Brooks Bear

dukxdog

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
190
I traveled to the Alaska Brooks Range for a fall grizzley hunt. Short notice cancellation...like three days! Flew to stage from Kavik. You may recognize the camp owner. Weather was a real factor for flying. Couldn't get out for fly camp so hung around for three days. Outfitter was trying to get sheep hunters in and out between clouds. I told him to get others situated then put me out. I didn't mind laying around as I had spent the day before I left for AK in the ER. Sucked but wasn't going to miss a bear hunt!
Took my old Rem KS AWR .338WM with Swift 250gr.
After getting camp set, rain and snow kept things pretty wet but nothing less expected in north AK. Glassed a bunch of bears but most were days away. Arctic bears are smaller as there isn't much food for them. They eat a lot of vegetation and gophers. Most I saw were Black bear size but a couple were nicer. Did see a Muskox wandering around camp. If I was any farther north the bears would have been white.
When my bear showed he was grazing a couple miles from tent. Watched him a bit then another showed to try for his grass. He wasn't having the competition so chase ensued. That's when I decided to make a go for him. "Sprinted" across the soggy tundra to obtain a vantage over him. Watched him in the open (there are NO trees) for 45 minutes ranged at 364 yards. He wasn't coming any closer so decided to take a crack. **I have two nearly identical .338's but one shoots 225gr swifts. The one I took is stainless and factory Teflon coated. It shoots 250gr Swift and I don't use it as much.** I put the xhairs on him and squeezed off. CRAP missed! I hadn't allowed to the 250gr trajectory so shot low! Bear ran quartering towards me but had no idea where I was. I took another shot at about 200yds and missed again! He was making for some alders off to my right. If he made it he had escaped. At 100yds I swung the xhairs out in front of him just a bit and touched it off...WACK...but he made the alders. $H1T!!! Gathered my stuff then went to search. Found stone cold dead bear in the alder alley. What a relief! Perfect shot at end of ribs lodging in the hide off the shoulder. Swift mushroom baby! Man was that lucky. Guide had been mauled the week before by a wounded bear in the alders so that was playing in my brain!
I'm not a long range shooter and never professed to be a running shot shooter but I've shot enough to know what I need to do. Some luck always helps.
Off to Kamchatka in two days for a couple Brownies (so long as my passport and visa arrive FedEx tomorrow!) That's been a nightmare and very stressful up to the end. Just got off the phone with the Russian embassy. Don't have passport yet so not totally out of the dark! Fingers are crossed. Nothing like waiting until the last moment. Hate that!!! C'mon FedEx!!!
 

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Wrench

WKR
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
5,596
Location
WA
Did you get to watch them grab the gophers? I took these two pics two minutes apart. In one more minute that bear was almost out of sight and all for a 8 ounce meal. Amazing critters.

Congrats! Screenshot_2017-12-15-06-18-28.pngScreenshot_2017-12-15-06-20-04.png
 
OP
dukxdog

dukxdog

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
190
Cool photos. No didn't see any digging. They were either grazing or traveling. Saw about 15 bears. They don't look like they are moving fast but can cover the country when on the move.
 
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