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Well, I connected with a brown bear in Unit 4. I�ve been up a few times and always saw bears, but it just didn�t happen.

We ( my older brother from Anchorage, Bud, my younger brother from San Diego, Ted, his son and my son) rented a boat in Juneau and headed south. Our first planned stopping spot was taken so we spent the night and headed on in the morning. When we arrived at the next spot no one else around and we saw bears right away. I think we saw at least eight legal animals and three were shooters. We did a lot of glassing, we would troll around the areas beaches in a small skiff, and we would sit and watch tidal flats where we saw sign.

On the third evening Bud saw a nice bear, so we scramble to get in front of him and of course he is no where around. We wait awhile, then move to look and see that area he disappeared in just in case. Then we decide he gave us the slip so we agree to come back the next afternoon and we head back. Half way back Bud looks behind us and there he is. I drop my pack and we move straight at him. We get to a little drainage I range him at 165 yards, I start to set up but we move to a closer drainage maybe 30 - 40 yards.

This shot was the only time that I was excited. The placement was real good, it broke his right upper leg bone, thru both lungs, and left a nasty exit wound (Model 70, 375 H&H, 300 grain SAF). He reacts, disappears reappears, moving around, I shoot three more time before he is in the trees. I hit him twice more. I reload and we go to find some blood, we follow the trail and twenty feet before the trees there is a trail 18 inch wide trail peppered nicely with blood and he is dragging one leg.

It�s nine PM and we are talking about what to do next and I hear branches break, we think maybe he just crashed. We decide to go in, maybe twenty yards left from where he went in. We step look around, step look around. Just as we get in side where we can see, he comes at us from just a little to the left. Man he looked big thru the scope, I think my first shot missed but the second one was just under his chin to the left and he did what we all wanted, slump back and looked a lot smaller than the had a moment before. We back up I reload and we move forward and see him just barely moving around laying on his back. We back up and go get the pack.

By then Ted�s here with the pack frame and we go in and he is still. I give him the ole barrel poke and that�s it, I�ve got a brown bear, with a story to boot. He's not real big, but he is mine, the skull was 23 3/8", the hide squared at 7' 4".

My after action report says let the animal bleed out at least a half hour, it wasn't ten minutes from the first shot until the last one. You may not have noticed but my face is red in the photos, that's not from the sun or wind. A lot of important stuff happened real quick. We were pretty lucky I think. Bud was acting as my guide, but at the time he didn't have his rifle with him. I spent a lot of time at the range and would dry fire my rifle and work the action quickly while tring to stay on target thru the scope. I think that helped. I really don't remember working the action.

I'm a lurker here and enjoy the tales I read, and I do get info. So I thought I would post mine. I have a few photos, but I ain't smart enough to post them.

Will

Congrats and glad you had a good time with family.

For a 1 poster, I'd say ...no brag, just fact.

Well done. And congratulations.

Pics added for Will. Looks like a good bear to me.

And I, for one, am very impressed that I was able to do that.

Thanks Blue, no matter what they say, you are the Man!

Will