Bowsite.com

-Mitch

I 100% always have a firearm parked at the carcass when I’m butchering. My favorite is a short .45-70 takedown guide gun. If I have to shoot, I want to absolutely kill or disable with one or maybe 2 shots.

More details here.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/officials-hunter-killed-in-surprise-grizzly-bear-attack-in-alaska-identified/ar-BB19oVUj?ocid=spartan-dhp-feeds

Just curious about the site... I know Alaska is different by many means but unaware of hunting in national parks, I thought a national parks were a national parks: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Anybody know the regs in national parks in Alaska or are they all different by location?

Hunting in grizzly country is not always dangerous....no more so than plenty of other activities which expose us to risk. I've spent a lot of time hunting in grizzly country, both with a partner and without, and the element of danger (from bears) is far over-stated. Yes...a grizzly is a dangerous animal without doubt. So is a drunk driver and I'll bet we all have more close calls (if unaware) with impaired drivers than we'll ever know. It doesn't mean driving or hunting (grizz area) are automatically dangerous...we just know there's risk. We understand and try to minimize or contend with it. I also believe any hunter flying into grizzly country is statistically more likely to get injured in an aircraft incident than by a bear.

I guess in the end "it's dangerous" is simply a subjective statement. My mom thought it was dangerous to climb trees as a kid. Here I am scurrying 25' up in the dark on a cold morning. Maybe it's a matter of degree. On a 1-10 scale I'd put hunting in grizzly country at about a 3.0. My big 2-wheeler is probably a 3.0 to me. Your numbers won't be the same undoubtedly. But again....any look at the statistics will prove you are extremely unlikely to get injured as long as you operate with a degree of caution.

It's a whole 'nother level of risk to not bother to have a firearm with you when you return to a kill site.

In my book, that's just not real smart. In my experience, it is increasing your risk, not doing a thing to mitigate that risk and in fact, ASKING for problems.

Pete

Flying in and out, or using a knife are probably higher risk level.

However, I do like the short 45-70 idea Even a short barreled 30-30 has more punch than most handguns carried. And much easier to get on target accurately. As Kevin mentioned, After the kill a rifle would be better.

He’s always said wolfs are of a bigger concern than bears & that the gun of choice is a Remington 870 12 gauge with slugs.

He has pointed out the fact that there are more “conflicts” with Black bears as well.

I guess people don’t see the danger associated with a “smaller” bear...

Always wanted one of those short barrel 45-70 Marlin guide rifles but didn't know they now make them in take down versions... Can I ask what model that is Kevin? Or did that come from the custom shop?

Thanks....

Thing about the 45-70, you can single shoot a 2.5" .410 shot shell out of them making the great in a survival situation... Luv .410s...

Guys are afraid of bears. Guys are afraid of the dark. Spiders, snakes, etc. It’s completely irrational.

The only thing I’m afraid of is things I have no control over that can hurt my family while I’m not around. Otherwise, there’s no reason for fear. You can look a bear or snake in the eyes and get over your fear. Embracing the odds of you dying helps, as does a gun like Kevin’s. Logic helps a lot.

This past July, I took my 13 year old daughter on a 6 day raft trip in the Brooks Range. This was just a couple drainages from where I’d been charged to close range the year prior by a large boar Grizz and discharged my 10mm.

I’m no idiot. I wouldn’t put my child in a situation that would recklessly endanger her health. This was daily life thousands of years ago. We just have become completely risk averse because of urbanization.

We saw two large Grizz and got stalked by a wolf, all chased off by a guy with a 12 gauge with barely a worry. And my daughter sawed logs each night in the tent.

She tells everyone all about it and is that much more confident from this day forward. A stronger person for it. Her friends think she’s crazy. I think she’s reasonable, well-educated, and brave as everyone should be.

If you’re afraid of bears or snakes or whatever, don’t take my word for it, talk with her. Her courage is infectious. All 90 lbs of it.

This is an absolutely straightforward and honest statement. Almost from the get-go we are raised to abhor anything which can harm or kill us. It's one thing to have respect for the risks you take...another entirely to feel fear or a sense of endangerment because of what might happen, regardless of the odds against it. We're societally programming our kids and selves to be intolerant of actual or possible harm they/we might encounter in the REAL world, instead of keeping things realistic. We make grizzlies into iconic objects of horror and death...feared and loathed...yet we risk our lives in many ways we pass off easily. I try to save my fear for those times when the iron is in the fire....and I've been there a few times.

This isn't a gun forum, but then we're not talking about hunting with guns. Defensive weaponry is a legit topic for bowhunters who might have to deal with a bad bear. My rifle above started as an un-fired JM-series Marlin Guide Gun. I found it for sale and bought it. Then I had a lot of customizing done by a superb smith I found. Takedown conversion. Shorten barrel. Bigger lever. Hone the action. Skinner sights. Shorten the stock and bob the corners of the recoil pad. Delete the safety. Cerakote all the metal. It carries small and comes up lightning quick. Pull the trigger and feel the thunder. Not for everyone, but I love it for my purposes.

And Ike...I'd love meeting your daughter and hearing her stories.

This applies even more so to our daily lives. There are things going on in our world that are much more dangerous to us and our families than any snake, wolf, or bear that we’ll ever encounter. It’s only gonna get worse, so be prepared 24/7/365.

The backpacking trip with my son & his buddies has become an annual event; this year was a lot more challenging - about 25 miles and a boatload of elevation - a good chunk of it gained VERY quickly.

Afterwards my son mentioned that he had noticed that his stride had become a lot more confident. You can see it in the way that he walks; it’s nothing at all like “swagger”, it’s something quieter and entirely purposeful. He said it was because after after 3 1/2 days of making careful note of where he was going to place each step, he just Knew Something that he hadn’t been aware of previously. Something very good to see in a kid starting his senior year.

Good stuff.