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While on Kodiak spring Bear hunting, we saw a bear fall thru a cornice high above us, and a few canyons over. We figured he was too far away but continued watching his antics as he made his way down the mountain. He would roll down, slide on his back, stop and sleep, sort of like a kid having fun. When he was half way down we decided he was a big guy. Our plan was if he passed a rock slide on the bottom we would go after him. He did, so we tried to brake the 6 minute mile over the hills and canyons between us with full packs. As we topped the last ridge, there he was, straight across the valley, laying across a rock, looking straight at us. We didn't have time to make a plan as he got up and started to come straight at me. I wouldn't define this as a charge, it seemed a lot more like, wow, I've found my first dinner this spring. He was coming very fast with intent. Luckily he turned his head at about 30 yards and I got a shot into him. He whirled and ran back up the rocks a bit where I was able to finish the job.
Of course, he fell face down into a crevice. We couldn't move him, so we performed a dorsal cut and took off his back end, guts, everything we could remove from the back. We still couldn't move him. Decided to go back to camp and get a come-a-long.
Big storm came in... We thought this was a good thing as other hunters decided to help us get our bear instead of sitting around in a Kodiak storm. That was their first mistake. Our first plan was to get a boat closer to him but with 6+ seas in our little bay, that was out. Another ignorant decision was to not take the come-a-long because five people could surely bring the bear out of the hole... Well we did get the bear but, just BEARly. So the pictures you see in the Alaska Trophy thread are of only 1/3 of a bear. Don't know his spread... His skull measured 27 15/16.
This bear had nothing in his stomach or intestines.
Of course, he fell face down into a crevice. We couldn't move him, so we performed a dorsal cut and took off his back end, guts, everything we could remove from the back. We still couldn't move him. Decided to go back to camp and get a come-a-long.
Big storm came in... We thought this was a good thing as other hunters decided to help us get our bear instead of sitting around in a Kodiak storm. That was their first mistake. Our first plan was to get a boat closer to him but with 6+ seas in our little bay, that was out. Another ignorant decision was to not take the come-a-long because five people could surely bring the bear out of the hole... Well we did get the bear but, just BEARly. So the pictures you see in the Alaska Trophy thread are of only 1/3 of a bear. Don't know his spread... His skull measured 27 15/16.
This bear had nothing in his stomach or intestines.
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