So there I was in sight on the spot where Scott and I pinched the bear last week. For those that have been there, I was just barely upstream of the main highway bridge over the Buskin. I had just landed a silver and intended to reduce it to fillets when I looked downstream and saw the same sow headed up the river toward me.

I decided to kill the silver and hold it under water so as not to show it to the bear. If she came too close I would drop it and pick it up later. It was not "soupy" enough for her tastes, pesky sealice and all, you know.

As she approached the bridge she started acting timid and I thought there was probably someone right above on the bridge her making her uneasy.

I am not sure whether the huge splash came next or whether the sow tucked her nub of a tail and absolutely sprinted down the river, away, practically throwing a rooster tail in the ankle deep water... But run she did and "SPLASH" something right behind me did.

Looking over my shoulder I saw a truly large boar, perhaps 20 yards away in the pool. This is a bear that has made me leave a number of times over the past five or six years. He is big, certainly nine feet plus (far rarer than internet ten-footers) and used to having his way.

While trying to decide between challenging him to an arm wrestling match or a hundred yard dash he dove into the pool and completely disappeared. Disappearing suddenly seemed like a much better idea, so I started easing backward down the river toward the bridge.

Those low-water rocks are slicker than snot right now and I almost gave a show for several gawkers on the bridge, but kept both feet under me until I reached shore. I debated leaving the salmon for later pick-up but the boar suddenly popped out of the water about 30 yards away trying to hold one slithery humpie in both paws while he slurped it down. I was close enough to see the bear "smiling" and it reminded me of the college buddy that insisted on dating the ugliest girls he could find... They REALLY appreciated him and it cut down on the competition.

I kept the silver and made very good time getting back to the van and dropping him on ice.

This bear has been around for quite some time, but has been going much more nocturnal over the years. Tonight is a full moon and the big boar was getting an early start on a late evening. He is one of the bears I will not tempt, but tonight he acted like a regular youngster. I suspect the lack of heavy rain has kept the rotting fish in the river rather than sending them to sea and the bears have been doing well on that which they like best...

So twice in a week I have had a little dose of humility from those furry bastids...
art

As a post script... There was a poster here sometime back claiming huge bear experience but when pressed claimed 200 sightings over 40 years. So far this week I am well over 10% of that and have had weeks with well over 50% of the 200 claimed sightings.

Same poster said charging bears should be shot "Under the chin"... Which to anyone that has ever had a bear coming directly at them should be incredibly funny.

Here I had a true trophy-sized boar at close range, and under the chin would hit any bear right in the dirt... Between the shoulder blades would be the far better answer...
art

I think you need to find a different fishing hole. LOL

As a post script , ahh what is the BB permit # number for that stream . Hopefully I can draw a tag and maybe go fishing with you .

No drawing permit required on the Kodiak road system...

Any resident can hunt them with a free registration permit and a $25 locking tag...

Sitka deer;
Thanks for sharing the bear/fishing story with us Art, it made for good reading.

Having actually seen one small grizzly in my life and that off the Trans Canada while it fed on something on the CN Rail tracks I can only imagine what it's like to have those sorts of "distractions" while fishing!

Thanks again for the story, all the best to you and yours and good luck to you all in your upcoming hunts.

Regards,
Dwayne

I'd be rinsing out my skives about now....

A couple of young brownies were running around our fishing area up on the Tsiu a couple of weeks ago:





Had to watch for the bears, but we did pretty good anyway...




Love the silvers on a fly rod!

That last one is plum gorgeous!

Piscatorially speaking.

Why ain't he had the smack down?

stay safe. It's a jungle out there.

He sticks to an area where one cannot hunt and stays mostly nocturnal.

Watched some idiots around another bear this afternoon and it is amazing more of them don't get chewed on...

Time to buy a pistol with a bigger hole in the end of the barrel Art!

Might have to, but I don't really want to...

I should let you baby-sit my Bisley for a few weeks every Sept.

I can be rough on children like that...

Just curious, what do you carry when you fish, and how do you carry it?

I've mostly seen Art just walking around carrying a silver in each hand and a rod tucked under his arm teasing the bears.

What did they do wrong? I moved to Juneau so I'd like the advice.

Was a largish group (15??) and when the bear showed several ran, leaving silvers on stringers in the water. The bear found them. The bear climbed up a small hill, level with the fishermen as the runners tried to come back to get their stuff.

The bear sat literally in the middle of the trail in thick alders. They were often less than 10' before they saw the bear. I could see them clearly because the bear was immediately river-side of the alder screen. With people everywhere there were several that attempted to scare the bear, forgetting apparantly that their buddies were right where they were trying to drive the bear.

One tool even had a leashed pitbull as "protection".

The bear left his elevated perch and went back to the river for more handout salmon. Several threw rocks around the bear to drive it away, which failed completely.

All of this was going on with the bear never more than 15 yards from at least one soft squishy human. I stayed on the opposite side of the river, maybe 40 yards away.

The biggest concern was the way they surrounded the bear by over 180 degrees. If the bear suddenly startled there were few options for the bear and the people were very close.

Leaving a big pile of silvers on stringers just habituates the bears to the same spot...

Throwing rocks to haze a bear is unfortunately illegal. They really need to officially haze the bears with some beanbags. And they likely will before the Oct 25 opener. Last year there were seven or eight bears killed opening day. I suspect similar numbers this year.
art

Silver projectiles worked for the Lone Ranger (Didn't Tonto make him something other than "Lone"?) Thinking about it Tonto had Silver heels, right? I figure a silver slapped upside the bear's head would stop him right now.

Mostly when I do carry it is a Blackhawk 357 with hardcast bullets and it goes in a leather holster that usually rides at the top of my waders sliding under my left arm. It works okay... I seldom take it out, even when bears are fairly close.

