Bear Bums – Bear Hunting

In the mid-nineties I spent 2 weeks in the spring hunting brown bear on the coast of Alaska.  My baby son, Jed was with me.  I think he was about 13.   We were told it rained approx. 350 inches a year in this area.  By the end of our hunt we didn’t believe it rained that little! We spent approximately 18 hours a day waiting on a frequently used brown bear path and glassing the hill sides.  Jed shot a respectable black bear (an amazing shot by the way) but we saw 1 small brown bear for 45 seconds.  We were wet the whole time, slept in small tents and ate dehydrated food.  It was a hard hunt, mentally.   I believe we were in an area called Icy Bay.

That fall, still wanting a brown bear, I rebooked, at a discounted rate, with the same guy.  I took a commercial airline to Yakutat (a fishing Indian town), then shuttled to Icy Bay via canvas covered light aircraft owned by the outfitter.  That day, on his news radio, we had an Alaskan tsunami warning with a time of arrival.  We didn’t know if the wave would hit us 100ft high or what.  We started hacking a trail through the overgrown forest, up the mountain with urgency.  The Alaskan coast is a jungle with alders, devil club and other inventions intended to keep humans out.  We figured we made the 100 foot elevation we desired and packed many supplies up there.   The owner took off in the canvas airplane to save it.  The tsunami arrived–approx 4-6 inches of ocean rise.

Icy Bay is fed by multiple glaciers with floating, hanging and calving glacier chunks.  There are seals, lots of birds and I assume gobs of fish.  It’s a beautiful place in a very rugged way. After the tsunami scare the owner and guides were busy cleaning up and replacing our mountain stash.  I, meanwhile, became more a Read the rest of this entry »

With two days left we hunted Karta River and Karta Lake hard.  All of us ended up hiking to Karta Falls and past the closest cabin to ours, Karta Lake cabin.  Not a bad hike and the Karta River Falls should be in all Alaskan tour books.  They are great.  Over the distance of several hundred yards the river falls half that distance over a rocky broad river bottom.  Thick in the pools beneath each falls is a mass of 10-15 lb salmon of different types.  We watched hundred to thousands of salmon attempt the various falls with only a few making it.  I suspect eventually most make it past the falls but it must be brutal on them.

Salmon jumping up Karta Falls.

The salmon below and in the falls are in much better shape that the ones up stream where we’ve been bear hunting.  At the falls the trail to the ocean is only a few miles, so I’d guess many tourists hike up from the ocean at Karta Bay to the Karta River Falls.  We saw no one however.  It felt like we had Prince of Wales Island to ourselves the whole trip.

Karta Falls.

Bear hunting the trail was not the ticket ’cause of the jungle and lack of open areas.  As we returned to the upper end or Karta Lake at the arm pit we spotted another bear on the lake edge.  Jed spotted as Roger and I blew the stalk an scared him off.  The wind was constantly swirling.

On the trail to Karta Falls.

This PM we saw another bear on the Salmon Lake edge on the way home.  We ended up seeing about the same number of bears on the lakes as on the river.  Maybe more. We wore chest wader and felt soles boots the entire time.  The area is covered with streams, swamps, rivers and the lake.  Even hiking through the jungle we needed the water protection.  I do wish we’d taken face nets for bug protection and 100% DEET is a must. On our last bear hunting day started we were pleased with the number of bears we’d seen.  We also saw quite a few blacktail deer but no bucks. Frank and I fished and hunted Anderson creek and Roger and Jed spent the entire day on Karta River and Lake.  Jed had a marathon sneak on a bear but couldn’t get closer than 500 yards (he proved that it is near impossible to catch up with a bear that is walking in the opposite direction).  Roger showed up at the boat with a respectable bear all skinned out!

Pictures of the Island, feet from where Roger shot the bear. harm of expired viagra what is the drug mobic

Roger had been on the Karta River Island when the bear showed up for a fish meal.  He was pounded with Roger’s 1st shot.  Jed and Roger skinned him out leaving the head and paws in the hide.  They did a great job but got eaten bad by the no-see-ums.

One of the bears we saw at the island.

Back at the cabin after a great supper we spread a tarp out and finished skinning out the skull and feet of the blacky.  Roger was redeemed from his earlier shots and ended up with a great trophy.

Roger and the bear.

We got picked up the next am by the 2 float planes and headed back to Ketchikan.

Flying out, picture of Karta River.

I love Ketchikan!  Roger got the bear sealed by the fish and game guys, we returned all our rental stuff and we had a great fresh fish restaurant meal.  The flight home was slick. Now, did we have fun?…yep!  We also learned how to fish, except for Frank, ’cause he already knew how to fish.  We lucked out with weather and spent a week in one beautiful spot.  I, after a trip to the north, wonder why I live in the desert. Check out a few of our photos and the video.  I think we were in the right spot.

Frank trying to rescue a salmon.

Skinning out the bear.

Getting ready for bed.

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What’s happening?! We’re suppose to have 1-2 big bears down and deer and fish and photos and?  Frank and Roger open the day at the Armpit where Karta river empties into Karta Lake. Jed and I are on Anderson Creek at the other side of the lake.

Frank loaded with gear.

On Anderson creek we’re catching Salmon and some more Trout out of the Lake. We’re patient and watch the creek pretty closely but find following the stream to deep inland isn’t very possible due to falls, timber and deep water. It seems most of the bear sign is at the mouth anyway. We last until about noon then the plan is to meet the other group with the boat.

From a good look out spot from the Karta Armpit Frank and Roger spot a decent bear across Karta Lake from them headed their way. They make a move and set up in the tall grass on the edge of the lake wishing they could still see the bear. Read the rest of this entry »

From the Salmon Lake Cabin we had a 1-2 mile hike to Karta River and about that far the other direction to Anderson Creek.  After breakfast Jed and Roger hiked to Karta River and Frank and I hiked to Anderson Creek.  The trail from the ocean to Salmon Lake cabin is maintained and is a good trail, though, very greasy slick.

From the cabin upstream the trail hasn’t been maintained for years.  Frank and I struggled up the unmaintained trail through the rain forest for 1-2 hours then gave up and headed for the lake shore to hike the rest of the way.

Everything was green and beautiful but tough to hike through.

There is lots of deer sign and some bear sign everywhere.  I ate 1/2 ton of huckleberries as we hiked.  Hiking was not the way to get to the upstream streams of McGilvery and Anderson Creeks.  The boat was the ticket. Read the rest of this entry »