TROPHY HUNTING

[warsaw]

1948 - Robert C. Reeve
Alaska brown bear
Score: 29-13/16
Location: Cold Bay, Alaska

[warsaw]

Cold Bay, Alaska Brown bear hunts: Spring


www.flickr.com/photos/ramaviation/5388419075/

[warsaw]

[warsaw]

This big bear fell to hunter Kyle Hall near Beaver Creek, just off the Kenai River.

[warsaw]

[warsaw]

Big Kodiak

[warsaw]

[warsaw]

Flathead hunter has close call with grizzly bear
KALISPELL - A turkey hunter had a very close encounter with a female grizzly bear and her cubs on Saturday, but was not attacked.

Following the encounter, a Kalispell bear manager set a camera up in the area and managed to capture this exclusive footage of another large male grizzly in the same spot.

On Saturday, the hunter was walking along and spotted a deer carcass.

He heard something and looked up to see a large bear grizzly charging him at close range.

The hunter fired his shotgun at the grizzly from about 10 yards away, but did not hit it.

John Fraley of FWP said of Saturday's incident, "The bear was charging him at about 10 yards. We don't know if it was a false charge or a true charge, and (he) fired his shotgun in the bears direction. From everything that we could find out, the bear was not hit. Actually we got a call from another hunter in that area, that the next day, saw tracks that fit the description of these bears, a large adult and two younger bears."

Tim Manley of MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks used the same deer carcass and set a camera up, but this time captured another 400-500 pound male grizzly.
www.krtv.com/news/flathead-hunter-has-close-call-with-grizzly-bear/#!prettyPhoto/0/

[warsaw]

The Truth about Bears By: Billy Molls


“When he stands, he can look into a second story window!”This guy shot a 2,000 pound Grizzly!”" The bear’s claws were 13 inches across!”



I have personally read the above mentioned quotes and others like them in publications and on the internet. While they make for interesting reading, much of what you read about brown and grizzly bears is absolutely false. In the past 10 years I have spent over 300 days guiding for brown bears and grizzly bears in Alaska. I have had several clients harvest bears that exceed the B+C record book minimums. Almost everything I know about bears has come from my personal experience of hunting for, and literally living with these bears. Below are some common misconceptions and questions about brown and grizzly bears, and bears in general.



Myth: Grizzly bears and Brown bears are completely different bears.

Truth: A grizzly bear is a brown bear that lives further inland. A brown bear lives near salt water and feeds primarily on salmon. A grizzlies’ diet often contains fish, but usually caribou, moose, rodents, berries, roots, and grasses are at the top of the menu. A “Kodiak” brown bear is just like any other brown bear, but it lives on Kodiak Island. There is no other difference between the two. Genetically they are the same bear. Their geographic locations distinguish them. This all varies, but for the most part any bear that is 100 miles or more away from saltwater is a grizzly, and any bear within 100 miles is a brown bear.



Myth: Grizzly bears are the biggest bears in North America.

Truth: I would estimate that a mature male Alaskan brown bear boar weighs about 2,000 pounds in the fall of the year. (Bears typically lose up to 30% of the body weight by spring.) The average weight of adult male grizzlies that my hunters have taken is 500-600 pounds. Often time’s interior grizzlies are forced to hibernate over 2 months longer than their coastal counterparts. This is also a large factor in the size difference. If you don’t eat, you don’t grow. However, “coastal grizzlies” are often as big as a brown bear; this is because they are basically brown bears. They live in similar environments, and have diets like that of a brown bear, but they are classified as grizzly bears by some record books for various reasons that I am unable to understand. In these areas an average bear will meet or exceed most record book minimums. This is the reason why the price tag for one of these “coastal grizzlies” is so high. I have heard many different reports on the size of Polar bears from many clients and friends in the hunting world. I have gathered that polar bears are typically longer in body size and often “square” more than a brown bear, but in general brown bears weigh slightly more then a polar bear.



Truth: Most people (every Alaskan guide I know) “square” a bears’ hide using this method:

1-Lay the skinned bear hide out on a flat surface.

2-Pull the nose until the tail moves and lay the nose down.

3-Measure from the tip of nose to the end of tail.

