This is the largest bear that I guided on. The hunter was John Bermen. The bear squared 10’5” and had a skull of 29 6/16 SCI and 28 12/16 B&C. It was the largest bear taken by a guided hunter in 1988.
This was the last brown bear kill that I participated in with my good friend Matt Caldwell while he was hunting with AAA Alaskan Outfitters in the spring of 2018. This massive bear only squared 10’3” but was the fattest one that I had ever seen!
It looks like I’m not going to make it on a brown bear hunt this spring. Two of my bear hunting partners, Jared and Nate, just welcomed two new precious additions to our family, three month old Macy and two month old Wesley and, Nathan, who is in college, is just finishing up his spring semester, so they are unable to go. In my last story I forecasted a spring brown bear hunt but naturally all of these wonderful changes take precedence. As we all know the only constant in life is change
Kodiak is having a great start this spring with some really big bears being taken. I’m hoping the Alaska Peninsula will keep it going. There is nothing like the rush or thrill of being in on a “Big” brown bear kill.
I have many stories on my blog about brown bear hunts but two are especially good for new hunters with information about how to hunt the brown bear. The first one is “Brown Bear Hunting 101+” and the other one is “The 10 Footer-What Does it Take.” They are pretty basic but have information that will help you on your hunt. Another story is about a special valley that AAA hunted starting in 1984 going through 1998. We harvested eight bears over 10’ and one over 11’. We also know of a resident and his brother who harvested two others over 10’ during this period. This is what I called a real “Honey Hole.” The story is “Big Bears of Barney Creek.”
Hope you enjoy the reads. I have always told everyone to become good at anything you need to listen to anyone with proven experience. With that said, I wish everyone the best spring bear hunt ever and remember “Patience, Patience, Patience,” and “it isn’t over until it’s over.” Enjoy the smell of spring and good hunting!
Brent and me with AAA’s first two bears taken in the spring of 1984. The largest squared 10’10” with a skull of 29 5/16 B&C and the other one squared 10’2” with a skull of 28 5/16 B&C. What a great way to start our business.
Brent, Kurt Jaeger, from Liechtenstein, and me with Kurt’s massive 10’ brownie. It only squared 10’ but had a 10” front pad and I couldn’t get my arms around his neck. His skull was 27 12/16 B&C. What mass!
My grandson Greg and me with his 10’1” bear that he took on his high school graduation present hunt. Fish and Game green scored the skull at 28 3/16 B&C. What a rush this was!!
My son-in-law Sagen and me with his 10’1” brown bear. The skull was somewhere between 28 2/16 and 28 8/16 B&C. Couldn’t measure proper because it was shot in the head. Wonderful hunt!!