you probably guessed, Steve posted the inquiry. It turned out that Steve and Bob worked in the same building and got to know each other over the next several years.
Forward to 2005: For three years I had been trying to make Brother Bob commit to a Brown Bear hunt but had been unable to succeed. For the 2006 hunting season he finally committed, I filled out the applications and paid the fees for both Dall Sheep and Brown Bear tags for both of us and started dreaming. As luck would have it, we both drew both tags. Unfortunately, as happens with some people, Brother Bob had changed since moving to Alaska and one of those changes was he lost his desire to hunt. This resulted in him not hunting since moving to Alaska and he did not have much of an idea where to hunt brown bear (read that again “not hunting since moving to Alaska” That folks, is my definition of an oxy-moron (spelling intended)). We spent the next several months researching different options and got some good information from our brother Bill and some of his flying buddies who had flown logging helicopters for several years in the area. However, I didn’t have much faith in our information but was committed to the hunt and wasn’t going to let Brother Bob back out. I was going regardless! This is where Steve came to the rescue and provided us with all if his hard earned knowledge of the area. He unselfishly provided us with the locations of where he had hunted brown bear, where he had seen them, how to hunt them, what supplies to take, and what precautions to taken. Believe me, this wasn’t general information, descriptions, or suggestions. We went into a totally unfamiliar area and knew exactly what to expect around each bend, where the best place to glass from was, when the best time to hunt an area was, where the unseen obstacles were, you get the idea. It was like having an exceptional guide tells us every pertinent piece of information before leaving Juneau. Once again, before I forget, THANKS STEVE!!
I will try to write some more this morning but most likely it will be later this evening after my son and daughter in-law leave before I am able complete the account my hunt.
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:campfire: :coffee: and the hunt continues..great stories
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Now normally I don't give all my good information away like that even to a good guy like Walt!
I knew it was probably a one time thing for Walt and I, for the third year in a row was not going to be able to hunt that May, this year for the best reason of all. My wife Donnie (this was previous to our getting married) was fighting for her life in a Seattle hospital and going thru a double stem-cell transplant to fight the blood cancer Multiple Myeloma. This is the same cancer that TradGang brother Mike Mitten's wife Paula had; it seems an appropriate day to stop and think about Paula and Mike today for a moment.
A moment to brag. My wife is a real Samurai, one of only a couple women to have achieved that level in the martial arts in the states. So far the Multiple Myeloma seems to be under control but the side effects have been difficult and included having her gallbladder out three days ago, probable due to immune suppressant drugs she is on. Thankfully she has some martial arts techniques for controlling pain, she sure has need them.
Good news guys, I got a new digital camera prior to my 2007 trip and had become a photo taking machine!!!!
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Since Walt is tied up with family today I will move forward into a bit of my 2007 trip. I had decided that since there was a guide working the area real close to where I was camping, I would try and relocate my camp. I remembered another small couple acre island off the coast of the main island that was just past the extent of my usual hunting grounds. I decided to check out that island and sure enough it looked like it would work perfectly for my needs.
The tiny island is crisscrossed with otter trails and otter toilets everywhere so I will refer to this base camp as Otter Island.
Otter Island is awesome as it is very close to the main island. Sure bears could get to it if they wanted to but it is out of the way so they don't routinely go over there. This fact allows me to set up a peaceful camp and cook in or by my tent with no fear of having bears in camp!
I was later told that the island is haunted and was likely a native burial ground!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/S-Island-08.jpg)
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The tide comes, in the tide goes out. I have a couple hundred foot rope attached to an anchor with a separate rope to the boat and allows me to anchor and retrieve the boat from way out. But, when you come in on a medium or low tide and the tide goes out there is nothing to do but wait until the tide returns and the boat once again floats! (in emergencies or when a good bear is spotted I can tighten the hernia belt and drag the boat of disassemble/reassemble but it is hard on the boat and my tired old body)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/LowTide-AVON.jpg)
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Awesome stuff Steve!
Nathan
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At low tide there is only one thing to do, relax and enjoy the down time and beach comb!
When I awake up to a low tide I have a leisurely breakfast. Here is me and the Aunt having breakfast.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Steve_AuntJemima.jpg)
Low tide brings an opportunity for a great natural history lesson. I grew up in small town-Nebraska and in early adulthood I spent time in Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri; Cheyenne, Wyoming so until I moved to Alaska the closest I lived to the sea was about 1,000 miles.
There are a lot of critters that are revealed at low tide, lets take a look at some of them. It may look like wet mush at low tide but when the tide come in kelp waves in the current. Eat sushi? Types of kelp wrap the slimy little fishies in sushi.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/KelpFronds.jpg)
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Blue muscles, barnacles, and bladder rack. Imagine trying to walk on these crunchy-critters when trying to sneak up on a bear! Doesn't work very well, I can assure you!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/NoisyStuff.jpg)
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Most everyone knows the ochre sea star.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/OchreSeaStar.jpg)
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Two other sea stars include the bat star (photo below) and the sunflower star.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BatStar.jpg)
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A blaze orange sponge.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Sponge.jpg)
A sea cucumber.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/SeaCucumber.jpg)
A jellyfish with a bit of phosphorescence.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/JellyFish.jpg)
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And human detritus. Someone messed up here and was perhaps blown into the rocks and lost their outboard! Looks like it has been here a few years or more.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/SomeOneMessedUp.jpg)
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Oh, and by the way, the bears were out this year. Here is a small front print. Remember when i said something on my first post about bears as thick as ticks? If they were ever thick as ticks this was the year.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/PawPrint.jpg)
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This trip I was using a 66# laminated longbow, Douglas Fir arrows, and 190 grain Ribteks.
Here is me for the first out of the tent picture of the whole feature! I am in the back of a bay/tide flat glassing and watching for bears. Looks like a rainy, blustery day.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/SteveWatching.jpg)
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Here is one view from where I was watching.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/TideFlats-07.jpg)
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And here is another view.
What?! FOUR bears! One sow and three second year cubs.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/4Bears-85Total.jpg)
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I,m back, the kids left, and I will get this out as soon as possible.
