Big game hunting Alaska

  • 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.



  • This is my favorite picture of my brown bear. This was one of my favorite bear hunts the cool bart of this hunt was that treebilly3 was trying to SPEAR yes SPEAR a brown bear on this trip. Treebilly3 set up his tree stand and I took the skiff down the river and set up on the bank the river. This was my first time hunting brown bear and back to what treebilly was saying about judgment of bears I thought this was a monster to me but it turned out to be a 4 year old bear. You can only learn and get better. [emoji3]

  • Wow, pretty cool. These guys must be pretty keen prey. The whole scene is pretty awesome, cruising the beaches hunting, etc. And a bear on a bow!!! Pretty intense!!
    Interesting post!!

  • Do you eat the bears?



    The Spring Bears yes, the ones in the fall that are feeding on salmon no. I know a few Filipino families who love the meat we give them in those situations. They make some pretty good adobo out of it!


    I'll just throw out what I think about meat hunting. Hope it answers the "Why" questions out there.


    I do not hunt any animal because I need the meat just as I do not fish/spearfish for that reason either. The meat is just a bonus that shouldn't be wasted. I do it because I enjoy being in the wilderness and the pursuit of those animals&fish. The money I spend each year in that pursuit would fill my freezer much better if I spent it at the store.

  • Interesting post. :)


    But I have so many questions...


    Why are spring bears better eating than salmons? If you don't eat them, what do you do with the bears?


    Please don't get me wrong, I'm just ignorant about hunting and specially in Alaska. :)

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.



  • Bears in the spring time are leaner from the long winter and the feed mostly on grass and roots so the meat isn't as gamy tasting. In fall they are really fat from salmon which adds a greasy almost rancid/fish taste to the meat. It really comes down to preparation and care of the meat like cutting out all the fat and keeping the meat from touching the hide.


    If I don't keep the meat I give it away, the hides I tan and keep or now selling them is an option. I do taxidermy in my spare time so I do mount some. I have a full skeleton of my biggest bow kill one that I plan to assemble and maybe donate to the high school or some thing. I'll post a few pics later of that stuff.

  • Awesome thread! I was thinking about doing a combination black bear hunt and halibut/salmon trip to Alaska. A moose or caribou hunt would be amazing too! I have eaten bear chili and but never steak. Do you recommend any outfitters for such a trip?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.