Rwolf
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2020
- Messages
- 105
I just got back from a hunt I’ve been dreaming of my entire life. My Grandma was a really talented artist and when I’d visit her house I’d always look at her grizzly bear painting and dream that someday I could pursue one of those majestic bears. 50 years later I finally was able to accomplish that dream! I just got back from my Alaska Peninsula brown bear hunt with my trophy of a lifetime. The peninsula lived up to its reputation of bad weather, remote wilderness and big bears. I arrived a few days early per my outfitter so as to not miss any hunting days due to weather. I got to the field on the 8th for opening day on the 10th. Camp consisted of two, two man tents tucked back into the alders up against a mountain overlooking the beach and a tidal bay. I saw my first bear that evening so things were looking good. Weather was good until opening day when it turned windy. Despite the wind we spotted a sow with three cubs who would turn into a regular and a small boar. Day 2 it began raining off and on until the afternoon when it turned into a steady windy rain. We retreated to the tents for the next 24hrs. The rained slowed the next evening but the bears stayed holed up. Day 4 came with better weather but only the sow and cubs were spotted again. Fifteen plus hours of glassing makes for long days. As I’ve heard that most bear hunts are days of boredom and minutes of pure excitement. I will agree to that observation. Day 5 showed great improvement. Weather cleared and the bears started to move. We spotted a big boar up on the mountain and we tried to make a play on him but we were blocked by a high tide closing our route to him. Later in the evening another promising boar with a sow was spotted and a stalk was executed to about 200yds. In the beginning I told my guide that I wanted to hold out for at least a 8.5’ bear as this was the land of giants and I didn’t want to short myself with just A bear. Once we had a good look at him he was a nice 7.5-8’ bear but I decided I had 5 days left and he wasn’t what I dreamed of. That night I laid in the tent hoping and praying that I didn’t mess up. First thing in the morning on day 6 we saw the bear! He was coming across the drained bay angling in front of our lookout. We hoped he read the script and was going to make it a straight forward stalk. That’s never the case. He made a turn heading away from us but luckily he was digging clams and rummaging in the muddy flat slowing his route. We hastily made the 1.75 mile trek around the shoreline trying to cut him off. He decided to make it more interesting by walking straight away once we were in the best position we could get. I steadied for my shot opportunity when he gave it. Upon my first shot he spun and turned to run out further into the muddy bay. A couple of follow up shots later he turned for what was a godsend and headed to the beach. Right when he made it to dry land he collapsed to his rear legs and my final shot was in his chest to end the pursuit. A rush of emotion and disbelief came over me in that moment as I really couldn’t believe what had just transpired. When we walked up to him he was everything I had hoped for. Giant paws, long thick hair, pumpkin head and an enormous body. We took pictures reflected on the stalk and then both started skinning him which is not an easy chore. Luckily, he made it to the beach, if not we would’ve been neck deep in mud and salt water before we would’ve finished. The tide comes and goes faster than you can believe. It fluctuates about 15’ each cycle. Four hours after starting we had him loaded in the back pack and we were hoping to carry the 125 plus lb pack to camp before getting cutoff by the tide again. We didn’t make it. Instead we spent about three hours laying out of the wind behind a berm waiting until the tide went out enough to finish our journey. Eleven hours after we began our stalk we were back at camp, exhausted, hungry but with great satisfaction. I was hoping to get flown out the next day while Txhunt was patiently waiting to begin his hunt when mine was finished. Unfortunately, Alaska was not ready to make it that easy. We spent the next four and a half days waiting for the weather to get safe enough for the plane to make it to us. During that time we fleshed the hide hoping to keep it from spoiling because of the delay. 4 days into the wait another pilot air dropped some salt to me. Temps hovered around the mid 30’s to low 40’s which should’ve been ok but I was still concerned that I could lose the trophy I came after. During this time we spent almost 40 straight hours seeking shelter from the steady rain and 40 plus mph winds laying in our tents. On day 4 the pilot tried to make it in with Txhunt but the wind was to unpredictable so he had to abort the landing as I watched him fly by. After 9 days my heart sank as I watched him fly away. The next day conditions improved and he was able to land. We swapped our gear and I headed back to civilization. On our way in the pilot pointed out a supercub that had to make a crash landing the day before. While I always enjoy the plane rides, that reaffirmed the dangers these pilots face. 15 days and 8 plane rides after I left my family I was finally back home. I had fulfilled my dream and made some new friendships in the process. This hunt tested my patience and fortitude as this was probably the most mentally challenging hunt that I have been on. We roughy squared him at 9’ and his skull was documented for fish and game when it was sealed at 25 15/16”. One sixteenth from the B/C awards while still green. When finished my rug will hang next to my Grandma’s painting I inherited and I will forever remember her and my hunt.