I am a little cynical about it as I figure the bear that chews on me will give little warning...
art

So the bear unpleasantness continues...

Next time I'm fishing in the Buskin drainage, I'll have my .45 Bisley in a chest holder, end of story...


Art,

I guess the smart thing for me to have done was to have retreated up the Buskin when the sow headed towards river right after eating her humpy soup. Instead, I crossed to river left, putting the pinch on her. Thing is though, aren't people encouraged not to retreat, so the bears don't assume everyone's going to move for them, and then put the smackdown on folks that stay put and yell? If I'm off base on this, then I'm ready to be enlightened.

How'd you knew the title I'm going to use when I post about the AK/Kodiak trip on the kayak fishing forum

I take it that it's continued to rain after I left on Wednesday. Did the guys from MN/AR make it out the next morning?

Scott

I reccomend you put that silly little 357 away and get yourself a 454. That way when Mr. Bear does start chewing on your leg, you can pull it out and blow your own head clean off so it doesn't hurt so much.

Just kidding of course, but I do have to agree with your choice of caliber. I've found that when I bowhunt in Grizzly areas and carried a 44 or 454, I seldom bothered to bring it along, so I bought a small 357 revolver that weighs about a third of what my larger bores did and I seldom fail to bring it along now.

It was nice to finally get to put a face with the name. We really enjoyed meeting you and your wife.
We had a great trip with picture perfect weather. Never saw a single drop of rain the whole time.
Anyway, maybe we can get in some fishing next time around.
John

Nice to meet you to Scott. How'd your hunt turn out?

Actually, retreat is the right option in any case you are even a little leery of... They need to beanbag the bears if they want to teach them manners... but tourists want to see them and a beanbagged, bruised, and bitchy bear makes a lousy photo op.

Coming down river right would have put us on the same side of the river and the bear would have moved away, likely.

And every bear has a different idea of "How close" and "Why are you surrounding me". Yesterdays bear was comfortable with a bunch of idiots very close on all sides doing lots of stupid stuff.

The other guys got their planes first thing the next morning with Delta still planning a $536 charge for missing their flight due to fog...

There has been enough rain to spark a few silvers, but the water levels are still very low...
art

John
Was good meeting you two as well... Wish my schedule had allowed more time down there.
art

I agree with the covenience. A friend killed a charging, largish brown bear last summer near his home in Soldotna with a 454... I doubt the CNS shot would have been much different with a 357. And mostly I hope to never need it. If I am provoking bears I will have a rifle.

"Fishing" with bears is not terribly common around Juneau. There are plenty of bears but they tend to stay nocturnal. I see plenty of tracks while I'm out, but I honestly see more bears when I deer hunt than when I salmon fish. Juneau is also 99% black bears. Right now there's a decent size brownie hanging out by the gun range, and Kowee creek has a few but beyond that the bears are in town eating people's trash. Just make sure to give the bear their space and try to make a little noise while you're out fishing. You don't want to surprise the bear. And Welcome to Juneau!!! The silvers are running hot right now.

Several of us were standing around at the Russian River (the Russian River here on Kodiak) last week while a sow with three cubs attracted a bunch of people. We were laughing quite loudly and carrying on amid a mob of camera-toting touristas when an elderly lady "Shushed us" with a "There is a wild animal right there and you are going to scare it away!"

Needless to say I laughed louder! There were literally at least a couple dozen people within 75 yards of the bears. I did politely tell her to make sure to make lots of noise around the bears... Then I told the Milquetoast she was with to grow a pair.

Considering how Humpies treat my black Labs GI system, I could only imagine the fumes coming off of the bears!

Nothing quite equal to walking through brush along a salmon crick literally and liberally sprayed with bear leavings...

They get a bit runny this time of run and it is truly an amazing thing... Amazingly bad thing that is...

AKBoater, thanks for the information.

I had almost the same problem off the Nushagak.



That was on Sept. 7th. From Sept. 10th through 17th, it was so hot during the days that the bears apparently became mostly nocturnal. I was fortunate to get one before the unexpected drought/heat wave.

You are such a tease!
art

I know. Sorry.

what did you do, just shoot the paws off the bear?

That's what you call a dramatic "paws"

I wish I was that good.

Whoa! Nice looking bear! AK Peninsula ?

Thanks. I was pretty lucky. It was near the Nushagak River a ways north of Dillingham. More details here.

Dang Sitka, I just noticed that you are exactly 12 posts away from 20K. Even though you probably don't know or care about that, you should do a quick 12-post string to get over that hump. You've been posting only at a rate of about one post every two days during the last ten years. If you go along at your normal pace, it will take you almost a month. You've earned the right to a little gratuitous barrage of posting to hit that benchmark.

???

Interesting math...

Oh, and very big bear!!!!! Spring hides sre my preference, but big bears are almost always so badly rubbed by the time they are vulnerable that a flat hide is better...

Interesting, meaning incorrect?

Thanks.

By flat hide, do you mean a fall one?

Yes, fall hides are "flat" meaning short-haired. A spring hide can be incredibly fluffy.

Yup...

365x10-127+2=3525
3525x.5=1762.5

Reciprocal functions...
20,000/3525=5.67 posts per day

Good catch. I added an extra zero in my days number, which incorrectly led me to 0.57, instead of 5.7 posts/day. In any event, if you respond to this post, it will put you over the limit.

Thanks.

Just for you...

Congrats.

nice goin', Artsy!

Art, you are clearly going to need an armed bodyguard next year.

I will be happy to volunteer. Since I can't catch those Silvers, I might as well be the bodyguard.

BTW, it's been proven you can out-run me, so there's another point in my favor!