Sharpstick
Chip
Good Luck Tomorrow!
Best of luck to ya Jake.
Good Luck Jake!!
OFFHNTN
Jake will get his brownie this time.
-I thought Jake already had a brown bear?? Int. Grizz perhaps...
I hope you are having a great bowhunt. Take some good photos. BB
Ha! I can hear it now...".Jake,your gonna be fine but I'll check you after my morning hunt.....Jake,your gonna be fine,I'll check you after my evening hunt....seriously."
Day 2
"Jake,you need to take these antibiotics before I do anything,will check on you after tomorrow's hunt."
Day 3
"Jake,studies are telling us to not intervene too quickly and give the antibiotics plenty of time.I'm a really smart dentist and the cutting edge decision is to give it a few more days
Day 6
"Jake,I've got some time at lunch in between hunts but I know you shoot your bow then so it wil be better at dinner tonight."
"Jake,you probablly shouldn't have drunk that glass of milk..let's give the drugs another day.No milk,okay?
Day 7 "Jake,I hit one a little back we will give it tonight and get on it first thing in the morning.We should find it first light and I can get on that bad mouth your suffering with."
Day 8
Hide is really fleshy looks like I'll be on him all day.....
Day 9
"Jake,It's so sweet to get to fly home early with 2 great bears between us.The bush plane is a little bumpy but open your mouth and say aaahhhhhh."
It's nice having professional connections! :)
Those cabins at the head of Deadman Bay are pretty nice, roomy enough, warm and comfortable. That's a great camp, and there is a ton of sealife to enjoy on that hunt, sea otters, whales, etc. Lots of bird life too, like King Eiders, Old Squaws and Harlequins, stuff most of us never get to see. The only thing that gave me the heebie-jeebies was riding in the open ocean in a zodiac with no life jackets. We took a couple rides out past the end of the bay, and it was eerie to see reefs come up out of the swells outside of where we were driving the zodiac. Lynn Castle said that as cold as the water was, we'd all die of hypothermia if we went in, so no need to hasten it by floating. That creeped me out, big time.
Kodiak in the spring time is a special place. Deadman Bay is gorgeous country.
Ha ha
Congrats again Forest..you are the man!
still no update
Hope you Connect soon Jake.
Lee
Not to worry buddy, just did the Big Bear Prayer for you, works almost but not quite everytime!
Talk about being tough! I bet a broadhead would bounce off of that beast!
So I guess the next thread will be "would you shoot a Bear during his self gratification or would you wait till he finishes".hehehe, Mike
Could understand if a season is only so many days long - say as 14, but if I saved for a that once in a lifetime type hunt, would not want to be pressured with a time limit. That doesn’t make sense, unless for safety reasons, but if not, sounds like a hairball regulation. Haven’t ever been to Alaska, but from what I gather, days afield can be determined by the weather, which could further be detrimental to a time limited hunt...JMO
Best of luck to you out there Jake.
Are there any other special requirements?
Big game hunting regulations are published each year by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and are available for free from ADF&G offices, license vendors, and at http://www.hunt.alaska.gov. Here are a few of the restrictions on Kodiak bear hunters:
Obtain permits in person at the ADF&G office in Kodiak prior to entering the field.
Hunt times are restricted to one 15-consecutive day hunting period which is declared when a permit is picked up (registration hunts excluded).
All hunters must check-in and checkout at the Kodiak ADF&G office during normal working hours.
You may NOT hunt or help someone else take brown bear until 3:00 a.m. the day following the day you have flown (excluding regularly scheduled commercial flights).
You may NOT hunt brown bear with the aid or use of a dog.
You may NOT use bait while hunting brown bears.
You may NOT use artificial light, night vision devices, laser sights or radio communication while bear hunting.
You may NOT shoot on, from, or across the driveable surface of any constructed road.
Once a bear is hit by a bullet or arrow, the hunter may not pursue another bear in Game Management Unit 8 for the remainder of the regulatory year.
Hides and skulls of harvested bears must be salvaged, the meat does not.
