9/12/99
Dan showed up on schedule at the Hollis dock. After a morning of thick fog and
no planes flying. John Rommen (one of my Asst. Guides) came over about mid
morning and we worked on gear and the 'Cabin'. After licensing we headed for
town to take 'Beaver' in to stay with Fran at the Fireweed Lodge. We also went
to the grocery store and pick up a few needed items. We sighted our guns in when
we got back to Hollis and headed for a local river
for an evening hunt. The sun was still out and the wind was dead
still. As we eased up through the hundreds of spawning salmon
we spooked a sow. She talked to her cub and us. She sent her cub
up a tree. We hurried on around her. As we were headed over to
the main river we noticed a very large track in the mud. It was
a jumbo and fresh. We continued to hunt up river. We saw lots
of sign and freshly eaten fish. We sighted another bear (medium
Boar) while moving up stream. We came on out after dark. Getting
back to the cabin the wood stove felt good. Dan had gone into
deep water over his hip boots. After dinner of Navy Beans and
the relish plate that Annette had left for us it was time to turn
in. It was nice to get out, get a little exercise and get the
cobwebs out.
9/13/99
Bobby showed up early and started and started in doing chores
(firewood; hunting gear; etc.). John showed up about mid morning
and Dan was up and about. About 11 PM we headed out to the fish
creek. We traveled down to one of the local tributaries.
We hiked into the creek and headed up stream. We didn't see much
fresh bear sign since the flooding of last week. We came upon
a medium bear and watched it fish for a while. We continued on
up stream and took a lunch break. I left Bobby, John and Dan on
the creek while I headed back to the cabin to get ready to meet
Andy (from VA). I drove on into Klawock and over to the Airport
and meet the 5:30 PM flight. Andy had made it but his gun didn't.
After our hellos we stopped by the Klawock Market and picked up
a few groceries we needed. We then headed back to the Hollis cabin.
Andy was tired from making the trip from VA in one shot. We got
his license and tags issued and snacked on the relish tray that
Annette left us. Bobby, John and Dan got in a little after dark.
They only sighted one other Bear and didn't see much sign at all.
There are lots of Humpies in the rivers for this late in the season.
We made introductions around and they ate a dinner of rice pilaf
and Coho salmon with several salads to choose from. We stayed
up late talking.
9/14/99
Andy was up early (like 4:30AM). He is still on VA time. After
coffee and breakfast we called Alaska Airlines and they had his
gun and had turned it over to Taquan Air. We called Taquan and
made arrangements to have it sent to Klawock on the next flight.
As we headed for Klawock Bobby, John and Dan headed for a local creek. Andy and I stopped on the way back to Hollis and
shot our guns to make sure they were on. Then we took a hike up
one of the area drainages. We sighted some fresh sign
(tracks & fresh eaten fish). We took a stand and stayed there
till twilight. No Bears came out! Bobby, John and Dan sighted
a lot of fresh sign but only one medium Bear (Dan passed on it).
We all meet back at the cabin and talked the day's activities
over and our plans for tomorrow. After pot roast, Coho salmon,
salads, Apple Spice cake we turned in.
9/15/99
Andy and I started out the day by looking over a few clear cuts.
We didn't sight any bears. After a discussion about all the bear
sign we spotted in the place we were at yesterday we decided to
head on in there for the evening. Bobby, John and Dan decided to start out on
the roads also and then go up the a creek again.
Andy and I moved up the tributary very slowly. The water was a
little from the heavy evening rains. More fish had moved in. We
took a stand for awhile. Andy spotted a medium bear moving through
the brush across the small fish filled creek from us. Just a glimpse.
After a while we decided to take a hike up through the woods and
muskegs. We eased our way along. We saw quite a lot of Bear sign.
But no Bears. We worked our way back to the fish creek. Just before
dark we moved out and down the creek. We jumped a Bear we didn't
see. We worked or way down to the tidal flats. Just before dark
a nice Bear came out. To feed on some fish in a tide pool. But
he came out right where we had left our packs. When he smelled
at our packs he ran for the timber! We came on out in the dark.
We ate left overs. When the boys returned they said they didn't
spot any Bear from the road but did see 2 up the creek. But passed
on them. We built a hot fire and put our boots on the dryers for
the night.
9/16/99
Andy and I were up early (like 5:00 AM). We got ready and headed
for a river. We worked our way up the river. The water level had dropped with
not much rain last night. We noticed a few fresh tracks and some fresh eaten
fish. We held just short of a sand bar that a Bear had been working. It came out
at less than 30 yards. It was about a 6 footer. Andy passed on the shot. We
worked our way back to the rig and drove on to the cabin. We are going to a
different place this evening with our fishing poles and guns. Bobby, John and
Dan headed for another river with fishing poles
and guns.