4-Pull one front paw until the other moves and lay that paw down.

5-Measure from the longest claw to longest claw.

6-Add measurements and divide by two.

This gives you the “square” of the bear. A 10’ bear will typically measure 11’ front claw to claw, and 9’ nose to tail.



Truth: Grizzly bears have earned their reputation for being mean. Though they are smaller, they are typically more aggressive. Because grizzlies live further inland, they have longer, colder winters and thus require more fat to survive the winters. For this reason grizzlies are more opportunistic hunters. Usually a brown bear won’t even look twice at a caribou or moose, because they have an abundance of easy-to-get salmon that provide much more fat and protein than any ungulate. Any living creature is viewed as food to grizzly bear. Though they are smaller, I am much more wary in grizzly bear country than I am when in the coastal, brown bear country.



Truth: I like my hunters to have a .300 mag. rifle as a minimum, with a 1-4 variable power scope. I would rather see a hunter use a .338 or larger, but I wouldn’t want a hunter to buy a larger caliber that he is afraid to shoot. I like 300 grain Nosler Partition or A-Frame bullets for my .375 H+H. On the occasions when I have had to shoot a wounded bear, it does the job very well.



Truth: The average shot my hunter takes on a grizzly or brown bear is 60 yards. In my experience, it takes four shots to put a bear down for good. I have only seen one grizzly taken with one shot. It was a perfect heart shot.



Truth: During many fall brown bear seasons I will have bears in my camp almost every night. Usually a rifle shot will scare them away. When it doesn’t, I don’t get to sleep much.



Truth: The largest brown bear I have ever had the pleasure of packing out squared 10’ 7 ½”. The bear had 5” claws the skull scored just under 30”. The closely-skinned hide alone weighed 150 pounds. That is with out the feet or skull, and as I said the hide was closely skinned. If that bear were to stand on his hind legs and look straight ahead, I would estimate his total height to be 10’, thus he would not look into a second story window. This particular bear is in the largest 25 bears ever shot.



Truth: Brown and grizzly bears are in the pig family and often times carry trichinosis. By Alaskan law you do not have to take the meat for this reason.



Truth: A brown bear is in its prime at the ages of 12-18. I know guides that have had hunters take bears that were darted when they were cubs and Fish and Game gave them an identifying tattoo in their inner lip. The oldest bear was 34 years old.



Truth: More people have been killed by black bears than grizzly bears. This is obviously due to the fact that there are so many more black bears. There is a saying: “A grizzly will kill you, but a black bear will kill you and then eat you.”



Truth: If you measure the width of a bear’s front pad in inches and add 1, you will get square footage of that bear. i.e. A 9” front track is left by a 10’ bear. This works amazingly well.



Truth: Brown/grizzly bears have a better sense of smell than a black bear, or even a whitetail deer. Some may argue this, but none that have hunted these bear for long. When hunting grizzlies and browns one typically just sits and glasses for days until the right bear is spotted, and then the stalk begins. This is to eliminate the spreading of human odor in the hunting area.



These great bears are one of my personal favorites to guide for. Unfortunately most people, myself included, will never get the privilege to hunt these magnificent animals. I have been very fortunate for so many great experiences in bear country.

huntersprostaff.com/?p=104

[grrraaahhh]

May 12, 2013 1:43:10 GMT -9 warsaw said:

The Truth about Bears By: Billy Molls


“When he stands, he can look into a second story window!”This guy shot a 2,000 pound Grizzly!”" The bear’s claws were 13 inches across!”



I have personally read the above mentioned quotes and others like them in publications and on the internet. While they make for interesting reading, much of what you read about brown and grizzly bears is absolutely false. In the past 10 years I have spent over 300 days guiding for brown bears and grizzly bears in Alaska. I have had several clients harvest bears that exceed the B+C record book minimums. Almost everything I know about bears has come from my personal experience of hunting for, and literally living with these bears. Below are some common misconceptions and questions about brown and grizzly bears, and bears in general.



Myth: Grizzly bears and Brown bears are completely different bears.

