Bear Bums - Bear Hunting

One month and two weeks from now will find the four of us in Ketchikan, Alaska on our way to our one week black bear, deer hunt and fishing trip. The intense anxiety I’ve had in securing the material and ensuring we have the knowledge to pull this off is now much reduced and I’m finding myself excited for this next hunt.

I can picture one of us on the bank of the Karta River surrounded by the noise of the river. It will be thick with vegetation with fir trees, willow, grass and alders. A huge black bear, perhaps over 7 feet, will suddenly and quietly appear. That would be enough for the hunt to be successful, but for us there will be much more. Getting wet, drying off, cooking, eating, skinning, fishing, story telling, snoring. It’s going to be a good hunt.

Here are a few new specifics I may not have mentioned and may be helpful to your future hunting plans.

1. The airlines in general are allowing only one checked on luggage bag. This cuts your weight in half and makes a gun case extra luggage.
2. A single float plane cannot get four of us in without us giving more than we feel we can allow. We’ll take 2 float planes and will have 2,100 lbs (that includes us, motor, food, pots and pans, guns, salt, fuel—the works) Alaska Sea Plane Tours—Ketchikan Alaska.
3. A bear tag in Alaska will work for a deer harvest but not for both.
4. It was easy to borrow fishing stuff except the lures which must get lost easily.
5. We rented, instead of purchased, a box of cooking items, lantern, stove, small boat motor and life jackets.
6. The price for doing this bear hunting trip has almost doubled from two years ago and is still way less than ½ the price of a guided hunt.
7. We can get bulk salt from the local taxidermist and leave our trophies with him if we’re impressed with his work.

We’ll work hard, freeze, sweat and get wet, and it’s going to be a riot.

In response to a BearBums reader I thought I’d talk for a minute about specific hunting boots I like.

Thanks for the comment! I do have my favorite hunting boot for vigorous hunts and have tried many that are good. Those of you with bad feet require extra effort in satisfying our feet’s complaints. In the early 1990s I had a desert sheep hunt in Utah and used a pair of Vasque Leather Boots. I had been warned the toes would wear out if I didn’t try and stop it so I coated the toes with a rubber covering. These shoes were light yet rough and the coating over the toes saved my feet. I’ve worn those shoes out over the years.

Vasque Leather Hunting Boots

My most difficult sheep hunt was with Glen Wilsie in Alberta and once again it was a tough hunt. Here I had a pair of Meindl’s I got at Cabela’s. I’m still wearing this shoe. They’re stiff, hard toed and heavy and great for the rocks of serious sheep hunting.

Big black bear hunting is different. There can be a lot of walking but not much in comparison to sheep walking. Here I like lighter boots, like Danner Trophy 600G Hunting Boots, Vasque or a tough canvas shoe like they use in Africa. The Russell shoe/boot hit this role.

Danner Leather Hunting Boots

You’ll see it repeated a lot, but remember, a good boat is only good after you’ve broken it in. I often find myself feeding the horses, changing irrigation water and just going on made up hikes with a pair of new boots.

Boots will become your good friend faster if you treat them well. They seem to very much enjoy attention. I’m Read the rest of this entry »

I just read this article about bear overpopulation in the Ontario, Canada area. Here are some of my thoughts.

Some of the reasons I love bear hunting….I’m not sure I can number them without leaving out the most important or make it not sound like a political statement.

1. Bears have individual unpredictable personalities
2. Bears have personalities
3. There are bears pretty well all over the world (remember the bears of India—Major Jim Corbett; pandas, polar bears, grizzlies, browns, sun bears and the list goes on and on all over the world)
4. I can see them (if I keep my eyes open I see bears when I’m driving places, fall hunting, spring hunting etc.)
5. Bears, for the most part, are over-numerous.
6. Bears are quiet, loud, sneaky, shy, and aggressive and many times all at once.
7. With a little planning I can hunt them almost every year and have a great time doing it.

Articles like this one about Ontario, Canada bug me! I realize as hunters we’re stuck in a political mess and in many ways our neighbors to the north are worse off, like with gun laws and federal level laws.

I’ve been nervous as I’ve watched how our federal government handles issues like the wild horses and burros. Instead of making money on cowboys enjoying roping these wild animals we spend million of dollars on federal programs that do not work on capturing (with helicopters) and selling the horses to tree huggers.

