Alaska Black Bear - Part II

[M. R. Byrd]

That adds a big complication, as now I have to take a plane to Pt. Baker to get the skiff, while Joe and Troy head to the cabin in a separate plane. I will meet them there with the skiff, assuming a tsunami doesn't hit on my way.

Oh well, it wouldn't be an adventure, without some adventure.

Ah, Point Baker-

Say hello to Herb when you get your bears sealed-

Oh, and if you need to make a call, here is the phone directory for Pt. Baker and Port Protection.

Check at this skiff over at Port Portection-

Randy, I am happy that you are there and all the best of luck. God Bless.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Good Luck Randy! Be safe and kill a huge bear!!!

Cant wait for you return!

 

[npaden]

Very neat to be following this first hand. I have a spring Alaska black bear hunt on my calendar for 2013 and am taking lots of notes.

 

[passinthru]

Good luck and stay safe.

 

[mn taxidermist]

Good luck Randy and Joe. All of us back in Big Falls are pulling for you even if we are a little jealous.

 

[Big Fin]

Day 1 - Getting there is half the fun (NOT)

After a long day of travel, Jim met us in Petersburg. I was looking forward to getting time to visit with him and catch up since we last spent time about three years ago. The idea of taking his boat down to Point Baker seemed like a great way to do just that. Even if it is a sail boat and only can motor at 7 knots, it would be fun.

Jim and I left at 11:00PM knowing it would be a long haul down to Pt Baker. Jim wanted to tackle Wrangell Narrows at that time, needing to catch the outgoing tide. Those who have even been in that narrows, know why it is so heavily marked with buoys. It was slow going. I mean real slow. But, the time went by as we talked about the crazy stuff we did as college roommates and all the times we had hunted and done things that now look like real stupid stunts. Youth and ignorance were abundant in our college days.

We finally got through the narrows at the entrance to Sumner Straight around 4AM. Now I am seriously tired. I had been awake for the last 26 hours. I needed some sleep, and really didn't care where. Jim dropped anchor and we both slept for a couple hours.

I was awaken by Jim pulling anchor, much sooner than I wanted. We needed to get in the Straights and head west to Point Baker. Jim was listening to the marine forecast and a storm was coming that afternoon. We wanted to beat that storm as much as we could. We finally arrived in Pt Baker at noon and waited for the skiff to arrive.

Gary, owner of Hollis Bay Cabins, brought the skiff at 12:30, just in front of the forecasted winds and rain. We wasted no time tying in to Jim's boat and starting to tow the skiff across Sumner. That took way longer than I ever imagined.

By the time we got half way across Sumner, the winds were howling - 30 knots. Seas were building and the rain was pelting. Jim laughed as I expressed how I would have been in deep doo-doo had I tried to cross this in the skiff. Having heard the weather forecast, I would have been forced to stay in Pt Baker. But were? On this open bow skiff in a pouring rain? No thanks.

In retrospect, the idea that I would take the skiff across there was about as stupid as any hair-brained scheme I have come up with since the advent of this show. Even if it is not howling when you leave, by the time you get across, it might be. You take those winds, tides, and swells from the big water to the west, and it is not a place to screw around.

And, even if things are going well when you start out, when you only have one motor, you are taking risks in that water. No kicker motor, no dual motors. A mechanical failure and you are in a bad way. Just so many things could have been a problem, I am at a loss as to how I was so ignorant to think it would be fine.

Jim had spent a lot of time commercial fishing these waters, and he knew how it can get. It might be glass calm, but that is the exception. When I told him of my stupid idea, due to the new laws about skiff delivery, he suddenly wanted to spend a few days visiting with me. He didn't admit this, but I think he was worried that my ignorance and my sense of duty to this episode were a dangerous combination. He was right.

We all think we can do things based on what we read, hear, or find out by research. Sometimes our lack of experience is a bad deal. This was one of those cases. I might sound overly dramatic, but given the weather of last week, I wonder what would have happened if Jim had not offered to take me and my skiff across that piece of water. Regardless, I am thankful for him doing that and thankful for him being such a great uncle.

