Kodiak,, Boats, Bears and Backpacks.

[Stid2677]

Luke and I killed our first bear together on Kodiak back in 2011, at his suggestion I entered the draw for an area he and Becca hunted before. Both Luke's brother Kyle and I drew a tag and Luke agreed we should go as a group to see if we could find something worth cutting a tag for. I guess not that many are people crazy enough to backpack into big bear country and camp for a week or so, or to throw most of their food, fuel, raft and other needed items out of the plane to remain at the camp site for a day or so, but that is what made it exciting.

So we arrive at Kodiak,, awesome day!

Luke gets the VIP service and we gather all the tags, fuel and supplies we need to buy on island and get the hunt brief from Fish and Game then sort the gear for the float and the air drop.

Team Moffat

We get the float gear and stuff we will pack off the plane and Luke and Kyle fly off into the darkening sky to air drop our heavy camp items.

It started to rain while Luke and Kyle were gone doing to airdrop and the rain turned to ice pellets after they returned and we got ready to float.

 

[Stid2677]

Was darn chili after floating to the spot we would hike over, lucky for us the sun came up and we got to enjoy an end of the day beer, tomorrow we go into the valley of the bear, let the hunt begin.

 

[Stid2677]

Early the next morning we are loaded up, time to have a peak over the hill.

Little look back.

Little bit of snow as we top out.

 

[Stid2677]

We get the big eye out and spot our first bear. Looks like a shooter with a beautiful hide, we watch as he crosses our valley.

 

[Stid2677]

We make a move, but he gets our wind and goes out of our hunt area. With the weather moving in we move down to see how our gear drop faired.

Luke had done a great job and all the bags in a tight row and undamaged.

Just time as the weather rolled in.

 

[Mjm316]

Ahhhh yessss! Been waiting for this write up! I flew out just before you guys, Steve. Nice weather ehh

 

[realunlucky]

Subscribed. Love your pictures and story telling

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[Shepherd]

Awesome photos and story - cant wait to read more...

 

[Stid2677]

Mature brown bears are like most old wise critters, they live by their nose and move most at first and last light. This had us up early glassing the hillsides and valleys. We had not been on stand long when I spotted a huge old looking bear, we watched him for a bit and waited until he bedded down. We gathered up our gear and made a move on him, go time!!

We close the distance keeping the giant bear in sight, we have the wind quartering to us and cross the valley floor. We check to see if he is still there as we maneuver within range, as we get close the terrain forced us to have to move near the hill and for a few minutes he was out of our sight and for a split second I could feel the wind swirl. When we get to where we should see him, he is no longer in sight. Time to wait him out.

 

[Stid2677]

We dug in and waited, and waited, and waited.

 

[Stid2677]

After many hours, we started getting the feeling "Old Skinny" as we had started calling him, because he was crazy long and thin,
had gave us the slip. Luke volunteered to hike up and let his scent drift across the Alder thicket and have a peak. As he got above the thicket it was clear Old Skinny had ducked out. I had been focused on the hillside while Luke was climbing so I turned around to check my rear and when I looked back up Luke was waving like crazy...

I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw what looked like a brown VW driving up the ridge. We watched as the Goliath moved up through the grass and into the Alders. Kyle and I kept watch as Luke returned and the bear never emerged from the Alders.

 

[Fjelljeger]

Fantastic story unfolding here........

 

[Stid2677]

When Luke returned he was excited,, the bear was near to where Becca had taken her bear and Luke was somewhat familiar with the lay of the land, we also had the wind, both the prevailing wind, and also the evening thermals as well. 30 minutes and we were online working our way up the same ridge we had watched the bear use. A few minutes earlier we had jump another bear on the valley floor, in hindsight I believe they may have been a mating pair.

We spread out and readied our rifles, I'm using my Kimber MA 30-06 with 180 grain Accubonds, Luke his Kimber 338-06 and Kyle using the Norma. We eased up the ridge trying to spot him in the Alders, but they were beyond thick. The bear must have moved back along the ridge in the alders as he got our wind he burst from cover to our right and ran up the hill. The bear stopped at just over 100 yards and we were able to get 6 shots into him before he rolled back into the alder thicket. We could hear him roaring and see the alders waving wildly, then silence.....

 

[Stid2677]

The smell of gunpowder was thick in the air,, I reloaded and made my rifle safe. My instinct was to advance and finish him while he was roaring and moving, Luke wanted to wait a bit. While we were discussing our next course of action, the other bear emerged across the draw from us and we looked it over. It was a big bear, but the head seemed large for the body. One shot bear this late in the day was enough, even though Kyle had a tag. Again I believe now, that was a big sow and the two may have been together and it may also be why Old Skinny was hanging around.

We remained where we last saw him and after 15 minutes or so I decided to go have a look, I kept my pack on because,, never leave your pack and I wanted some back and neck protection if stuff went sideways. Luke had my 6 and Kyle remained with Lukes pack and to walk us into the spot we last saw movement.....

As we got under the Alders it was plain to see this was his house,, under the canopy was like being in a dome tent. The ground was swept clean and bones were laying about. Reached the mossy tree and Kyle yelled "right there" well no....

Found just a wipe of blood on some canes,, my heart sunk in disbelief as I realized,, he's on the move.

 

[Becca]

Enjoying the story so far Steve! I was bummed to have to sit this one out, but it was so fun for me knowing exactly where you guys were and a little about what the adventure entailed

 

[Daniel_M]

Keep those fingers poking at the keyboard.


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[Stid2677]

I knew this bear was dead and he had just not figured that out yet, I saw the impacts. Yet as I followed his trail moving from faint blood to faint blood my confidence started to wain. 100, 200, 300, 400 yards, I trail him to the edge of a gully, I can see his trail on the ground as his feet move earth as he walks. I'm standing trying to see where he went up the other side, when Kyle yells to Luke and they start talking about Lukes pack. The bear must have heard this as he stands on the far side of the gully and he starts roaring and swinging his front legs. I believe he had paused climbing that gully and was not long from dead, but at this moment he was quite ALIVE!

He is slightly left and uphill from me and I'm up on the high ground across the gully, Luke who is about 20 yards behind me or so, is asking me if I see him??

Oh Yea, I see him, hear him and smell him,, even at 10 yards I can see him but don't have a clear shot. I remain still and silent, I don't want the bear to focus on me, I lean to my right and get a clear shot at his chest and fire,, his head drops and the weight pulls him into a barrel roll, he ends up on his belly and starts to crawl up the gully and I fire twice more into his side, I fired one last shot into the dead bear to make sure it was so.

I yelled to Luke that I was empty and he was at my side in an instant. He handed me his rifle, but the beast was finished.

 

[Stid2677]

When I got up to him, I could see that this old bear had apparently been shot last fall. He had an old bullet wound across his nose, that was partially healed and we dug an old 30 cal slug healed in his wrist.

 

[HERD CHALLENGER]

Just AWESOME

 

[Stid2677]

Using gravity it is all the 3 of us can do to roll him over, night is not far off and the smell of rain is in the air. I notch my tag and attach the locking tag.

We leave the bear and beat feet back to camp, we will return tomorrow morning with the raft to float him out.