TheHunt
I flew into Juneau and we spent a day getting my tags, permits, and organizing our gear, before boarding the float plane and embarking on our hunt. Our initial plan was to fly into the bay Steve described earlier:
“I picked out a small protected bay for the last evening and slowly motored into the tight walled bay. (Hey Walt, you paying attention? You know the place!).”
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the bay there was a 40 foot cabin cruiser anchored and it appeared they would be there for a while. Not wanting to disturb somebody else’s hunt we had the pilot land us at the next bay up the coast, unloaded the gear, set up camp, the boat, then relaxed and did some glassing around the bay. This bay was somewhere around number 7 or 8 on Steve’s list of good bear locations so we didn’t expect to see much after flying in and disturbing the area. The next morning came early and we slept a little later then we wanted but our plan was similar to the one Steve had used in the past, use a zodiac with a 9.9 h.p motor for transportation to cruise the beaches and move us to vantage points for glassing. After getting up I went down to the boat to grab some gear and spotted a dark dot across the bay that I didn’t remember from the previous evening. Quickly running back to camp I ran to the tent, told Bob what I had seen, grabbed my binoculars, we then ran back to the beach and confirmed it was indeed a brown bear rooting along the far beach. After confirming it was indeed a bear (there are no black bears on these islands) we put together a plan and quickly gathered our gear. Afraid the motor on the boat would scare the bear; we planned to follow the shore line around the bay, about a mile and a half, and try to work the edge of the shore line to get within range of the bear.
Luckily, it was low tide and moving around the bay was easy, though we did remain concealed in the brush for most of the stalk. The far side of the bay was a long finger that started about two hundred yards wide and narrowed to a point, jutting into the main channel approximately one half mile later. The bear was about four hundred yards from the end of the point where the finger had about fifty yards of dense cover. Luckily the wind was in our favor, blowing steadily about 5-10 mph into our face. Along the way I took the time to shoot several arrows at stumps and was hitting my spot out to thirty yards, well beyond my self imposed twenty yard limit. However, I discovered my arm guard was at camp and I need to bend my arm a little more then usual to prevent the string from hitting my fleece jacket. After closing the distance to three hundred yards we decided the brush was too thick to attempt moving closer to the bear without fear of the noise made moving through it alerting him. We decided splitting up would reduce our risk of being detected when I made the final hundred and fifty yards of the stalk in the open, exposed to the bear’s sight. Bob decided use a mound in the tidal flat to block the bears view and moved out into tidal flat, then setting up on the mound to back me up with his rifle from an angle, rather then from directly behind. We had used this technique successfully several times in the past while black bear hunting in Montana; If I blew the stalk, Bob usually got the bear as it attempted to escape.
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Now the real stalk, the part that is unique to bowhunting, what makes its different from any other type of hunting or endeavor, and the thrill that keeps me returning, began. Staying low to the ground, close to the brush to help breakup my silhouette, moving only when the bears head was down and feeding, I started crawling closer to the bear. The first hundred yards went relatively fast, at least to me, and my confidence kept building. Gently move the left hand, the one holding the shot gun, place it, shift the weight, and make sure it didn’t rattle like it had earlier. Next, move the right hand, the one holding the bow and un-knocked arrow, place it, shift the weight, and make sure the arrow doesn’t rattle. Now bring up the left leg, gently place it, and shift my weight. Follow the same procedure with the right leg. Repeat the entire process. Freeze…. The bear raised his head and looks around while I remain motionless for ten to thirty seconds; until he resumes digging in the rocks and sand. Repeat the process again and again until the distance to the bear is forty yards. A quick glance over my shoulder to verify that my back up is still there and …… what the heck! He is at least four hundred yards back and walking the other direction. Thinking to my self, screw him; I am going to finish this regardless of what he is doing. Concentrate on the bear, focus on him, and block anything except the stalk from your mind.
Twenty minutes later the distance is closed to twenty three yards and I remain undetected, the bear is digging in the rocks, quartering hard away. I tell myself, five more yards, move to that ten foot long piece of drift wood, and you are at your dead range. Eighteen yards, the distance where I am more confident then when taking a ten yard shot.
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Cant wait!!! Thanks for the posts guys!
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Suddenly, the bear explodes running ten yards to the edge of the brush, but stopping before entering, and looking the other direction, towards the mouth of the bay. When the bear exploded I raised up, bringing my bow in line with the bear and half drawing the arrow. I am quickly trying to decide rather to take the shot or not, he is out side of my predetermined range but well within my comfort distance, which I had practiced and in the past had made killing shots. The other part of my brain is screaming, why the h*** did you bring up the bow instead of the shotgun? I decided this it, picked a spot, drew, anchored, and then released the arrow. To this day I only need close my eyes to clearly see the arrow arching toward the bear then suddenly dropping just underneath its chest and disappearing into a pile of kelp on the beach. The bear immediately disappeared into the brush while I quickly knocked another arrow then grabbed the shotgun. Your guess is as good as mine why I grabbed another arrow before the shotgun.
The next two or three minutes I remained frozen, half expecting the bear to come charging from the brush four yards in front of me. During this time I kept replaying the shot trying to analyze why it went low. The string had hit my sleeve but the arrow had flown straight without any noticeable wobble and I didn’t hitting the sleeve was the entire cause. To say I was dejected is an understatement, so I remained kneeling there for a couple more minutes when suddenly the bear reappeared from the brush where he had entered minutes before. Only now his demeanor was completely different, he was walking softly, like his feet were on pins and needles rather then rocks and sand. He alternated looking both directions on the beach, looking past me and trying to find what had made the noise that had sent him into the brush. I got the impression he didn’t know what had made the noise but was going to whip whoever disturbed his feeding. After a while he froze and started staring intently towards the mouth of the bay. I am elated, thinking the good lord has given me second chance. Slowly I rotated my upper body, telling myself to bend the bow arm, then started the shot sequence: picked a spot (a little higher this time), drew, anchored, then released the second arrow, keeping the bow arm slightly bent this time. The arrow cleared the bow nicely and started arching toward the bear when suddenly the bear disappeared back into the brush before it arrived. Literally, the brown bear did a complete 180 turn and was in the brush before the arrow arrived, on target this time. It is hard to describe how fast that bear moved. I once shot at a Javelin in Texas that turned 180 and dodged my arrow, this bear made him look slow.
