Great read: http://www.fieldandstream.com/worlds-toughest-hunting-and-fishing-guides

Good read!

That's freaking awesome. Nice work Phil. You are a badass.

Thanks for the link!

Thanks for the link, great bits!

Amen! That's what I love about this place! I'll likely never even speak to these writers, hunters, outdoorsmen…Loonies- let alone meet or hunt with them, but I feel like I know them as we interact on these forums. Thanks for being here!

I've referred four friends to Phil and all came away with nice bears and a great experience......none were the gal in yellow.

Thnx gun loony. Enjoyed that. It's a treat and honor to talk with Mr S. here and others too.

Jerry

Top of the line. So good to see F&S continue to deliver good outdoor writing.

Wonderful read about Phil and the others. God I would like to sit around and listen to his stories for a month.

Thanks GunLoony88, good read.

Thanks for the article! Phil Shoemaker and John Barsness both have answered questions personally on my behalf. What's impressive is the time and opinions they offer to all of us here at the campfire despite a heavy and demanding schedule/lifestyle! Top notch!

Outstanding that Phil and others of his caliber come here,

John and I are simply examples of the damage excess exposure to hunting and guns at an early age can cause.
And support groups like this don't seem to be helping !

Well we are TRYING ! grin

Jerry

Phil, you need to write a book.

What's the most risky part of your job, Phil? The flying?

I guess it would depend on the day - but I have never had an airplane intentionally try to kill me !

[quote=458Win]I guess it would depend on the day - but I have never had an airplane intentionally try to kill me ! [/quote

Phil, you need to buy another rifle to maintain your Looney status. BTW, I HAVE had an aircraft intentionally try to kill me!

i enjoyed this read.

my favorite part was Phil's comment about the "surprise encounter", where he say's;

"But I doubt I could have shot that one in time if things had gone bad."

this is most often the reality in close quarter surprise encounters, and some folks just don't realize this--figuring they'll always have time to react.

his pic reminds me of my long-time friend Bob S--a hunter and trapper extraordinaire...

Thanks for the link, greta article.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of speaking with both Misters Barsness and Shoemaker face to face. Both are gentlemen of the first water. We are fortunate to have their advice and perspectives viable to the "fire"

All the best.

GRF

Thanks for the article!
All time BEST Phil article was the one he wrote about
The Winchester 1895 405 WCF!
Made me get mine!
AMRA

Great photo of Old Ugly.
Thank you for posting the link.
I likely will never get to AK for a Bear. But if I ever get the chance to do a trip for fish I will do everything in my power to Book it with the Bear Tamer. Just to enjoy the stories.
Phil I always appreciate your honesty about the animals, the Alaskan experience and the Clients.
Thanks from the lower 48 for adding to this forum.

Bob, and everyone else, thanks for the kind words. As a certifiable rifle addict I have little resistance to this, or other forums. Rick Bin even offered to pay me to write a regular feature and I simply looked at him and asked why would he want to pay me when I was already doing it for free ?

+1

Thanks, would have been proud to be along with the guy who got hurt twice but wasn't having any going back and killing the hunt for the others.

GunLoony88 Thanks enjoyed the read. Cheers NC

Great article! I always found Phil's line of work interesting.


In addition he's an excellent communicator.

Thanks so much for the link!

Phil, that's a great feature.
A++ to Ian Allen on the pictorial.

95% of bears charging are false charges, I want to know more of the other 5%.

When you consider the fact that 99% of the time most bears do not charge, or act aggressively at all, the 5% of those who do charge is pretty small. But with pistol or rifle in hand I have fortunately been able to grin down most of them.

I am no stranger to Grizzlies, but my hat is off to you. You certainly look fit and seasoned, a testament to a lifetime of doing and not watching.

Congratulations sir!

What about your experiences with clients and their gun handling?
I think about the PH inAfrica who went in after a wounded buff , when in fact the most dangerous threat
to his life was the client behind him who trying to show his worth, shot the PH with his .458 Lott.
Sadder still, instead of just manning up and saying he totally screwed up, he gave some long-winded
pissing everywhere but in the bowl explanation.

My experience is that, unless there are extenuating circumstances, anyone who can not make a good shot on an unwounded animal when they are in control is unlikely to be of any help when tracking a wounded bear in thick brush ! I feel much safer and prefer doing it myself.