Truth: A grizzly bear is a brown bear that lives further inland. A brown bear lives near salt water and feeds primarily on salmon. A grizzlies’ diet often contains fish, but usually caribou, moose, rodents, berries, roots, and grasses are at the top of the menu. A “Kodiak” brown bear is just like any other brown bear, but it lives on Kodiak Island. There is no other difference between the two. Genetically they are the same bear. Their geographic locations distinguish them. This all varies, but for the most part any bear that is 100 miles or more away from saltwater is a grizzly, and any bear within 100 miles is a brown bear.



Myth: Grizzly bears are the biggest bears in North America.

Truth: I would estimate that a mature male Alaskan brown bear boar weighs about 2,000 pounds in the fall of the year. (Bears typically lose up to 30% of the body weight by spring.) The average weight of adult male grizzlies that my hunters have taken is 500-600 pounds. Often time’s interior grizzlies are forced to hibernate over 2 months longer than their coastal counterparts. This is also a large factor in the size difference. If you don’t eat, you don’t grow. However, “coastal grizzlies” are often as big as a brown bear; this is because they are basically brown bears. They live in similar environments, and have diets like that of a brown bear, but they are classified as grizzly bears by some record books for various reasons that I am unable to understand. In these areas an average bear will meet or exceed most record book minimums. This is the reason why the price tag for one of these “coastal grizzlies” is so high. I have heard many different reports on the size of Polar bears from many clients and friends in the hunting world. I have gathered that polar bears are typically longer in body size and often “square” more than a brown bear, but in general brown bears weigh slightly more then a polar bear.



Truth: Most people (every Alaskan guide I know) “square” a bears’ hide using this method:

1-Lay the skinned bear hide out on a flat surface.

2-Pull the nose until the tail moves and lay the nose down.

3-Measure from the tip of nose to the end of tail.

4-Pull one front paw until the other moves and lay that paw down.

5-Measure from the longest claw to longest claw.

6-Add measurements and divide by two.

This gives you the “square” of the bear. A 10’ bear will typically measure 11’ front claw to claw, and 9’ nose to tail.



Truth: Grizzly bears have earned their reputation for being mean. Though they are smaller, they are typically more aggressive. Because grizzlies live further inland, they have longer, colder winters and thus require more fat to survive the winters. For this reason grizzlies are more opportunistic hunters. Usually a brown bear won’t even look twice at a caribou or moose, because they have an abundance of easy-to-get salmon that provide much more fat and protein than any ungulate. Any living creature is viewed as food to grizzly bear. Though they are smaller, I am much more wary in grizzly bear country than I am when in the coastal, brown bear country.



Truth: I like my hunters to have a .300 mag. rifle as a minimum, with a 1-4 variable power scope. I would rather see a hunter use a .338 or larger, but I wouldn’t want a hunter to buy a larger caliber that he is afraid to shoot. I like 300 grain Nosler Partition or A-Frame bullets for my .375 H+H. On the occasions when I have had to shoot a wounded bear, it does the job very well.



Truth: The average shot my hunter takes on a grizzly or brown bear is 60 yards. In my experience, it takes four shots to put a bear down for good. I have only seen one grizzly taken with one shot. It was a perfect heart shot.



Truth: During many fall brown bear seasons I will have bears in my camp almost every night. Usually a rifle shot will scare them away. When it doesn’t, I don’t get to sleep much.



Truth: The largest brown bear I have ever had the pleasure of packing out squared 10’ 7 ½”. The bear had 5” claws the skull scored just under 30”. The closely-skinned hide alone weighed 150 pounds. That is with out the feet or skull, and as I said the hide was closely skinned. If that bear were to stand on his hind legs and look straight ahead, I would estimate his total height to be 10’, thus he would not look into a second story window. This particular bear is in the largest 25 bears ever shot.



Truth: Brown and grizzly bears are in the pig family and often times carry trichinosis. By Alaskan law you do not have to take the meat for this reason.



Truth: A brown bear is in its prime at the ages of 12-18. I know guides that have had hunters take bears that were darted when they were cubs and Fish and Game gave them an identifying tattoo in their inner lip. The oldest bear was 34 years old.



