Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska AK Grizzly Hunt with Jake

My mosquito bites have finally healed up and it's time to recap my grizzly bear hunt with Jake Jefferson of Black River Hunting Camps. It was a 2 x 1 guided baited grizzly hunt. My hunting partner was a fellow AR member, Dale. I'm sure he will add a few comments to this thread. Jake had trail camera pictures of a couple black bears and several grizzly bears hitting the bait. He suggested that we both buy a black bear along with the grizzly tag. It was a good idea. We killed four bears, two black bears and two grizzly/brown bears.

I got to do several things that were on my bucket list on this hunt. The first was to fly in a Piper Cub with those big balloon tundra tires and land on a gravel bar on a river bed. As we banked to land on the gravel bar the glacier on the mountain came into full view and it was amazing.

I arrived at camp a day late because my American Airlines flight from Durango to Dallas was cancelled due to weather, severe thunderstorms and flooding in Dallas. I had to rebook and fly out of Albuquerque, NM.

The first night Dale and Jake sat on the bait. A small black bear and several grizzly came in. The grizzly bears were a little rubbed so Dale decided to pass as it was the first night of a 10 day hunt. On the second night all three of us were in the blind. That little black bear was there again -- she had a big rub spot on her her butt, and she was easy to recognize. She came in so often we named her Miss Piggy. Several grizzly came in -- the first was a nice sow. I had shot a nice sow on my last hunt with Jake and I wanted a big boar, so I passed on her. A boar came in but again he was rubbed again we passed. A nice black bear came in -- its hide was perfect -- Dale shot. One bullet from his 375 H&H through the lungs, the bear went about 20 yards, and we hear its death moans. That was the first time I ever heard them, it kind of gave me the creeps.

The third night of the hunt, more black bears were coming in now. I'm not sure if Miss Piggy was coming into heat but the males started to show up. I killed a nice boar black bear. The bait barrels are tied to a tree above a bench. So the bears would stand on the bench and lean into the barrels. Jake told me to go right down the spine and hit him between the shoulders. I did -- he dropped like a sack of potatoes. We walked up on him and he was alive. He was "woofin" at us. He couldn't move and he wasn't happy. I put one in his neck and that ended it. Later that night a BIG grizzly came in. He was rubbed but he was a tank of a bear. Dale was up, and he was thinking of passing the bear. I told him if he didn't want him, I would. Dale reconsidered and put the TSX behind the shoulder. He had to clip the spine because the boar dropped. Dale then put a couple in him to end it. The bear could shake his head and growl but he couldn't move. That boar was a dream bear -- he had scars all over his head, several that were fresh. There was a big scar down his chest. It was healed up but it was several feet long -- from another bear, or maybe a moose antler? He had big white claws. Jake said his skull was 25 inches.

The next night was slow, just black bears, no grizzly. That's OK as Jake was busy skinning and salting the bears that we had already killed. Have I mentioned the mosquitoes? They were thick. We had several "Thermacells," a must have in AK. If you go take extra butane and pads. You can't have too many. Jake has a toilet seat on a little folding chair. It was an adventure to go. Those little suckers will bite you in places no one has a right to. I would wear a head net and put the thermacell on the ground. It helped but those suckers are determined.

I missed a big grizzly the following night. He was cracking branches as he came in not twigs but big branches--"Big Cracks." How someone can miss a bear big enough to dunk a basketball with a rest at 100 yards is beyond me, but I did. Maybe because he was hitting the barrel with his front paw sending it crashing around the tree, much like Joe Frazier would hit the heavy bag. Maybe it was me breathing so hard I fogged up both my glasses and the Leupold. My heart was racing and I missed him twice. Both were clean misses -- we found where the bullet made furrows in the moss/dirt, just like plowing a field.

The season closed the next day in this unit. So we flew out and would hunt at another bait site Jake has in a different unit. We took a boat ride to this bait site. Jake's wife, Rudi, would come along for the last two nights. We re-baited the barrels and sat. Nothing showed up that night. We were down to my last night. Doubts were really starting to set in. Jake was confident that a bear would come in. Rudi was a little tired and she wanted to go back to the boat to take a nap. Well, about 20 minutes later I needed to go. I didn't want to go back the boat for the "seat," so I walked down the trail and moved off around 50 yards. Don't ask me how but I walked back to the trail and I missed it. I walked right by it, I guess -- so I turned around and walked back. I knew I could find the river and the boat. I could pick up the trail there. I walked around for a good 15 to 20 minutes. I fell over branches several times, cracking them. Finally I come out above the boat. Rudi is there locking the latches. Her eyes were wide, as big as saucers. She thought it was a bear circling. Jake was the there also looking for me. He thought maybe a bear had found me. Anyway we all went back to the blind. Rudi them come up with the best line of the whole trip. "Jake, maybe you should have your clients bring a roll of surveyor's tape." We laughed so hard, and the tension was broken. A couple hours later a nice sow came into the bait. I put a 220 Nolser Partition from my 30/06 behind her shoulder. She jumped and went about 15 yards and piled up. She has a beautiful unrubbed hide.

