I usually hunt bear every 4 or 5 years here. We spot and stalk and have about a 50% success with a rifle. I haven't tried with a bow, yet! A few years back I was stalking a elk and ran into a big blackie who didn't know I was there...the wind was right and he was ripping some logs apart looking for some food and working his way toward me. I'm sure I could have stuck him if I had a tag. He kept coming, so I yell, "Hey Bear" and he stops and looks at me and then went back to eating, so I say "Hey Bear" he looks at me again and then goes back to eating. Then he slowly starts making his way toward me, I decide to back outta there and leave him be. He wasn't scared of me, at all. I did watch my back trail and kept a arrow knocked for several hundred yards, just in case he got stupid. He was a beautiful Jet Black bear, a color that's rare in this area. Most all of our bears are off color and most are dark chocolate brown.

Wow, I would like to see that. I would not be hunting anywere without a bear tag and would have a pistol back-up. I am headed to hunt Brown bears in the spring before I move to colorado. There are some color phased bears here but most our all black and some with brown muzzels.

I hope you have a great Brown bear hunt. Are you going to hunt them with your bow? If so, what kind of back up do you bring with you? What part of Alaska do you hunt Brownies in?

No.. Not hunting Brown Bear with my bow..Using my .378 weatherby Mag with 270 grain barnes X. This spring I am hunting the west side of cook inlet GMU 16. Suppose to be good numbers in that area. Using a bush pilot to take me accross the Cook Inlet from Soldotna. He will drop my friend and I off on the beach at low tide then come back in 11 days and pick us up..Hopefully I connect on a nice brownie.

Oh and Iw ould carry a 44 mag or my mossberg 600 cruuiser with 600 grain slugs. I have been charged by a black bear here and had to throw a round at him at 10 ft..needless to say I was shaking like a crap game.

That is an awsome picture. Congrats on the bear!

I would be terrified to hunt bear with a bow.

MtCop,
Good luck on your Bear Hunt. Be safe and "Breakem Down".
What is your shot sequence on a Brownie?
Mine would be......
First Shot...Front Shoulder
Second....Other Front Shoulder
Third....well hopefully he's anchored, if he's not, I'd go for a front albow.
If he's still not anchored...the other front albow.
Once he's down to stay I'd double lung em

When you get down here let me know and maybe we can hook up.
Jeff

I'd say black bear densities are much lower across the state than for the southern portion of alaska... just a guess. Although there are certain regions of colorado that are probably at least close to alaska in density. Spot and stalk is all you can do here. bait and dogs are illegal.

One quirk, last year tags were limited over the counter only. Meaning you had to buy them either by phone or at a license agent when they opened up, some desirable areas go fast. Plus you have to have either an elk or deer tag in the same unit for the same season (and method of take) for which you wish to hunt bear. Depending on where you want to hunt, this could meaning drawing a deer/elk tag.

In other words if you want to hunt bear you have to also buy a deer or elk tag. I assume this will stay the same for '06.

BTW, what is that ruger you have chambered in. just curious.

Jeff,

My shot sequence on a Brown Bear will be front shoulder first, then unload until he stops breathing. Usually (the guides say) breaking don the front shoulder will spin them around and give you a nice double lung follow up. I have personnaly backed a guy up on a interior grizzly that took 6 shots to expire with 300 and 338's.

I will certainly let you know when I get down there.

Thanks

Matt

Bitmasher,

Thanks
for the info..looks like I need to study up on the regs. I thought you could get over the counter tags for elk, deer and black bear. I will be hunting as a resident since I will be on permanent orders with the military.

The gun in the pic is a 300 win mag with a 3x9 Nikon Monarch

Thanks

Matt