Truth: More people have been killed by black bears than grizzly bears. This is obviously due to the fact that there are so many more black bears. There is a saying: “A grizzly will kill you, but a black bear will kill you and then eat you.”



Truth: If you measure the width of a bear’s front pad in inches and add 1, you will get square footage of that bear. i.e. A 9” front track is left by a 10’ bear. This works amazingly well.



Truth: Brown/grizzly bears have a better sense of smell than a black bear, or even a whitetail deer. Some may argue this, but none that have hunted these bear for long. When hunting grizzlies and browns one typically just sits and glasses for days until the right bear is spotted, and then the stalk begins. This is to eliminate the spreading of human odor in the hunting area.



These great bears are one of my personal favorites to guide for. Unfortunately most people, myself included, will never get the privilege to hunt these magnificent animals. I have been very fortunate for so many great experiences in bear country.

huntersprostaff.com/?p=104

Thanks Warsaw.

[warsaw]

Status of Brown Bear Hunting on Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof Islands
Introduction. Bear mortality from human and natural causes raises questions about the future for brown bears in Unit 4. The most important state management goal for bears on Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof (ABC) islands has been to maintain a conservative hunting regime. This policy is based on brown bears having the lowest reproductive rate of all North American animals, population surveys being difficult, and bears being sensitive to over- harvest. A high-quality hunt is a priority. Brown bears are also important to Native culture, and bear viewing is important for tourism and other recre- ational users. Several areas have been dedicated exclusively to bear viewing, the best known being Pack Creek on Admiralty Island. Admiralty has been recognized for its brown bears for over 100 years. A primary reason Congress gave Admiralty protected status was its brown bear population. Basic Hunting Regulations. Brown bear hunting is regulated by registration permit. No hunter can kill more than one bear every four years and wounding has counted as a kill. Cubs (a bear in its 1st or 2nd year) or females with cubs cannot be killed. The hunting season has remained consistent, beginning September 15 and ending May 20 for all but West Chichagof, a portion of the outer coast of Baranof, Yakobi, and other smaller adjacent islands, where it ends May 31. Hides or skulls of killed bears must have a locking seal attached by the Alaska Depart- ment of Fish and Game (ADFG). Non-residents must be accompanied by guides unless accompanied by a resident who is a second degree of kindred relative. Population Estimates. In 1932, the total estimate for Admiralty Island was 900 bears. Current esti- mates are: Admiralty 1,560, Baranof 1,045, and Chichagof 1,550. Estimates are based on scientific projections of bear mark-recapture surveys last con- ducted on North Admiralty in 1993 and on North- east Chichagof in 1992. These estimates are dated, come from small study areas, and are imprecise. Since earlier estimates were made, extensive habitat alteration has occurred through logging and mining
Bear Mortality Limits for Hunting and other Hu- man Causes. Unit 4 brown bear management is currently guided by the Brown Bear Management Strategy (BBMS) developed in 2000 by the Brown Bear Management Team (BBMT), established by the Board of Game and ADFG. Unit 4 management guidelines provide for a maximum kill of 4 percent of the total population of male bears, based on a 3-year average, and 1.5 percent kill of the total pop- ulation of female bears, based on a 3-year average. This assumes less than half of the human-caused mortality will be females. These conservative per- centages are based on an outdated and unreliable population estimate. This raises concern whether management guidelines are being met and bears are over-harvested in certain areas. Since the late 1990’s, there has been an increase in bear kills, raising questions about population sus- tainability. Current target mortality for Unit 4 is no more than 166 bears per regulatory year (RY) and uses the average of the 3 most current regulatory years to maintain that level. Using figures from 2008-2010, the 3-year av- erage kill is 171 bears, exceeding the maximum harvest guideline of 166 bears. To keep the Unit 4 kill within the BBMS guidelines, a maximum al- lowable kill was established by ADFG for the Fall 2011 season. Notice was given to hunters that if the male or female quota was reached on any island, or Unit 4 as a whole, an Emergency Order (EO) would be used to close hunting on the island or entire Unit 4. Fall mortality was limited to 43 bears: 35 males and 8 females. In Fall 2011, the more restrictive female kill limit was reached on all 3 ABC islands, resulting in season closure by EO. The Unit 4 tar- get of 8 females was exceeded by an additional 8 females, well above the target level, resulting in an unacceptable 57 percent female kill. Generally, the maximum female to male kill ratio target is 40/60 or less but in no case higher than 50/50 (on Kodiak it is 25/75). As a result of exceeding harvest guidelines in


