Pix of Alaskan Brown Bears

Go to
http://davelacourse.shutterfly.com/action/

Click on "view pictures" and then use the slide show feature.

The last 8 pictures where taken on the Big River upstream about a 1/4
- 1/2 mile from Cooks Inlet. The bear saw the pilot (in pix) and me
catching lots of silvers and decided to swim over and see what was
happening. I was a little concerned when he started to waddle towards
us, but the pilot was not. We simply backed off yelling "Hey, bear"
and waving our arms.

The many silvers we took that day were from from the sea and had green
backs. There was not a fish caught that didn't take us into our
backings. Most were in the 12 - 14 pound range, and a couple of hogs
went better than 16.

Dave

wrote in message
...

Go to
http://davelacourse.shutterfly.com/action/

Click on "view pictures" and then use the slide show feature.

The last 8 pictures where taken on the Big River upstream about a 1/4
- 1/2 mile from Cooks Inlet. The bear saw the pilot (in pix) and me
catching lots of silvers and decided to swim over and see what was
happening. I was a little concerned when he started to waddle towards
us, but the pilot was not. We simply backed off yelling "Hey, bear"
and waving our arms.

The many silvers we took that day were from from the sea and had green
backs. There was not a fish caught that didn't take us into our
backings. Most were in the 12 - 14 pound range, and a couple of hogs
went better than 16.

Dave



As much as the "Hey, bear" and waving method works most of the time I would
bet money that there was a shotgun in the plane.


--
Ric Hamel
A misplaced Alaskan lost in ConUS

On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 02:23:18 GMT, "Alaskan420"
wrote:

As much as the "Hey, bear" and waving method works most of the time I would
bet money that there was a shotgun in the plane.

You'd lose that bet. There was no shotgun in the plane, and if there
was, it sure as hell wouldn't have done us any good; the plane was at
least 100 yards upstream from us - to the right in the pictures. And,
there were bears near the plane as well - not as close to the other
folks as this one was, but still close to the plane. I never saw a
firearm in camp. I asked Brian Kraft the owner of the lodge about
guns, and he said they're more trouble than they're worth. We're
there to fish for big rainbows and silvers, not hunt bear.

wrote in message
news
On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 02:23:18 GMT, "Alaskan420"
wrote:

As much as the "Hey, bear" and waving method works most of the time I
would
bet money that there was a shotgun in the plane.

You'd lose that bet. There was no shotgun in the plane, and if there
was, it sure as hell wouldn't have done us any good; the plane was at
least 100 yards upstream from us - to the right in the pictures. And,
there were bears near the plane as well - not as close to the other
folks as this one was, but still close to the plane. I never saw a
firearm in camp. I asked Brian Kraft the owner of the lodge about
guns, and he said they're more trouble than they're worth. We're
there to fish for big rainbows and silvers, not hunt bear.



That really surprises me. Not that the lodge owner didn't believe in
weapons, but that the pilot wouldn't have one onboard.
I'm not doubting you. Just surprised.

Any of you guys who have been on guided, (or otherwise), trips to Alaska
gone unarmed? I'm referring to backcountry fishing. Not the combat zones of
the Russian or Kenai.

On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 03:46:55 GMT, "Alaskan420"
wrote:

Any of you guys who have been on guided, (or otherwise), trips to Alaska
gone unarmed? I'm referring to backcountry fishing. Not the combat zones of
the Russian or Kenai.

Ironically, it is the combat zones of the Russian and Kenai that have
the most incidents. Very few incidents in the Bristol Bay/Katmai
areas.

"Alaskan420" wrote:
wrote:

That really surprises me. Not that the lodge owner didn't believe in
weapons, but that the pilot wouldn't have one onboard.
I'm not doubting you. Just surprised.

I'm not sure just who or what is covered, but isn't a weapon
*required* for some commercial general aviation? I know, for
example, that virtually all commercial small aircraft operating
out of Barrow do have a weapon on board, and the location is
usually announce as part of the pre-flight spiel.

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 21:34:16 -0800, (Floyd L.
Davidson) wrote:

I'm not sure just who or what is covered, but isn't a weapon
*required* for some commercial general aviation? I know, for
example, that virtually all commercial small aircraft operating
out of Barrow do have a weapon on board, and the location is
usually announce as part of the pre-flight spiel.

Hmmmmm. The only pre-flight spiel that Fred and the other pilot gave
us was "Clear." d;o) I never saw a weapon or heard anyone speak of
one, and even when we had close encounters, no weapon was ever drawn.

Dave

Alaskan420 wrote:
snip
Ric Hamel
A misplaced Alaskan lost in ConUS

Uh oh, it's back. Poor rw's gonna have to have his scrotum
lanced again. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

wrote in message
...

Go to
http://davelacourse.shutterfly.com/action/

Click on "view pictures" and then use the slide show feature.

The last 8 pictures where taken on the Big River upstream about a 1/4
- 1/2 mile from Cooks Inlet. The bear saw the pilot (in pix) and me
catching lots of silvers and decided to swim over and see what was
happening. I was a little concerned when he started to waddle towards
us, but the pilot was not. We simply backed off yelling "Hey, bear"
and waving our arms.

The many silvers we took that day were from from the sea and had green
backs. There was not a fish caught that didn't take us into our
backings. Most were in the 12 - 14 pound range, and a couple of hogs
went better than 16.

Dave

Sorry for reading the threads "backwards". But I have been absent a few
days. I just read your posts in the Pepper Spray thread. Dave, I have no
doubt that you had a great fishing experience and saw a few nice bears.
(BTW....15 ft.??? that equates to approx. 2 seconds of reaction time for
you. If that's true I would find another guide next time. I've had hunting
friends tell me that a "dead" bear can move further than that before
dropping.) But from your own description of the trip you might as well have
been on a Princess Cruise Lines side adventure.

The fly outs I've had, (and it seems others here as well), are a bit more
primitive than you describe. Usually the pilot of the floatplane would put
us down in a decent area and take off for 6-8 hours. On some trips we
wouldn't see him again until the next day.

This is a very interesting discussion but in Alaska? I will always carry my
shotgun. And pepper spray? I believe the bears consider it seasoning
although Gary Kings and Mt. View Sports sells enough of it.

Honestly, in my group of fishing friends it seemed to break down to
politics. Those who didn't even want to consider the possibility of killing
wildlife found some other method of making themselves "feel" safe. The rest
of us carried a gun. A big gun. And a bell and a police whistle. (The
whistle fits in your pocket and even works on bull moose, which I am far
more afraid of than the bears.)


--
Ric Hamel
A misplaced Alaskan lost in ConUS

On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 05:57:12 GMT, "Alaskan420"
wrote:

The fly outs I've had, (and it seems others here as well), are a bit more
primitive than you describe. Usually the pilot of the floatplane would put
us down in a decent area and take off for 6-8 hours. On some trips we
wouldn't see him again until the next day.

The fly out to the Big River is the only one where the pilot stays.
Usually he goes back to camp, but the Big is right on the southern end
of Cook's Inlet, about a 45 minute flight from camp. It's easier and
cheaper to stay with the sports. Fred, the head pilot pictured in the
photos only fishes when he flies to the Big.

On a normal fly out, he drops us and our rafts off. We raft/fish a
stream (Moraine Creek, Battle Creek, Little Ku, Big Ku) and he picks
us up about 5 pm. Gotta be back in camp for Martini time, and snacks
of shrimp and king crab, or the most delicious Swedish meatballs I
have ever tasted.