All brown bears killed in Game Management Unit 8 must be sealed by ADF&G staff in Kodiak before leaving the Island.
Rob, Rocky Mountain Beetle Works
First, Forest....congrats on your bear!!
Second, the weather is still pretty cold in Deadman Bay. Today was the warmest day since I arrived....it briefly hit 40 degrees early in the afternoon. It was still in the 20's this morning.
Third, I am starving. I'm going to go eat.....and then I will type a "journal" of the entire hunt. I am glad that I didn't lose a star for the self-gratification remark!!
More to follow.....
I believe that the last phone call that was sent was on the evening of the 13th day of my hunt. Before I post that last couple days of the hunt, I'll address a couple other issues.
My tag/permit to hunt brown bears was dated to run from 4/17 to 5/1, therefore the nine footer that I saw on 4/15 or 4/16 could have been shot by the gun hunter (his tag was validated on 4/15), but not by me.
On the 8th day of the hunt, apparently John (gun hunter) approached Tom and asked if we could all hunt together....the hunts were booked as 1X1 hunts. I was not included in this discussion, but we had actually been glassing together for 5 days....in fact, I only hunted alone with Tom for one day out of the first 8 days in camp. The other two days we were weathered in.
On the 8th day, maybe a couple bears had been located when I looked over my shoulder and spotted a large bear making his way down the back side of Horse Marine. I got John's attention, and then got Tom's attention. John spoke with Tom, then ran to get his gun and Tom went to look for Jeff who was on the back side of the knob, also glassing.
When Tom returned, I asked him if this bear might present us with an archery opportunity, but Tom seemed pretty focused on getting us to a closer vantage point, as we were 430 yards from the bear. As soon as we got to the closer ridge, John was already set-up to shoot....the bear was 243 yards away. I didn't repeat my question about an archery stalk.....
Both John and I agreed that whoever tagged out first would be more than willing to film the other hunter as the hunt continued, but no one deferred a first shot opportunity to the other hunter....an important point to consider when one is an archer, and one is a gun hunter.
Tom estimated the bear to be about 9'6" to 10 foot....and at the beginning of the hunt, Tom told me that John was looking for a bear over 10 foot, and that fur quality wasn't that important. My goal was a nicely furred animal that was 9'6" or bigger. Since this bear wasn't quite as big as what John was apparently looking for, I assumed that he had changed his mind.....
Perhaps I should have repeated my question about an archery opportunity....as the bear continued to drop in elevation and was at 235 yards when John fired his first shot. Once that shot was fired, the bear turned and started to head up hill. Three shots later, it was a done deal....but at least there would be a carcass to hunt over....if bear could find it before the eagles finished it off. Since Tom suggested that we clear a couple shooting lanes in case a bear found the carcass, we stacked the limbs on top of the bear. This actually seemed to keep the eagles off of the kill. Seven days later, the brush pile was stil undisturbed, save for a fox and few magpies.
Now, regarding the 13th day of the hunt. It seems that some people were surprised that I chose to pass on what might very well have been a 10 foot bear because it was badly rubbed. I can only say that since the brown bear is one of very few animals that are usually killed by hunters and not necessarily used for their meat, I didn't want to take an animals life if it wasn't going to be a trophy to ME. I should also mention that I intended to try some bear meat....I removed some tenderloin from John's bear, but Jeff threw it away a few days later.
Ask "Tom inPa" about his brown bear.....this 10 footer was significantly more rubbed than Tom's and he has mentioned a couple times in that past that he wished that he had known just HOW rubbed it really was. I can only say that when I looked at this boar heading towards me, my thoughts were "If only you had hair!!" The decision to shoot never entered my mind. I think that Tom would have liked me to take the bear because he really wants his hunters to be successful.... What I found most ironic is that I would have loved to have had an opportunity at the first bear (which was taken with a gun)....and the second bear (larger, but with poor fur) was closer to what the gun hunter had originally mentioned that he was looking for. It is funny the way that things work out sometimes....