Once again the stare down with the brush was repeated, but when the boat that had been anchored in the neighboring bay came around the point headed our direction a few minutes later I accepted there wasn’t going to be a third chance and moved to the edge of the water to put some distance between myself and the brush. The water was now forty yards from the brush instead of the hundred plus yards it had been when I started the last part of the stalk. I now knew why the bear had been staring in that direction and was initially spooked; it had heard that boat coming. Brother Bob had been forced by the rising tide to continually back up and reset on higher ground. During the final phase of the stalk he managed to move directly behind me two hundred yards down the beach. He watched both arrows fly through his rifle scope and didn’t shoot the bear thinking that both arrows had been perfect hits. He expected a short blood trail with a dead brown bear at the end. Bob got seriously ill later that afternoon and we used the satellite phone to call the flying service and they picked us up the next morning, ending my island hunt. The hunt continued several days later on the mainland, but that is a story for another time. If I can find some pictures from that portion of my brown bear hunt I will post them later.
On with your story Steve I'm sure it has a lot better ending.
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Great stories guys. Can't wait for more.
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Walt, great story and what an adventure!
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One thing that crosses my mind is that a bow is niether tall enough to climb nor big enough to hide behind! What great stories. Not sure I could do it.
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Walt, thanks for taking us along on part of your Bear adventure.
I am curious what was your equipment, bow, arrow, broadhead, poundage etc.
Thanks, Pat
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Pat,
I used a Robertson Peregrine recurve, 60# @ 27", at my 29 1/2" draw it was around 65#'s. The arrows were grizzly stick Alaskans with a 125 grain steel adaptor and a 125 grain Wensel Woodsmen. Total arrow weight, if I remember correctly, was 650-675 grains. The bow was sending those arrows out at just over to 180 feet per second.
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Double Feature bear stories. Don't get any better than that. Thanks guys for sharing your adventures.
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Walt--how heartbreaking! Still, there is valor in a fair chase. It may not have turned out exactly as you planned, but you did it and you overcame some pretty major obstacles--you're still one of my heroes :clapper:
Why can't I get a relative to move up to Alaska!?!
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great thread guys! thanks for sharing your hunt Walt. Steve-O I'm with you. Hoping my oldest son will get stationed there with the Coast Guard...
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Thanks for the patience guys, a lot of photos takes quite a while to load and organize. I probably won't get back to this tonight but will ASAP, promise!
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This is exciting..great hunts
:campfire: :coffee:
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:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
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Excellent adventure with the bonus of Walt's experience included! Can't wait to see how this plays out.
I'm wondering if there really is any rain gear that can keep you dry in the wet conditions of Alaska?
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Helly Hansen
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Remember back a few pages when I described all of the noise makers on the beach. This is bladderrack. It has little sacks with double "ears" that are filled with a slimy-liquid. When you step on the little sacks they make a loud "POP". Some are almost as loud as .22!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BladderRack-pop-pop-pop.jpg)
And then there is the barnacles. They make this loud crunching sound when you step on them as they are often attached to rocks which amplify the sound.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/barnicles-crunch.jpg)
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Walt described stalking across the tidal flat on the bear he stalked but I can assure you that is generally not the best method and way to consistently get close to these bears. Walt must be pretty sneaky as most stalks would end at 100 yards with all the noise makers in the intertidal zone.
I have gone to a method where I will close the gap to 100-300 yards and enter the woods and skirt the tide line in the woods. There is often a good trail a few feet inside and the woods absorbs the crispy eighth inch branches that snap outside 75 yards or so. Getting into the woods also does the obvious of getting you out of sight!
But, it can be a bit more SPOOKY in the woods, lol!
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A decent dark brown bear would routinely feed along a one quarter mile stretch so I anchored my boat and did the end around into the trees for the last few hundred yards as I described above. The ideal situation and one that is reasonable to happen is you stalk into position in the trees and the bears works close to the edge while eating away at sedge and into good shot distance.
I was just getting into position on the bear described above but a few yards shy of where I wanted to be when he wandered back into the woods.
When bears are in the woods they do relax but there is generally not much understory to hide behind, just mature trees so you feel a bit more exposed and vulnerable.
Well the bear entered the woods and angled above me. Do you think it felt odd to quickly and quietly attempt to get a few yards closer to a brown bear in the naked woods!?
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Thats right, the answer IS yes. It did feel odd trying to get closer to that bear!
I was close to getting a good shot but it didn't feel right and he was abut 25 yards off so again I waited.
Now remember this dark brown bear, I think he is going to make another appearance in the future, maybe twice......
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Oh yeah, when the dark brown bear figured out I was there he ran away, same as always, trees in the way be damned!
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One day I was standing on the edge in the same area as the photo of me a couple pages up and started counting bears. There were four sows on the tidal flat at one time albeit up to a mile apart. Each sow had three cubs except for the one sow only had two cubs. I don't know about your fuzzy math but my count that is FIFTEEN bears in sight at one time!
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A couple days after the dark brown bear incident I spotted a different bear in the same area. The stalk was on and this time I worked my way just shy of where the bear was feeding on the beach. The bear was coming my way and at 28 yards when a stray breeze swirled and the bear caught my scent and rapidly departed. My bow is laying where the bear was standing and I was in the brushy alders in the fornt part of the treeline.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/28Yards.jpg)
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Sometimes you go off on a stalk and just hope and pray that the tide doesn't go WAY out wheile you are on the prowl. Here is what it looks like when you are waiting for several hours for the tide to come to the rescue. It really stinks when darkness is coming on!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/StrandedAgain.jpg)
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Several days I had been seeing a small bear immediately across from Otter Island. The little brown dot is the bear in the photo below. It wasn't my dream bear but hey, I had been at this a couple years and I was getting past ready to actually arrow a bear!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/9yardBear.jpg)
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I did my end around into the woods as the bear came into the woods just a few seconds ahead of plan.
