Hello All,

As promised, I am posting a report of my bear hunt in Russia. We arrived in Petropavlovsk on April 29th after about twenty-six hours of flying from Omaha, NE. The airports in Russia are a major cluster #$%^, and you should expect long delays (much worse than Africa). We left Petro. at 9:30 p.m. by bus and headed for the town of Esso to get on our helicopter. The ride from Petro. to Esso is brutal and took us 9 1/2 hours (don't let them tell you it is any shorter). After arriving in Esso, we had breakfast and boarded our helicopter for camp. Our camp was located about 225 miles from Esso near the town of Palana, about a 2 1/2 hour helicopter ride. After arriving in camp, we sighted our rifles and prepared for the first day of hunting. The hunts are conducted from sleds towed by snowmobiles and I think by the end of the first day all but one of us had been pitched out of the sleds once or twice. After you are pitched a couple of times, you learn to have a death grip on the sled at all times!! By the end of day number two the other four hunters in camp had shot their bears. It was the fifth day of the hunt before I scored. We spotted the bear through my guides spotting scope and approached on snow shoes. When we were about eighty yards away the bear busted out of the snow and quartered away from us. My first shot hit the bear high, about eight inches below his hump. My second shot missed, and the third double lunged him. The bear ran over a ridge and died in a bowl at the base of the high peaks. My rifle was a montana 1999 stainless in .325 WSM. I was shooting 200 gr. Winchester factory loads with Accu-bond bullets. All but one of the five bears in our camp was over nine feet. My bear was the third largest in length at 9'6" nose to tail and 9'1" paw to paw (squared 9'3"), but had the largest skull at 26 7/8". All in all I give the hunt a thumbs up, and it seems to me that there is no shortage of bears in the North of Kamchatka. I really lucked out shooting the bear when I did. As you can see by the photos, the fog started to come over the mountains and visibility went down to nothing. If any of you have more specific questions I will be glad to answer them.

Cheers,

BOWHUNR

Weidmannsheil! Looks like you had a great trip and a super bear to bring home!

- mike

Looks like all that lousy travel paid off
biig time Great looking bear

Sounds like a wonderful adventure, and thanks for sharing. Beauty of a boar! Seems as though maybe the virtual obliteration of the KP browns has maybe been a bit exaggerated... Could it be that some of the AK outfitters have fed the rumor mill a bit so as to not lose clients to the KP guys? Nah, that'd never happen! Can you outline how you went about booking, and what costs were like stacked up next to a typical AK brown bear hunt? I have cause to be in Japan every year, and being that that's fairly close, have considered that when funds avail themselves, a KP brownie might work out as well, or better than an AK one.

I have read about nightmare stories regarding blackmail/bribes/hidden costs. Was that an issue for you at all? Last questions: rug, or other?

TIA for any info.

KG

Very, very, very nice... congratulations.

Great bear! Way to go comrade!

Beautiful coat. Congrats!

What costs were involved?

Very nice! The photos are great. Congrats on the hunt.

Who did you book through? What was the problem at the airport and the ride to Esso? Were you in a tented camp? Would you go back?

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Kamo Gari-We booked the hunt through the Russian company Profi-Hunt. They cut us a deal at 8500.00 per hunter since we both booked at the same time. I really feel that if we had not had booked with a Russian company we would have been subjected to some of the bribe/pay-off schemes. I can tell you that I would book with with them if I were located in Japan. As far as hideen costs go, there were not that many. The airfare cost us twice as much since the Russian airline quit flying from Anchorage. We had tips for the guides and camp staff, and motels and meals to pay for in Petro. and Moscow. As far as Alaska hunts go, we could have probably hunted there for the same money. The best thing about Kamchatka is the number of bears you see. I have not hunted bears in Alaska, but I doubt the success rate would be this high.

