Re: Is a back up handgun needed in Alaska?

18 May 2004, 19:17

DB Bill: You and Redhawk1 are absolutley right: hip wader are treacherous, uncomfortable bastards that cause blisters and sores and are hard to get on and off. But we all know that you have got to have them. The alternative is not acceptable. I try not to wear mine more than one day without wearing something else. Footwear is a conspiracy: I have many pair of actually fairly expensive rubber boots and I keep thinking if I buy the latest model I will find something warm and dry and comfortable and easy to get in and out off....but for now I like the LaCrosse Alpha boot (two of my brothers wore them last year and I would use them when they didn't have them on). I have my own pair now. Hip waders are a must though.

19 May 2004, 00:56

ovis

Guys,

In reference to the boots, you may want to try a pair of the plastic boots put out by mountaineering companies. They provide great foot and ankle support and when worn with lightweight stockingfoot hippers, that can be slipped on and off as needed, they are the ticket in the mountains for stream crossings and wet spots. I've been using the Koflach Degre..........no blisters, no foot rot, and incredibly warm. A lot of sheep hunters up here are using them, although they do take a bit of getting used to.

Joe

19 May 2004, 08:45

huntsternorth

Quote:

There were two guys from Valdez hunting brown bears in the Copper Valley. The primary hunter was using a bow/arrows, and his backup had a Winchester shotgun (Defender, I think). The hunter shot a bear, then after awhile proceeded to follow the blood trail. The hunter was ahead of his backup when he came upon another bear with cubs. The bear charged and toppled him, then started chewing him pretty bad. His partner, panicked and ran, while the hunter managed to draw and fire his .44 Magnum on the bear's neck. The bear died pretty fast, and the hunter crawled from under the bear, patched himself the best way he could, and walked quite a few miles to safety. he lost quite a lot of blood through the ordeal, but lived to tell the story.

I remember that mauling. Lots of folks righteously condemned the back-up for running away, but if it was me being mauled and somebody standing by with a shotgun, I'd just as soon hope he doesn't shoot.

Although I've never been mauled by a bear, I've been shot before by hunting partners. I can just imagine somebody trying to shoot a bear that is on top of me.

Thanks, but no thanks. I'll try to shoot the bear off of me myself and/or take the mauling and hope for the best. The last thing I need at that point is a high-power rifle round or bear buster round on top of the mauling (especially if my "backup" is shooting 00 buckshot).

19 May 2004, 16:10

Ray, Alaska

There have been some cases where the second hunter has killed the bear on top of the first hunter without injuring the one being mauled, but I have read a story about a hunter who saved his partner in such a fashion, but ended up shooting the guy's leg bones below the knee. However, the second hunter had no choice but to shoot the bear, since it was tearing his friend to pieces. This bear had been shot several times with a .340 and another big gun as it charged, but it still toppled the hunter and mauled him badly. Both made out of there alive.

19 May 2004, 16:56

rwj

Ray: Your accounts ring true. I have never had to defend myself from a bear attack and I hope never have to. But, like a lot of folks on this forum who do or want to, I spend as much time as I can out where these beasts live. And I rarely go hunting without actively looking to shoot a brown bear when and when I am allowed. And that can be both good and bad.

The accounts you describe have to be terrible for everyone, but it is good that everyone lived through the ordeal. These brown bears are ferocious beasts...I think that guy and his girl friend who were killed and eaten out on the upper Alaskan Peninsula last fall illustrates recklessness and poor judgement, but it is still very disturbing. When one of us, who are more or less informed and responsible and want to spend time where these bear live or actually hunt them, when one of us gets hurt, it makes us think hard about what we are doing and how we do it. Let's just hope we can all go about our business safely, no matter how we choose to do that.