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Larry Weishuhn

BUCK'S BEARS

Hours of airtime travel going from San Antonio to Anchorage. Picked up at the airport almost immediately upon arrival and whisked away to Lake Hood.

A final check of gear to be sure all present and accounted for. Check to be sure ammo arrived, yes, there. Bug suit, yep still packed. Gear hurriedly placed in DeHaviland Beaver float plane, workhorse of the North, but as I recall last one made in about 1947. Pilot ready and knows where we’re headed. “Skeeter Lake,” states he, as we take off, “too small to land anything but a Beaver or small Cub. It’s aptly named for the bugs by the ways!”

Just what I wanted to hear. Days before after getting Mike “Buck” Bowden’s (Alaskan Master Guide and owner of Hidden Alaskan Outfitters) phone number from my booking agent George Winslow (Bullseye Outfitters, www.bullseyeoutfitters.com ), Bowden and I had talked. “Bugs aren’t too bad yet, but could be shortly. Bears moving pretty good and we have some big ones, both Black and Brown bears. Should be a fun hunt for you. Remember it’s self-guided, I’ll head you in the right direction, then I will be available to help skin and get bear out of the remote area.”

Adventure beckoned, and is often the case when looked for, found!

Skeeter Lake, safe landing, Martin Teeter (Hunt Master and T/C Pro Hunter Journal cameraman) and I arriving, two hunters from North Carolina leaving. After gear safely on shore we watch plane fly away.

That evening over a fabulous meal of “Buck’s Famous Ribeye Steaks”, learn more about Buck and that he and I share numerous mutual hunting friends, licenses and tags procured, then to bed about midnight with the sun having just set, but still bright outside as it will be till it rises again.

Next morning check sight-in of T/C Encore .30-06 pistol topped with Nikon Encore scope using 168 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertip ammo…still dead on at 100 yards. Then .300 Win Mag, T/C Icon also topped with Nikon Monarch scope, using 180 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertip ammo, it still too shooting dead on. Pack sleeping bag, gather food, BOG Gear shooting sticks and essentials for spike camp.

Preparations for several days of camping in the wilderness complete, head ‘em up, move ‘em out. Thus for the next several hours I spent more time on a “4-wheeler” than I had in a lifetime before.

Sitting on a high point Martin and I watched 5 bears wander past our vantage point the first day of hunting, but all nearly a mile distant. The night, what there was of it, passed quickly. Second day same story, crawl up high and watch for bears. Four sighted that day, but again all too distant and walking too fast to catch up to.

Warm temperatures turning warmer… two days of hordes of mosquitos and even warmer daytime temperatures. No bears sighted.

Fifth morning cooler, clouded cover, by noon bears are moving. Sitting on high point a mile from camp, glass back toward tent..two bear within with a hundred yards of our tent appear to be circling to catch scent of friend, foe or food.

Martin and I literally run toward the tent… bear gets most of our food. If bear tears up our tent, we sleep with hordes of mosquitos, not an option.

Almost at camp… but no bears. Wait for an hour, still no bears. Must have decided we were danger. Trek back up to look out. Barely back, bear back in camp. Again make a run toward camp… this time I ease slowly behind a short ridge close to camp. Bear, good bear, laying down about 30 feet from tent eating what’s left of our food. Slowly I take off my hat place it on ridge, rest my Encore pistol on the hat, perfect rest; wait for the bear to stand up. Waiting I notice the bear has a heavily muscled head. Then he’s up. I make certain camera is running, Martin nods an affirmative. I cock hammer and gently tug the trigger on the pistol, crosshairs right behind his shoulder. At the shot the bear bolts toward extremely dense stand of alders. I have no desire to follow a bear into the tangle, if I don’t have to. Hurriedly I pick up the .300 Win Mag Icon rifle. Swing on the bear before he’s gone 20 steps and tug the trigger when the crosshairs look good. Bear drops in his tracks! Mission accomplished.

Later that afternoon, bear taken care of... after a “sparse bush supper” of what the bear hadn’t eaten, crawled into the sleeping bag. An hour or so later wake to hearing a bear pacing back and forth in front of tent. Then see large dark form come toward the tent and push his nose and muzzle again the tent wall. I reared back and kicked it as hard as I could. Bear grunted but backed away. For the next four hours I can here him pacing back and forth just outside of the tent. I made certain my pistol is loaded and my rifle.

Out of tent, the bear charges, but then thankfully stops only a couple of steps from where I know I would have to shoot him if he came any closer. No desire to shoot the bear unless it comes down to a life and death situation… my life, his death.

Later that day I head back toward Buck’s cabin. Buck arrives to help skin bear and bring out what is left of camp. On way home I find bear tracks on Buck’s 4-wheeler tracks made after he came to camp. Black bear tracks no doubt, they measure 7 inches across the front pad, bear likely an 8-foot squared bear, at least similar to the biggest black bear ever taken by Buck’s hunters.

Back at Buck’s cabin bear hide properly taken care of, over a full plate of Buck’s Famous Hot Cakes, he and I visit about future hunts… yes, I’ll return in August 2010 to hunt Alaskan Brown bear with him.