The bear and I met in the woods at, drum roll please, 9 yards.
I started to draw but then had second thoughts as it was a really small bear.
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I had more stalks than I mentioned in 2007, some close and some not even close but I had a great time and so it ended, bearless again.
Stay tunned for 2008. To heck with 9 yards, how about a CLOSE range encounter?!
I GUARANTEE some chilling brown bear story is coming your way, LOL!!!
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more, More, MORE!!! Can't get enough bear hunting stories. The pic of your bow in the foreground with the thicket you were in is great! Really gives a sense for what it might be like.
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Great story Walt and Steve!!! Thanks for taking the time and effort to share it.... Terry
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:coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:
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Your a modern day Russell Annabel with stick & string! ;)
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During the years I had a mental conflict brewing with the way that I was hunting and Walt may have (or may not) have realized this as well. When you bowhunt brown bears by stalking you are taking an offense position and the bow is an offensive weapon.
By carrying a firearm in the other hand I was carrying a defensive weapon and I found it was inconsistent with the attitude I needed to carry in my mind and it adversely affected how I moved in the woods and my mental level I needed for hunt mode. I was out of balance (I know, most of you think this anyway bowhunting brown bears solo, lol)
So starting in 2008 I compromised and went to a handgun for deep backup. Instead of going the route of uncontrollable hand-canon I went a different route. The reality is that brown bears on Chichagof Island are MOSTLY 200-450 pound animals in the spring. I am a semi-autoloader shooter so I went to a Glock 20 in 10mm loaded super hot which is approximately equivalent to a .41 Magnum. I carry 15 rounds at 200 grains a piece for a total of 3,000 grains of lead, over three times as much lead as I carried with my .375 H&H Magnum buffalo rifle! I would probably rethink this position in the big bear areas such as Kodiak, Unimak, etc. Now MANY of those bears are BIG!
On brown bear hunts I am more concerned with the bear that I don’t know is there versus the one I am stalking. BTW, I know more guys injured while bowhunting hogs than brown bears (any of you know my buddy Streling?). I also realize that the likelihood of getting to any gun is iffy at best and that is why I key in on bears with the right attitude!
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what a great thread !
keep it coming Steve
would love to hunt a griz some day
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wish i could have been in your back pocket with my video camera... what a hunt! :archer:
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Thanks for sharing all this Steve, it is GREAT reading!
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Steve,
I had the same thought as you regarding carrying a sidearm, when my bear hunt resumed on the mainland the shotgun was left at Bob's and replaced with the .44 mag. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have closed the gap on the first brown bear if I had not been hampered with the shotgun. Several time during the stalk I almost left it lying on the beach.
I was lucky whit with the terrain during my stalk, the ten to fifteen yards next to the brush was mostly sand mixed with grapefruit to basketball sized rocks. Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with the barnacles and other creatures present in most tidal flats.
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This is getting really good, keep it coming.
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Ok, I am back and have a few minutes.
Walt: The density of bears on the ABC Islands is really high compared to the mainland so opportunity for an encounter is way higher as well. I am surprised you even saw a brown bear on the mainland and it would be hard to justify carrying anything extra like a 10# big bore.
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The year 2008 was my second year back to Otter Island. I set my camp at the same site and was really pleased that towards the end of 2007 I had discovered a narrow saddle of sand and gravel strung between Otter Island and a little islet that was connected at low tide but was a rocky islet of its own at high tide. This find helped me anchor my boat in a better, more secure location where it would rest on less abrasive surfaces that a big jumble of rocks and would always be closer to a good place to drag the boat back to water at any given time. Once in the early days I had my boat go down with the lowering tide onto a huge boulder and almost tip over when part rested high and dry and the rest continued to go down with the lowering tide. Potentially bad news!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/StrawberryIsland_051008.jpg)
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Here is one of my reach my camera out and take a picture of myself for posterity shots. I believe this was taken at the big bay that I have described a few times earlier. This bay produces so many bear sightings that is hard not to spend a lot of time there.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Steve2_051008.jpg)
I spotted a nice bear with dark chocolate fur and a second smaller bear along the same stretch of beach where I had the close encounters in 2007. The dark brown bear was just a little bit bigger than the bear last year…..I started to think it actually may be the same dark brown bear in his favorite hangout! I saw both bears on several occasions but the wind was always blowing into the bay on a high tide where it was difficult to get the wind right for a stalk.
Several days later after a lot of rain both bears were out feeding in the flats and I had a favorable opportunity to loop deep into the bay for a stalk. I took a few quick minutes and investigated an old trapper’s cabin on the east side of the bay before continuing on. There is a river that flows thru the tidal zone and at low tide its mouth is ¾ mile deeper in the flat than at high tide. I was about six feet from wading across the river and on my tip toes trying to keep water from going over the tops of my hipboots but no such luck. I stopped and stripped and dumped the water out and wrung out my wet britches and went on.
I made the tree line and worked my way adjacent to the smaller bear. The bear was about 60-70 yards out from the treeline and the larger darker bear was working our way although 150 yards out in the flat. The smaller bear growled. The dark bear finally got too close and the smaller bear broke for cover…….remember who is sitting just inside of the closest cover?!
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Picture this, I am inside the treeline and a brown bear is running DIRECTLY to me! Oh crap, decision time. Nock and arrow or draw the Glock? I knocked a Grizzly tipped arrow (59# laminated longbow this year) and waited, not knowing if the smaller bar was being chased….were TWO bears about ready to run over the top of me?
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The small bear enters the treeline 16 FEET away from me!
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I start my draw and the devil pinches the bars tail and he is off. I never really know what happen as it is brushy at the treeline and I can’t see if the larger dark bear is the devil that pinched the smaller bears tail or not. In the photo I was standing where the small piece of orange flagging is on the ground. The bear was standing at the small piece of orange flagging on the ground on the left side of the photo.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/4Yard_BearEncounterSite_051608.jpg)
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Now that the bears are all gone, the dangerous part of this story begins, seriously.......
