Pretty gnarly picture, don't you think?!!
I also think that if I was walking around in brown bear country, I'd make sure that my gun was held together with something more than electrical tape (which is what it appears to be, from what I see). While the wood on the stock is breaking down, you can still see the tape holding the stock and gun barrel together!!I am sure that the skulls and the gun have been there for a while (and probably moved to some extent). Kinda reminds you of Jeremiah Johnson, when he finds that .50 caliber Hawkins in the hands of "Hatchet Jack", or whatever his name was.....
I wonder if the bear attacked the person, who shot the bear as it charged and killed them....or if the gun hunter shot the bear, wounded it, and it killed him before succumbing to its wounds? What a story this setting could have told at one time.....If anyone is familiar with the details of this photo, or the events leading up to this photo, I am sure that a lot of Bowsiters would be interested....(even if it WAS a gunhunter versus an archer).
Whoever the hunter was he was unfortunate in more ways than one.
Would make a good CSI episode.
I, Hatchet Jack, being of sound mind and broke legs, do leaveth my rifle to the next thing who finds it, Lord hope he be a white man. It is a good rifle, and kilt the bear that kilt me. Anyway, I am dead. Sincerley, Hatchet Jack.
The gun and skulls may have been moved, to get them all in the photo at the same time.....and if that is what you mean by "staged", I would have to agree.....both on the staging AND the choice of shotgun over handgun.
If you mean that the photo was "fixed" or shopped, I would disagree. The photo that I got was very old and dusty....and probably easily predated any computer technology.
That is a damn big bear skull....probably close to B&C size. I posted a photo of a 28 2/8 in last Spring's brown bear thread, and this skull looks rather similar in size....even though the right side is still in the dirt somewhat......
Thought-provoking for sure.
He did leave a 12 ga. shotgun with #6 first, then buckshots and finally slugs in the gun. I wasn't scared but I did think that it was very bad planning on his part.
Why would the bear die right where the hunter died from a heart attack?
Awesome....great pic Jake
Scoot I had something different in mind and it wasn't involving a Grizzly bear ...more like Halle Berry.
That's a great picture. With the quality it is hard to tell but could that possibly be a lever gun rather than electrical tape? Almost looks like the receiver of a model 94 but who knows. Either way a cool picture.
I've read both of those books a number of times each. Fantastic stories for sure.
Come to think of it, you might have a point.....I didn't expect the gun to still be black...I figured it would be rusted. However, if it was somewhat covered or buried, it wouldn't have to be rusty. Some much for my electrical tape idea.....but I agree, either way, a cool picture.
Blacktail Bob,
My Spring 2010 brown bear bowhunt with Tom Kirstein overlooked the very area where the fish cannery was on Olga Bay. I was under the impression that Pinnell and Talifson has a bear camp in that very valley.....
Thanks for showing me the correct spelling....I'll edit mine now - BTW, are you going to P&Y?
Death by Cougar does seems far more palatable...:)
I'll be there Wednesday night, look forward to seeing you.
Jake.......
Sounds like a Brown bear hunt coming up on your horizon this year???? =D
Cool pic, that would have been a story for sure. Makes you wonder who started the fight that wound up in a tie.
Blowing up the pic I can't tell for sure what gun it was. Doesn't look to be tape, but even that I couldn't say 100%. Only receiver that looked like that I can think of offhand is a savage 99. No tube magazine. But I can't make out any lever, or the rest of it for that matter. Savage 99 would be my wild guess. There were lots of em up in that country way back when. Not the greatest brown bear cartridge in a 300 Savage or 308 but the 358 (necked up 308) had some pop to it for a lever gun. But I bet the 99 killed lots of big bears. I had an Uncle with a mod 99 in 250-3000 (mine now) that killed several black bears but that's a different animal.
Bob...... LOL!
VEY cool pic. Agreed that pic was probably "arranged" to get all the evidence in one photo.... and the fella most likely died of an overdose of wounded bear.
Heart attack could have been a periferal issue, heck he could've "shat himself to death" but the bear was heavily invested in the action or he would not have hung around long enough to leave his (her?) skeletal remains.
could be the .358 but unlikely, not many of 'em out there, and the .308 is possibly but also not likely, as its a much later chambering and this looks to be an old pic.
Heres a pic of what I think the rifle looked like "pre-grizz"
That was the type of story or info I was hoping someone might be able to share.......
http://www.amazon.com/Pinnell-Talifson-Last-Great-Brown/dp/0937708038
Pinnnel and Talifson: Last of the Great Brown Bear Men by: Marvin Clark
Its a great read for any outdoorsman/hunter and gives the story of two men, down and out on their luck during the depression. They decide to move to AK and become the most legendary Kodiak Island bear guides of all time. The book has some great pics and stories of the early hunting days on Kodiak--done the hard way!. I would recommend this to anyone dreaming or wanting to hunt bears on Kodiak. Its a great read!
As I remember, it was a lever action. Probably a ".45/70" - think he left leaning against a tree - couldn't find it in time! (no internet then - or maybe ! Would not have shot "when" he shot - though shortly after would certainly have been a possibility and definitely before he got "et" (if that's what really happened.) Joe
This photo is in a book?!! I didn't know that!! The picture that was given to me was in a frame.....Thanks for the info!! I tried to look it up on Amazon and I got this message.....Looking for something? We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site
Johnnie,
Any chance that 80 year old would be willing to post on this forum, too?
"That's Bill - not Morris. The "story" behind the picture? Truly more fun than most will ever realize. Joe
and another guy just posted:
I have seen the actual photo of that picture, it is in Barry's Hangar of "Denali Air Service" he told me the story of it, he mentioned the hunter's name but I forgot. It came to the conclusion that, The hunter was bear hunting shot the bear which was mortally wounded that killed the hunter.
...gotta love a solo Brown bear hunt !!!!!
Jake PM sent ....
my guess the guy died as i said above. from Natural causes or from a knife wound dressing the bear.
don't you think the hunter would have the gun in hand if the bear was wounded but still alive.
maybe a second bear got him as he was dressing the bear he shot?
I do NOT know the story though!
Pete
Why would the bear die right where the hunter died from a heart attack?
Sorry-I didn't see that part of it. Looked again, still saw no sign of a bear. Must have some sort of glitch. Is the picture very blurry to you guys?
Another thread on the Alaska Outdoor Forum mulls over the pic pretty good as well.