By the time we got to Keku Straights, things were really bad. Fortunately, we were in the protection of some bays and islands, so it was not affecting Jim's boat. Caused the skiff to toss around like hell, but we were fine.

We navigated Devil's Elbow and the tides were starting to rip out pretty fast. The 7 knot speed of Jim's boat was making progress, but much slower against those tides. We got to the bay in front of the cabin by 7:30PM. I was completely exhausted, and I suspect Jim was too.

Given how windy and rainy it was, I was now wondering if Pacific Wing Aviation was able to get Joe and Troy to the cabin earlier that day. I know how low the cloud cover was, and if they flew, they followed the ocean and would not have taken any shortcuts over the mountains.

I untied the skiff and headed to shore, while Jim secured his boat for an evening anchorage. I beached the boat and walked the quarter mile to the cabin and was met by Joe and Troy. They told me I looked like chit. I suspect I did. It had been a long journey and I had all of two hours of sleep in the last forty hours.

They tell me they have good news and bad news. Well, what is the good news, as I have not heard any for a day or two. The good news is that they got everything in the cabin, lots of water filtered, and the cabin stove was full of fuel and burning hot.

OK, what's the bad news? Well, seems that Joe was worried about leaving his rifle behind, so when he left the motel, he put it in the back seat of the van, not in the back cargo area. And when they unloaded the cargo area, they van driver left and no one thought much of it, When the plane landed and they dumped all the gear on the beach, Troy asked Joe where the rifle was. Oops, still in back seat of the van.

I informed them that I did have my rifle and lots of ammo. We would hunt with one rifle, if need be. Joe apologized profusely for this incident. It was not the end of the world, but sure added some drama and storyline to the episode.

I handed off some gear to them, then motored out to Jim's boat to see that he was secure for the evening. He could use the night to get some sleep, so after seeing him anchored up firmly, I turned the skiff back to shore. I threw my gear on the beach, then pushed the skiff out to the deeper water and allowed some slack line for tides of these narrows.

Troy knew I would be starving, and I was. He had cooked up some special concoction and I didn't even ask what it was. I ate it, recounted to them how stupid my idea was to cross that water in a skiff, and unpacked my sleeping system.

As much as I would like to have stayed up and visited, I was too beat. Before the lantern was blown out, I was asleep.

The last thought I remember was how this great hunt opportunity was now probably a thing of the past for the self-guided hunter. Next year it goes to a drawing system for self-guided hunters. And, with the new interpretations of skiff rental companies supposedly offering guiding services by dropping off skiffs, these grounds will become logistically off-limits for the self-guided non-resident hunter. What a shame.

This hunt hadn't really even started yet and I had all the adventure I needed. I went to bed hoping the rest of the hunt would be much less adventure.

 

[Big Fin]

Day 2- We can finally start hunting.

Me and Jim are wasted. Having slept very few hours over the last two days, I don't get up until 10AM. Probably not a big deal, as the wind is howling and the rain is coming down in sheets. Not sure if they get vertical rain in this part of the world, as this was more of the horizontal variety.

I motor out to Jim's boat and pick him up. We are cooking up some goodies and he is now awake and thinks some warm food would be a help. Jim tells me he wants to catch the outdoing tide for the trip through Rocky Pass. I tell him I will join him and read the maps and GPS, while he navigates through the narrows.

Rocky Pass and Devil's Elbow are a stretch of miles of rock reefs and narrows that have tides up to 7 knots. Last year, I was amazed at the tides ripping through those narrows. They create the equivalent of a rapids.

I was glad to spend the last few hours visiting with Jim. And, his boat is much warmer in this miserable weather. Joe and Troy followed behind on the skiff, standing tight behind the windshield to hide from the misery of mother nature. The plan was I would jump in with them after reaching Entrance Island. Jim would continue home to Haines from there. We would hunt our way back to camp that evening.

By 5PM, we had reached Entrance Island. Jim stopped his motor and Joe brought the skiff alongside. I gave Jim my deepest felt appreciation for what he had done and told him how much I enjoyed the last two days of catching up. With that, he was on his way. We turned the boat back toward camp and started looking for bears between the sheets of rain that were pounding down.

