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Alaskan Brown Bear
#8450920
11/17/21 02:46 AM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,833
sparrish8
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,833 |
Been a long time since I posted, but wanted to share this successful hunt! After killing a big moose in 2018 with Phil Shoemaker and Grizzly Skins we decided to book a Brown Bear hunt with them( they book out 3 years in advance), it's a very expensive hunt so we sent payments periodically for 3 years, the hunt took place in Becharof NWR 1 million acres of natural habitat on the Alaskan Penninsula they get 5 bear tags per year. After arriving to camp a day early and being flown out to our drop camp on the river, the day we landed we scouted as you cannot hunt the day you fly and it was 1 day before bear season opened. We were sitting above camp doing some glassing and 200 yards below camp on the river this monster bear comes walking 100 yards from camp, we watched him catch about 6 salmon by diving in the river and hence named him "Superman", things were looking up for this hunt. Well fast forward to the next day Superman did not return but we had another Boar right in front of camp that had his bottom canine hanging from his mouth that was damged thought about putting him down several times as the guide said it was a pretty good boar 9'-9.5' but after seeing Superman in his prime this old bear just wasnt doing it for me....I was confident Superman would return, that night and next bad weather began moving in with rain and 45 mph winds and 39° so things changed and we only saw a few small bears, overnight it rained like crazy and snowed on the mountains 1000' above us. The next day things werent much better...everything was very wet, cold and windy and the river came up almost 2 ' and became very cloudy... the next several days we saw very little bear and finally on day 7 the river was going down and the sun began to come out, we had gotten word 3 of the 5 hunters had gotten bears and some already flown out, by this time it was a test of will after 7 days of brutal conditions and we were hunting the river from above camp so their was very little movement, literally 10 hours a day sitting still, waiting in the brutal Alaskan Penninsula elements things got cold... we started to get discouraged and I had 2 days left of hunting, we saw alot of bears on day 7 but mostly sows and Cubs, fast forward to day 8 and same story but the most sunshine we had seen and alot of bears back on the river fishing but no Superman... finally at around 6 pm after sitting their all day I went to camp for some coffee and some food, the guide said he would wait until dark....I wa s in the tent and heard get your gun let's go.... I threw on my waders and grabbed my gun, he said it's a good boar fishing right below camp. We hurried a few hundred yards to the rivers edge to set up... when we got their the bear was gone so we slowly moved along the bank...suddenly we saw a bear 200yds across the river from where he had just seen it, we jumped in the river moving slowly crouched down to a sand bar and I found some drift wood stump and set up, he ranged..225 yds so I set up on my knee and felt good, we had 5 mins before it was to dark to see so he said let her RIP if you feel good. The bear was leaning down the bank looking for a salmon I could see his big broad shoulder clearly so I let the .375 H&H eat and herd a loud thud... he said I think you hit him good but the bear ran into the Thick...thick Alders. We didnt even have our packs so we decided to go a few hundred yards to camp and get the packs and we had a small boat with paddles, we put our stuff in the boat and tied off where he went in. We slowly moved through the thick alders in the fog and mist,.as it was completely dark now, even with the flashlights you could only see about 10-15 yards so we move cautiously with all the bear activity in the area that day, we found a blood trail and started to follow it about 50 yards and I asked my guide Mike, do you think hes hit good? He exclaimed I dont know you tell me their he is...I immediately got alert and looked to the left he was laying piled up, I said is it a good one and he said yes I think this is Superman, it had happened all so fast we werent sure he just knew it was a shooter and with 1 day left we were shooting! The persistence and patience paid off, we had waited 9 days for this bear to come back and he finally did, several times they radioed in asking if we wanted to move to other areas with more bear activity but we stayed the course. All 5 hunters got their bears and 3 of the 5 were over 10'! This one went 10' even and had a 27-5/8" skull, wow what a hunt and a testament to the Grizzly Skins team I highly recommend them, when we got to the airport their were many bear hunters their that didnt get bears and some had given up before the hunt was over because of the brutal conditions. I was very grateful for the experience and results AND CHECKED THIS ONE OFF THE BUCKET LIST.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450929
11/17/21 02:52 AM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,727
krmitchell
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,727 |
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450931
11/17/21 02:55 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,025
Michael W.
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,025 |
Great trip and a really great trophy.
A clear conscience is often the sign of a fuzzy memory.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450952
11/17/21 03:23 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 66,039
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 66,039 |
Absolute monster! Great bear and fantastic write up…..
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450957
11/17/21 03:29 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,385
scalebuster
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,385 |
That sounds like my kind of hunt!
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450972
11/17/21 03:49 AM
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Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 1,429
Jroutdoors
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 1,429 |
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8450973
11/17/21 03:49 AM
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,219
Theringworm
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,219 |
Outstanding trophy and hunt sir. Definitely on “the list”. Congrats.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451030
11/17/21 04:39 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,221
LuckyHunter
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,221 |
Lucky 7 Exotic Ranch located in Eden, Tx. Well managed self sustaining herds roaming our 3,000 acre ranch. First Class Lodging, Ranch style meals and qualified guides. 30+ species.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451081
11/17/21 09:50 AM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,750
texfork
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,750 |
Wow ! That is one big bear . Congratulations sir .
Prayer is the "ultimate" wireless connection .
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451084
11/17/21 10:23 AM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,863
Hudbone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,863 |
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451092
11/17/21 11:08 AM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 23,142
BigPig
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 23,142 |
Wade Dews, REALTOR ® Rendon Realty, LLC Frontline Real Estate Team www.RendonRealty.comWadeDews@gmail.com 214-356-2410 Up to 1% for closing costs for First Responders & Veterans Proudly partnered with Assist The Officer Foundation https://atodallas.org/
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451095
11/17/21 11:14 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 26,350
Creekrunner
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 26,350 |
Excellent hunt. Congratulations on a fantastic bear!
...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451116
11/17/21 12:09 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,874
Drop Tine
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,874 |
Great write up and congrats on a fantastic hunt!
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451118
11/17/21 12:15 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 45,065
Stub
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 45,065 |
Congrats great bear and recap of the hunt Do you have any cool pics that you will share with us of your trip like the bears fishing in the river or?
Last edited by Stub; 11/17/21 12:15 PM.
“I never forget a face—but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.” —Groucho Marx
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451140
11/17/21 12:46 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 15,577
Tbar
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 15,577 |
Very Nice...!!!
Make America Great Again
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451151
11/17/21 01:06 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,053
NDN98
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,053 |
That is awesome. Congrats!
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451166
11/17/21 01:24 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 10,175
Old Rabbit
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 10,175 |
Huge bear and excellent story. Congratulations.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451176
11/17/21 01:31 PM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 19,774
Pitchfork Predator
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 19,774 |
Great bear!! Really enjoyed the story…….congrats!
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451202
11/17/21 01:50 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 19,994
Biscuit
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 19,994 |
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451238
11/17/21 02:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 970
goosebuster
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 970 |
Fortune favors the bold...or however that saying goes. You braved the elements and got rewarded. Trip of a lifetime, or 2.
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451244
11/17/21 02:24 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,458
twdjr
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,458 |
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451249
11/17/21 02:26 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,471
Hirogen
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,471 |
Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil.
-The Iron Code of Druss the Legend
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Re: Alaskan Brown Bear
[Re: sparrish8]
#8451350
11/17/21 03:52 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,794
ILUVBIGBUCKS
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,794 |
Great write up, hunt, & bear!!! Congrats
High fence, low fence, no fence, it really doesn't matter as long as you're hunting!
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