I'm taking the brown bear plunge

[Randy Cooling]

Last weekend at the SCI convention I booked a brown bear hunt in Alaska for may of 2006.Does anybody have any experience in shooting them with traditional equipment.I'm thinking about using my 65# widow with a 600 gr. carbon arrow and a Razorcap broadhead.

[The Ursus]

I've got a friend that's done it.  57lb longbow + 525gr total arrow weight (135 Magnus)= 1 dead brownie.  (Scott Leslie posted his story in TBM 5 or so years ago).  Sounds like your setup it plenty.  Congrats and good luck on the hunt.  Make sure to take a bunch of pics and post'em so we can see!

[Dsturgisjr]

Randy, I don't have any experience on shooting brown bears, but I am envious. Does that help? Good luck, sounds cool.

[Darryl Quidort]

Good luck Randy.  Show us how it's done.

[Al Kidner]

O to hunt Brown Bear..............


One day maybe.Good luck.


alan in Oz

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Randy

Good luck!  (and I think you've got plenty of bow there, too    ).

Good Lord willing, and the river dont rise, I'll be hunting grizzly in B.C. in the fall of 2007.

The only problem with your hunt (and mine) is that its too long to wait   :(

later

Ryan

[Thunderbow]

Hey guys..  I'm also tentatively planning my Grizzly bear hunt for 2007, when I know I'll be ready.  For the past six months, my training regimen has increased to reflect my goal.  If I can't shoot two solid hours a day with a 75# stickbow on top of other things, then I won't consider myself ready enough.  Then I'll drop a few pounds for my hunting bow when it comes closer to crunch time to give my accuracy a good boost.  It will be mountain Grizzly Bear in Northern Alberta/B.C.  Really the same species as Brown and Kodiak, but different location and diet.  It's just too ridiculously expensive for me to go to Alaska for bear when we have nice bears here in Canada.  Wish I could do Alaska for moose and bear though.  Unfortunately just too much money.

[J from Denmark]

Which is considered the most dangerous... the cape/water buffalo or the Grizzly ?

I  feel that the grizz might be the ultimate game animal with a bow    

Jacob

[Rick McGowan]

The buffalo are more dangerous by far, but all of them could kill you. Bears are much "softer" and easier to stop, you won't stop a charging buffalo with an arrow and not with most guns either. I've heard it said that most ph's would rather guide a bowhunter for elephant than cape buffalo. A water buffalo is just as tough and 350#'s heavier on average. Bears will fold up fast with an arrow in the right place. I think the fascination with bears is that they COULD eat you after killing you.

[J from Denmark]

Hi Rick, thats what I thought you would say   :D  

But somehow I find it fasinaiting that the hunter can actually defend himself when charged by a grizzly. IF he can keep his head cool and make the lifesaving shot.
Whereas I kind of imagine that if a buffalo charges you, you can only hope to find a tree nearby   :eek:  

But hey, If I had the money I would love to try both    :D  

Rick, What about some stories from you ? you must have been in on some close calls once in a while !?

Jacob

[Coldfingers]

You guys have more nuts that I do. I know several guys that have killed interior Grizzly with bows. The coastal browns can be twice the size and weight. Both are tenacious as all get out, wary, smart, and cabable of doing tremendous amounts of damage while dead on their feet. If everything goes right, you have plenty of bow.

I get serious adrenilin rushes just remembering my encounters with grizz and coastal browns and I was not trying to sneak an arrow into them. You will remember this trip for the rest of your days. Pats story on the LW is classic. IF you get the arrow into the right spot, WITHOUT alerting the bear to your presence or wherabouts, you will be fine. IF NOT, you may well appreciate a guide with an itchy trigger finger.

Good luck

Scotty

[leftbow]

Question. Does the guide use your offside shoulder for a rifle rest if the bear turns the wrong way after the arrow impacts?  

