brown bear season closed, time to try for a blackie.

[Hermon]

Originally posted by FerretWYO:
I will be cook camera man bow carrier arrow retriever just tell me what to do.

That is awesome.

X2

[Bill Sant]

Hey Jason,  sounds nice, just some friendly advice.....last year I spent nearly 20 hours up a tree when our pit around Glenallen was taken over by a mama with cubs brownie.  Stupid sow acted like she owned it or something,,,,of all the nerve!!  Anyhow they will act very different than the blacks, but you probably already know that.  Wish the unit I'm in would adopt such a plan, I'm jealous.  Do they want you to go through the special orientation for browns like they did in Fbx??

[bowtough]

Upside to hunting brownies out of a tree is that they don't climb well. But get one mad and he might try to shake you out of one!!!!!!!!!      

[VictoryHunter]

Wow! Happy hunting.

[jrchambers]

bill there is no orientation as the rules state you can kill brown bears over black bear bait stations, so they are incidental harvests.
I don't go to a bait around here not prepared to spend the night,  I also set up where I don't have to go past the bait site to enter the stand or blind, and I leave myself ten of fifteen mins of good daylight to get out and see down the peep sights

[beachbowhunter]

Originally posted by jrchambers:
more than a camera man some one to watch through some open sights

Ok...now you're making some sense!  :D

[Cyclic-Rivers]

That sounds pretty neat.  I look forward to your updates.  It seems to me 70 bears will be taken pretty quick, especiaslly if they havent been hunted before.

Do they close the season once the quota has been met?

[Jack Shanks]

Had four brownies within 25 yards when I hunted them several years ago. No shots taken but the most adrenaline filled hunt I have ever been on. Guide had a borrowed shotgun and didn't carry a round in the chamber because he had trouble with the safety.Only added to the excitement.

[Walt Francis]

Jason, good luck, take lots of pictures, and be sure to share them here.

Hi Jack how you been doing?  I haven't seen you around here much lately.

I am headed back for AK Brownies this spring.  However, I'm not as smart as Jason, my hunt will be spot & stalk with my selfbow Pigger.

[Chromebuck]

Charlie,

They are actually very very keen animals to hunt and many are wounded and lost to poor shooting.  Of course adding a bait station changes that equation considerably, but there are issues with that too.  You can't shoot a sow with cubs so you could be there a while.

2013 there was a quota of 70 brownies and I think they came in somewhere in the mid 60's on harvest numbers.  2014 will bring another 70 bears.  This is a highly contentious issue up here and there are several  schools of thought.  Personally, I have hunted my entire life and cannot fathom the idea of killing a brownie for a rug, skull and claws, but have plenty of friends and family who have.

Here is a pretty good article from our local paper.  Alaska Dispatch on Peninsula Brown Bear hunting

[Jack Shanks]

Hi Walt, slowing down. Bought a rest home in northern Michigan for aging bowhunters. So far I'm the only occupant.

Good luck to you and Jason this spring!

[nineworlds9]

Amazing hunting prospect and on my bucket list.  Good luck!  I actually just sold a Marlin 45-70, you could prolly have used it!  LOL

[jrchambers]

ive chased them many times with my bow spot and stalk to no avail,  sure baiting is a whole other monster, the most tense situations with brownies ive been in were at baits or caches.  they have something to defend and loose.
chomebuck ever eat on a spring brownie?  tastes just like a blackie, still not that good, but I think pep sticks or sausage.

[Bowwild]

Sounds like a dream hunt that's for sure.  

Now I don't blame a person for having a back-up firearm. I will admit though that when I read Glen St. Charles' book his point about carrying such back-up on a bowhunt changed the character of the hunt. Made me stop and think about what I'd do if I had to choose back-up or not on dangerous game.

Of course I realize a Brown Bear hunt gone wrong for a bowhunter could change a lot more than the hunter's character without a "Plan B"!

[jrchambers]

I think I have enough of that kind of character, no more wanted haha.....

[saltwatertom]

I've brought home brown bear meat from spring hunts and it is as good a moose, not quite as tender but it is a little bit more sweet,(as meats go). Good stuff. I will pass on fall brownie meat tho.
For your broadhead, consider a single bevel A Bowyer 2 blade. I've only used them once ( on hogs ) but I like them. Woodsmans are my usual BH of choice other wise. Plenty of pass throughs and lots of blood trail.
Looking forward to hearing about your hunt. I will be hunting Point of Sand Point in May (for brownies).

[far rider]

W O W ! What an opportunity! Good luck. I can't wait to read the thread on that one. That's ample opportunity to become VERY proficient with your digital camera/video equipment, that you then post a very pic heavy said thread!!!!!

Tim

[chrisAKnative]

I don't agree with fish and game on that decision but nonetheless good luck with the hunts!  

[FerretWYO]

Originally posted by jrchambers:
more than a camera man some one to watch through some open sights

I can do that as well.

[jrchambers]

as for myself I agree with adfg in their decision in the last five years I have been seeing bears in our subdivision a lot,  there are areas that you can always count on seeing bears, for example around skilak lake where hundreds of thousands of fish spawn.  fish and game are not trying to eradicate, they just want to nock them down 20%,  I think hunting them over bait increases the boar to sows killed,  as that is all I will be shooting