Day 14 found us checking Freeze-out knob. It was on this day that I actually mentioned some of my concerns and observations about being being "grouped" with a gun hunter, when the hunts were to be 1X1 hunts. Tom immediately realized the merit of my concerns and he seemed even more determined to help me find my bear. That was the day that we saw 6 bears....but none that were within stalkable distance, except for one that was badly rubbed and in an area that would have been difficult to stalk because of the variable nature of the wind.
Day 15 - Tom started the day by telling me that he had helped MANY hunrters fill their tag on the 15th and final day of their hunt. When someone with Tom Kirstein's reputation makes a comment like that, you can't help but feel the next adrenaline rush starting to build.
We returned to Freeze-out knob, but we brought Steve (a third guide that arrived in camp yesterday)and Alysia with us. After glassing for a while, Alysia had located one bear across the valley, I had located the badly rubbed bear from yesterday, and then Tom found a bear. A BIG bear. Tom talked to Steve about acting as a "flagman". I asked Alysia if she was sure that she wanted to burn a day of her hunt watching some archer chase a bear that was a mile or two away (because her guide would flagging for us). She was all for it. Since her husband is just completing a taxidermist course, their goal is for her to take ANY bear. She won't have any problem filling that tag with her gun.
Game on. Tom grabs his gun and his pack, I have my pack and my bow in hand and we are good to go. Tom looks again at the boar and says that we should be able to be there in 2 1/2 hours......60 minutes later, we are 451 yards from that boar. When Tom locates the bear and breaks out the scope, all he can say "What a PIG of a bear!" and he repeats this for several minutes. I asked him how big this bear is and he said 10'6" and over 1,000 pounds - and that is just after waking waking from hibernating (bears are known to lose a third of their body mass during the big sleep)!!
A snow squall is looming on the horizon and as we approach this boar, he is dropping down from his vantage point on the flank of a mountain. There is one more ridge between us and him, and this ridge was a canyon at the base of it. If the bear makes it to the canyon, I'd be shooting down on him and he would never know that I am there. It is a scenario that I have replayed through my head a thousand times.....my dream shot at a dream animal.
As the bear drops lower on the mountain flank, the first of two snow squalls hits....and we make our move, getting to the last ridge that separates us from the "big guy". I check the rangefinder and he is 206 yards away, and slowly feeding downhill towards the ravine about 40 yards in front of my boots....Tom has nicknamed this ravine "Grand Canyon".
As we get closer to the mountain, the wind eddies are becoming much worse and the wind direction is becoming far more variable. When the bear reached 191 yards, he lifted his head and the inevitable finally happened...he got a snootful of our scent. He wheeled into the alders and we never saw him again....but for a few minutes, it sure was exciting to finally have a legitimate stalking opportunity at such a magnificent beast.
The cold weather seems to have really affected the number of bears being seen. It was typically about 26 degrees when we woke up in the morning...and the high reaches somewhere in the 30's. Tom expected to see 15-30 bears on some given days....I think that on our best day (day #14), Tom and I saw 6 bears, and Jeff and Alysia (the bew gun hunter) saw 2 more bears, for a total of 8 bears seen. Tom also expected the terrain to "green-up" while we were there, and it seemed like it was just starting to occur on the last day or two of the hunt.
Camp Newton, a fellow archer from Arkansas arrived in camp today. It will be Camp's third hunt with Tom. Camp is a little more selective than me....he is hunting for one of those monster boars that I got to stalk on my final day.
I'll post some photos when I get home in a day or two....but unlike Forest Keith, I don't have any hero photos. I read your thread today, Forest....that is a great bear!!
...and no, I still do not regret NOT taking the golden horseshoe....LOL.
Mike
Lee
Appreciate you taking the time and sharing you're daily journal. It's an adventure only few ever get to experience. You gave it 110% but it wasn't to be which is fact of hunting. When you get your opportunity at a brownie it'll be a monster, and it'll be that much more sweeter success. Your day is coming Jake! Have a safe trip home.
Except for not having a "hero photo" to oogle at and that whole "inaudable audio" was pissin me off! And not calling in everyday too!