No bears were spotted. Bears may have been there, but it was raining so hard, you wouldn't see them from even 200 yards away. I suspect Joe thinks this Southeast Alaska black bear hunting is way over rated. We arrive back at the the cabin wet and cold.

Everything is soaked. Troy is struggling to figure out how he will film in this weather. Wind kills audio and rain kills video. Wind and rain such as this penetrate even the tightest camera weather shields, and that kills cameras. The challenges this year were making last year seem like a walk in the park.

Back at camp, we heat up some water and indulge in dinner of dehydrated meals. Mountain House delicacies.

I turn on the marine radio to get the short-term weather forecast. Tomorrow is more of the same. 30 knot winds with rain. Not good hunting weather and even worse filming weather. Oh well, you can't do anything about the weather, so it was time to get the mental mindset of how hard this would be and dig in for the long haul.

That is what I planned to do. I didn't come here to just sit in a cabin and bitch about the weather.

Not feeling too well, I took a heavy dose of my liver medication and hit the sack. Sleep was still in short supply.

 

[Big Fin]

Day 3 - The last of the worst

Randy wakes up and is having major liver problems. Some of you know that I have this strange liver condition that requires lots of rest, some meds, finicky diet, and a few other regiments. When I stray from that, things get out of kilter. Sometimes when I walk the straight and narrow, things can still get out of kilter. Well, today, things are beyond "out of kilter."

I have heard Joe and Troy stirring for some time. I am trying to wake up and get moving, but the swelling, disorientation, and headache puts me back to bed.

Unknown to me, Troy and Joe go for a hike around the cabin, scouting for bears, but mostly ended up getting drenched. I slept.

Finally at 11:00AM I wake up. Troy sees me and sends me back to my bed. Joe, not having seen this condition before, has a look of serious concern. Time for some heavy meds. Since the wind is howling, I don't feel too bad about the morning hunt being shot. I am quickly back at rest and not worrying.

By 2PM I am up and slowly gaining function. My head is throbbing and my hands are shaking, but I feel much better than a few hours ago. I drink a liter of water and down some more meds. I look in the reflection of the cabin window and can tell why Joe looked shocked when he saw me. Serious swelling. I can see my cheeks puffed out below my eyes and my eyes are barely small slits. I actually feel better than I look. When you watch this episode and see my face puffed up on some days, you will probably wonder who beat the hell out of me, as even now I am still pretty swollen.

With the wind forecast higher in the areas to our north, we go south in afternoon. Wind blowing 25 knots down there and keeps us to the narrows. I wanted to get around the point and go into Three Mile Inlet, but it is just blowing too hard to go around the point and expose us to the bigger waters of Sumner, even if it is only for a few miles.

The rain is ridiculous. When you glass to the shoreline, you can barely make out anything. The rain is obscuring everything. Troy has his camera tucked into the dry box, not risking damage to it in this weather. We have some backup cameras, but they are not our best, so no sense in taking chances when the odds of seeing a bear are so slim.

We slowly follow the coast back north. We have to follow very close to shore, just to be able to see the objects on the shoreline. I am thinking that if a bear is there, we are going to be so close that we will scare him off.

Finally the rain lessens for a small stretch. We stop the boat and glass the many bays and inlets bear Tuhean Creek. Almost by accident, I see a bear moving along the willows on the east shore. As quick as he appeared, he has now disappeared back into the forest. We stay and wait for him to come back out. Finally, the rain starts back up and we cannot see much. Yet, we wait, as if the bear and the rain will somehow give us a break.

Eventually we are driven back to the warmth and heat cabin. We are very cold and wet. And even more bummed out. This was not at all what I had hoped for.

Fortunately, I am with two of the easiest-going, dedicated, guys you could ever be with. Joe and Troy are still laughing and now getting to know each other a little, giving the other a ration of crap in heavy doses. Their interaction has me laughing hard, and in spite of my concern about the weather impacting this hunt, it seems we are still having a lot of fun.

Back at the cabin, Troy has the stove roaring. Clothes are hanging on lines drying out. Troy is cussing, as his camera is giving him error messages - never a good sign.

