Hello Society…We Meet Again

Three Saints Bay was the very first Russian settlement in Alaska.  The year was 1784.  A mere eight years later, the whole inlet was wiped out by a tidal wave and the surviving citizens moved the community north to what is now the city of Kodiak.  To this day, no one lives in Three Saints Bay.

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On the morning of the 23rd, I woke up at 4:15 in my nice warm bed in San Diego.  After spending half the day getting from San Diego to Alaska, I landed in Anchorage, walked off the plane and immediately felt the cool air of the Alaskan Spring.  The towering mountains were still half-covered with snow, a layer of ice still blanketed most of Lake Hood, but it was undoubtedly Spring.  The sun was shining and it was a balmy 46 degrees that day.

Next came a quick flight to Kodiak Island on a half-passenger, half-cargo jet.  Dad picked me up and we met Aaron at the float-plane docks.

As soon as we landed, we off-loaded the plane, and began setting up camp.  We inflated the zodiac boat and took it for a quick spin to make sure the motor was running well.  Unbelievably, we weren’t gone five minutes before we saw the first brown bear combing the beach, he heard us coming and bolted for the hills.

That night I laid in my sleeping bag, amazed as I thought about the stark differences between where I started off that morning and where I ended up that night.  The events of the following 6 days would constantly remind me those differences.

Here is an excerpt that Aaron wrote on a hunting forum describing Day 2:

The next morning we got up early.  After breakfast we loaded up in the
boat and headed out.  When we rounded the corner guess who walking on
the beach… Yep – our first night bear.  We beached and started
judging.  He was a good bear, definitely a boar (could see his BOYZ
swinging) and had no rubs.  But I had a real hard time thinking my
hunt was about to end.  He was maybe (I SAY MAYBE) 8’.  We opted for a
closer look so we stalked above the bear on the bluff.  What we knew –
was that he was oblivious to our presence and continued feeding along
the beach.  What we did NOT know – was that he was about to meet us on
top.  He popped up about 25 yards in front of us, head down just walking
along like he had not a care in the world.  He was heading straight
for us.  We stood up, rifles ready and I began talking to him.  I’m
not exactly sure of the words or even the language that I spoke but I
remember looking at him and realizing he was not the bear I wanted.
NOW I just had to convince him to leave without a fight.  Luckily for
us he did just that.  Once he looked up he slowly turned and walked
away…  MAN-O-Man what a way to start day 2.

That was an exhilarating experience, 25 yards from one of the largest predators on earth, and my brother is telling me NOT to shoot.  That is a strange feeling.

After 5 days of cold, wind, sun, snow, rain, rinse, wash, repeat, we finally spotted a bear.  It was way up on a mountain, in the snow.  Aaron, dad and I discussed going after this one.  Dad said he wasn’t about to attempt that hike.  I didn’t really blame him, nor did I necessarily think that Aaron & I should even attempt the hike. We debated the issue.  I asked what if we got up there and this stupid thing had moved…then what?  What if we get up there and it’s a small bear.  Looked like a good bear from way down below…but we might be mistaken. Aaron agreed…but he also had a hunch and felt like this bear had the markings of being a good sized bear with all the attributes he was looking for.

Finally, Aaron and I decided to go after the beast.  We agreed that we were about to embark on what could easily become the greatest OR the dumbest thing we ever decided to do together.  Either way, we committed to doing it.  Dad set up the spotting scope so he could watch the bear, as well as watch us as we tempted fate by climbing 1,800 feet up the mountain. We scarfed down some peanut butter for instant energy, readied our weapons and packs and headed off.

We hiked at a furious speed…made it to the top in just over two hours and prepared ourselves for what we were about to do.

Again, I will let Aaron tell this part:

The shot was tough because the bear was lying slightly behind a boulder.  We decided not to shoot but rather re-locate above the bear for a clear, unobstructed shot.  We post-holed through deep snow for the final 40 yards to put us smack-dab above the bear with a clear shot.  We used our trekking poles as bipods and settled in…

…When the shooting was done the bear rolled forward and off the cliff.  The free fall was not that far but the rolling and sliding did not stop for nearly 800 feet.

We spotted the dead bear below and decided a trip back to camp for food/water and dry clothes was in order.   After a camp re-supply we headed back up.  We found the bear wedged in an alder on a steep incline.  We decided it would be worth one last push vs. skinning on such a steep slope.  By the time it was done the bear was sitting on the beach.

And that is the end of my Kodiak Bear Hunting adventure with my brother and dad.  This trip made me so proud of both of them.  My brother is a true sportsman.  He has a love and respect for God’s creation that I aspire to obtain.  He is passionate about doing things the right way and making sure that he is responsible with the resources God has given us to enjoy.

Dad is patient and meticulous.  He’d sit for hours upon hours peering through binoculars, looking for a bear, watching the bald eagles hunt and feed, the seals playing in the bay, etc.  I could tell that dad was always thinking.  About what?  I don’t know.  Maybe he was just taking it all in.  He said it best when he looked at me and Aaron and said “I can’t think of another place I’d rather be than right here, right now.”

If you made it this far, I guess you deserve to see a few photos.

"Ginny" the bear

I think I'll frame this one

Me & Dad

Hermanos

Aaron

Cook Camp

Bear tracks

Bear carcass

Dad "glassing" for bears

View from the mountain we climbed

Leaving Three Saints Bay

On our way back to Kodiak

View from the plane

Dad looking down at Three Saints

What a great way to see the island

You could write a whole book based on the characters in that hotel.

Making it official with AK Fish & Game Dept.

A happy hunter at the Kodiak Island Brewery