Got back from Kodiak a bit over a week ago. Had a wonderful 10 days with mostly decent weather to celebrate our anniversary and totally content to head home with just a great trip when on the last night to hunt we spotted our first good bear we had seen since the 3 we saw the day we landed at 6 pm and it was 2.5 miles away on the GPS. We beat feet over where we saw the bear go into the alders and not come out and found him in his bed.

Got within 180 yards and waited 10-15 minutes for the bear to get up. Finally it did and my wife shot once with her 308 win and it rolled twice down the hill into the alders and never moved.

The bear was just icing on the cake.


As for being over gunned I know Art is a fan of the 25-06 with the 80 grain TTSX, but my wife wanted a bit of insurance so we when a full 100 grains more and used a single 180 grain.

And still it was more gun than what water rats wife uses for all her bears in a 300 Savage.

I was a bit bummed I didn't get in on any follow up action as the once shot behind the front shoulder as it woke up from its nap to stand up rolled it up, but not that bummed when I found it rolled up in the alders when I went to go look for it.

Anyways, great trip and here is a pic:

Alright Luke....I've been waiting almost a week now to hear measurements, as my guess before I saw a pic was 10'2". Spit some numbers at as!!!

Congrats to your wife and you on a great bear. You know "everyone knows" you need a 375 or 416, at least that is what we apparently have learned here on the fire

What 180 gr bullet did she actually use?

Sounds like a great trip. Nice bear. Congrats to the wife.

Way to go !

Holy Cow,, congratulations you guys!! What area were you hunting,, looks like you have plenty of alders,,'

Your bride is a crackshot!!!

What a fabulous bear! Congrats to your wife. Great shooting!

Congrats to your wife on her trophy!

Congrats to you on your trophy wife!

Congrats! That is way

Congratulations to your wife!

Goes to show its the indian and not the arrow.

Job well done!!

Congrats all around and a beautiful bear!!!!

Outstanding

Congratulations, Looks like a keeper. Your wife that is. --- Mel (and what a dandy bear)

Way nice bear! That girl did well!

She's a keeper for sure---Real nice bear too----Conglads.

Dang, the lady did pretty good for using a pea shooter.

Gorgeous! Great pic.

Nice Job! I'm glad the trip all worked out. And the 308 with 180 grains is my go to Afognak Elk gun - so I love that you used it on a big bear. Patrick

Congratulations! Waiting until the last day has its benefits.

Congrats!

Way to go Luke and Becca! You two need your own tv show!

Nice!

Congrats !

Fantastic job!
Congrats to your wife and you.

What a great bear. Lady's got nerves of steel!

Congrats to you both!

Very cool in so many different ways. Thanks for sharing. Good break from politics etc.The real work begins with the beast on the ground. How did things go after the big guy hit dirt? I'd love to do this with the bride, but I'm not sure she's up to it.

Nice bear and congrats to your wife.

What were your dates there?

308s are magic on bears for some reason!

Good job

Stunt shooting! How could she dare shoot a bear with a short action cartridge!?!?!





Very, very nice!

I'm not susprised. When you consider that before outdoor writers infected most sportsmen with magnumits the 30/06 was the standard caliber for hunting in Alaska and a lot of the rest of the world.

Of course beck in those days Americans were marksmen. Sounds like your wife still is a fine shot too.

Out-freaking-standing!!! Congrats to your better half!

Great bear. And shot it with a what? That can't possibly be right - nearly everything I've read says you need a minimum of................................

Top notch! Thanks for the pic.

Thanks for sharing the results of your very successful hunt! Proof once again that on an unsuspecting bear a well-located shot of sufficient caliber will do the job. Congratulations on a fine hunt.

Nicely Done...

Damn Luke, congrats to Becca! Was she using the protected point partitions? Is this the RL17 loads you were posting over at Aod a couple years ago? That is a hell of a bear!

That is very cool!

When my kiddo gets home from school I am going to show her your wife's bear. She shot her first elk last December with her .308. A one shot kill.

This story will simply reinforce what I have been telling her, that the rifle we built her will serve her for a lifetime.

A big congratulations to your bride!

Got stopped on the Richardson Highway for roadwork a few years ago. Lone, young lady way out in the middle of no where doing the flagging. We had a half-hour wait and she proceeded to whip out her phone to show us a picture of her Kodiak bear she had just shot. The young guy with me was raised in Kodiak so she got a kick out of the whole thing.

Unlike Becca though it was her first big game hunt!

Oh, and it was not as big...

That's what SHE said Art. But I'll bet you get that a lot.

Bwahahaha. Sorry, got up too early this morning!

We've had some cool conversations at construction zones, assuming the boss doesn't show up and chew the flaggers for talking to the drivers.... LOL.

I figured the one time it was nuts, we were first in line stopped and the gal had about 6 other vehicles behind us stopped... what harm was talking.

I used to hunt with an oldtimer out of Wasilla who used a 308 with 220 partitions. He said it was the "American version of a 6.5 Swede with 160 grain round noses," and "killed all out of proportion for such a small bullet."

