Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Kodiak Brown Bear HUnt -- First-timer looking for advice

I shot my Brown Bear a few years ago out of Illiama in SW Alaska. He wasn't the biggest bear, but he had a beautiful Toklat color hide. I used my .375 RUM with 281 gr Hammer bullets. I have had that rifle for almost 20 years and just used it previously on a couple of African hunts. It has a 26" barrel plus a KDF brake, and I had absolutely no problem carrying it in Alaska. My guide carried a .300 WSM for his back-up rifle.

Entering an alder patch with that rifle would be insane. Obviously, you were leaving that for the guide...

My limited experience- interior grizzly was with a 250 gr. Nosler Partition, my brown bear was with a 300 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and my buddy's brownie was with a 260 gr. Nosler Partition. Any good bullet will do.

Ruger designed a winner with the “Alaskan” . Both in 375 and 416 . A lot of guides carry them. Ruger recently built 100 of them in 416 Ruger for the Alaska Profession Hunters Association and I think Arctic Ammo in Wasilla still has a few

My mentor uses one. For the calibers you have I would not buy another rifle. Unless you just want to. Make sure you can handle it and shoot it a lot. I'd rather a guy carry an 06 with barnes than a 375 or 416 they can't handle as well. Just my take.

I used a 35 Whelen on my fall of 2019 Kodiak hunt. I used my loads with the 225g Barmes TSX. My son who lives on the island was acting as my guide and carried a 300 win mag with factory loaded Barnes TSX but I'm not sure of the brand or weight. I shot my bear at 193 yards and it was down after my 2nd shot. First shot hit a bit high due to forgetting the fairly steep downhill angle from my location to the bear with the adrenalin flowing. Rifle is a semi custom Rem 700 wearing a Vortex Razor hd lh 3-15x42.

I’ve never hunted bears in Alaska but I did find a 20” stainless laminate stocked 375 Ruger for my dad before we went to Africa for buffalo a few years ago. It shot extremely well with 270TSX and thumped the H out of his buff. He and the PH’s all thought it was about the easiest carrying rifle they’d ever handled. With that said, I think it would be super cool to put a 200 partition into a big bear with that H&H! I’d also say there’s a big difference in how hard it kicks v a 300 mag. Good luck on your hunt! Hopefully someday I’ll have the same choices to make. Keep us posted please.

I went into the thick stuff after my bear. I hit him right behind the shoulder at 13 yards with a 300g A-Frame out of my 375 H&H with a 24" barrel. Barrel length didn't really matter since you had to push the alders out of your way with one hand while holding your rifle in the other. Found him dead waiting on the blood trail. Best part of the hunt!

Was that bear wounded that you went after him or you went into the thick hunting him?

Yes he was hit perfectly behind the right shoulder. We found the bullet in the hide of the opposite thigh having traversed the lenght of him. He was quartering to me at 13 yards. We were stalking him and we surpised each other. He stood up roared and dissappared into the thick stuff roared for about 3 mins. He was spitting out buckets of blood. You would think a 300g A-Frame at 2550 fps at 13 yards would put him down with one shot but it did only for a second. We waited (at my guide's recommendation) until he stopped making noise then went in after him.

300g A-Frame still weighed 299.5 grains



My bear

Cool. Nice weight retention too. Thats why I shoot barnes and prefer the clients do too. Nothing surprising about 100 % retention if you ever find a bullet.

Waiting. Yes. A good call. I waited probably 1.5 hours before going in after a clients bear that was lung shot this fall. Some hundred yards or more up in the alders in the tunnels and some time getting there crawling slowly I located the bear that just started to stand and turn to come around at me at about 30 feet. I never let that bear get out of the bed fully... I would not allow a client to trail a bear like that.

Nice bear.

Beauty bear and boolit.

Missed it if posted, but what did he square? Skull?

Don't remember the skull he was a nice bear for Upper Togiak Lake squared just under 9' not a monster.

Tks, CO. Nice bear for sure.

Bigger than the average internet 10 footer!

Good bear!

Sent you a PM.

The alders were'nt too thick where I shot my bear, and I'm not good at playing the "what if" game.

.375 H&H with Barnes TTSX

Kodiak 2019

Ah Lance. Just had to screw up the fall season and make it harder to kill big bears. Worse weather and more dangerous flying.. later dates just SUCK. Hopefully we get those dates changed back for the fall hunts. Dang nice bear! Good write up! Congrats.