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I head back across the tidal flat as darkness descends upon the earth. I reach the river and quickly realize that there is no way I am getting across. The rains have flowed out of the high country and the river is swollen and moving swiftly out to sea. I am soaking wet and can’t get across until the after the water subsides and that may be hours away at best but conditions could get worse. The tide is starting to ebb and flow back into the bay. I am trapped.
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Steve,
You are one heck of a story teller. You really know how to keep the reader on the edge of his seat. :thumbsup:
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Steve, Again the pics are fantastic! Showing where you and the bear were is excellent. Story telling has me sitting on the edge of my seat!
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I'm not done reading this one yet...but just wanted to say thank God for Trad Gang!!! Where we can come and read about folks that actually hunt and kill stuff, and folks are more interested in sharing stories with others than 'telling stories' about others, and no 8th grade male drama queens.
Hammer down Steve!!!!!
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Dang if you didn't hit the nail on the head Terry!!! I love the stories. This one is right near the top. Thanks Steve & Walt, Bell
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(Hey Terry, where did you see anythng about me killing anything in this f-6 year tale, lol?!!)
(BTW everyone, Terry said he'd give me $20 if I drew this story waaaay out and kept you guys coming back, doubly-lol)
And the Drama Queen continues......
I nervously checked my daypack and found a micro-Bic lighter at the bottom of the pack. I made my way back to a different abandoned trapper’s cabin (west side of bay) less than a hundred yards from where the bear episode just happened. It was pitch black now. The cabin was partially collapsed but there was a small dry area in one back corner. I crawled thru a window since the door side was at ground level. The floor sloped down to a shambles of splintered and mostly wet lumber. I rooted around and found some dry material for a fire and pulled out the Bic. The ignition wheel was mostly ceased and wouldn’t spark. It was going to be one long cold night.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/KadashanCabin_East_051708.jpg)
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The tide was out at 4 am and I got up and grabbed a big chunk of foam that I found washed up on the beach and headed back to the river. The river was still raging and I quickly realized that the foam that I hoped would get me across the deeper section of river where I could get my feet to the bottom and below the tops of my hipboots wasn’t going to work. I tried lying on the foam in shallow water as a test and it kept rolling which would be bad news out in swift, deep water.
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Good example why we need to bring backup firestarter and other "unexpected" overnight emergency supplies. Thanks for the reminder! This is a great read. Thanks for sharing this adventure with us. I'm with you on this one!
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I drug the foam back to the treeline and stood and contemplated. What next? I had considered walking to a guide’s camp about three miles away the night before but there was a chance they had filled their lone bear tag and had already left the area. I didn’t want to exhaust myself and end up with no shelter so I had holed up in the cabin which was the right decision the previous night.
I decided I would try and take advantage of low tide so I walked way out into the front of the tidal flat along the leading edge where the river formed smaller rivulets as the main channel braided into a delta. By crossing about 15 smaller channels I finally realized that I was going to make it across. What a relief.
I got to my boat and had to wait about an hour until the tide came in and floated the craft. Ten minutes later I was back at camp and had a cup of coffee, a visit with Aunt Jemima, and a nice warm nap.
I of course was back after the bears that afternoon. Below is my wet gear laid out in the sun on basalt drying racks.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/StrawberryIsland_DryingRack_051808.jpg)
We now have about nine pages of precursory background which will set the stage for my May 2009, SOLO Brown Bear bowhunt.
Stay Tuned for the FINAL ADVENTURE!!!!!!
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Steve, I'll give ya $25.00 to not drag it out! :goldtooth: Just kiddin - lovin this one keep it coming, I'm hopin for a trophy shot!
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Awesome hunt, fantastic pics, and incredible animals and country. What more could you ask for? Thirsty for more...
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More more more Great story wish i could have been there.
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Great background stories Steve and Walt. I am anxiously waiting for the 2009 version!!! I am with Walt on this ... a brown bear bowhunt has always been one of my ultimate dream hunts. I really appreciate the opportunity to tag along even if it is in cyberspace!
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The nice photos really make a very good story something special, particularly when told by a master like Steve.
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Ummmmm, you can tell you aren't in here much if you think this is drawn out...
THIS is updated timely and filled with lots of good information :thumbsup:
Bring on the good stuff!
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Jeff...seems like you had a story a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't get a chance to read it....I'm off to find it, bookmark it, so I can read it in a bit.
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This is one of the best stories I have read here. That says a lot among so many great story tellers on this site.
Thanks doesn't seem to cut it, but thanks!
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What a great read! This is a Trad Gang classic. Keep it coming Steve!
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Back from work and we'll continue here in a bit but first things first.....Wifey has muskox burgers just coming off the grill right now....gotta go!
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It had been a long year between the 2008 spring season and the 2009 spring season. I had traveled most of the preceding year for work and had accepted a promotion, relocated from Juneau to the Kenai Peninsula, and have been trying to get settled into our new house. It was great to be back in brown bear country (although a brown bear could easily be walking thru my back yard as I type, lol). It was good to get back in my old stomping grounds!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/T-Inlet_021.jpg)
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I decided to set up my camp on the other end of Otter Island closer to where I anchor my boat for ease of access and to reduce carrying gear over rocks. My camping spot wasn’t quite as good but it worked just fine and was worth the trade off. Notice the otter trail going right by my tent and to the lower left hand corner of the photo.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Camp_016-1.jpg)
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Once again, Otter Island connects to a small islet at low tide but the two are separated at high tide. The sand/gravel saddle in between makes a great place to anchor the boat at most tides. Here is the saddle between Otter Island and the islet at low tide. You can see "Ducky" in the background. Ducky is my loving name for my little rubber duck of a boat that has provided deliverance for me on more than one occasion.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/S-Island_LowTide_029.jpg)
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On one side of Otter Island is a seal haulout. About three dozen seals were resting the day I took these photos. The seals routinely pop up yards away from the boat when I am out searching for bears and curiously look at me, perhaps wondering what I would taste like. Some of those three dozen seals are in the water as the rock they are currently lying on is inundated by the incoming tide.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/HaulOut_049.jpg)
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Herring spawn over a multi-mile section in late April. Many birds, fish, and mammals flock to and lap up the eggs. Here is a close-up of herring eggs coating a strand of kelp. The bears LOVE herring eggs!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/HerringSpawn_032.jpg)
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In anticipation of a bit of down time, I again brought The Witchery of Archery, Toxophilus in Arcadia, and this time Moby Dick. Ironically I saw humpback whales spouting and breaching as I motored to Otter Island.
