Alaska spring Baited Brown Bear?
Bears
Contributors to this thread:
Whose done it? Who did you go with? Did you see a lot of bears? We’re you successful? Would you do it again?
I appreciate any answers! Thanks
Jonah Stewart. All you need to know.
—jim
I expect to be drawn. Just wondering the difference between the Fall and Spring hunt as to hide quality. I assume the Spring hunt can be a little more exciting and challenging ??
If hunting over bait you definitely want to do spring just because of the daylight hours difference.
Jonah Stewart runs a great outfit in one of the best baitable areas in the state if looking for big bears. I also know guys who hunted with Aaron Bloomquist and enjoyed their hunts (big bears still around but this hunt is much more interior so I’d tamper the size expectations).
I do it every year and it’s an absolute blast!
I was referring to my winning the hunt through ABA. They have a Spring or Fall choice.
huntinelk's Link
Jonah is the guy to call.
I went with a Jonah three years ago. Killed a brownie first night, about 330a.m. Killed a big black next day. Saw several browns first night and killed the biggest. Buddy that was with me killed as well. Took him 4-5 days. It was a very good hunt. I’d sure recommend Jonah.
I’m booked with Jonah June 2021. Any advice. Bow set up, must have gear-8 days in Bush, all night sits?
Same bow ya deer hunt with is fine. A thermacell was a necessity. You’ll sit from late afternoon till late morning. Go back to camp sleep through the day and do it all over again
Thanks. Jonah wanted me to shoot rage. I was elated. I shoot a 70lb Matthews veritix with gold tip kinetic kaos at 10.8 gpi. They do a great job on hogs. He said 20-30 yard shots? Doesn’t sound like brown bears are tough to get penetration.
Pretty soft animals when shot behind the shoulder. I’ve killed two with a Rage head. You’re going to have a blast, good luck!!
To answer your questions, I went in June of 2014 and I also hunted with Jonah. Saw a lot of bears, but most were black bears. Not to say the browns were not there, but they were very skittish and tough to take. On this hunt, a bow hunter should be prepared to take the first opportunity on a brown. Do not plan on looking over a bunch of browns and picking out the best of the litter! Jonah tried to tell me that. It was only a few hours into the hunt when the first brownie that came in. Thought I would just video it first believing I could look it over and decide. It strolled right through the bait and out of my life. That led to 97 hours of sitting in a tree before I got an other shot. Saw several bears during that time, but they were pretty spooky. The last night I finally got the shot after having tension on the string for 35 minutes. Double lung with a 60 pound recurve and a two blade Eclipse put it down within 20 yards. It died within sight. Would I do it again? Hell yeah, but there are other hunts that need doing. I highly recommend Jonah.
Good advice about brownies being spooky. They are way smarter than a black bear. So don’t think you’ll have a dozen brownies to sort through. Equipment wise, in my experience, they are not hard to kill, at all. I used 65 pound bow, 500 grain arrow and an Iron Will bh. Shot was quartering away as it was leaving the bait. Arrow went through the chest, low. Waited several hours and followed the best blood trail I’ve seen in 42 years of bowhunting. the brownie was stiff at the end of 80 yard blood trail.
I sure wish it wasn’t so pricey......
I don’t wish that so much, I don’t have a problem with a man charging what he can get for his services.
I wish I had more money to spend on it!
—Jim
Thanks for advice guys. Very helpful.
If Roy Roth was still alive and going to be you guide, I’d say get ready to eat a lot of bacon cooked in the tent! Dang it’s too bad Roy left us much too young!
Practice in very dim lighting conditions. It may be the land of the midnight sun but it was pretty dark at 12:40 AM when I shot mine.
And the brown was a 10x spookier than the numerous black bears.
Good luck!
Can you use lighted sights in Alaska. They are very helpful in ground blinds
Page 20 of the AK Regulations
You MAY NOT use electronic devices or lights attached to the bow, arrow, or arrowhead with the exception of a nonilluminating camera or a lighted nock on the end of the arrow or a battery-powered sight light
Roy guided me on my Brown Bear hunt with Jonah...It was a WILD hunt to say the least. Jonah's baited hunt would be an adrenalin rush for sure.
You know who got that law changed right Nick?