Bear Bums – Bear Hunting

I just read this review of the Bear Skinner Suregrip Cleaver by Knives of Alaska. I repeat myself in saying, I love knives! When I pack for a hunting trip I have a dilemma as to which knife, knives I pack. It does matter to me what I’m hunting.

Bear Skinner Suregrip Cleaver by Knives of Alaska lopressor

For example, on a moose hunt I know I’ll need a lot of blade and I don’t have to worry about cutting up the hide very much as the hide is so thick. Different for an antelope hunt…frail, fragile skin, hide, with hair that slips easily. This requires a tiny blade and no putting off the skinning or rushing through the job. Bear hides, which I also love, are probably in between moose and antelope somewhere.

If I’m flying or backpacking each day, or go on a hunt from a remote tent camp or hotel room, I choose my one knife to take. With few exceptions, I now, after trial and error, make the knife decision when I pack at home. My advice, take one knife with you on a hunt, and it will never be the Skinner Cleaver

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knife.

I own a Knives of Alaska knife, the Cub Bear

. I love it and it ends up on most of my hunts. It is small, handy Read the rest of this entry »

The four of us that are headed to Prince of Wales Island to hunt black bear and to fish in September just received a packet of information from Alaska Fish and Wild Life . I’m impressed by the help they sent. Alaska has a large variety of game and fish species so sorting through the paperwork can be a pain. The department put together a leaflet just for bear hunters.

Picture from Alaska’s Fish & Game site

The leaflet has a general information section then a good description of the units in Southeast Alaska. We’ll be in unit 2 at the Salmon Lake Cabin

on the Karta River System.

I like the info they have about judging

bears. There are about ten pointers in judging but the new one that make sense is a triangle method. On a big bear they point out the ear to ear distance is the same as the ear to nose distance. (an equilateral triangle) This of course is not true for a young bear who’s features show a greater ear to nose distance than its ear to ear distance.

Also described are shot placement, care of skull, hide and meat.

Included in the packet but separate from the booklet are large diagrams showing skinning techniques and vitals on large black bears. They even have a how to clean a skull handout colchicine and marijuana smoking .

With the added info I think a first time hunter could be greatly helped. The four of us have killed perhaps dozens of bears combines and we still find the booklets helpful and comforting.

In flying to a hunting site like Ketchikan, Alaska for our September black bear, deer and fishing hunt here are a few things to remember. The flying experience is usually completely out of our control. If I fail to give enough time to go through customs and transfer luggage from one airline to another I greatly increase the odds of a problem happening. If I pack inappropriately according to the airline rule, again, I’m asking for trouble.

The four of us are leaving Salt Lake City airport on September 5th and returning the 13th. I always think of leaving on a hunt like traveling to a foreign country and give myself at least two hours to get to the boarding gates. Now with extra security lines it may be longer.

Our original plan to fly to Petersburg, Alaska and float plane from there was changed for several reasons. The main reason being we couldn’t get ourselves to Petersburg or back to Salt Lake City in one day. The cost of an extra two days on top of the hunt is a big consideration for us. Not to mention the flight to Ketchikan, Alaska was $400-500 cheaper than Petersburg.

The adjustment to hunting the Prince of Wales Island of the coast of southern Alaska allowed us to fly to Ketchikan. This flight can be done in one day. Flights change all the time and next year it may be different, but that extra night in Seattle or elsewhere is costly in dollars and time.

The basic rules for carrying a firearm on a commercial flight are: (Remember each airline and or country can be a little different)

1. Rifle must be in a hard lockable case (I do not know about a revolver—but it will be way more strict) Read the rest of this entry »

Our ongoing personal list for the 2008 Prince of Wales Island, Alaska black bear hunt. We’ll be in a small forest service cabin on a lake with well over 5 miles of salmon streams to hunt and fish on. (Salmon Lake Cabin—Karta River system)

1. Rifle/scope, scope covers, sling

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– (I don’t like scope covers, but in this case it is inevitable—they keep water out and in. I can shoot a scope that’s wet but not one that’s foggy)

2. 40 rounds of ammunition – (sight your gun in after the airplane ride) It has to be in it’s original containers for commercial flying! Pack it separate from your gun.

3. Binoculars – (don’t forget these)

4. Spotting scope – (We’ll have two. One for each group) They are expensive and heavy so make the younger guys carry them.

5. Sleeping bag, air mattress – (Not a huge one) The great big bed mattresses are not good-too heavy and would take up the whole cabin. I think our cabin is 16ft X 20ft. Therm-a-Rest, Slumberjack or the new Exped Downmat 7 Sleeping Pad that I Iove and blogged about.

6. Small Pillow ultracet ingredients – The small down squish-able ones the size of a loaf of bread or just use your sweater, if you’re a good sleeper. Do not take the one off your bed!

7. Small backpack - There are a lot of backpacks out there. We’ll be carrying lunch, waders, and emergent stuff, so we’ll need one that’s not tiny. I like ones with real back support and I want it to be as big as the air Read the rest of this entry »