This was one of my best hunts ever. Jake and I just mesh. It was one liner after one liner. We were laughing and cutting up the entire hunt. We saw lots of bears. The food is good. Remember it's a fly in trip. Plenty of Mountain Man dinners, Chicken and Dumplings. We would have breakfast burritos -- plenty of eggs, bacon and potatoes.

If you ever want to do an AK grizzly hunt, Jake is the real deal. This was my 2nd hunt with him. I'm thinking of doing a third, maybe a fall hunt over a salmon stream.

I can email some photos if someone could post them.

Bob

Congratulations and thanks for the write-up!

Sounds like a great trip!

I hunted sheep with Jake way back in 2007. Great people. Great hunt.

The idea of a 2x1 baited hunt sounds kind of odd, at least at first. Each hunter only has half the time as the shooter. In this case it sounds like bears were plentiful and allowed the guide to maximize revenue without hurting the hunters’ chances much. Might work well for two hunters who were family or close friends. I could imagine some hard feelings watching a giant bear come in and be taken by the other hunter. Glad it worked out for the OP.

Sounds like a great hunt, glad you all had such success.

Question about your mosquito "protection", did the head net help and what did you do to protect your hands?

Got a hunt coming up and have been warned about the mosquitoes. Will be in a ladder stand over bait and thinking about wearing my rain gear with a wide brimmed hat and netting.

Any advice?

Tuck or tape sleeves and pant cuffs. Two head nets with one over a brimmed hat.Tuck the head nets in at the collar. Can cut the eye area out of the inner one to see better. Two layers of clothing, top and bottoms so mosquitoes don’t bite through. Light long Johns under cotton camo will be OK. Loose fitting clothes are cooler and protect better. Rain gear will work but will be hot if the weather’s warm. Two layers on the hands for the same reasons. Dressed this way there’s no need for bug spray.

My experience with Thermacells has been dismal. Others swear by them. I can’t explain this. Bugs must love me. I don’t return their affection.

Heres some pics of the hunt from Bob. His is the Silvertip...

Dale's bear was a tank. He was 113" from front paw to front paw. Plus he had those white claws but he was a little bit rubbed. Mine bear was a 7'+ sow but she had a beautiful hide----not a rubbed spot on it.

Ghost-----WMR is giving good advice. The head net did work, my hands I just used my fleece gloves-----they could bite thru them. Next time probably leather gloves. If you are doing a ladder stand I would take a harness. I fell asleep several times @ 3 or 4 in the morning. I'm assuming you are going to AK----we would hunt from 6pm to 7am every night. We used a ground blind. Thermacells work--take 2 with plenty of extra butane & pads. It's better to have extra than a couple short.

Another REALLY beautiful bear Bob!

Does he take bow hunters?

He does

WMR - thanks for the advice, will go get the supplies.

Bob - that is a very nice bear, this will be my first bear hunt so just looking for one at least average to make a nice rug.

Looks like some good times in the bear woods.

TAG...,

Coloradobob:

I hate to be that a-hole, but I'm gonna be that a-hole...

You did not go on a grizzly hunt. You did not "hunt" that bear. You harvested it, you culled it, but you did not hunt it.

I have absolutely nothing against harvesting bears over bait. I have an AK baiting certification, and use it for controlling the population in my area, which has WAY too many bears. It's a legal and ethical way of culling bears IMO.

The reason I have heartburn over people calling it hunting, is because it's kinda like people saying "assault rifle" and "gun violence."

There is a political controversy in which the anti crowd says "hunting over bait is unethical". However the point of shooting bears over bait is NOT a fair chase hunt, simply a manner of controlling the population in an oversaturated bear area. Someday, with the right legislature and the right governor, we are going to lose the right to cull bears over bait, and it's going to be because "fair chase hunters" and some other uneducated folks are going to equate population control with hunting, and think it's wrong.

Again, I've got nothing wrong with what you did, or how you did it, and I applaud you for a successful trip, but please, let's not help the anti's with perpetuating the narrative that it's a "hunt."

Now you've gone and done it. All them boys that hunt a corn feeder aren't going to like bragging about being harvesters.
And those food plots, might as well throw out some apples and harvest away.

Colorado bob been waiting for the tale, you did well. Are you going to use the rest of the 220's on deer and elk to see how they work on thin skin game? Mb

Bob-----If I ever go back to Africa I'll probably use them on an eland or wildebeest. I'm also thinking about a moose in Newfoundland when the border opens up. In hind site I should have just used 180 grain Federal partition factory loads. But they were no where to be found with the shortage. Bob

“I hate to be that a-hole, but I'm gonna be that a-hole“

Self awareness is a gift....