375AI- As I said the airports were a nightmare!! It kills me to think they have hunters coming through there every year, yet treat you like a terrorist when you have a rifle!! We had delays that ranged from three to five hours, waiting for gun permits and such. As I said before, we did not have to pay any bribes, but I think that is because our hunting company was Moscow based. Our camp was hard sided plywood cabins with wood stoves in each. I'll post a photo of the camp and the MI-8 helicopters that were used to get us to camp.

BOWHUNR

Thanks much for the info, and congrats again!

KG

BOWHUNR,

I know waiting for this trip has been real ulcer fuel for you. I was worried about how it was gonna pan out for you. There have been quite a few negative rumours floating around about these Russian Bear hunts.

I guess like any other guided adventure WHO you book with, not necessarily where, makes or breaks the hunts.

Congrats on a gorgeous Kamchatka Bear.

Perhaps you can convince the other four hunters in your party to post pictures as well

Very nice bear!

Congratulations, Tremendous Bear!!

SSSwweeeeeettt!! Damn fine bear!!!!!

Nice animal!
How would you rate the difficulty of the hunt. Are the bears very wary? I notice you are not wearing snow camoflage, would you have done so in retrospect?

Nice trophy pics by the way, shows off the scenery as well as the animal.

Great report. You noted some issues about traveling in Russia. It is a beautiful country and could have a huge hunting industry, but it never will. The place is just too complicated and in many ways, screwed up for this.

I do have some comments re: traveling through Russia.

None of this is directly focused at Bowhunter, but are comments in general about international travel and hunting. In addition to Africa 5 times, I have hunted in Europe several times and New Zealand, as well as Russia.

I have entered Russia through Moscow 60-70 times, and think I have seen it all. Flown Aeroflot, Delta, KLM, Air France, Transaero through Shermatrevo I & II, Domodedavo and Nukevo.

I came back to the US via Delta Sherm II on Tuesday, April 16, and there was a group of 5 or 6 hunters on the flight.

At least one of them made problems only for himself. He was ahead of us, and was a complete ass. He felt it was his right to be as belligerant and aggressive as he could be with anyone and everyone. Since I speak Russian, I heard the comments of the screeners and airline personnel. The best translation I can give of the typical comment was "low life American."

In general, the hunters looked, acted and were percieved by all to be simple villagers, with bad manners, bad clothes and odd attitudes.

Yes, Russia can be difficult, but as I have lived and worked about half time abroad for about 10 years, I am struck by how many Americans think they are "owed" something just for showing up, and how terribly rude and insensitive they can be to others.

Yes, I bet they did treat you sometimes badly, aggressively or like a terrorist. On the other hand, firearms are strickly regulated there, and if I may say, anyone should consider it a privilege to bring a weapon there and hunt there.

The only people your visit benefits is your outfitter, his vendors and you. Certainly not the airport people. Frankly, I think the average Russian would choose not to let any Americans in their country these days.

Currently, relations with Russia are at cold war levels, and this is reflected in the individual people's attitudes toward Americans.

Putin, in his recent state of the union address, said that the US is a wolf that is devouring the world. Russians are sick of Americans, so be aware of this when you go.


I hate to burst your bubble, but bribes in airports are not nearly as prevalent as one may think. I have never, ever paid a bribe at an airport in Russia, and I have never been solicited for one. One pays bribes when one has done something wrong, or has put himself in a position to be accused of doing something wrong. Then, we like bribes, because it fixes our problems!

Traveling to and hunting in another country is a tremendous experience, and a priviledge.
Some suggestions for travelers to Russia, some of which you may not like.

-Russia is a different culture, and in many ways superior to ours, so adapt or don't complain. They will never duplicate our culture, our notions of service and courtesy, but they have other, equally valueable customs that are good to know.

For example, we in the US are very courteous. We stand in line patiently, we leave space in line between the next person. In Russia, if you behave like this, it will be assumed you are a nobody, afraid of everything, and you will be taken advantage of. People will cut in front of you or shove you aside without a second thought. So be prepared to be shoved aside, or wait, or be aggressive and walk to the front of the line and cut in.

