I wanted to share a little of the other things me and fatty do when were not in the water. Ill add to this every once in a while kind of like a trip report on future hunts and ill try and add a few more of the past hunts. Since it seems that when ask about spearfishing in Alaska bears are the first on every ones mind I thought Id start with them. Black bear are one of my favorite big game animals, I got my first when I was 13 and have been hooked since. We usually hunt them in the spring (April-June) there is a fall season to but we don't normally hunt them then. We are allowed two bear a season in our area but we don't not usually take more than one. The main challenge in this hunt it finding the big boys. Bear are one of if not the hardest animals to judge in the field for size. I see it every year with out of starters who come up to shoot there trophy and end up taking a small 4footer home, usually saying it looked farther away or it was so fat. It takes practice and seeing a few big bears to know what your looking at. This Is a photo I took of a small bear probably a two or three year old 4footer while he munched on some beach grass.
How we hunt realy depends one how we feel that spring. Many times we run the beaches in the skiff looking for the bears feeding on the new spring grass. This is one I took with my custom 338Edge he's not the biggest being a little under 6' but he was my first with that rifle.
This video I shot is of my wife's seconded bear It was also her biggest. She took him with a 270win. She is a very good shot and has out done me on more than one occasion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvZfk2b0OqM
This Is a big bear that was Fattys first, I helped him get a few years ago.
we also love to hunt them with archery some times spot and stalk on the beach or some years Ill set up a bait station to bow hunt them that way. This bear is my biggest with a bow but this is the only crapy photo I have of him.
This is jeffs biggest bear and also his first with a bow. After this I told him I am done helping him find bears. It never fails, I take out some one to get a bear and they get one bigger than me:crazy:
This is a short clip of a bear I shot over bait a few years ago. Its a 55gl drum strapped to a tree that I put dog food in as bait. Its a great way to bow hunt and just watch bears, but its a lot of work to set up and maintain so we don't do this every year. Anyone who thinks this is cheating has never done it. cruising a beach or driving a logging road is much easier and just as productive. Bating allows you time in close to the bears and prevents unwanted animals from being taken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8srFJdPCzhU
We have both shot brown bear as well, mine being an arctic grizzly from just north of the brooks range and fattys being a local costal brown bear. regs in our area are strict on brown bear and we are only allowed one every 4 years. They require more time to get back in to there country and hunt as well so we don't go after them very often.