We all met at the cabin and exchanged info and plans. Bobby, John and Dan were
heading down to a mid river section.
Andy and I headed for another creek. We worked our way down a tributary
fishing while we went. Andy caught a nice Coho Salmon on his first
cast. There are too many Humpies in to fish for Coho. You can't
even get a lure through the water with out snagging one. We worked
our way down stream and did a little fishing in the lower tide
holes. We decided to go try for Bear as the evening was setting
in. As we worked our way across the tide flats we saw a lot of
Bear sign. Andy noticed a Bear across the flats. It was a nice
Bear. We glassed and discussed it. Then it looked up and ran.
A larger Bear moved out of the brush and started eating the fish
the first Bear was on. This one is a dandy. We planned the stalk.
We moved back up the channel looking for a place to cross. We
would give it a try. The water was up to our hip boot tops as
we were walking on our toes. We made it to the opposite bank.
We eased across the flats in the tall grass. Another Bear moved
across the flats from our right. Another channel. Boot high water
again. We made it. Andy moved ahead of me. At 100 yards we made
the big one. It is nice. We continued our stalk. It was interested
in Salmon. Andy moved to 50 yards. The Bear got up and moved in
our direction. Andy looked at me for a size estimate. I gave him
the 6 ½ foot sign. Maybe more. The Bear moved parallel
at 25 yards. Andy lowered his rifle. We watched as the big bruin
eased into the brush. Andy passed on the shot. It was a 500+ pound
Bear. Andy later said it just didn't have the large blocky head
he was looking for and he still has a week to hunt. We enjoyed
the stalk and being so close to the jumbo Bear. We moved on back
to our backpacks and up stream to the rig in the dark. When we
got back to the cabin the boys were not in yet. They returned
shortly. They had found very large Bear tracks and a place where
he has been eating salmon. They took a stand until dark. They
jumped several Bear on the way out in the dark. The Bear never
came out. They decided to get an early start in the morning.
9/17/99
I set the alarm at about 5:00AM to wake up Dan and Bobby. John showed up shortly
after 6:00. They headed on down to the local river to try to find that big Bear
that was feeding on that little side creek. He might be out this morning. Andy
and I went on down to the river and Andy hooked on to another nice Coho. We fished
several holes with out any luck. Back to the cabin to have some
lunch and hook up with the boys for our afternoon plan. They were
sleeping. We woke them up and told us that they had not seen any
Bears on their morning hunt. It had rained all morning. We dried
our rain gear and got prepared for our afternoon fish/hunt. We
all drove on down to a local foot trail. We hiked on down to the
river fishing our way to the tide flats. I caught a nice Coho
at one of the tide water holes. We put up our poles and started
across the tide flats. We sighted a nice Bear at the same spot
where Andy and I got on the Bears last evening. Bobby and Dan
put the move on. Andy, John and I continued on out toward the
bay. We saw lots of sign and took a stand around the outer tidal
flat area. We waited until just before dark and after sighting
no Bear we moved slowly back up river. We sighted 2 bear moving
up river on the far bank. Bobby and Dan were walking across the
tide flats headed out. They had not seen the big bruin come out
to feed again. We all hooked up and headed out. The constant day's
rain had swollen the creeks. We had high water to cross on the
way out in the dark, which made things interesting on Dan's last
evening. We returned to the cabin got the BBQ going and cooked
up some Sish-K-Bobs to go with the potato salad and beans that
Annette had left for us. After a hot fire and getting dried out
we called it a day…..I tried to talk Dan into hunting tomorrow
morning or staying on some extra days but his business commitments
has him needing to get back. He needs to get dried out and packed
up for the 1:30 PM Taquan flight to Ketchikan. We all feel frustrated
and disappointed that he didn't connect on a good Black Bear.
morning and try to catch the Bear out in the AM.
We warmed a dinner of King Salmon nuggets with pasta and Crab
and had some fresh Blue Berry pie for desert and turned in.
9/18/99
Andy and I packed up the Zodiac and headed for a distant bay. Just
off the road in one of the older clear cuts Andy noticed
a nice Bear. So we decided to check out a few clear cuts on the
way. We didn't sight any other bear. We drove onto the bay.