But it was a great story and I'm sure an awesome adventure to reflect on while sitting in a rocking chair when you finally get too old to climb mountains and chase eagles. Thanks again Jake and Pat for giving us valuable entertainment to buffer the agony of waiting for our season to begin. Mike
My buddy who guides in 16 said that the Browns in his area don't hit a carcass until it is almost rotten.He didn't know why but it was a fact.
Jake thanks for the pains of calling in each night to catch us up.Kudos!
Chip
Quite an adventure. I wish you had better opps. or more hair on that auto erotic bear. Thanks for taking us along, Jake.
Can you elaborate on why the gun hunter or Tom did not consider an archery stalk on the bear that was killed by the gun hunter?? If YOU spotted the bear, shouldn't you get first dibs if it was stalkable with a bow?
Sounds like you had a great time and that alone makes the trip a success !! I really enjoyed your daily updates Thank you !! Best of luck in the season that has only just begun.
My guess is that it was cheaper to take one boat with 4 guys than 2 boats with 2 apiece. Although, technically each guy had a guide thus one on one. I would also think that they gave the rifle hunter the opportunity because his tag started sooner than Jakes. I imagine they figured they would have plenty of more opportunities for Jake after the rifle guy tagged out. I do agree however that it would make more sense for Jake, who spotted the bear to attempt to stalk it first, afterall, if the stalk was blown, the rifle hunter could have still probably shot it. Hindsight is always 20/20 though and Jake seems like the type that likes last minute miracles so I wonder if he would regret shooting a bear so early in his hunt if he had the option to do so.
I know one thing for sure, it was fun to "tag" along.
The "who gets the shot" issue is always a tough one.IMO outfitter should discuss with clients and establish the ground rules beforehand.Sure helps avoid confusion and/or hard feelings later.
Thanks for bringing us along for the ride.
The hunt was a great experience. The outcome just came up short....that is why we call it hunting, and not killing. If the weather had been just a little more cooperative, I would have had more stalks....no doubt about it. The people that are in camp right now are going to have some wonderful hunting opportunities. Tom Kirstein is a really good guy, lots of hunting savvy, and he keeps his composure at crunch time. His area has enormous bears with superlative genes....regardless of how they get introduced into the "pool".LOL. That rubbed bear even looked around after he "finished" to see if anyone was watching!! It's a miracle that he didn't hear me laughing....from 300 yards away!!
Steve (Genesis)....you are right, the bears prefer rotten meat. I was hoping that the long winter sleep might get their appetite going, so even fresh meat would be acceptable. Besides, if they waited for the meat to age, the eagles would strip that carcass clean in 2-3 days.
I think you had a very successful hunt. Listening and reading your story reminds me of the saying that Tom Hoffman uses, it is something like this”bring your patient, friendly, flexible attitude”. That is never more important than when you are on a hunt when weather and the animals just don’t seem to want to cooperate. I bet you had a great time and can’t wait to go back again.
John
Looks like the weather screwed everybody up this year. Put everyone in camp behind the curve. Tough thing bowhunting with gun hunters too. A hard hunt in the best of conditions.
Tough luck for sure. You'll get em next time. (Bet the horseshoe makes an appearance =D )And hope you take us along on that one too.
Thanks again.
1) how many trips have you been on for brownie?
2) What % chance do you think you had at taking the one the rifle guy killed at 243 yards if you had tried for him?
3) What % chance do you think you would have had if you tried to stalk baldy in that other valley instead of letting him go. I know you did not want him, but how good a kill opportunity do you think that would have been if pursued?
Congratulations on giving it all you had.
Thank you for sharing and showing us all what a class act hunters can be. You are great for the sport.
I thought u would be the only hunter in camp , I always say bowhunting is the easiest hardest thing..
I myself would have been happy with a 10 ft brown baldie ,, i would send him to the hair club for bears , plus a little spray paint goes long way ,, plus the giant skull is what we all want ... just in time for the ny turkeys good luck ...louis
I sent Paul a small retainer/deposit on a 2012 Fall bowhunt with the understanding that one slot in 2011 may be coming available if one hunter needed to change his schedule. Apparently, that fell through....so I am currently still scheduled for 2012, but I have gotten my name on his "cancellation" list....should something become available sooner. My 2010 opportunity with Tom Kirstein was a last minute cancellation that I fell into at the last minute....completely unanticipated and unexpected.