[Thunderbow]

Pat Lefemine did not stop the bear with an arrow if you recall how the story unfolded, though after the initial charge from the first arrow strike, his second arrow at very close range would have proved fatal anyway in all likelihood - after being "filleted" by the bear had there been no guide with a high powered firearm present.  The bear was shot in self defence by his guide more than once AFTER the second arrow struck!  The bear charged Pat first, then his guide.  Bears are tough and never should be taken for granted.  I am prepared to die for my passion if necessary, but the odds are pretty remote that will happen with a guide.  I cannot wait to have Pat's experience not to mention the other honorable people who have gone before.  

Grizzly bears are super intelligent, beautiful, and demand the utmost dignity from other creatures like us.  They are absolutely magnificent creatures and I am in awe everytime I think of them.  

Btw, Pat's first arrow missed the bear entirely over its back, and I can say that he may have been lucky the Grizzly did not charge right then and there.  I do not and will not ever consider a Grizzly Bear a "soft" animal.  It is ~800lbs of skilled killing machine that can outsmart anyone on its home turf.  

Gorgeous animal..  Grizzly Bears have wonderful and varied personalities and share our same emotions in a striking way.  We're hunters and hopefully still exemplary animal lovers and custodians in the same token.

[j.j.johnston]

The costal brows are less aggressive that the interior bears, but for the most part they will try to get away if they get a chance.
Just remember...a bear will only attack when it is provoked......

only problem is that the bear decides what his provokation for the day is.  I've had them run at 4 feet, sit down to watch at 20 feet, and charge from 50 yards...never can figure them.

good luck and I promise you will remember the flight of that arrow!!

[Coldfingers]

J.J.

I had the great pleasure of sitting in a session with a pro-brown bear guide.

I think that what I found most interesting was the fact that they would camp so far from the hunting grounds, and wait for days upon days for the wind to blow down the valley. His point was that once the human scent blew up the valley, any respectable bear would be loooonnnnggg gone. Pat's story reflected that so much in the miles covered back and forth to camp each day.

There are at lest a half a dozen different grizzly bears within a twenty mile radius of my house. Tracks and other sign are the only evidence since they are so reclusive. Spotting one is almost up there with a Bigfoot sighting for most folks in the neighborhood, yet a walk on the river bars will show their tracks amidst the sandcastles built by kids playing by the crick in the summer. Sitting a black bear bait station for a few evenings would strike terror into the hearts of the parents that let the chillens roam wild in our sprawled out subdivisons along the river, yet, problems are quite rare. The bears fade away like an unseen vapor at the hint of man.

Truly one of the more awe inspiring creatures on God's green earth.

My best wishes to those who take on such a worthy creature with stick-n-string.

Scotty

[knapper53]

NIce post Thunderbow, bears are incredible animals, and it's no wonder they are totem for many of the First nation folks.

[Kirk Allen]

I know that non-residents must have a guide for Dall sheep and Grizzly bear hunts in AK.  

Oh the joy of being a resident:)

[granpa]

Randy,
Drop me a line sometime if you want to talk about Brown Bear hunting, I spent an entire month hunting them with my longbow in the Prince WIlliam Sound area.

[Tuttu]

I haven't hunted cape buffalo, but I have hunted grizzlys for 3 years.  Each year I've been 30 yards or closer with my bow, but no bear.  I think a bear is harder to hunt than a cape buffalo.  Don't get me wrong, buffalo are tough, but they are prey.  Grizzlys have narrow eyes (predators) and are capable of higher level thinking.  Plus, if they catch you... you will be the main course for dinner.  It sounds like a lot of people are chasing griz in the next two years.  I hope you guys keep us posted with your stories.    
Chuck

[Jack Shanks]

I can't believe it. The very same day my wife was notified she came into some money I found an incredible deal on a Brown Bear hunt. Is that fate or what? I told her it can only be a sign from someone up above that it is something that was was meant to be.... I'll be headed to Alaska in early September in order that I can fulfill my part of the obligation. Thank you Lord and an understanding wife.