Take home lesson: Captain Ahab must get his whale and Steve must get his brown bear!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/MobyDick_013.jpg)
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The first day of hunting I beached the boat and stood on a rock pile in that old favorite bay and glassed. Spring seemed a bit late so I wasn’t even sure I would see a bear that day. Soon a small bear popped out of the woods of all places about 100 yards away and re-entered the woods, reappeared and re-entered the woods again. A couple hours later the bear reappeared further down and I took off to see if I could close the gap.
The bear dug in the sand while I waited back in a small disconnected treeline a hundred and fifty yards away.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BearDay1_011.jpg)
The bear eventually started working along the river bank and looked like it may circle right to me but stopped and got a drank and went back to digging in the sand. By the way, the trappers cabin I shivered a wet night in during the 2008 trip is in the far treeline of these two photos.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BearDay1_004.jpg)
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Every march I get to watch on TradGang as many of you go shed hunting while I am still engulfed in Old Man Winter's darkness. Finally I got to do some shed hunting but my results were not quite what I had hoped. It is always disheartening to see evidence of winter kill. Here is a shed out Sitka blacktail buck that had made it until at least February.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/ShedDeerSkull_064.jpg)
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But sometime you find exactly what you hope on a beach combing mission. Foot prints of a good-sized bear poking around on one of my favorite beaches!
This year I had a 54# longbow, Douglas Fir arrows tipped with 160 grain Grizzlys.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BearTracks_063.jpg)
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A few days later I was able to get between that first day bear and the treeline. Unfortunately it seemed as if that bear didn’t read the rule book that bears on this island were suppose to routinely feed back close to security cover. I think this bear’s security cover was way out on the tide flats so she could see danger approaching and have plenty of time to react. This bear looked as if she had had an exceptionally hard winter. When bear go into denning they go in all chunked up and fat. Their bodies feed off their fat reserves as the winter progresses. When the fat is all used up they metabolize their muscle tissues next and if that runs out before winter ends they die. I think this bear was in a race and just barely beat the end of winter as bones were poking out all over. I say she because I saw her squat to pee. The thinner head also suggested she was a sow. Here she takes a nap in the sun right on top of one of my favorite boat beaching spots! She is barely over a hundred yards away in this shot. When she got up she stayed out in the flats giving wide berth to the treeline once again.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/Bear_Laying_059.jpg)
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The next day I saw a dark brown bear, a little bit bigger that the dark brown bear mentioned during the 2007 and 2008 sections. Guess where I saw him? You got it, same place. In slowly motored to shore, anchored the boat, and hugged the edge since it was sandy and wet grass and a quieter spot than usual. I actually got to about 35 yards before he fed away and I had to duck into the trees. The stalk fell apart from there but what an awesome coat this bear had and beautifully luxuriant as many bears are not. The next day I once again had a chance at this bear and got to 30 yards or so but too much brush and not close enough although I nocked an arrow for the first time on this trip so we are getting serious now!
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Thanks for taking the time to share. Keep it coming!
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I feel like I should be paying for this. Thanks so much for the story and great pictures.
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I got up and was having a Hungry Jack–morning and I settled down on a big chunk of basalt and read from Moby Dick. I routinely glass the beaches from Otter Island in the morning. In general I am a believer in evening is the time to bear hunt but I am increasingly observant anytime the tide is outgoing as bears will check the line of flotsam to see what has washed up on shore on the last lunar round.
I had seen that small bear almost every day and there she was again or what I thought was probably her on one of my favorite beaches about 2 ½ miles way. She was not my dream bear but I had stalked her on several occasions knowing that the heart of my hunts were interacting with the bears and taking opportunities as they presented themselves.
I gathered up my gear and motored off and started to beach my boat in the small creek where I had photographed the same bear in the picture (above) but at the last minute decided against it as the wind seemed wrong. I made a big loop in the boat and anchored it on a rocky strip of coast.
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THESE IS GREAT :campfire: keep it coming
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I worked my way along the high tide line until I saw the bear and I entered the woods and silently yet quickly slipped down a bear trail. These bear trails inside the woods are always a bit eerie. I find eagle feathers and skeletons, crustacean and mollusk carapaces that otters have drug to shore, and other signs of life past.
I had almost made it adjacent to the bear, still out on the beach but just outside the treeline, and I could see her enter the woods. I was just a bit too far away so I had to quickly make up a few steps as she flowed deeper into the woods and up onto the raised isostatic rebound berm that I was on.
I nocked an arrow and took a couple more quick-silent steps as she cleared a tree at around 15 yards.
I drew and shot and MISSED with my arrow traveling right in front of her brisket!
NO-ugghh!
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The bear acted like a bird flew too close but started working deeper into the woods, suspicion raised a notch. I nocked a second arrow and when her head went behind a tree I quickly took about four more steps forward.
Smaller bears live in fear of larger bears and I speculate she thought the slight commotion could be another bear. She lept up against a hemlock tree her claws raked the bark loudly as she searched for the cause of the commotion.
I drew again and buried my arrow up to the fletching in the muscle of her shoulder and she quivered and in moments fell backwards off the berm and soon lay silent on her last bed of evergreen. The years were over that fast.
Not a large bear by anyone's estimation but a bear taken in a more personal manor I suspect will be hard to find.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BrownBear_Reduced_091.jpg)
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(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BrownBear_Reduced_099.jpg)
Only about one bear in about 30 animals will have blond hair on bears I have observed on Chichagof Island. Although the photos only hint at it, this bear has a golden head maned with blond and a blond saddle.