So here I am standing at the Kodiak airport talking with the TSA officer (Chris Wallstrum) who is an avid hunter. He mentions that one outfitter recently won an island wide contest as outfitter of the year on the island (and there are quite a few outfitters) ..... and it was Paul Chervenak.
Five minutes later, I am seated, waiting for my plane to leave for Anchorage and I see a coat with Kodiak Outdoor Adventures on it. I walk over to the guy and ask if he knows Paul Chervenak...and he says that it is his boss, and that Paul is out in the parking lot. He takes me out to the parking lot and I got to meet Paul and chew the fat for a few minutes while they were waiting for the next bear hunter to arrive.
I mentioned that I had just concluded a 15 day hunt with Tom Kirstein at Deadman Bay. Paul had nothing but great things to say about Tom, and he even mentioned that the cold weather had really affected the Spring bear harvest this year. Since the bears have to be tagged at the checking station before hunters leave the island, the outfitters can get a quick, up to date "snapshot" of how the hunting season is progressing. Apparently, Deadman Bay wasn't the only area affected.
A couple minutes later I get a return phone call on my Blackberry from Cole Kramer. First, I meet the outfitter ....then five minutes later I am talking with my future bear guide. Funny how things can work like that sometimes.
So here I sit in the Anchorage airport until my flight leaves tomorrow at 0800 hours. I think that I will take all of my gear over and plunk it down in front of the brown bear mount in the next part of the airport.......a 29 15/16 monstrosity of fur and claws.....maybe if I stare at him long enough, some of his karma will rub off on me for the next attempt!
Bou,
The hunt that I just finished was my fourth attempt for a brown bear with a bow.
I think that my chances for a shot opportunity at that brown bear (on day 8) were one in three. We had position, a cross wind, and I think that we could have gotten around the knoll without being seen. The wind was also blowing enough that it would have covered our approach....but eddy wind currents are so fickle in the mountains, that I am just guessing. However, the brief snow squalls would have also helped cut-down on that bear's ability to pick us out. Personally, I think that most hunters REALLY underestimate the vision of a brown bear....any bear, for that matter.
Tom felt very confident that he could have gotten me within bow range of the badly rubbed bear. If brown bears only knew....they'd probably shave before leaving the den every year!!I would have put my chances at two out of three, maybe three out of four. Especially, once he got "involved".... LOL!!
City hunter, Tom Kirstein actually has 5 Spring hunters this year....2 archers and 3 gun hunters. One of them was a resident that drew a tag and opted to go on a guided hunt versus DIY. I also saw at least 4 of the other 5 resident hunters that drew tags. It wasn't that uncommon to see a zodiac raft as we approached areas where we might have landed the boat to glass.
Bill (Cassman), I would still prefer a Fall hunt over a Spring hunt. I have always heard that the big boars always come out of their dens first....but I must confess that isn't supported by what limited experience I have...If I HAD to hunt in the Spring....I'd want to be there right now. You'll see more bears.....but more of them will be rubbed, too. However, it only takes one good opportunity at one good bear.
If a camera hasn't taught me anything, it has taught me that patience is golden and I am always surprised to see the number of good opportunities that unfold when I choose not shoot with my bow, but instead with my camera. My gut tells me that rifle guy would have had many good chances if they had waited and given you a fair chance and I think you more than likely would have had a good chance yourself.
When I was a young bowhunter, it was hard for me to pass stuff up but as you age it gets easier and even enjoyable to know you could have finished the job, but instead chose to let it walk. I too am in your camp about the rubbed bear. It’s hard to me to shoot a rubbed bear no matter the size. If it can’t be a trophy, like someone else said, “why shoot it” just to fill your tag.
Thanks for taking us along and I look forward to your next hunt.
