For Water Boy

The one of the memorable hair raising times I had in AK bear hunting was with this old retired school principal/guide. No one liked him as he had a poor attitude, used the Lord's name in vain casually, and was a rabid SHEEP hunter. That's about all SHEEP hunters talk about, sheep. He came to back up the hunter with a 26" barreled custom bolt gun and 6X24X scope in .300 RUM. He also told us he was supposed to shoot too just after we did, so the animals would not have to be tracked. That was so preposterous no one knew what to say. He missed a bear at 30 yards with that rifle so it was not a big issue.

Sean tried to hunt with him first, he said flat no after that, very unlike Sean too. Andy went with him next and things did not go smooth either but he lasted longer than Sean. Don't remember if Doug went out with him but I can see him weaseling out. My turn came. We parked, got on a 4-wheeler and drove a couple miles through that floating moss swamp to a thick morass of bushes and trees. I had to get off and walk that last 100-150 yds. through alder bushes, almost a tunnel and you couldn't see more than ten feet at most. The 4-wheeler woke them up and pissed them off and I walked into it, that's what I imagined. Oh, we usually got stuck 2X going in and 2X going out. The man was older and had bad hips so I got winch duty with no well rooted trees to use, I bent over the small wobbly ones I found and stood on the bases. Lovely, and hopefully entertaining for the bears that were behind every other bush, I just knew.

We got treed by an young Grizzly for a couple hours while we cooked a 10# sack of sugar in a coffee can, up 9' in the stand. Smelled like cotton candy, that's what brought him in. But seeing us and not offended by the warning gunfire the Grizz settled in to eat the french fry grease infused horse feed Black Bear bait. Finally he got up and wobbled to the clearing and stood up, scratching, marking (pissing all over) a large tree about 50 yds. away. As the bear's butt dimmed in the brush, walking off into the woods, the guide said "OK he's gone lets go!". I protested pointing out he was not yet 75 yds. "somewhere over there!!!". But the guy go the 4 wheeler turned around so I got down to walk out. I swapped a 300 gr. HAWK copper Spire point in my .440 GNR for a 400 gr. Hornady Jacketed Soft Point. Checked my .510 GNR loaded (reluctantly at the guides request - jacketed bullets) with (5) BARNES 300 gr. JSP. I slung the Encore and held the .510 in my hand as I walked through the dim canopy, knowing the bear was surely within 200 yds. of me, maybe MUCH closer. It was a cheek quivering experience walking out.

I had seen how fast those bears can be. Doug and I had been treed by two Grizzlies two days earlier. I also remember how Doug quickly assumed the "middle" position waling out that evening. George told me "they probably won't be back, but tell me if you see them", sur...surrre George!

half mile from me. One of the died shortly after but I don't remember which one. And one of them built a big tunnel type shooting range in the side of the hill. Again I don't remember which one.