Live Hunt Alaska: Stalking Brown Bears in the Last Frontier
See the photos and story behind Tyler Freel's epic brown bear hunt.
Battling harsh weather conditions in one of the toughest environments on the planet, my hunting buddies and I were able to take three huge brown bears on our 10-day fly-in trip in the Alaska Peninsula. It was one of the most fun and challenging bear hunts I have ever been on. Check out the story and photos from my adventure hunting one of the world's largest land predators. AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement |
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
|
Outdoorlife.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2013 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Print
Email
Share
Comments (14)
Thanks Eric, Yeah...things sure can go that way! We were definitely fortunate to be able to get 3 of them. For us, the hunt cost around $2700 apiece (mostly transportation). Talking to guys on their way out in the airport, we heard that the going rate for guided hunts on the peninsula right now is $22,000.
Tyler. Real great hunt with fantastic trophies. I must have missed something. Did you tell your reading public the cost of such a trip.. I lived in Ak for 15 years and as such I could guide myself. Five separate trips and we got one real nice 9"6" brownie. My brother,who did not live in Ak, had to hire a guide and he went on 3 trips (without me) and finally got his bear on the 3rd trip. Each trip cost around $15,000.00. It isn't easy. As Teddy Roosevelt once said: " A surefire way to avoid seeing a bear is to go hunting for one".
I thought your readers should know... Eric Olson
That is an awesome bear! CONGRATS!
Congrats on your successfull hunt, Mr Freel. May there be many more to follow.
I think load development was the biggest shoulder crusher on that .416! Steve sure had a sore shoulder..but it's an awesome shooting rifle! He got 1/2 MOA groups with 400 grain triple shocks at over 2,400 fps!
Great hunt fellas. My only question is how long did it take to sight in that .416 Ultra Mag. From the looks of the ballistics, you could probably use it if you ever score a Tyrannasaurus Rex Tag. Makes a .30-06 look like a .22!
Congrats Tyler! Even though you didn't get him with the bow, that's still a trophy to be proud of.
Not a dumb question at all! The Shelikof strait between kodiak and the peninsula is around 40 miles and the bears DO swim back and forth on occasion. My uncle had a client shoot a bear on Kodiak that had been tagged 25 years earlier on the peninsula. A pilot i've flown with in Kodiak told me he's seen them swimming out in the strait as well.
This might be a dumb question(I don't know the distance)...do the brown bears swim back and forth between the island and the mainland ever?
Thanks JM, yeah..they are some massive critters! we had to run a 9 footer out of camp the night before the season opened, but they didn't really give us any trouble. They are still wild there and scared of people. We were on the Mainland actually, but you could see Kodiak on clear days. Wolf isn't open year round, but the season in that area goes till June 30th.
Picture #15 is a perfect example of why I would be afraid to go on a brown bear hunt.
-Congrats on the bears and the wolf(are wolves open on the island year around?).
Thanks Guys, it was truly a trip of a lifetime. I'm very thankful to live here and get to experience this stuff & share it with you!
Yeah...those bear hides are heavy! I've heard of guys cutting them in half, but i couldn't imagine doing that, so it winds up being a heavy pack!
Congrats on the bears guys. Adventure hunts like this are great and you all are living life to its fullest.
My knees groaned thinking of that 130 lb pack. I over loaded a pack on an elk hunt once because there was just that "little" extra and the idea of a second climb to get it was unappealing. To this day I blame that pack for compressed knees and a lost inch in my height.
Love your hunts and stories Tyler, keep em coming.
later,
charlie
Great article..great pics...great bear!
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)
Congrats on the bears guys. Adventure hunts like this are great and you all are living life to its fullest.
My knees groaned thinking of that 130 lb pack. I over loaded a pack on an elk hunt once because there was just that "little" extra and the idea of a second climb to get it was unappealing. To this day I blame that pack for compressed knees and a lost inch in my height.
Love your hunts and stories Tyler, keep em coming.
later,
charlie
Picture #15 is a perfect example of why I would be afraid to go on a brown bear hunt.
-Congrats on the bears and the wolf(are wolves open on the island year around?).
This might be a dumb question(I don't know the distance)...do the brown bears swim back and forth between the island and the mainland ever?
Not a dumb question at all! The Shelikof strait between kodiak and the peninsula is around 40 miles and the bears DO swim back and forth on occasion. My uncle had a client shoot a bear on Kodiak that had been tagged 25 years earlier on the peninsula. A pilot i've flown with in Kodiak told me he's seen them swimming out in the strait as well.
Great hunt fellas. My only question is how long did it take to sight in that .416 Ultra Mag. From the looks of the ballistics, you could probably use it if you ever score a Tyrannasaurus Rex Tag. Makes a .30-06 look like a .22!
Great article..great pics...great bear!
Congrats Tyler! Even though you didn't get him with the bow, that's still a trophy to be proud of.
I think load development was the biggest shoulder crusher on that .416! Steve sure had a sore shoulder..but it's an awesome shooting rifle! He got 1/2 MOA groups with 400 grain triple shocks at over 2,400 fps!
That is an awesome bear! CONGRATS!
Thanks Guys, it was truly a trip of a lifetime. I'm very thankful to live here and get to experience this stuff & share it with you!
Yeah...those bear hides are heavy! I've heard of guys cutting them in half, but i couldn't imagine doing that, so it winds up being a heavy pack!
Thanks JM, yeah..they are some massive critters! we had to run a 9 footer out of camp the night before the season opened, but they didn't really give us any trouble. They are still wild there and scared of people. We were on the Mainland actually, but you could see Kodiak on clear days. Wolf isn't open year round, but the season in that area goes till June 30th.
Congrats on your successfull hunt, Mr Freel. May there be many more to follow.
Tyler. Real great hunt with fantastic trophies. I must have missed something. Did you tell your reading public the cost of such a trip.. I lived in Ak for 15 years and as such I could guide myself. Five separate trips and we got one real nice 9"6" brownie. My brother,who did not live in Ak, had to hire a guide and he went on 3 trips (without me) and finally got his bear on the 3rd trip. Each trip cost around $15,000.00. It isn't easy. As Teddy Roosevelt once said: " A surefire way to avoid seeing a bear is to go hunting for one".
I thought your readers should know... Eric Olson
Thanks Eric, Yeah...things sure can go that way! We were definitely fortunate to be able to get 3 of them. For us, the hunt cost around $2700 apiece (mostly transportation). Talking to guys on their way out in the airport, we heard that the going rate for guided hunts on the peninsula right now is $22,000.
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)