-Along the same lines, if you shout or argue with airport people, they will assume you are a villager with mental problems and will treat you as such. Watch what cultured Russians do. They are friendly, they joke, then they tell what they want, and they are given exactly that, because they are perceived to deserve it. You won't get your aisle seat or your gear processed if you are an ass, but you will if you are polite, calm and strong in your request.

-If, when passing through customs, you stop and look at the customs guy expectantly, he will stop you and turn your bags inside out. An experienced Russia traveler will cut the front of the line and walk right past the customs people without a pause or second thought. This is normal for Russia. I have done it 80 times and never been stopped or delayed. My firearms took about 12 minutes to be processed, because I paid for VIP arrival service (about $100) and my driver was there to speed it up (he is associated with the security services there).

-Dress appropriately and you will be treated well. The hunters I saw were wearing camo clothes, their clothes and appearance was dirty, and they were lugging massive bags of camo bags full of gear (?). Only the lowest conscripts in the army or simple people wear camo in public in Russia, so one will likely be treated as such. Just because you are an American cuts no ice. Why not do what 90% of the rest of the world does, and wear nice clothing when traveling. Not camo, or jeans and white tennis shoes, but stylish and attractive clothing. Yes, even on a hunting trip. Pack a change of nice clothes for traveling.

And hire a proter to lug your bags. Ok, you don't have to do any of this stuff, but if you do, it will result in a drastically more pleasant experience.

My last visit to RSA, I dressed well off the plane- no safari clothes. Both the security guy at firearms and the SAPS officer commented that they appreciated my appearance, and complained that Americans dress like slobs when they visit. This surprised me - that they would notice. The porter said "please always dress like this when you visit my country". Kinda weird, but...ok. This from 2 guys who maybe earn $400 a month between them.

-Please do not wear baseball caps everywhere.

-Please don't be the loud, argumentative American. Germans and Americans have the worst reputation for vulgarity, and it is well deserved. Shouting, talking loudly and generally being obnoxious is a label that the rest of the world applies to Americans, so try to tone it down.

For all the guys who love "W" and think it is cool we are exporting democracy and all that, be aware that most of the world has no patience for America now, and in fact is a bit hostile towards individual Americans. Be aware of it when traveling.

Anyway, this is my 2 cents on traveling to Russia to hunt. What I saw Tuesday was so glaringly wrong, and to see this post, I had to comment. Hope it helps.

Not a pretty picture you paint, but in my estimation and experience in my travels in a fairly high number of spots around the marble, you're pretty close.

Hey Bow, do you have your bear or is it still in Moscow? The reason why I am asking, is a few years ago a friend of mine went on a hunt in that area, and he still does not have his bear hide or skull.

Just wondering if you had better luck.

MG

Nice report, excellent bear !!
Congratulations

Hey Bowhutr, Sure is a fine looking Bear. And it looks like the rifle and load worked just fine for you.

Congratulations on the fine hunt.

Thanks for the report! That trip looks like a real adventure.

404WJJ- I'd say you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I think the biggest delays we had were waiting for permits etc.. all of which were hand written. I was surprised at the lack of technology in the Russians daily lives. I find it hard to believe they had the military and space program the world once feared.

Madgoat- I brought the hide and skull back with me in a large Cabelas duffel bag. Even after being salted and dried the bag still weighed 84 pounds. We were issued our C.I.T.I.E.S. permits before boarding at the Sherm II airport.

Boghossian- On a scale of one to ten with ten being a ball buster and one shooting off the porch of your cabin, I'd give it a five or six. It may sound crazy, but riding on that sled is a workout. Your arms, neck and lower back take a real beating. We had a 76 year old man in our camp and he shot a 6 1/2' bear on the second day, a real shame. He told me he just couldn't handle the sled ride anymore. Also, the final stalks are made on c.c. skies or snowshoes, with most of the time some uphill grade involved, just be prepared. Snow camo would not be a bad idea, altough nobody in our camp had it including the guides. The bears I saw were not that wary. To be honest, I think they are still in a bit of a fog after coming out of hibernation.