He used a BLR, if I recall right, having "modernized" from an old 45/70 shooting 405 grain Remingtons.

Great job!

How cool your wife likes to hunt with you

Excellent. Well done

April 22-May 2nd.

Thanks man

No had great plans this winter to get a load worked up with 200 NPTs or 180 NPPT or 180 a frames. However procrastination got the best of me this winter and it never happened. So ended up just buying several brands of 180 grain factory loads and the 180 Federal Fusions grouped the best in her gun so thats what she went with.

Ideal bullet choice? Maybe not but it worked.

Right on Art!!! Yeah Becca's confidence with the her rifle has really increased the last couple years and especially all the shooting she did this winter in prep for the hunt. Something just clicked for her and her form became a lot more natural when shooting from field positions at the range and as a result her groups reflected that improvement as well.

She was setup pretty rock solid for the 180 yard shot and stayed like this for the 10-15 minutes waiting for the bear to stand up. I got bored and took pics and video while we waited but she stuck with it watching the bear play with the alders above it with its paws while on its back.

Def proud of her for making I good shot. I was back up but there was no need. I told her make the first one count as any of the follow ups I might get in it is just a bonus.

This is how she looked for the 10-15 minute wait once we got setup:

Its amazing how once the teaching becomes understandable to anyone, the form snugs up and the groups do too...

I usually have to use wording along the lines of relax, flex, don't lock your joints, just get more along the lines of relaxed and the shooter will still have to figure it out, even if you show them on your form over and over.

Good job all the way around!

Going to have a big writeup sometime on a blog or such?

I can't wait to become a resident and smack one and I bet the taxidermy on some beast that big is going to be flat fun and time consuming to do... I just messed around getting my moose READY to put the hide on last weekend... took a lot of work with something that big. I can only imagine a bear.

Be proud of her man!!! Carolyn is envious on our end, though I think her killing days may be over.

You two are what we wish we were at your age!!!

That image is priceless!

You've been teaching her HERESY!

That tape on the barrel is supposed to be blue!

She did great, BTW!

Outstanding job on what looks like a very good bear. Congratulations Becca!!

What the lady did is even more impressive when you realize how much she is struggling with a stock that is too long for her. Man her neck must have been a wreck after 15 minutes in that position. She is definitely tough, no doubt about it. She is probably taking more punishment from that rifle than the average guy does.

A suggestion from 50 years of experience: if that is actually her own rifle, maybe she should look into shortening the stock so she does not have the crawl the stock so much, and maybe can see through the scope without so much stretching. I recognize that position 'cause a full length stock does that to me. Simply whacking an inch off my stock the first time I tried it immediately shrunk my groups down a lot, and made me very much more consistent. A bonus was I could work the bolt without removing the butt from my shoulder. With newer firearms, now the length of pull is even longer than back then, so the strrrreeeeetch is nearly impossible. It is much easier to "relax" to shoot if you are not struggling with stock fit and eye relief on the scope.

Maybe have her check her length of pull. It might be enlightening. That one change can make a real difference in accuracy, comfort, speed of target acquisition, and ability to support and control the rifle. One of these days that could be really important.

Sir, it's not even in her shoulder to shoot! It's pushed forward several inches to balance more on the pack while she waited for the bear to stand up.

It started life as a 13.25" LOP now down to 12.5" and it helped a lot. The gun actually fits her quite well. But thanks for the ideas.

Thats what I was thinking too, just pushed out there and kinda chilling just waiting. Not at all tucked and ready to shoot.

But he had a good point.

Though I feel that I know you both enough from reading that Becca would have her own rifle and it would be fit to her!

Fantastic job! Wish my wife was inclined thataway.

Then my hat is off to you both. That is great to hear. (It would fit me well, too.)

When I see a photo with a gal all stretched out like that, I can't help but comment since it makes so much difference. It is so often overlooked.

Kids are the same way stock wise... folks to cheap to cut a stock, put a pad on , put the extension b ack on and so on... or buy a new stock as they grow.

I agree. Which is why he had it cut down for her to fit her. Can't hold it ready to shoot the whole time, but she wouldn't put the gun down so she made it a bit more comfy scooted the gun forward and would alternate between watching with the naked eye and checking occasionally through the scope until it started to stir and then she got into position again as did I which is why there is no pics of her at the ready to fire position....I was playing backup not photographer though apparently I didn't need to

Congratulations to you both
Great pics...

Congratulations! Awesome bear! Are you sure it wasn't a 375…?

Bet the bear "thunk" it were...

Yes! Congratulations. That is a dandy bear. Always enjoy your stories and this one is extra good.

I've read u can't kill a bear with a .308....

it's well documented, it's a physical impossibility


heck that probably ain't even his wife

Curious, what were you "Backing her up" with? A .30/06? LOL
Reading all the hunting rags, I'm surprised that 308 didn't just bounce right off the bear!!

Great Job, wonderful photos and write up!

Close guess....338-06 with 250 A frames

You're welcome.

But, I think you promised me a picture...

Wow, very nice.

NICE bear! Congrats to Becca.

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!