2011, the Spring 2012 harvest guidelines were set at 138: Admiralty 56 (maximum 28 females), Ba- ranof 33 (max.15 females), and Chichagof 49 (max. 24 females). The recent Spring harvest of 115 was within the target level of 138 so no EO closures were necessary. However, in Fall 2012, target kill levels of females were exceeded again on Baranof Island, resulting in an EO season closure. Mortality is rising beyond the state’s bear management guidelines. Exceeding the maximum allowable target harvest for females is of special concern when it is the most sensitive population component. Season closures by EO are a short-term emergency response, not a long-term management solution. Age Classes and Skull Size Reduction in the Har- vest and Unreported Kills. The bulk of the bears killed in Unit 4 are between 2 and 6 years. This raises concern about why older bears are not part of the harvest, as in other trophy hunting areas, like Kodiak Island. Furthermore, Unit 4 females do not have their first litter of cubs until age 7. Data from ADFG indicate smaller skull sizes of bears killed in some parts of Unit 4 over the last 3 years, and a marked decline in skull size in both male and female bears killed from 1960-2011. Skull size is an indicator that a bear population may be declining. And mortality assessment in Unit 4 no longer considers hunting wounding loss and does not add a figure for “unreported kills” or poaching. Up to 30 percent of bears sealed by ADFG have visible bullet wounds from previous shooters, sug- gesting unreported kills and an under-estimate of total hunting mortality. This brings accuracy and reliability of overall bear mortality figures into question. Issues Relating to Guides and Hunting Pressure. The BBMS recommended in 2000 that the U.S. Forest Service, the guide permitting authority, cap the number of registered guides then qualified to hunt in Unit 4 at 38 and allow it to decrease by attrition to 20. It was thought that fewer hunting guides would reduce the large number of guided
hunters and the possibility of over-harvest, avoid crowding, promote economic stability, and create incentives for resource stewardship.

[warsaw]

Afognak Island

[warsaw]

www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/hunting/brownbearhunting/kodiakbear/pdfs/guide_for_kodiak_guides.pdf

[warsaw]

Do bears know they are being hunted?
Andrés Ordiza, b, Corresponding author contact information, E-mail the corresponding author, Ole-Gunnar Støena, c, E-mail the corresponding author, Solve Sæbød, E-mail the corresponding author, Jonas Kindbergc, E-mail the corresponding author, Miguel Delibese, E-mail the corresponding author, Jon E. Swensona, f, E-mail the corresponding author
a Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway
b Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-PA-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Campus de Mieres, Edificio de Investigación, 33600 Mieres, Asturias, Spain
c Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden
d Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway
e Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
f Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 TBehavioral effects of living under predation risk may influence the dynamics of prey species more than direct demographic effects. Human recreation, especially hunting, can also force prey to increase their vigilance and can influence distribution and habitat use even more than natural predators. However, behavioral effects do not play a prominent role in conservation or wildlife management. Whereas the demographic consequences of hunting are documented for large carnivores, behavioral effects of hunting on their dynamics remain unexplored. We studied the movement patterns of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Scandinavia as a model species, before and after the start of the annual bear hunting season. Bears were expected to become more active at daytime as the season progressed due to shortening daylight. However, the start of hunting disrupted this pattern. Solitary bears subject to hunting increased movements during the dark hours after hunting started, losing their nocturnal rest, probably to compensate for decreased daytime activity. Females with cubs-of-the-year, which are protected from hunting, also modified their movement pattern, but much less than hunted bears. Bears altered their movement pattern at a critical time of the year, during hyperphagia, when they must store fat reserves before hibernation, which is critical for reproduction. Behavioral effects of hunting should be a relevant issue for the conservation and management of large carnivores, especially when hunting occurs during highly sensitive periods of the year. This concern applies to many species managed under hunting regimes.rondheim, Norway
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320712001887

[warsaw]