Mike

quote:

An experienced Russia traveler will cut the front of the line and walk right past the customs people without a pause or second thought. This is normal for Russia. I have done it 80 times and never been stopped or delayed.

That part seems a bit ballsy for most of us. Other than that, your advise sounds really sound. Maybe you could expound on how one cuts in front of the line without causing a ruckus?

Thanks!

Well, you just walk up and do it. Dead stare to anyone who looks at you, etc. The worst is when someone does it to you! After that, that is a little switch that goes of in your head, and you are no longer hesitant about doing it.

I have always dreamed of doing a hunt like this. If you could give me more insight on how much a hunt would cost in this it would be appreciated. Just wondering what a total package including fights and all the extras would cost. It sounds like it would be less than a stone sheep hunt and a lot more exciting.
Thanks

Bowhunr,

Great report and a wonderful bear!! Congratulations.

I made the same trip in 98. I had a bow and rifle with me. The bow did not make it out of the airport with me. The agent looked to be a young officer and the bow did not quite fit the information required on his form. I don't believe he was looking for a bribe he just couldn't fill out his paperwork properly.

I remember the ride to Esso quite well. Yes, it was 9 1/2 hours in a bus made for small people. I'm only 6'-1" tall, and 210 lbs. I couldn't fit in the seat without jamming my knees into the seat in front of me.

Your helicopter was much newer than what I flew in. There were 8 seats for 16 people being flown into camps. My seat was a pile of duffle bags.

It was a great trip and I enjoyed every minute. After all it's all a lifes experience.

Bryan

quote:

Originally posted by BOWHUNR:

Madgoat- I brought the hide and skull back with me in a large Cabelas duffel bag. Even after being salted and dried the bag still weighed 84 pounds. We were issued our C.I.T.I.E.S. permits before boarding at the Sherm II airport.

Mike

SMART MOVE!
Got my bear and two whitetails out of Canada doing a similar thing. Only wish you could bring trophies back from Africa that way. (Or can you??? Don't think so.)

Hunted in RSA 2001 brought 11 skulls and
horns home with me on the plane. had vetinary
recipt for dipping and clearing in hand tanned
hides arrived 6 months later. Landed in ATL the only problem was people wantimg to spray my hunting boots and questioning type of zebra
leather on a photo album I bought in Port Elizbeth

nube- I haven't really totaled it up but I'm guessing I have about $11,500.00 for everything, tips, hotels, air, etc... If Magadan air would start flying out of Anchorage again the price would come down.

Bryan W- We were told from the start that there is no bowhunting allowed in Russia, however I don't know if that has always been the case. Our helicopter on the way out of camp was one of the old ones. The five hunters (myself included) in our camp had our guide call Esso on his sat. phone and arrange for two vans and drivers to take us back to Petro. There was no way we were getting back on that bus. It cost us $220.00 each U.S., and was the best money I have ever spent! Even with three flat tires we arrived in Petro. a full five hours before the guys on the bus. If anyone would like a copy of my journal (long), send me a P.M. with your email address.

Mike

Wow, thanks for the heads up on the price. I would have thought it to be a lot more. For a good outfit in Alaska I always thought it was closer to $20 000. It looks like I might have to look more serious at Russia.
What would you think the positives and the negative of hunting there instead of Alaska?
I would also like a link to their wesite if they have one.
Again, congrats on an awesome bear. What a dream come true.

nube,

Positives: Cost of the hunt and the number of bears you will see. There were five hunters in our camp and four of the six bears taken were nine feet or more. As a group we looked at well over 25 bears in the field.

Negatives: The travel. From the time I left my home in Omaha, NE to the time I was in camp was 64 hours (straight travel, no hotels). If Magadan air would start flying from Anchorage again travel would not be a factor.

You can find the Profi-Hunt website at www.profihunt.com

Mike

BOWHUNR, Congratulations on your nice BB. Which was worse the bus ride or the stalk on your bear! Sounds like the bus ride was the low point of the expedition?