On a bright note, when I turn on the weather forecast, it calls for more of the same in the morning, with clearing skies and lesser winds tomorrow. The rain might even stop. Holy smokes, prayers might be answered.

I tell the guys that in the mornings, we should hunt the big tide flats behind the cabin and see if the weather does clear. I want to go check out the places I saw bears last year, and see if we can call them in. My hope is if the weather clears, we can make it further north tomorrow afternoon/evening and check out some places I couldn't get to last year when we had the smaller skiff.

A hot dinner and another big dose of meds and I am feeling pretty damn good, contrary to what my physical appearance may be. No problem finding sleep this night.

I wish I had some pics to post, but the rain was so bad, that I did not take my camera out of the bag these first three days. All I would have been able to photo would be pelting rain, which doesn't make for very compelling images.

 

[NVLongbow]

Great read Randy! Can't wait for the rest of the story.

 

[thecrittergitter]

Dangit Fin! Hope you start feeling better and get some better weather.........Weather is turning for the good down here, hopefully you get the same.

 

[shoots-straight]

As always a good read Randy.

 

[Big Fin]

Day 4 - About Time

We woke to more wind and cold rain in the morning. As was planned the night before we went south of the cabin for set ups of calling. It was a long hike, stopping every half mile or so to set up and call for bears.

As we walked along, I was getting very worried about this episode. Where last year the grass had been green and knee-high, this year it was nothing but brown. Where there had been so much scat and tracks last year, showed nothing. This was not what I had hoped for.

Given we had no real options with the wind creating havoc on the water, Joe agree with my calling plan. We made a total of 4 set ups and called in a total of zero bears. Not a promising outcome. My suspicion was that we needed to have a bear right next to us to hear the calling in this wind. I called as hard and loud as I could, but I doubt it made any difference.

With the forecast for the rain to stop and the winds to die down in the afternoon, I suggested we quit fighting the weather and go to the cabin for a good meal, hoping we could get out on the water later today and actually investigate the long list of bays and inlets on my "check here" list. And so we did.

Shortly after lunch, the wind stopped. As if Moses has asked for relief on our behalf, I actually spotted a piece of blue sky in the breaking clouds. Could this really be, or have I reached the point of hepatic encephalopathy, such that I am now delirious? I walk outside the cabin and am almost in disbelief at the change of weather. Finally, the weatherman was right. Thank God for small miracles.

We are now excited. Chattering and laughing, we load the boat and get ready to head north. Troy is almost unsure how to operate his camera without a weather shield. We can actually glass more than a hundred yards. Yee Haw!

In the hope of raising our spirits, I predict we will get a chance to kill a bear today, though the lack of greenery has me secretly worried that I am full of crap. Oh well, the new weather brings with it a lot of enthusiasm and optimism, which after fighting rain and wind for the last three days, is warmly welcomed.

This post is so long, it exceeds the allowable characters, so I am continuing the story on the next post. It is worth reading. Things get better, real fast.

 

[Big Fin]

Day 4 - Continued

So, continuing where I left off.......

We motor north through the dredged areas. This part of the pass is dredged to 4' deep at low tide. It is a lot of rock piles and winding channels. Always a little higher alert when I go through there. We come to the end of the dredged area and break out into the bigger part of the straights near High Island a stunningly beautiful area - a great area to kill a bear.

Last year I had seen two nice bears on the west shore, so I kill the motor and we drift in the breeze searching the shorelines for bears. It is now about 4PM. Seems too early for bears to be out, but if you are not out looking, you are probably not going to find them.

Within about ten minutes I notice a black object in the brush way over on the east shore. I ask Joe if he can make out what it is. I had glassed so many rocks and stumps over the last few days, I was not real certain in anything I saw as of this time.

As quick as I pointed Joe in the right spot, he stated that a bear had just come onto the beach. I pulled up the binos and sure enough, the bear was now in a very small area of green grass, feeding hard. I tested the wind and given the southern source of such, told Joe we would beach the boat north of the bear and come south toward where the bear was feeding.