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As small as she was she still had pretty substantial claws!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/BearPaw_Broadhead_104.jpg)
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Here is the shot site. I was standing by the liter in the trail. The bear was at the hemlock tree that the two shiny poles are leaning on in a "V" pattern. The shot distance was 13 yards.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/ShotSite_108.jpg)
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Here is the section of beach where she was on when I spotted her. Otter Island is distant in the background.
I have come close to arrowing a bear on this section of beach several times over the years and if I would have had to guess where I would finally arrow a bear this would have been one of my two most likely spots and the second being the vicinity of the 2008 4-yard encounter.
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Opps, forgot the photo! (I take it back, Otter Island isn't visible in this photo)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/TheBeach_068.jpg)
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And so it ends until it begins again!
Otter Island at low tide. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/SteveHohensee/StrawberryIsland_020.jpg)
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Thanks Steve...great story!
Bob
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Steve, you've done well, mate! My hat's off to ya!
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Great story Steve! Thanks a bunch for taking us along.
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I went back and looked at your pictures from start to finish. The expression in your eyes after taking the bear says it all.
Thanks for taking the time to write a great story for us. Damn pretty bear too!
Kevin Dill
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Wonderful trophy Steve and even better story telling. Thanks for sharing with us!
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great story
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Great story Steve, congrats on a well earned bear. She is beautiful!
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Thanks Steve for a wonderful adventure. It was easy to feel like I was standing alongside as it unfolded.
Mike
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Enjoyed the story and the pictures very much Steve.
RayMO
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:clapper: :clapper:
Steve, thank's for taking us along with you!! I don't know how you fit us all in that little rubber dingy but you did. We were all on Otter Island with you. Great bear!!
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Helluva adventure Steve and Walt. I laud your patience and persistence. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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AWESOME Story, Steve!!!!! I know how long it takes to load pics and find time, in general, to take us along..........Skyler and I enjoyed the other 2 adventures also and are in the beginning stages of planning a Hawaii trip....May contact you in the future about it if that's OK.... :clapper: Don and Skyler
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Great read,thank you
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Steve, how old do you suppose that bear was?
BTW, I'll get my lawyer to start drawing up the adaption papers so that after you adapt me I'll be able to hunt brownies up there.
Thanks to both you and Walt for the great adventure.
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Well I'd say that adventure ranks right up there with a Saxton and Art hunt in the early part of the last century.
10
Thanks
Doug
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Thanks Steve, felt like I was there.
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Thanks Steve and congrats on a fine trophy. It's great to see a person who is dedicated to the hunt and your final achievement, and of course your love for the great outdoors. Thank you for taking us along, you had a well captivated audience.
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Originally posted by Ben Kleinig:
Steve, you've done well, mate! My hat's off to ya!
absolutely id be very happy. thanks for taking the time to share it all with us. really really enjoyed it.!
Congrats on a fantastic bear!
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Well done Steve! Next best thing to being there with you. Thanks
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Great story Steve. I tromped all over the ABC islands carring only a 1962 Kodiak and some cedar arrows but that was more than 45 years ago. Sometimes I think my guardian angel was working overtime. Your pictures brought back many good memories. Thanks.
Jack
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Great story Steve and a fantastic looking bear! This is a hunt very few people will ever experience. Congratulations and thanks for putting in the time to share your hunt with us. :clapper:
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The look in your eyes says it all, you my friend are the real deal.
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Steve's Excellent Adventures... :thumbsup:
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Your generosity in sharing your time and your hunt is very much appreciated! Thank you!
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Steve, Thank you so much for sharing an awesome adventure. As a hunter who just dreams of hunting Alaska and Griz I too felt like I was there. Great pics. Great story telling. Thank you again!
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That is an archery adventure to remember! Well done, Steve.
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Congratulations Steve!!!!!!!!!
I've been away from here for quite a while and just now read your thread. Yours and Walt's accounts brought back some fond memories from my Brown bear hunt in 05. Without a doubt the most adrenaline filled hunt I have ever been on. If I die tomorrow I will feel my hunting dreams complete because at least I had the opportunity to hunt for those great bears once in my life.
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Steve,
Congratulations on the bear. You done good, real good!
Once again, thanks for the help and for taking us along.
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Excellent thread :thumbsup: :notworthy:
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I hope to see myself in your shoes a few years from now :)
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Steve, Thanks for the great story, you can hunt with me anytime! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :archer: :clapper:
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Awesome story Steve!!! Congratulations on a well earned trophy! I think most people who are into hunting with traditional equipment would agree that it is not the size of the critter that counts but the size of the experience ... and by those standards, your's was a whopper!
Dan
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Very well told and very entertaining. Thank you for sharing. Congrats.
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Wo! That bear might have died of old age as long as it takes you to tell a story! (kidding) Heck of a story too & no word out of place.
Beautiful carnivore at close range with a bow? Rattle the T-bags a bit? Hard placed to figure an encore. Thanks for taking us along on this great adventure.
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Congrats :thumbsup: thanks for sharing your hunts..enjoyed every minute of it
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Steve, I love how you told the whole story, it wasn't just a one year hunt, but many.
A solo, longbow hunt, in Alaska, for Brown bear!!! sounds like heaven to me.
I don't think you where solo, you took all of us with you LOL thanks
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That's it! I am moving to Alaska!!!!
AWSOME STORY!!!
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Someone above asked about the bear's age. I am guessing that this was the first year she was kicked out on her own so that should put her at 3 1/2 years. Most two year old cubs are larger and that probably has to do with mama securying their spot at the dinner table. ADF&G seals bears from many areas and when they do so they pull a small tooth for dental cementum aging. They provide the results back to the hunters so I expect sometime several months from now I will know the bear' age for sure.
The taxidermist that I left the bear hide with for tanning said it is not unusual for sows to never get very large. On a quick examination of her teeth also leads me to believe she was fairly young.
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Thanks for the comments everyone.
Bob @ Helle: A viking was used to skin her head and paws, an awesome blade for sure.
DW: Let me know if you need HI help. I have done the BI x3; Kauai' x3, and Molokai' x1.
Mark U.: You are too old to adopt unless it was as an uncle or sumpthin'!
Jack: WOW, you REALLY are a WRB, lol!
