We waited for it to come out on a heavily used open bank about 30 yards from us. After about 20 minutes, I heard a rustling in the bushes to my right and dismissed it as salmon flushing in the stream. But when I glanced over my right shoulder, there was a large bear entering the stream.
"Hunting is different up here," said Mark Galla. He wasn't kidding. Orvis waders and felt-bottom boots were spendy but surprisingly effective, as was the Guide Gun's handy size. The Murray sling was invaluable--wet or dry. Robinson Outdoor's XPT base and Scent Blocker spray may have made the difference, and a Cabela's MTO50 parka was packed in case the weather turned. Steiner Peregrine binos were great for searching the shadows.
Knowing Galla would hear it, too, I pivoted my torso almost 90 degrees to the right (until vertebrae popped) as I shouldered the carbine. Galla did a quick examination--a fat nose and no cubs--and said, "Shoot it."
The big bruin was facing directly at me as I took up slack on the trigger, the big post centered on his chest, and he had just started to turn. The Marlin slammed back into my shoulder, and I saw the spinning bear recoil, too. I could see the hole in his chest. I jacked another round into the chamber while bringing the rifle down out of recoil, but the bear had already disappeared over the bank and into his tunnel in the brush. He dodged a backing shot from Galla's big .375 H&H as he did so--Mark had delayed to allow yours truly to try for a second shot.
We searched for an hour in the labyrinth of deadfalls and devil's club then slogged back to the skiff. Returning the next morning, we found him after four hours of tracking that would have made a Kalahari bushman proud. He was less than a hundred yards from the shot but had looped around like a pretzel to get there.
The Hornady SST had struck the point of his chest as he spun, leaving a pear-size entry wound and exploding the right pectoral. It slammed into the right shoulder and then ricocheted through the ribcage, leaving a neat, three-quarter-inch hole. Missing the lung, it continued through the diaphram into the liver and beyond.
He squared at seven feet, eight inches, and the green skull was 2113?16 inches. He was an old bear and had a years--or decades--old shoulder wound from someone who hadn't brought "enough gun."
"Bring enough gun," advised veteran outfitter Mark Galla, adding sagely, "Practice shooting from various positions." The .450 proved to be enough gun, and the author had to twist almost 90 degrees to take the Boone & Crockett candidate.
Ironically, I had come to Alaska to test a bullet designed to increase the effective range of lever-action rifles and had taken this great old bear at nine yards. Looking at the wound, Galla said, "Your taxidermist is going to have to do some fancy work just to get rid of the powder burns."
SO, YOU WANT TO HUNT BEAR IN ALASKA? Alaska Peak & Sea's Mark Galla is everything you would expect of a veteran outfitter. Not only must he retain endurance and agility, he must be a mariner, navigator, hydrologist, meteorologist, mechanic and an ad hoc travel agent and connoisieur of what works and doesn't work in salt spray, salmon streams and mossy bear forests.
Galla was kind enough to prepare a hard-learned list of tips for first-time Alaska hunters:
Prepare physically, and know what to expect. Call the outfitter to ask
questions, and try to contact previous clients of your outfitter.
Bring quality optics--Alaska is very hard on equipment.
Use enough gun. Bears are far, far tougher than you think.
Buy quality gear. The middle of a storm is no time to have buyer remorse.
Pay attention to the gear list provided. Hunting is done differently here.
Practice shooting in various positions. Ranges are short, but bears come out
of nowhere.
Go with realistic expectations. A hunt does not guarantee a trophy.
Listen to your guide. You are paying him for his acquired knowledge and
expertise.
Purchase travel insurance to protect against cancellation due to illness, etc.
Be a participant in your hunt. Help glass for bear, assist in skinning, etc. The harder you work, the harder the guide works. Don't just sit there waiting for the tap on the shoulder to shoot your bear.
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