Troy started assembling cameras and tripods while we motored to the shore. When the time for action comes, Troy is all business, dressing us down on shooting protocol, checking audio, verifying battery status, telling what he wants if the opportunity comes up.

We have an outgoing tide, so I pick the steepest shoreline I can find to beach the boat. We unload everything, tie off the 200' of bowline and push the boat out to deeper water. We have about 400 yards to cover to get near the bear.

The wind has stayed perfect. We are wading in knee deep water to make less noise than on the rocks of the beach. Many big spruce are blown into the water, forcing us to climb up and over them, as it is too deep to go around the tops that reach far out off the beach into the deeper water.

I figure we are now 200 yards from where the bear had been. The problem of motoring out of site to beach the boat is that you lose sight of the bear. You don't know where he went, which direction he headed, if you scared him off, or a myriad of other possibilities. So, our estimate of where the bear's location was completely based on information of our last sighting from fifteen minutes ago.

Joe had moved up the bank to find more cover in the brush as he made his approach. I was slightly behind and was out in the water, wanting to make less noise and try to see around the point. I noticed a very black object in the shadow of a big spruce. I whispered to Joe to stop. He looked back at me as I glassed the object. It seemed too dark to be a rock, but I doubted the bear would come our way, or cover that much ground in that short time.

Well, I was wrong. It was the bear. Joe could not see him, for a big spruce as obscuring his view. I pointed the bear to Troy. The bear was only about 70 yards away. Troy set up.

I eased up to Joe and told him where the bear was. Joe loaded a round in the .308. He readied in case the bear continued our direction. I stood on the tips of my toes to glass over the dead spruce. The bear was coming right to us.

Joe squatted down and could now see the bear under the dead tree. He was ready. I had the binos on the bear, trying to make out if it was a sow or boar, young or old. Joe was asking if it was a shooter or not. I told him I couldn't tell until he cleared that tree 30 yards in front of us.

I no more than said that and the bear ducked under the tree and popped up less than 30 yards out. He stopped and looked right at us. We held completely still. The wind was perfect. Assuming all was well, the bear dropped his head and started back down his path to our feet.

I could now tell this was a boar. He had a wide front end and his head looked big in proportion to his body. He was not a big boar, but he was making himself an easy target, and if he got much closer, he would be a mandatory target out of self defense.

I told Joe that this was his tag and it was up to him. He told me he would only shoot if I thought it was a good bear for the area. I told him we could find bigger, but to keep on the bear in case he got too close.

The bear continued slowly toward us. He stopped and looked at us again. Then after the short pause put his head down and continued this path that could very well be his demise.

Joe asked what he should do. I told him nothing, unless the bear got too close. Finally, seeing the bear had no idea we were there, I realized I had better do something, or Joe would be forced to shoot this young boar.

When the bear got to 15 yards, I jumped up, threw my hands in the air, and yelled as loud as I could. I scared the hell out the bear. He stopped, looked at us, then bolted for the higher ground.

Wow, talk about exciting. Our first encounter had some of the best bear footage we could ask for, even if he wasn't the shooter we were looking for. I turned to Troy and could tell by the look on his face that we had just got some "Money," which is cameraman slang for great footage.

Joe and I were laughing our butts off. Joe shared my same concern that this bear was going to force us to shoot him. Joe said if the bear had made it five more yards, he would have felt the need to shoot him, just from a safety standpoint. I agreed.

With that great encounter, we were off and running. We motored up the beach, glassing as we went. Within another half mile, we spotted a bear on the west bank. Getting closer, we could see this was probably a sow. Small in the front, making her butt look big. We just watched the bear as Troy tried to film from the bouncing boat. Given my assurances that it was a sow, Joe agreed we should not even make an effort for it, given the possibility it might be as suicidal as the previous bear.

Now we were really rolling. The sun was coming out in greater frequency. We hung a hard right and went way up a channel that is only accessible at the higher tide levels. Didn't see much, until right at the end, Joe noticed a bear on the east shore. He was feeding away from us. We waited until we could get a better view of him. This was a tight channel, and getting any closer risked chasing him off.

Not sure what happened, but something made him trot off. He didn't look very big. Not sure if that was a sow or a younger boar. Either way, he was not a shooter, given the number of bears that seemed to be emerging in the late afternoon sun.