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Walt and Steve, thanks for sharing your bear hunting stories.
Steve you got this 70 year old guy all excited!!!
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Steve,
Could you share with us some of your equipment specs.(tent, clothing, ect) What worked for you and what didn't?
Thanks,
Scott
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Excellent story Steve. I still remember back to when you left the lower 48 to begin your Alaskan adventure. It's great to see how things have worked out for you and that you got your opportunity to live the dream.... Congrats..... Terry
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Steve,
Congradulations on a hard earned trophy.
Thanks for letting us look over your shoulder great story telling and great pictures as well.
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"Steve,
Could you share with us some of your equipment specs.(tent, clothing, ect) What worked for you and what didn't?"
This year it was shorts and a T-shirt! Normally on solo hunts I go very light. This hunt was not abnormal for me other than I had an extensive amount of gear; I routinely do solo trips as a norm. I suppose I have a couple hundred solo days all across Alaska.
I used a 4-man Cabelas Outfitter tent with the bige vestibule on this an other trips where weight is not an issue. Just standard camping gear beyond that.
Cloths. I use felt bottomed wading shoes like those fly-fishing people use. To avoid excessive heat and trapping sweat I use the stockingfoot waders but they are hipboots. Cabelas is the only place I have found them as hipboots. They have cordura and it is a bit noisy.
I had (but lost) a Rivers West jacket and it was good on colder drizzly days. I have some Sitka (non-rain) gear and used it on drier/warmer days. I also have Sitka raingear and like it well for drizzle-days but neither of the above will withstand the heavier SE Alaska solid rain in my experience. Helley hanson and Peter Storm will but they are a bit noisy to hunt in when it is "bear-time".
What else? My 10mm Glock has stopped every rampaging bear in it's tracks that has charged me so far, lol.
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Thanks Steve and congrats!!!
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Congrats Steve! Great story and great bear! A dream hunt for sure, thanks for taking us along.
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Great story and accomplishments...maybe one day.
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Awesome story! Great job in all aspects!!
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Awesome story! How many bears have charged you?
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Thank you sharing the journey. Great story and congratulations on a great bear! I've been on the edge of my seat, up late each night anxious to read the latest posts. Well done!
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Thank you for sharin' a persistent and consistent effort Steve that led to a successful outcome!
One day that will be the ultimate hunt for me. [I may have to one day move to Alaska for that to play out!]
Congratulations and for tellin' a fabulous story!
Shoot straight, Shinken
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Steve'er, you'll be sorry about not adapting me. Think of all those African and Oz hunts you will miss out on, paid for by me. Ric mic can't afford you anymore.
However, since my wife is from Alaska, and her family still lives there, I have alternative ways.
I also googled earth and found your island. A boat was parked on the east side that day, tide out. Running the straight at night used to scare the bejusus out of me, but I had a 25hp motor on a 12 foot aluminun, talk about gettin' on the plane. Felt lucky to be alive after two hours of full bore in the dark with the tide going out.
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Dude, you're nuts. That is pretty awesome though, congrats. Is this gonna show up in TBM. I could read it again. Way to stick it out, and get it done...
Beau
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Steve, Congrats on getting your bear and above all by doing it on your terms. Your story telling is truely an inspiration to us all.
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Steve....you have created a monster!
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Steve....you have created a monster!
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I sent some of my homies a short e-mail and a couple pics and inncludied Don T. He asked if I would consider submitting to TBM which I probably will BUT you guys got the BIG-piture story, by necessity a TBM submittal will have to be a condensed version!
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Just let them know they will have to add a few extra pages that issue!
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:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
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thanks for the adventure, great story and pics, you are very deserving of this trophy for sure.
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:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
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A classic tale Steve! I particularly liked your description of your approach to interacting with bears - 99% of the trip was hunt 1% harvest. Taking a standing bear with a long bow and having it fall over right there, WOW!
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Have been following this all along, but took the time today to read it all in one setting. Adventures that most of us can only dream about! A big thanks to Walt as well! Felt like I was along with you. Look foward to the "condensed" version in an issue of TBM. Thanks again for sharing!! Mike
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Really cool Steve....many thanks again for sharing this with the gang. :campfire:
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Without a doubt, the most enjoyable story I've read in many moons and the photos were great!
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Since I spent a wee bit of time on this one, TTT in case anybody who want to see it missed it!
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Congrats Steve...excellent story tellin'
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Steve....great story, thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing it in TBM.
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Thanks Steve, been so busy on other stuff I missed most of this one. Congrats again Buddy!!
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Great hunt and great story! Thanks for sharing your hunt and adventures with us...
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Wow...that was really a great read Steve. The photos too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share. And Congrats on your hard won trophy.
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TTT for a request.
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WOW that is one heck of a story! Sometimes I dream of moving to Alaska. Especially whey I see pics like that.
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Great story! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Congrats on an excellent trophy.
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All I can say is wow! I just came across this thread and read the entire thing. Nice job all around.
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Excellent! :thumbsup:
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How did I miss this the first or second time around? Great story, well written and documented by the photo's. I am glad to have read it. Thank you very much.
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Good story Steve. we still miss you on sunday mornings
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Gray:
If-in you woulda taught me to shoot like you on them Sunday mornings this story would be one page with a dead bear about the third photo!
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Thank you for the great story Steve
Lucas
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On many occasions I have been asked about my moniker and I explain that I chose it after a brief e-mail to Steve maybe 8 or 10 years ago. I had so enjoyed one of his articles in TBM that I contacted him (he wouldn't remember) to tell him so and to inquire about his bows. He explained that he was just getting ready to move to Alaska to work and enjoy the bountiful hunting opportunities. His parting comment was that I should try to get up there one day to hunt, and so my moniker was born. I never met him and likely never will, but his story has come full circle in my mind and I always perk up when he is mentioned. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
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Congrats and thank you for sharing.
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Wouldn't remember?! Actually I do but many things I don't since my mother cooked with aluminum.
I think I'm slated to do a presentation on brown bear hunting at the next PBS gathering in Nashville in March 2010 so who ever shows will get the full set of photos and tales!