|
[ Return to Contents
| Post a Reply
| Post a new message
]
First black bear
Posted by Bork on Oct 11 2005
Hey everyone!
We were blessed with another successful hunt yesterday in the Kenai Mountains. Aaron and I have spent the last couple weekends since our Kenai caribou hunt glassing the hills in the pass for black bears. However, everytime we were out we saw them too late in the day to make a stalk. They are WAY up there! Anyhow, after a frustrating day Saturday of seeing only one bear at about 4pm, I made sure we were in glassing country at first light on Sunday. As soon as it was light enough to see, Aaron glassed a nice little blackie way up at snow line. We watched it for a bit, then threw our packs on and hit the ground walking. Let me tell you, those hillsides are deceiving! The distance is further than it looks (as always), the vegetation is thicker than it looks, and the hills are steeper than than look! AND everything is slippery since the vegetation is starting to rot. It was a good hour or two of alder thrashing, crawling through grass as tall as me, and sliding backward before we reached the alpine tundra. It was steep, but at least I could see and my feet didn't slip out from under me! We dropped our packs at about the same elevation we'd seen the bear and then sidehilled in its direction. We spotted the bear and ranged it at 290 yards. We were on an open hillside with only one other bush between us and the bear. We made a sneak to the bush and ranged again...270 yards. We thought we might sit and wait for the bear to either walk away from us so we could make a staulk, or hopefully walk toward us, but instead it just fed in circles. We were pretty cold sitting in the snow with the wind in our faces now having cooled down from the hike so I decided we should just sneak when it's back was to us. Everytime that bear turned we scooted toward it and then would stop dead still when it turned. We did that for about 100 yards, until we a ranged it at 200 yards. I had the hardest time getting a rest because the hill was so steep I kept sliding down when I tried to get in position. Finally, I spotted a little bench that was level enough to get a good rest. I made the shot and that bear rolled all the way down the hill! ALL THE WAY...I kid you not, at least 800 yards. We found the blood trail, and then all we could find were skip marks where it had hit the ground and bounced down. So Aaron and I kept going down and down, think that over each little bench we'd see the bear, but no. Finally at the bottom of the alpine tundra we looked down an alder chute and spotted a dark spot. When we got her out of the chute, we tried to get pictures but it was so steep she kept rolling downhill. So we let her roll another couple hundred yards where she rested on a flat spot. I was ecstatic! This is my first bear ever! In fact, the first animal I've taken myself! It's not a monster, but its the best bear in the world to me! Take a look at our pictures on the site: http://www.alaskaantlerworks.com/alaska_hunting.htm
Next: Congratulations Phil Oct 12 2005
 Message Thread:
- First black bear Bork Oct 11 2005
|