We motored out of that channel, not wanting to be caught there when the tide went out. We moved along for a couple more hours, checking spots off my list, and finding some new spots that looked even better than on the map.

We now had about two hours of light left, of which one hour would be consumed by the ride back to camp. We turned into a huge bay that has a creek coming in on the south and a big mud flat to the east. As we slowly motored, I noticed a bear way to the east at the back of the bay. He was far away and it was difficult to tell if he was really big, or just big. He was for sure "big," but distance didn't allow to tell how "big."

Given the difficulty of beaching the boat in this big mud flat, and an outgoing tide that could keep us stuck there until the high tide of wee morning, we decided to come and look for this bear again the next day. I spun us around and we motored along the south shore line, wanting to get a better look back into that big creek flat. Simultaneously, Joe and I spotted a bear, and he was north of the "big" size. We quickly sized him up and where he was going. We decided he was just there to feed, not bothered by anything.

We beached at a small point, not far from the creek entrance. The wind was swirling, but we hoped it would stay from our south, as we were coming from the north. With diminishing light, we hustled as fast as we could, yet trying to be as quiet as possible.

As we rounded the last little rock knob, I knew that big bear would be a mere 125 yards away. Troy got right over Joe's shoulder. Joe loaded a round. We eased forward. And further forward. Finally, we could see the entire flat at the creek opening. No bear. Nothing but a swirling wind that I am sure told the bear of our approach.

Not much we could do about it. There was only one way to approach this creek mouth, and we had to do it that way. Unfortunately, the bear was not there, but we knew he was a whopper. We would be back here, for sure.

We knew we had to get back to the boat in a hurry. The tide was going out and this was a big bay, though very shallow. I didn't want to be stranded there for the night.

On our way back, we were laughing and spirits were high. We had weathered the storm, literally and figuratively, and luck was bound to come our way. It was getting dark fast as we passed through the narrows at a lower tide than I would like. On our way in, we saw four more bears on the shoreline. With no remaining light, we made mark of those spots and knew where we would hunting tomorrow.

At camp, we fired up the stove and made a hot meal. Lots of laughing and retelling of the close encounters of the day. Now this is what we came to Alaska for.

 

[Mato]

Good stuff Randy, have fun and be safe up there!

It's about Friday the 13th so things are about to heat up and the bruin ruin time will get real good down here..grin

 

[Goldtip]

Great stuff so far Fin, thanks for the updates!

 

[Big Fin]

Day 5 - Now this is fun.

The wind started blowing again last night, so we spend the morning glassing around the cabin. No results, so we get back and start loading our gear, hoping to be afloat before the low tide at noon. Well, at least that was our intention. Wrong.

The wind had switched to the north overnight. I had anchored the skiff, expecting the south wind to continue. The north wind took advantage of the extra tide slack it put in the anchor rope and blew the skiff toward the beach. Good thing Joe has a sense of humor, because this boat was high and dry. Had we been there a half hour sooner, we would have had enough of the bow in the water to have pushed it out off the rocks and caught the outgoing tide.

Nothing we could do now, except sit and wait. And wait. And do a lot of TV stuff, while I took flack from the other two guys about my boat anchoring talents. My defense was that with these bright skies and calmer winds, no bears would be out, so a good nap on the beach would do us all good. I doubt I was very compelling.

We did take a lot of pics. And a lot of video as Troy made sure the entire TV world understood what had happened and why these boat looked like the opening sequence for the old "Gilligan's Island" TV show. All we needed was ...... a professor and Mary Ann, here on Kuiu Island.

After all the razzing the tide started back in and we were finally on our way by 2PM. This was such an amazing change in the weather, it was hard to believe we were in the same spot where 48 hours ago it was pouring sheets of rain and a 30 mph wind.

It took a couple hours, but we finally bumped into a bear. He, or I should say, she, as in a back cove feeding on the gasses. She could not care that we were there. Now if we could only find a big boar to behave this way. We watched, then moved on, with sows being safe from our bullets.

