Our pilot called it "The Caravan." Yup - it was up and out fast, and we loaded heavy for a very comfortable trip. Probably 1800#. We flew out of Soldotna area.

Every time I fly - it makes me want to reinvent myself just one more time. I want to fly and hunt personally in Alaska before I'm done, and do/go wherever I want.
Sounds a bit like a rich mans sport - out of my league anyway, but perhaps I can find a bunch of pals to go in on it with.
The very least is to just pay my way to go once or twice a year from here out. The cost of a plane and yearly maintenance pays for a lot of hunting trips!

30/06 - the pilot took out a whole bunch of the back seats and made a huge pile back there.
You could feel it taking off, but still plenty of power.

My pals sent me a pile of pictures and I have them all in a folder. I've never had this problem before, but now two of the pictures they have sent me want to rotate. Not sure why...
But you get the picture.

Was right before the crash. Went again the following year, and could hardly find a 'bou.
Partner finally shot a small bull with a bizarre, deformed hind foot. The quarter was atrophied to the point of perhaps half the size of the other side, and the hoof was very deformed.
That was back in the 90's. Haven't been back since.
But yes, from the shoulders back was just a shade lighter than a Hershey bar.

My bad! That's a Cessna Caravan for sure. It can pack quite a load. I'd guess $1.5 million for a basic flyable one on straight floats, a few hundred thousand more if it's on amphibious floats, (that can operate on both land or water). The good news is that, for that much capability, the maintenance costs tend to be relatively low. It has probably the most reliable engine in the world, rugged fixed gear, and they're still making them so they're well-supported with parts and technical data. If I win the lottery, or an unknown rich relative leaves me a huge inheritance, it's on my short list! Congrats on your caribou.

Sounded like they had quite a business. The pilot told me they had a half dozen planes of all sizes. All planes were on a tight schedule going at it all day weather permitting - catering to people fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, bear viewing, flight seeing, and so on. When we were picked up, he had dropped off someone else and brought someone else back. Then took us. When we were picked up, he was dropping someone else off first at the same lake we were camped on. We asked for a "fly around" to get acquainted with the country before we hunted, just to see how it all laid out and good vantage points to hike to. He explained it from the cockpit but pretty much stuck to the flight path as I don't think there was time. Nonetheless we were very happy with our flight service. Quite the experience. They gotta make a ton of money every day but with all that overhead, and with it being seasonal you can see why. And here I'd be ecstatic to have a super cub before I'm done.

It's been a heck of a good fall for me. Topped it off with my first brown bear on Kodiak Island. My son joined me for the adventure, and John (HFT) was there for support too. He makes pretty good bait. Ask him the story! I'm headed back to MN later this fall to visit the kids and grandkids. Then back here to trap. Still shooting for a first lynx. Also want to amp up my wolf game, and see if I can get another wolverine. God willing, I won't have the health issues I had last year that shut me down right when I got started. I'm looking for more wolf snares and leg holds - so if anyone sees someone selling, I'd appreciate the heads up!


This bear drove our friend John off a freshly killed sitka blacktail buck. There wasn't time to finish butchering and the bear was upon him, and it wasn't taking "no" for an answer. A warning shot from John got the bear to break away long enough to get some distance between them. Then the bear ran and took the deer. The next time I saw John, he had his pants down, and for good reason! My son and I were covering John from a knob nearby, and that bear nearly met its demise early. Next morning, opening day - it was laying on top of what little remained of the deer. A half hour wait, and it got up looking super fat and overly stuffed. My first shot hit lung and the far shoulder, the second broke it's spine. So we got a little revenge. As a side story, we had to fight off another bear while skinning this bear. By the next day, another larger bear had picked up the carcass and moved it 20 yards further back into the brush. I was incredulous. Those bears on that island are really something. Every one we encountered was aggressive, and it made deer hunting pretty sketchy.

This bear was already obese, and THEN it ate over 100# of deer.


It was good to have John for back-up, support, and his wife good cooking!


My son had never experienced anything quite like this before. Well, neither have I, though I've been on some grueling adventures. This was a great memory we will never forget. I was super happy to have my son do a lot of the heavy lifting; he carried the rug over a mile back to camp.


Big Noggin'.


And to think something picked this up and moved it, with no sign of drag marks...


We had some great weather, and some poor weather, and got out early before it got downright nasty as 60 mph winds and 6 inches of rain were forecast the day after we got out.



Camp was comfortable, and for the most part, we stayed warm and dry.

It's steep and brushy country where we were. Not necessarily conducive to deer hunting. And there were no beach walkers in daylight hours.

Here's proof John shot a deer. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, and John wasn't even able to retrieve a backstrap for us. Oh well, we certainly didn't starve, and the good thing is, John is still in one piece!




I took my time and spent a good 12 hours fleshing, turning paws, toes, claws, ears, eyes, nose and lips. I wanted it done right.


Winter came early to this rugged country too. When it's beautiful, its beautiful, and when it' ugly, it's really really ugly.
I dreamed about going to this island since I could first read. I'm so happy to have done it.
Will I ever go back?
I'd like to see the south end. The grassy hillsides where you can see a bit, and stalk something - like a good sitka buck... something I haven't done yet.
Wouldn't mind giving it a go again for a bigger bruin too. We shall see...

Great bear and a great story; congratulations.

Awesome! Well done, men.
Great bear.

nice bear

Good deal, sounds like an adventurous trip. Glad John is ok!

Thanks for sharing!

You and HFT need to get a DNA check. You guys look like brothers !!

Whoa there white! I am far better looking

It never ceases to amaze me at the size of the claws on one of those bears!
Great job!

Awesome, thanks for sharing.
Good job

I think I can explain that. White/gray hair and scroungy/puffy faces from camping and not sleeping???

Nice work on the bear. Had a few encounters with the big bruins on the island over the years. Had to shoot one. They can be pretty ornery and different than most bears in the state I've dealt with. For being a hunted population, they sure have lost their fear for man. When the hunting is good,there is no finer place to hunt. Glad you guys were successful and made it home safe. A few close calls only add to the memories.

JR - it certainly has a way of making you feel utterly and completely alive - and even though it's dangerous, I have to admit that I love that feeling.

I will say that when my son and I returned to the site of the kill two days later, we saw fox tracks everywhere. I really wanted to get a silver fox for my collection, or maybe a cross fox too. The limit is two. But then, we saw that the carcass (estimating 700 pounds) was completely moved! A younger me might have charged in for a closer look (I wanted to see the track of whatever did that), but the older, wiser me got the creeps. We imagined a 9 or 10 footer back in the brush, guarding that pile of fat and meat, and being pretty ornery about defending it. With brush all around, there would have been very little warning or time to react if it rushed us. My son and I - we were both spooked, and had the creeps going up and down the back of our necks. So we did the wise thing, and got the heck out of there.

There was a guide with a single client working the same area. I told him to watch the carcass, and he told me that "bears don't really cannibalize one another. There's better things to do." I questioned that, but just let him do him. But later, when the carcass was moved and he saw it, you can bet he was going to sit on it! He should have been there before. I'm still wondering, and curious - if they got that bear.

You're an inspiration for us old fogeys who still try to do what you have done!

Nice bear WH!