Brown Bears, Deer & King Crab

[1dirthawker]

But a hunter who refused the support of a guide can also be understood. He was just unlucky. It must have been a bad day for him.

I also usually refuse fire support.

i do understand the sentiment. he was not unlucky, he shot poorly and then short stroked his bolt. he did in fact have a horrible night and next day.

refusing fire support has one plus, you can say you did it your self. on dangerous game, when YOU are going in the thicket, i kinda feel you should do it yourself. BUT, that is not how it is done. Bears, especially big ones, die hard. sometimes having more guys shooting is a plus. also, when you tell the story, you can tell your audience that you shot it all by yourself.

i don't want to shoot my hunters bear. however, if the choice is shoot it as it heads for cover, or, take a chance on finding it in the alive alders tomorrow (we never follow up a bear the same day) i am going to shoot every time. this is discussed in detail with the hunter before we leave the boat and head into the field.

i know it sounds like i am making this up, but many hunters that shoot fine at the range checking their zero on their rifle regularly shoot poorly at a live brown bear. they are even worse at a bear that has been shot and starts thrashing around. the clients ONE job is to make that first shot a great one. if a hunter shoots well on the first shot, then the extra shots are just gravy because that FIRST shot has actually killed the bear.

it is the hardest part of my job to decide in less than a second if a bear has been well shot on that first shot while looking thru the reticle of my 1.5-5x scope while being blasted by a hunters muzzle brake. if that well shot bear heads toward cover, then i have to decide if i have time to allow the hunter to shoot again before i get involved. because tomorrow, i will be going into that alder thicket without my hunter, with the company of one or two extra guides that i trust. i have done this quite a few times now, i don't like it. makes a great story drinking a scotch by the fire, not worth a shit being in the thicket, all nerves, waiting for the possible charge of a NOT DEAD 1400 pound predator (no, they are not all that big).

nobody needs backup on PG, dangerous game is......different in my never to be humble opinion.
hopefully, ScottCWO will chime in his thoughts because he is also a brown bear guide and i value his opinion.

 

[Raven]

Famous last words.

Well, I really prefer to do it myself. If the bear is too far away, I just don't shoot.

A friend of mine shot a bear at 400 meters with a .300 WM. Another friend with a 9.3x62 got a bear at 300 meters. Both are very experienced hunters who have specifically trained for long-range shooting. I've never been interested in that. The risk of losing the trophy is too great.

The longest distance I've shot a bear was about 120-130 meters. I stood in knee-deep snow, without poles, and shot handheld from above. The bear was jumping along the bottom of a ravine. Hitting it was difficult, and there were some misses. But I hit it really well once. And that was the deciding factor.

I usually try to sneak up as close as possible. My last two bears were taken at 20-25 and 30-35 meters. It's hard to miss at that range. And if you use a powerful caliber, then the bear’s fate is usually sealed.

however, if the choice is shoot it as it heads for cover, or, take a chance on finding it in the alive alders tomorrow (we never follow up a bear the same day) i am going to shoot every time.

Why are you waiting so long and not using a dog?

i know it sounds like i am making this up, but many hunters that shoot fine at the range checking their zero on their rifle regularly shoot poorly at a live brown bear. they are even worse at a bear that has been shot and starts thrashing around.

But it's true. Any hunter shoots better at a shooting range than on a hunting trip. And on a hunting trip, the uncomfortable position, adrenaline, and nerves make it even more difficult to shoot accurately. I think this applies to all of us. Some to a greater extent, and some to a lesser extent.

tomorrow, i will be going into that alder thicket without my hunter, with the company of one or two extra guides that i trust. i have done this quite a few times now, i don't like it.

Perhaps a condition should be set here: if you refuse the guide's fire support, you must then search for the wounded animal with everyone else. And if you don't want to search with everyone else, the hunt can be considered over. That would be fair. It would also allow the hunter to realistically assess their abilities and consider whether it's worth risking the loss of a trophy when things could be made easier.

 

[1dirthawker]

Why are you waiting so long and not using a dog?

first, a second or two is not very long. second, we don't keep a dog on the boat. much better to have a client shoot well than all the rest of the bullshit to recover a wounded bear!

 

[1dirthawker]

Perhaps a condition should be set here: if you refuse the guide's fire support, you must then search for the wounded animal with everyone else. And if you don't want to search with everyone else, the hunt can be considered over. That would be fair. It would also allow the hunter to realistically assess their abilities and consider whether it's worth risking the loss of a trophy when things could be made easier.

the problem is: i don't want a guy that i already know can't shoot, behind me with a loaded elephant gun. most of these hunters think they can really shoot, most of them have lots of experience hunting, but.....brown bears evidently are their kryptonite. they just get rattled or nervous or, or, or and when it comes time to shoot, many of them do a poor job.

if they hit the bear/draw blood their hunt IS OVER. hopefully we can recover their bear. this is also discussed before they go into the field. the problem is, most of them don't understand how tough brown bears can be, how fast they escape, etc. i am then required to know in a split second how to react/deal with the potentially life threatening situation they have created. hunters are not dumb, they just don't understand the things we try to explain to them (because we have seen all this before many times) and then later want to apologize for NOT LISTENING TO WHAT THE GUIDE IS TRYING TO TELL THEM!!!

many of my hunters are really great guys and i want them to get a huge bear, but, once the shooting starts i can only do my best to prevent a bad situation from becoming much worse.

