Hunting the Largest Carnivore on Earth
The Giant Alaska Brown Bear

Pursuing the great Alaska brown bear is certainly one of the most sought after experiences in the hunting world, and the great bears are one of our top priorities as an outfit. Nothing quite stirs my mind and heart like the sight of a brown bear in the Alaska wilderness, and after our initial early season sheep hunts, brown bear becomes our primary focus. GMU 16 opens on August 10th every year, and the season continues to May 30th, and this simply means that we have the ability to hunt in late August and early September during some of the best salmon runs, and this is the way we like to hunt the big bears. While GMU 16 doesn't produce great numbers of 10 ft. bears, there are plenty of bears and 9 ft. bears are certainly a reasonable goal. These are not interior grizzlies, but salmon fed bears. The area we hunt on the Alaska Peninsula is in GMU 9 D near the end of the world! The Peninsula camp is around 550 miles west of Anchorage and between 60-90 miles east of Cold Bay on the end of the Peninsula itself. GMU's 9 D & E are certainly considered to be among greatest brown bear areas in the world, but hunting in this region comes at a price, both financially and mentally, as well as physically at times. Expenses are extreme and the weather is far more extreme. During this spring hunt (2006) I saw one of my North Face expedition tents flattened for the first time in 11 years of hunting Alaska. Sunny skies and 80 mph wind gust just snapped the aircraft grade aluminum poles, and this type of climate just gives some hunters psychological fits. The Alaska Peninsula hunts are only available during a limited season on even numbered years for spring bears, and odd numbered years for fall bear. Our next available time frame is October 2007.

Many scientist consider grizzly and brown bears to be one and the same species (ursus arctos), but we certainly realize there is difference when it comes to size, also there is a difference when it comes to the amount of money it cost to hunt each, brown bear hunts being much more expensive. Once a hunter arrives in brown bear camp he (or she) will typically spend a lot of time behind a set of binoculars, glassing the streams and sloughs where the salmon are running. Typically we will be in an area where bears may also be on the berries, but this is typically later in the season as the salmon are drying up. Our hunts are essentially backpack type hunts, that is we go light into the bush and this gives us the flexibility to make a move into a different area if the need arises. According to the particulars of the given area we are hunting, techniques may involve glassing the bears from a vantage point, still hunting the salmon streams for that up close and personal touch, or even the use boats when practical. Top notch rain gear, and hip boots are required gear on these hunts, and the best optics you can afford can make a long day of glassing go a lot easier.

Firearms for brown bear will always be the subject of much debate, but one thing is certain, we prefer that any hunter seriously wanting to hunt the big bears carry nothing less than a .338 Win. Mag with 250 grain premium bullets, and I do mean premium. We are not in the business of chasing wounded bears all across the country because someone wanted to prove a point made by some dim-witted outdoor writer. Personally I prefer that hunters use .375 H&H, and up, if they can handle them effectively. The key phrase here is certainly "handle them effectively," and if an individual can't stomach the larger bore rifles they should use something they are more comfortable with, but there is a limit in this area. We really don't want guys asking to bring their 7mm's or 30-06's into brown bear camp, and yea I have heard all about the great numbers of bears taken with the '06, and no I am not impressed by those stories. I am impressed by the numbers for the .50 caliber BMG, and if you could handle shooting this I would prefer you bring it into camp.