We had only went another half mile, when a very nice bear stepped onto the beach and was walking real fast to the south. This was certainly a good bear. Not as good as the one in the creek mouth the night before, but a shooter, for sure. The north wind gave us great cover when we came from the south.

A small island was between us and him, so we used that as cover while we boated toward the shore. We peeked out around the island to see where the bear was. He was gone. Damn, where did he go?

These bears have the habit of being on the beach for a little while, then going back into the brush, then coming out a little later, only to disappear again. We circled around the island and looked way back into the bay. Nothing. One more loop around the island and I was sure he would come back out.

He did. But he came back out on the beach way at the back end of the bay. He was ambling at a good clip, obviously headed somewhere other than toward us. We marked him on the GPS and noted where we would come back to look for him later this evening. The afternoon bears seemed to stay out for much shorter periods of time, as compared to the evening bears, and this guy was no exception.

We cruised and glassed for the next four hours, seeing nothing. The weather was nice, but the bears seemed to have disappeared. It was now late, and the tide was going out. We decided to hunt our way back to the cabin in hopes of finding something closer and having less of a drive ride at low light and low tide.

Right in the middle of the rocky narrows, Joe spotted a nice bear on a small point way back in a cove. He was a bear worth going after, but with outgoing tides, the dilema was how to not get the boat beached. We quickly jumped out on a rocky point and I pushed the boat out as deep as I could, which was all of about 2', before running out of bow line. The plan was that Joe and I would get as close as we could, and I would rush back to keep moving the boat out with the outgoing tides.

This was a cooperative bear. He was coming right toward us, working his way along the brush on the point. Joe was down in the prone position, with the rifle ready. Joe has the bear in his sights, but no good shot. I range the bear at just over 200 yards. The bear is now in the brush and we see him moving right to left. He emerges from the brush and is facing straight away from us, going around the next corner on this small point. Joe has no shot. The bear disappears.

I tell Joe and Troy to go after the bear and I will run back and move the boat out deeper. I get there and the boat is already partially held up on one big rock. Ten minutes later and I doubt I could have moved this boat off that rock. I push out to slightly deeper water and wait for the rifle report.

I continue to wait, and know it is now past good filming light. I finally hear Joe and Troy coming my way. Joe tells me that he followed the bear around the corner and when he rounded the last big rock, the bear was standing on his hinds, with his front paws on a big fallen spruce, looking back at Joe and Troy. His vitals are obscured by the tree, so no shot is available, even at this close 100 yard distance.

This time, the bear moves off fast, trotting straight away to the forest where he first emerged. Joe was very excited. So close. But still no bear. We are having a blast, the bears are finally cooperating, and the weather is pleasurable.

We are chattering and scheming for tomorrow as we head back to camp. I am too focused on the channel and the buoy markers to make much note of any bears, but Joe spots on right off a point, not too far away. It is too late to film, so we keep moving along.

Back at the cabin, we make some chow and all agree - Tomorrow is the day!

Yup, we missed the tide, for sure.


A nice day for a nap. Bears will be there when we get going.


Two great friend enjoying the greatness of Alaska.


What a camera man does when the boat is beached.


Finally, we are on our way.


This weather is way too nice for SE Alaska. About time.


Last photo of the day, as I guard the boat, waiting for Joe and Troy to return.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Nice tilt shift picture! Man I wish I was hunting....

 

[Big Fin]

Day 6 - Time is getting short

Well, would today be the day? The morning was clear and crisp. The outgoing tide was in our favor. I was feeling rather poorly, so we were not on the boat until about 10AM, but still in plenty of time to avoid the same embarrassing calamity of yesterday.

We headed north again, where we had seen most the bears. It did not take long and we spotted a bear. He was far off and a reef prevented us from getting close enough for a great look. We marked him and decided we would give it a shot later in the day when the tide got higher.

We motored west and Joe spotted a bear on a big island - Horsehead Island. We beached downwind and had a perfect set up. The bear went into the brush before we could get a good mark on him. I told Joe we may as well call. He agree. We called four sequences and I was about read to start again when I heard Troy say, "Oh shit!" I turned and the bear was on a small rise 10 yards above us. Not good. The bear was coming to the dinner bell, and now it was a stare down of who was going to be dinner.