If you need a summer break, fly out and we will run up to Wyoming and take some antelope photos at very close range.
I wish you well in the rest of your hunts this year. Take care and have many more great bowhunts. BB
At least you were "amongst them", which is more than most guys will ever get to do. Better luck next time and thanks for sharing the stories!
Something to think about when booking expensive hunts.
That's not how it works with a quality outfitter at all...
That's not how it works with a quality outfitter at all...
Best to set the ground rules before the hunt begins. Making up the rules as you go can lead to hard feeling at best, disaster at worst.
Genesis, I may be wrong, but for a 1x1 hunt, it seems Jake wasn't by himself very much. At least until the gunner tagged out.
Yesterday, I learned that for the past 5-6 years, Kodiak has been tagging about 150 bears in the Spring hunting season. This year, 116 bears were tagged. Many reports are coming in that the bears are still hibernating or only now coming out of their dens. That is the general synopsis.
Now for the specifics of Tom Kirstein's camp at Deadman Bay.
I have spoken with John Caughman (the gun hunter that killed on day #8) a few times since the hunt ended. I learned that John was under the impression that he would have a 1X1 hunt and that Tom Kirstein would be his guide. However, Tom guides ALL bowhunters. When the other hunter had to cancel his hunt (for medical reasons), and I booked that slot as an archer, things may have gone a little astray.
On the eighth day of the hunt, John approached Tom and reminded Tom that he had been promised that Tom would be his guide...that may have lead to Tom's decision to continue to have all 4 of us hunting together.....but I wish that both John and I had been included in that conversation and the subsequent decisions that arose from it. Enough about that.
John Caughman killed a great 9'9" boar with a great hide. We already know how my hunt turned out. Let's focus on the three hunters that I left in camp......
Alysia White killed a 9 foot boar on about the 10th or 11th day of her hunt. I saw Alysia's practice target, and she can shoot. She was hunting with a 30-.06 and she had to do some pretty serious long range shooting to fill her tag....she later told me in an e-mail that she wishes that she used a 180 grain bullet instead of the 220 grain bullets that she used.
Considering how big these bears are, that remark surprised me. However, maybe it was because of the longer than average shots.....I don't believe that any of her shots were under 300 yards, and she hit the bear at least 6 times.
Regardless, she filled her tag, and the bear had a great hide. Kudos again!
An 11 year old from Alabama was hunting with his father, and apparently the hunt was just a little too much for him, as they decided to terminate the hunt at the end of the 3rd day. Sure seems like a shame. While walking back to camp (on day three), the guide spotted a bear out on the tidal flat. The young boy got his .300 set-up and while the guide (Steve) was setting up his scope, apparently about the time that the bear was identified as being small, BOOM!!
The bear was a 4 foot boar cub....apparently it was legal, but it was a concern for a while.
I saved the best for the last .........Camp Newton was the other archer at Deadman Bay. He flew in on the very plane that I left in. This would be Camp's third hunt with Tom Kirstein.....he has had opportunities at 9 1/2 footers in the past, but Camp is holding out for a "BEAST". On about the 8th day of his hunt, he got his wish.....they spotted the 10'4" - 10'6" boar that Tom believed was the bear that I got to stalk on the 15th day of my hunt.
While watching it, another significantly BIGGER bear chased it up the mountain!! Tom Kirstein told Camp that this was a world record bear and that it might possess a 30" skull!! While the bear was originally spotted about 3 miles away, with existing wind conditions, there really wasn't much that the hunters could do unless the bear closed the distance significantly. So they kept eating their lunch and glassing that bear. Tom keep mentioning that this is a monster bear......
The next thing that you know, the bear is about 1 1/2 miles away and it appears to be on a course that just might give Camp an opportunity. Tom and Camp pack their gear and the bear is now less than a mile away. Camp said that Tom kept repeating how big this bear is.....
They were glassing from a point to the north of an area that we called "Yellow Ridge" because of the yellowish grass that is flattened by the winter snow. As the bear continues his trek closer and closer, Tom and Camp drop down into the valley. Eventually, the bear gets into an area where Tom is able to identify much of the terrain. Tom knows that the bear is going to have to exit the stream bed by using one of two bear trails. Have I mentioned that this is a big bear?.......