We’ve (federally) acted similarly with the wolves, tree owls and even with our oil reserves. STOP ME! Anyhow, Canada in ways has a more difficult deal with national government than the USA has, but as hunters and bearbums we’re buddies. The Provinces of Canada have a huge resource with their bear population. Some of the lower States and Alaska have the same resource. I hope we can help out by sharing our excitement about bears and even our incomes as we travel and hunt in these locations. The loss of spring bear hunting in a Province like Ontario hurts us all.

Sorry about the politics. Take some time and read an old time story about hunting. See what we’ve given up and what we still have! Campfires In The Canadian Rockies or Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Major Jim Corbett.

I guess when I’m writing I think I’m speaking to a bunch of bear hunters sitting around the fire after a good day. In reality many of us are forced to satisfy our burn to hunt big black bears with reading, dreaming and the like. To satisfy those of us that dream and may not have a grasp on black bear numbers here’s a few words on the bear numbers.

Over the years I realize I have subconsciously selected and increased the likelihood of me being around hunters. Check out my today:

I was reminded, a past neighbor Kody, was headed to Blanding, Utah to start the dogs on bear tracks as the season opened this week end. The big problem with bear hunting in this area is too many bears. Dogs can’t stay on one track to the end without crossing other black bear tracks. Tough problem!?

Then here shows up a young man whose camper got ripped up by some black bears. He had the photos to Read the rest of this entry »

I just read this review of the Bear Skinner Suregrip Cleaver by Knives of Alaska. I repeat myself in saying, I love knives! When I pack for a hunting trip I have a dilemma as to which knife, knives I pack. It does matter to me what I’m hunting.

Bear Skinner Suregrip Cleaver by Knives of Alaska

For example, on a moose hunt I know I’ll need a lot of blade and I don’t have to worry about cutting up the hide very much as the hide is so thick. Different for an antelope hunt…frail, fragile skin, hide, with hair that slips easily. This requires a tiny blade and no putting off the skinning or rushing through the job. Bear hides, which I also love, are probably in between moose and antelope somewhere.

If I’m flying or backpacking each day, or go on a hunt from a remote tent camp or hotel room, I choose my one knife to take. With few exceptions, I now, after trial and error, make the knife decision when I pack at home. My advice, take one knife with you on a hunt, and it will never be the Skinner Cleaver knife.

I own a Knives of Alaska knife, the Cub Bear. I love it and it ends up on most of my hunts. It is small, handy Read the rest of this entry »

The four of us that are headed to Prince of Wales Island to hunt black bear and to fish in September just received a packet of information from Alaska Fish and Wild Life. I’m impressed by the help they sent. Alaska has a large variety of game and fish species so sorting through the paperwork can be a pain. The department put together a leaflet just for bear hunters.

Picture from Alaska’s Fish & Game site

The leaflet has a general information section then a good description of the units in Southeast Alaska. We’ll be in unit 2 at the Salmon Lake Cabin on the Karta River System.

I like the info they have about judging bears. There are about ten pointers in judging but the new one that make sense is a triangle method. On a big bear they point out the ear to ear distance is the same as the ear to nose distance. (an equilateral triangle) This of course is not true for a young bear who’s features show a greater ear to nose distance than its ear to ear distance.

Also described are shot placement, care of skull, hide and meat.

Included in the packet but separate from the booklet are large diagrams showing skinning techniques and vitals on large black bears. They even have a how to clean a skull handout.

With the added info I think a first time hunter could be greatly helped. The four of us have killed perhaps dozens of bears combines and we still find the booklets helpful and comforting.

In flying to a hunting site like Ketchikan, Alaska for our September black bear, deer and fishing hunt here are a few things to remember. The flying experience is usually completely out of our control. If I fail to give enough time to go through customs and transfer luggage from one airline to another I greatly increase the odds of a problem happening. If I pack inappropriately according to the airline rule, again, I’m asking for trouble.

The four of us are leaving Salt Lake City airport on September 5th and returning the 13th. I always think of leaving on a hunt like traveling to a foreign country and give myself at least two hours to get to the boarding gates. Now with extra security lines it may be longer.