Fortunately, Joe did not have to shoot it. It looked like a sow. After about ten seconds the bear decided her nose was better than her ears and she decided to get out of Dodge. Wow, that was close. Calling does work. That bear came in from downwind, which shocked me. Evidently the sound of wounded deer was more than she could stand. That was about as exciting as it gets. This bear was looking for dinner, and it was us. I am going to try this more when I get back home to Montana.

After passing on that bear, we decided to go see if we could find the big bear we had spotted earlier. We motored over toward the east end of the bay. With an incoming tide, the risk of being stranded on this big mud flat was less, even with the wind picking up from the south.

We were looking for about a half hour when Joe finally spotted a black spot moving through the brush. Finally, the bear stepped out on the beach. Even at this distance, we could see this was by far the largest bear so far. As he walked, or I should say, waddled, down the beach toward us, you could tell he was an old boar. He was about 500 yards away and upwind. Perfect.

The plan was made to go into the mud flats, Joe and Troy would jump out, and I would hold the boat. This was a huge shallow flat with lots of rocks. With the wind blow right into the beach, I didn't want the boat smashing on these rocks. So, I would hold the boat and keep it away from some of the bigger rocks, while those guys went in and put the hammer on Yogi.

This was too good. You don't get a set up like this, especially with a bear of this size. Joe and Troy were quickly organized and wadding the knee-deep water toward shore. In short order, they were on the beach moving toward the bear. The bear was moving downwind, toward them.

Watching this from the side was fun. It looked like a collision course. From my spot, it looked like they were now within 300 yards, but hard to tell. I watched as Joe and Troy stopped and set up. The bear had also hung up and started feeding hard in a big green spot.

Under my breath, I am yelling at them to keep moving. The wind is perfect. The brush along the edge provides a lot of cover for an approach. I am worried another boat will motor by and cause the bear to dive into the brush. I watch.... and watch...and watch. WTH?

Finally I see Joe and Troy up and moving. Whew, I was afraid a perfect chance was about to leave our grasp. Joe and Troy have a small corner in the beach they must dodge into if they are to say out of sight of the bear. I figure they are now within 200 yards. The bear feeds toward the forest. He then turns and comes down toward the beach. Joe and Troy cannot see him from the little depression they walk into. The bear now slowly feeds into the brush.

Within a minute, I have lost sight of the bear. Joe and Troy continue forward. Evidently they can see him from their position. They are easing forward very slow. The stalk is on. I see Joe peek over a dead spruce and glass. He must see the bear right in front of him. Troy gets the camera set up. Come on, shoot. Shoot!

I cannot see the bear. I can only see what Joe and Troy are doing. They are now 50 yards from where the bear fed into the forest. What are they doing? They are now creeping forward. Now they are exactly where the bear went into the forest and the wind would be blowing scent right to the bear, unless he moved.

I am waiting. Finally, Joe and Troy turn and start coming back toward the boat. What? You gotta be kidding. Unknown to me, once they started moving forward, they could not see the bear at all from their stalk down the beach. They were waiting for the bear to continue down the beach and clear the brush. They knew if they continued forward, they would lose site of the bear, so it was decided to hope the bear would come to them. That small corner in the beach that was unnoticeable from my angle, so it seemed like they had stopped unnecessarily. But, that is the difference between being there and watching from afar. Damn. I thought for sure this tank of a bear was getting the victory lap.

By the time they got to the boat, the wind had picked up to around 20 knots. Clouds were coming in and a slight drizzle had started. Joe explained to me what happened. It all made sense. From my angle, it looked very deceiving. They did see the bear coming toward them from where they had first set up, but Joe said it was ranged at 375 yards. Way to far for a shot on a bear that is coming closer.

This is where it gets interesting, so I am going to continue the next portion in a different post.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Sweet write up Randy! Cant wait for the rest!

That boat beached is a classic photo for sure. Me and a buddy had that happen on a "crabbing" adventure many years ago back in college... will never forget it!

 

[Goldtip]

Got us on the edge of our seats, sounds like it was a great hunt.