 

[uplander01]

Great story, good times. That rack full of rifles looks far different than a rack full of rifles you'd see in Africa LOL.

 

[Raven]

first, a second or two is not very long. second, we don't keep a dog on the boat. much better to have a client shoot well than all the rest of the bullshit to recover a wounded bear!

Perhaps these are translation flaws. I was wondering why you're not looking for a wounded bear on the same day, why are you postponing the search for the next day?

the problem is: i don't want a guy that i already know can't shoot, behind me with a loaded elephant gun. most of these hunters think they can really shoot, most of them have lots of experience hunting, but.....brown bears evidently are their kryptonite.

Yes, these are serious reasons. Different guys come across among the clients. Some may be dangerous to others.

 

[1dirthawker]

Perhaps these are translation flaws. I was wondering why you're not looking for a wounded bear on the same day, why are you postponing the search for the next day?

generally, the rule of thumb for our operation is to look for a KNOWN wounded bear the next day. why? because the general rule is, tomorrow when you look for the bear, it is dead or has recovered, was not that badly hit and is gone. the vast majority of our bears are shot in the evening and going in to a alder hell in the dark or near dark is stupid/suicidal.

the next day, one has all day to look for the bear in decent or good light. there is no time pressure to hurry and find it before dark and make poor choices. also, the extra time gives a badly hurt bear time to stiffen up and/or die before we find it the next day. i would much rather find a dead bear than a badly/or not badly wounded bear. usually one guide has his head down following spoor while the other guide (or two) has their head up looking for a bear that has dug a bed and is only about 18" tall and laying in wait.

also, unlike africa, i am not worried about a scavenger eating my leopard/buffalo etc.

lastly, all the guys that i trust to go into the thicket with me are with their hunters in other locations and would have to be rounded up, with THEIR hunters missing out on valuable hunting time to look for a poorly shot bear. to try find them, get together and then go in for the bear before dark would be logistically impossible.

the thought of going into the alders right at dark with a wounded brown bear terrifies me. it can wait till tomorrow.

 

[Mekaniks]

generally, the rule of thumb for our operation is to look for a KNOWN wounded bear the next day. why? because the general rule is, tomorrow when you look for the bear, it is dead or has recovered, was not that badly hit and is gone. the vast majority of our bears are shot in the evening and going in to a alder hell in the dark or near dark is stupid/suicidal.

the next day, one has all day to look for the bear in decent or good light. there is no time pressure to hurry and find it before dark and make poor choices. also, the extra time gives a badly hurt bear time to stiffen up and/or die before we find it the next day. i would much rather find a dead bear than a badly/or not badly wounded bear. usually one guide has his head down following spoor while the other guide (or two) has their head up looking for a bear that has dug a bed and is only about 18" tall and laying in wait.

also, unlike africa, i am not worried about a scavenger eating my leopard/buffalo etc.

lastly, all the guys that i trust to go into the thicket with me are with their hunters in other locations and would have to be rounded up, with THEIR hunters missing out on valuable hunting time to look for a poorly shot bear. to try find them, get together and then go in for the bear before dark would be logistically impossible.

the thought of going into the alders right at dark with a wounded brown bear terrifies me. it can wait till tomorrow.

No joke. Words from a professional.

I have been on 1 wounded brown bear recovery and it was 1 too many. The last thing anyone should have to do is follow a wounded brown bear….

 

[Raven]

generally, the rule of thumb for our operation is to look for a KNOWN wounded bear the next day. why? because the general rule is, tomorrow when you look for the bear, it is dead or has recovered, was not that badly hit and is gone. the vast majority of our bears are shot in the evening and going in to a alder hell in the dark or near dark is stupid/suicidal.

the next day, one has all day to look for the bear in decent or good light. there is no time pressure to hurry and find it before dark and make poor choices. also, the extra time gives a badly hurt bear time to stiffen up and/or die before we find it the next day. i would much rather find a dead bear than a badly/or not badly wounded bear.

All bear hunts are similar, but each has its own traditions and nuances. It is clear that no one will go after a wounded bear in the dark – there is no point in that. There's no courage here, it's just madness.

But if there is a lot of time before nightfall, if you have the opportunity to find a trophy, skin it and return to camp in daylight, then why not? You will definitely find a badly injured or already dead bear. But a bear that is not very seriously injured can travel very far during the night and eventually be lost.

That's why my friends and I prefer to use a trained dog in such cases. She will stop the departing bear, start to tease and annoy him, so that there will be time to come up and shoot him. In addition, if he makes an ambush and waits for hunters in the thicket, an experienced dog will surely figure out this trick and warn us.

I had to look for injured bears with or without a dog. And I can admit that I've always felt calmer and more confident with a dog.

also, unlike africa, i am not worried about a scavenger eating my leopard/buffalo etc.

And sometimes we worry. If there are few bears in the area, then perhaps no one will touch the dead animal. But if there is a lot, then another bear can find it at night, this is also the time of their greatest activity. At best, he will bury a dead animal, and at worst, he will start eating it right on the spot and can greatly spoil the skin.


But these are, of course, our realities. It is interesting for me to compare such different facts in a common case. I would like to express my gratitude to you for a very interesting report. Also, thank you for the detailed answers to my questions.

 

[steve white]

Do you need a special license to go after the crabs? How do you catch them--in traps?

 

[1dirthawker]

Do you need a special license to go after the crabs? How do you catch them--in traps?

yes you do and you need to be a resident. you use a king crab trap, bait it with herring.