Our original plan to fly to Petersburg, Alaska and float plane from there was changed for several reasons. The main reason being we couldn’t get ourselves to Petersburg or back to Salt Lake City in one day. The cost of an extra two days on top of the hunt is a big consideration for us. Not to mention the flight to Ketchikan, Alaska was $400-500 cheaper than Petersburg.

The adjustment to hunting the Prince of Wales Island of the coast of southern Alaska allowed us to fly to Ketchikan. This flight can be done in one day. Flights change all the time and next year it may be different, but that extra night in Seattle or elsewhere is costly in dollars and time.

The basic rules for carrying a firearm on a commercial flight are: (Remember each airline and or country can be a little different)

1. Rifle must be in a hard lockable case (I do not know about a revolver—but it will be way more strict) Read the rest of this entry »

Our ongoing personal list for the 2008 Prince of Wales Island, Alaska black bear hunt. We’ll be in a small forest service cabin on a lake with well over 5 miles of salmon streams to hunt and fish on. (Salmon Lake Cabin—Karta River system)

1. Rifle/scope, scope covers, sling - (I don’t like scope covers, but in this case it is inevitable—they keep water out and in. I can shoot a scope that’s wet but not one that’s foggy)

2. 40 rounds of ammunition - (sight your gun in after the airplane ride) It has to be in it’s original containers for commercial flying! Pack it separate from your gun.

3. Binoculars - (don’t forget these)

4. Spotting scope - (We’ll have two. One for each group) They are expensive and heavy so make the younger guys carry them.

5. Sleeping bag, air mattress - (Not a huge one) The great big bed mattresses are not good-too heavy and would take up the whole cabin. I think our cabin is 16ft X 20ft. Therm-a-Rest, Slumberjack or the new Exped Downmat 7 Sleeping Pad that I Iove and blogged about.

6. Small Pillow - The small down squish-able ones the size of a loaf of bread or just use your sweater, if you’re a good sleeper. Do not take the one off your bed!

7. Small backpack - There are a lot of backpacks out there. We’ll be carrying lunch, waders, and emergent stuff, so we’ll need one that’s not tiny. I like ones with real back support and I want it to be as big as the air Read the rest of this entry »

On our first Petersburg, Alaska bear hunting experience we lived with our water purifier. It was an essential part of life.

We have some experience on the water purifiers and came up with what we like and recommend. It’s possible to have each person take a little personal purifier but we did well having a camp, bigger volume, unit and used the filtered water for everything.

Fuel up there is just too valuable to be boiling water. Plus, if it’s raining all the time it makes fires a nightmare at base camp. This Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter (large for a group) is great and kept us ahead on water.

This is a simple water filter that can be used at base camp.

It’s a one-gallon rubberized container with a filter at the bottom. You fill it with stream water and the water slowly (over 15 minutes) filters through the filter, down a plastic tube and into a cooking pot or your canteen. Read the rest of this entry »

I love being a gun owner. In fact, I think each hunter in the country should own another gun each year just to keep the juices flowing. With ownership comes some responsibility. Guns are something your great grandkids may receive from you. You may have your great grandfather’s guns. My dad brought a Japanese rifle back from the south pacific as WWII ended. I now own it. It’s clean oiled and works. I love it.

This may be one of the most valuable bear hunting tips that I provide.

Bear hunting can bring out the worst in a gun. The thicker the bear population, likely, the denser the forest and the more damp the environment. On a coastal Alaska bear hunt my son Jed was using my .300 Win. Mag with a blued barrel and wood stock. It is a nice Ruger bolt action rifle. No kidding, we had to clean off rust daily to keep up and when I got home I took it completely apart and found bad stuff that required a lot of work.

Here are some suggestions for keeping your gun in good shape. Remember, I’m no museum guy just a hunter with experience. As a general rule metal likes oil and wood hates it. Skin carries oil with enzymes in them that can eat metal. Water is the main killer.

This solvent should last you a while

To prepare for a hunt I use Hoppe’s Gun Solvent to clean the entire rifle. This takes off the excess oil, acids, and most stains. I try and separate the wood stock from the metal pieces as much as possible. The metal I then treat with light high quality oil, like Remington Oil. At this point I do not want excess oil. The stock is treated with a wood oil, wax or preservative to seal it little. Read the rest of this entry »