[Stopper]

Dawson is in the Yukon territories and didn't make it that far north. Whitehorse was closer and they have a softball tourney every year that is alot of fun.

The only hunting I did up there was for blueberries and Sitka Blacktail deer. Carried a .44mag on the hip and a lever action .300 savage for the deer. Got a few deer and saw alot of bear but thankfully didn't have to shoot for protection. They are incredably beautiful animals, especially in thier habitat. I've seen brownies swimming in Cross Sound, probably going from island to island.

The joke is all you have to be is the second slowest person on a berry hunt'n trip to insure your saftey!

If you ever get the chance to go to southeast Alaska, GO! it is apsolutely gorgeous and will blow your mind. Get to the top of one of the mountains and you can see forever.

That "park ranger" shot the bear in "self defense"? Does anyone have a link for that info? He sure doesn't look like a park ranger. He has no patches or identifying mark that would have him recognized as a park ranger. He's also wearing hunting gear. I've never seen a park ranger dress like that.
If he did shoot in self defense - great. I'm glad that he wasn't hurt. But if he had time to reload during a charge by a bear that large, the charge must have started about 1/2 mile away. Those bears can really move. The whole thing just looks and sounds fishy to me.

[Stopper]

The kid works part time as an assistant, they use them alot in Alaska, summer work, fish weirs, collecting eggs and fish sperm, stuff like that. The deer season starts in August up there and the story is he was out hunting deer when this monster came out of the bush.

Even if the charge had started 1/2 mile away, noone would have saw the bear until it was almost too late. If ya haven't been into the Alaskan bush, then you don't know what bush is. He emptied the 7mm into the bear and the bear fell but was not dead yet, I guess the kid wasn't waiting around to let the beast bleed out, niether would I. I got this from a friend up in Juneau a while back, according to him the story checks out, but ya never know.

As for uniforms, if you don't work full time for fish and game you don't get uniforms. Most summer help in Alaska looks just like this kid. Either camo rain gear or Helly Hanson green rain gear, rubber boots and 10 pairs of extra socks, cause you can't stay dry up there.

[PAPA G]

if i was a young man again and decided to check out the Alaskan bush, i would not go any where with out a .375 H&H at all times, in season or not, PETA tree huggers can go pound the sand.

[Shaun]

This looks like the bear I want to find on a future hunt in Alaska

Very nice bear I wonder what the size was

[alan c.]

Actually the 7mm mag will do the job. If you want to live through a bear hunt the idea is to blow out the front shoulder area. It's kind of hard to chase you down on a broken shoulder. I don't think the higher calibers would make a difference. There is not a single shot that is going to bring this animal down. The old timers talk about heart and brain shots. The bear's system is on overdrive he will die after he has some fun with your body.
In the word's of my late father The 7mm mag is capable of taking any game in the North American continent. And I do agree.

[Calvin]

The last time I went to Canada to hunt bear, the minimum caliber was .30-06. And, that was for black bear. Grizzlies and Kodiaks had a .338 requirement. Saskachewan is far removed from any help, and we all had .44 magnums as back-up.
Stopper is right about stalking and the pucker factor. I can tell you from experience these animals CAN sneak up on you and you not know a thing about it until it's too late. We actually had one sneak up to our camp one night, and it was standing 5 feet from my dad while he was sleeping. The brownie snorted, then took a swat at him. In probably the smoothest move I've ever seen, my dad reached over to his .338 WM, and shot him just below the thorax, dropping him in the blink of an eye. The Brownie was 9 feet in height and weighed in at 1,125 pounds. As it turned out, this was the same bear we had been tracking for 2 days. He had doubled-back on us, and came in from behind the camp. That's what makes these animals so dangerous-they are very smart.
I am glad that kid got the bear before it got him. Whether or not the kid had to reload is irrelevant. Unless you've actually been in that situation, and I have, you will reload 10 times to make sure it's anchored. They play dead, too....

[PAPA G]

what a great story Calvin!!! always reading stories of bears and sleeping camper's. did the bear hurt your dad??? if i was there i'd have to burn my sleeping bag!!!

[missharpshooter]

That was a neat story.....thank-you CALVIN....also Alan C. fof your responce....now this thread is starting to get interesting...so GUYS bring on some more stories.....:nod:

[alan c.]

Calvin I hope your dad's method of hunting bear isn't catching on.
If so I think I will pass. All kidding aside that was a great story and I am glad every thing turned out ok. I have been black bear hunting a couple of times in New Mexico but never harvested any.
That was at an early age with my dad. Over the years I have read story after story of bear hunts in Alaska. All of their methods are pretty much the same.

[Calvin]

Thanks, everyone. My dad didn't get hurt, but his sleeping bag sure did. I still have it and bring it out every now and then to remind me how lucky we really were. Not many people get that close to a bear in the wild and live to talk about it.
The weird thing was after he killed that one, we kept noticing the following morning there were tracks around us from another bear, but could never find it. That bear followed us for 3 days, but we just could not find it.
On the flight out from the landing strip, we flew over the hill where he shot the bear. Believe it or not, the bear that followed us was in the same exact spot where he killed the first one. We never made any connection to it, but our best guess is that it may have been a mate to the one he killed. The pilot was absolutely dumbfounded and said he had never seen that happen before in 30 years of flying people in and out.

As a side note, I just now got off the phone with my dad. I told him about this thread and he said to tell you all thanks for the concern. And, he said don't try this on your own becuase he's a pro.

[Calvin]

Papa G, I had to burn my tent after that one. One reason was the obvious, and the second was because myslef and the other guys jammed our rifles through the walls of the tent to shoot that bear.
Alan, as my dad and you said, I do not recommend repeating that method of hunting. Maybe my dad just misunderstood the meaning of "baiting"...

[NRAJOE]

Someday I'm gonna get nekkid, rub myself with honey, and hunt "bar" with a Bowie knife....get back in touch with my Cherokee half!!

[Calvin]

That one screams for a comeback, but I'll let it pass this time.....

[NRAJOE]

WIMP!

[Calvin]

Okay, Buster Brown-buckle up! The hounding is on it's way!

[NRAJOE]

Thats better, wouldn't expect any less from ya! :right:

[alan c.]

I have a little Cherokee in my blood--enough to know bring a gun to a bear fight not a knife. I ain't Daniel Boone.

[missharpshooter]

Yeah...but the problem is you would think-up any excuse to get nekkid and rub honey on yourself...I heard it through the grapevine...LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL :nod:

[NRAJOE]

Thats right Di, grocery shopping, car hunting, going to a movie...etc, etc.....it's all good!