We pumped up the Zodiac and motored up the arm. We stopped at
several beaches and noticed fresh Bear sign. We worked our way
up the arm in heavy rain showers. We pulled into the head of the
bay and took a short hike around the tidal flats and up the fish
creek. There was mass Bear sign. We took a stand until just before
dark. No Bears moved. We loaded back up in the Zodiac and headed
back down the Arm. The heavy rain showers continued. All the creeks
were at high water. We pulled into the boat ramp at the old logging
camp after dark. Loaded up the Muskeg Mobile and headed for the
cabin. The auto heater felt very good. We were very WET. Back
at the cabin we warmed up left over Beans; Salmon Nuggets; and
today's dish was baked Chicken in a bed of Rice and Green Beans.
Chocolate pie for desert. Andy stayed up reading for a little
while like usual.
9/19/99
Bobby showed up by noon. Andy and I were just about packed for
our mountain climb. It was a nice afternoon. After the short drive
to the trailhead we started the climb. In about 3 ½ hard
hours we made it to the Low Alpine Camp. The brush wasn’t
to wet. We set up the rain tarps. Andy and Bobby headed for the
mountain top deer zone while I stayed and set up the rest of camp.
I fixed a cup of tea and took a walk around camp. I noticed fresh
Deer and Bear sign. I took another cup of tea over to the viewpoint
and sat down with my binoculars. There is a black spot and its
moving. It’s a nice bear across the canyon in the lower alpine.
Bobby and Andy showed up about dark, they had sighted 3 bucks,
a few does and 2 small Bears. We fixed freeze dried dinners and
had a small fire and turned in.
9/20/99
It rained some during the night but we are waking up to a nice
morning. After breakfast Bobby headed down for the resupply load.
Andy and I headed for the mountaintop under the partly cloudy
sky. As we eased our way around the first alpine we pushed several
deer. Andy sighted one doe. We worked our way over to the ‘rock’
outcrop to glass. We spotted deer right off. First a doe, then
two, and a small buck. I then spotted a reddish deer in the brush.
It was still in ‘velvet’ (very unusual for this time
of year) and in full summer coat. The rest of the deer were winter
gray. And the other strange thing was that they were snorting
the ‘alarm’ call. The ‘velvet’ buck was a
tall 3x3. The buck was at 250+ yards. Andy says “I can take
it from hear, I can make that shot”. I replied “why,
we can get a closer look”. Off we went on the stalk. We crossed
over and above the deer. Spotting another buck and doe just above
the others. Easing down over the shelves we noticed another buck
crossing the muskeg way down below. We saw the does moving across
the big draw and climbing out and away. Not normal for our deer.
Way too spooky. We figured there must be a Wolf or Bear in the
area. We eased around but could not find the ‘velvet’
buck. As we worked our way back up the steep mountainside the
fog rolled in. No visibility. We got back to our packs and took
a short break. I remarked “Andy you should have shot him
from hear!” We continued across the top in the fog. Working
our way down to the upper timberline. Andy spotted a doe in the
timber watching us. I took a short nap and woke up to the fog
lifting. We worked our way back up to a canyon lookout I know
of above a large rocky slide area. We spotted one doe at the top.
We glassed for a while. No other deer. After a while I said, “Andy
lets see your deer call”. Andy said “you and Bobby have
told me that the call just scares the bucks at this time of year”.
I said, “It does”. I blew on the call. Andy hears a
deer snort across the canyon. I blew the call again. Another snort
and another. The doe on top climbed down and looked in our direction.
I worked the call. Another snort came from just below us. I called
again. I saw movement to our left and below. “It’s a
Buck Andy and it looks wide”. He was moving across the steep
rocky mountainside in our direction. Andy eased up on a rocky
perch to get a look. A snort just 10 yards above us in the brush.
I looked at Andy. He had his rifle shouldered. He had his scope
on the buck. I couldn’t see it…..The mountain valley
echoed the sound of the .338. The 225 grain Barnes X handload
found it’s mark. The buck stumbled and slid down the slope
stopping on a shelf. A quick kill. We worked our way down the
steep slope to the Buck. A big mountain 3x3 just out of velvet.
Andy had pulled the trigger at about 1:15 PM. After pictures,
caping and boning we loaded our packs (Andy taking the heaviest
load) and headed back to camp. We got back to camp at a very tired
5:30 PM. Bobby was back at camp with the fire ready to start.
We ate dinner and dessert and set around the fire a while telling
stories. I turned in first. As I drifted off to sleep the wind
and rains kicked it up.
