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Finally got my residency so now I can afford to hunt. I'm planning on pursuing both black and brown bears this spring and while I THINK I know the basics but any pointers would be greatly appreciated (not locations!).

I will be hunting various places on the KP, most likely off the trails coming out of the Cooper Landing area, though I may hike up the Swanson River (passed the state park border) since it is just up the road from my house. A friend is taking me in his boat across Skilak in early May. I'm guessing that finding vegitation and doing LOTS of glassing the hillsides as well as looking for tracks along the lake shores and stream beds are the best bet.

Not making this a rifle discussion but I will be using my 30-06 with 200 gr. Partitions or possibly the Ruger #1 .280 with 175 gr. Partititions my dad passed onto me when he died.

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Don't get eaten. grin

Oh and make sure you can outrun your partner.


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If you find tracks that means the bear WAS there. Look for the bear not the tracks.
Glassine and spending time in the field is the ticket. Boar bears will be on the move and could show up anywhere at anytime.

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Find yourself a nice little valley with lots of tracks. Get to a vantage point and wait. They'll show up. They are habitual Be prepared to hunt right up to dusk.


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get close -- shoot straight -- shoot again until it stops moving


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Anyone who claims the 30-06 is not effective has either not used one, or else is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship.
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Originally Posted by 458Win
get close -- shoot straight -- shoot again until it stops moving


I was telling this to a friend just the other day. The only addition I made was once it quite moving, shoot one more time laugh

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Skin em high. I like to come down the arm about 1/4 to a 1/3 instead of cutting right down the middle of the arm. This way you get a nice butterfly under, or behind the leg instead of over. Looks much better IMO.


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May be a late spring this year generally early May for lakes to be ice free, last several years we were out in April.

I prefer to hunt from lakes in a boat, you have to be there after the lake breaks up and before the birch bloom.

Then glass , glass and glass. Or you can do the same from most of the S facing road side pull outs.

The key is be where you can see and patience. Look for the areas that green up first, or where the food is. For early spring bear. Send me a PM as I will likely be there.


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Since you live in Alaska you have probably seen lots of bears already. To me the single hardest thing to do is judge the size of a lone bear at a distance. Been fooled several times. Look at lots of on-line pictures and be patient when glassing/hunting.

Bag a big one! Or a medium one if you plan to eat it. grin


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If you are viewing a bear from a distance one of the first things to look at is the relationship of the head to the body. The biggest bears are boars and their heads appear small compared to the rest of their body.

Movement is another clue. Cubs and young bears tend to move fluidly and often quickly, while old bears, both male and females, tend to move more like old people. The most massive old boars tend to walk ponderously like the many of the memorable Walmart shoppers.


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www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com

Anyone who claims the 30-06 is not effective has either not used one, or else is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship.
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I'd love an open season on fat Walmart shoppers. No limit and OTC tags.


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Originally Posted by AcesNeights
I'd love an open season on fat Walmart shoppers. No limit and OTC tags.


You obviously have never cleaned one...


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Originally Posted by AcesNeights
I'd love an open season on fat Walmart shoppers. No limit and OTC tags.


You obviously have never cleaned one...


Haha. No I haven't and I doubt they've cleaned themselves. I'd treat'em with more extreme prejudice than a manged, tick infested coyote.

I doubt even ravens would touch it.


�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.

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Originally Posted by AcesNeights
Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Originally Posted by AcesNeights
I'd love an open season on fat Walmart shoppers. No limit and OTC tags.


You obviously have never cleaned one...


Haha. No I haven't and I doubt they've cleaned themselves. I'd treat'em with more extreme prejudice than a manged, tick infested coyote.

I doubt even ravens would touch it.


Fall bears and fat Wal-Martin shoppers are the only creatures I ALWAYS wear gloves for!!!

wink


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Originally Posted by watch4bear
Skin em high. I like to come down the arm about 1/4 to a 1/3 instead of cutting right down the middle of the arm. This way you get a nice butterfly under, or behind the leg instead of over. Looks much better IMO.


There have been several threads here over the years about skinning bears and where the critical first cuts should be. It makes a difference.

I have no idea what you are describing... but it does not sound right to me.

The hind legs are far more important, IMO, because the excess hide between the legs is simply cut off and thrown away when cut wrong.


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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I thought you might make a reference to fall bears but know how much respect you have for them (the bears). 😁


�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.

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Give a fall bear an electric cart and a tattered wife-beater and ID would get tough...


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Art, Did you have a thread that you describe how you skin a bear? If so I'd like to read it.


�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.

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Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Give a fall bear an electric cart and a tattered wife-beater and ID would get tough...


Yeah those electric carts cause enough rubbing to ruin the hide and the naturally produced chafing from growing to gigantic, trophy proportions, doesn't help with hide quality.

I just don't want more than one tattoo of a dolphin jumping over an Asian moon on a hide that I plan to keep.


�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.

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Since a bears skull never stops growing look at the ears. A young bear will have it's ears sticking straight up. An older bear will have its ears sticking out to the sides.


If you reload, there's no such thing as an obsolete cartridge.

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