About the time that the boar is even with (or slightly past) the first of the two bear trails, Tom and Camp get to the second and probable exit point. This area is heavily wooded with many cottonwood trees, and these trees can easily have a 24" to 30" diameter. They see the boar and he is walked directly towards them....now get this.....Camp can see BOTH SIDES OF THE BEAR ON THE BACK SIDE OF A LARGE COTTONWOOD TREE!!!! You have to understand what a massive animal it would take to be able to do this.....
Camp is a dedicated archer, and this bear is now well within his maximum first arrow range. The bear has stopped on the back side of this large cottonwood tree. The tree is 41 yards away. Whether the bear goes left or right, Camp may very well have a great shot opportunity......as the bear lifts his leg to continue forward and go one way or the other, Camp felt the slightest of breezes on the back of his neck.....and just like that, the bear of a lifetime was gone.
They couldn't even hunt the rest of the day. They were so pumped up about the possibility of getting that boar, that when it did not work out, they headed back to the cabin. Camp told me that he had a couple opportunities at bears that I would have definitely gone after, but once he saw that big guy, they just weren't what he was looking for....and people, some of these opportunities were at bears that were over 10 feet!!
....and now you have the rest of the story....second hand as it may be......
Jake
Thanks
Have to give you credit for your great attitude about having one shot out from under you by John. Many bowhunters would have been soured by that episode, especially considering you came home with only great memories, but that's not how you are.
So now, my friend, you and I have killed exactly the same number of Alaskan Brown bears! But next trip you will be one-up, for sure.
:~)
My intent was not to focus on anyone's shortcomings or to pass judgement....but rather to share with others that may consider taking a youngster with them, that it isn't for everyone. However, that could have been done without mention of the boy's name....which has since been edited from the thread.
If anything, the issue of judgement would be with the guide, NOT an eleven year old boy. IMO, no one should be shooting a four foot brown bear.....no one.
I knew that I would not be only hunter in camp prior to the hunt. I did NOT know that the other hunter had also been promised a one on one hunt with Tom Kirstein. I also did not know that there would be several resident hunters in the immediate area. I don't think that there is a lot of pressure on all of Kodiak, per se. I think that there is hunting pressure on Deadman Bay, because of its reputation for genes for huge bears.
I must admit that I am not knowledgeable about what the minimum size would be for a brown bear, either. After all, who goes to a place known for huge brown bears worrying about what the smallest bear is that you can legally tag?
As far as the age of the hunter.....they had an 11 year old in camp the previous Fall that shot a 9"6" boar at 40 yards.....with a bow!! Kids of the same age can come in all sizes, shapes, levels of maturity, and whatnot. One was an exceptional hunter for his age.....the other probably still has some maturing to do......but I am not passing judgement.... just sharing the facts as they were shared with me. Remember, I wasn't even there when the small bear was tagged.... the info that I have passed on is second hand, and should be treated as such.
I simply wanted to archive some of these facts and observations. That way, if and when future bowhunters book a hunt with Tom, they can read this info and ask appropriate questions prior to/and during the decision making process.....hopefully before making any deposit until they are comfortable with all terms.
A Black Bear is considered Cub at 1 year of age and a Brown Bear at 2 years of age.
Since bear crawl out of the womb in Jan (or so) but don't emerge from the den until Apr / May / June it is up for interpretation by the judge if there is a citation issued once the age is determined by the tooth.
ADF&G can and do take available tags away from Guides for violations and possibly for taking a Sow.
The Brown Bear harvest must stay at or below 4% (boar) or 1 1/2 % (sow) by official directive of the given population of an area.
On Kodiak there are non-resident tags drawn and resident tags drawn for every hunt. The timing of each hunt is structured so your chance of having company in the field is always there, unless the residents that drew have tagged before you or couldn't make the hunt.
Any pictures of the big boar you were stalking on the last day?