9/21/99
The heavy rains and winds had slacked in the early AM. It didn’t
take us long to get packed up after breakfast. Bobby had a heavy
(100lb +) load. He went on ahead. As we were hiking and talking
through the upper timber we jumped a large wide buck. He was a
big one. Andy chambered a round. But we didn’t get on it
again. We continued our hike on down the mountain to the Muskeg
Mobile. The hot shower felt good back at the cabin. Then we were
on our way to Craig to take Bobby home and the cape and horns
to Prince of Wales Taxidermy (Bobby’s dads business). Barbara
(Bobby sister) does a very good Sitka Blacktail mount. Andy was
impressed and left it for her to mount. A quick stop at the grocery
store and gas pump and we were headed back to the Hollis Cabin
to get ready for an evening Black Bear hunt. We got back into
our hip boots and rain gear. Andy and I talked about where to
go. We decided to head over to a local creek. It wasn’t
long before we were walking up stream. There was still a lot of
Humpies in the river but not as many as when we here last. There
was high water flood on Monday. Spawned out dead fish lined the
banks. As we eased our way up the creek we noticed just a few
fresh Bear eaten fish and only the odd track. I picked up the
pace so we could get a ways up (to where we had seen large bear
sign) before we ran out of shooting light. We jumped a Bear on
the stream bank. We went on up stream. We jumped another. We eased
up past a sand bar that had the freshest sign we had seen. The
light is fading fast. I eased out and took a seat on a rock in
the river. Andy moved up stream 15 yards and took a stand on another
large rock in the river. We looked and listened. I got Andy’s
attention and signaled him to blow the deer call. He made the
call. We waited. I chambered a round, took my safety off and held
my finger on the trigger. My eyes worked the river and the brush
in the fading light. It is CLOSE quarters. Andy looked at me.
I signaled to blow the call louder. Andy worked the call (like
a predator call or dying rabbit or something) louder. Andy gets
the felling something is breathing down his neck. He slowly turns.
He is eye to eye at about 20 feet with a Bear. I see Andy ease
his rifle to his shoulder. I can’t make the bear. Andy blows
the call softly. I see him studying the Bear. I still can’t
make the Bear in the dark brush. The shot rang out. Crashing through
the brush. Then quiet. Andy and I slowly move toward the brushy
bank. The death moan. The bear is down. It didn’t make it
25 yards. We eased up on the 6 footer. A nice Black Bear with
a very nice fall coat. I congratulate Andy on a perfectly placed
shot and the quick kill. After pictures we began the skinning
in the dark by headlamp. Andy loaded the hide into his pack and
we headed down stream. It was after 9 PM by the time that we made
it back to the rig tired and very wet. The hot shower at the cabin
felt good again for the second time today. Then Annette’s
cooking hit the spot again. Baron of Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed
Carrots, and Crab Salad with left over Chocolate pie for dessert.
This will be a day that I definitely will remember.
9/22/99
We slept in. After doing a little updating on the computer we
headed for Craig. We took the Andy’s Bear into Skip Warren
for sealing and Andy wanted to talk to him about a rug mount.
The wind was kicking it up. The rain was torrential. Taquan Air
had all their planes tide down. We spent a while at Prince of
Wales Taxidermy and got the Bear sealed and Andy left it for Skip
to rug. Andy said that Skip’s Bears were the best he had
ever seen. Skip does high quality work. We took a short sightseeing
trip around Craig and then went over to Ruth Ann’s for a
burger. Back to Klawock for a short sightseeing tour and to the
Fireweed Lodge and a short visit with Fran and Beaver. Back to
the Hollis cabin to call Taquan to see if they had called all
flying off like we expected. They told me that there was 80-mph
wind gusts in Ketchikan. We looked at the rivers on the way to
town and they were all high and ragging so Coho fishing was out.
We built a hot fire in the wood stove and settled in for the evening.
Andy would have to wait to see if they fly in the morning so he
can catch the 7:45 southbound.
9/23/99
I woke up to the alarm at 4:30 am and woke Andy. We headed into
the Klawock airport. Soon the freight truck, agent and pilot showed
up. The rain showers continued heavy but the winds had died down.
Nick (the Cessna Caravan pilot) decided to give it a try. Andy
and I said our good-bys. Andy said he would be back and he was
on his way to make the southbound jet connection.
Conclusion: Andy is a Pastor of a non denominational church in Va. He is a very good hunter, an ethical hunter and a true sportsman. It was a pleasure to spend this time with him and to guide him on this Sitka Blacktail/Black Bear Combo Hunt. He passed on a large Bear early on because he wanted to look more over. He ended up taking a smaller but very nice Bear during an exceptional evening of Bear hunting. He passed on a larger Deer than he took because he didn’t take the 250+yard shot. He said “that’s just shooting, not HUNTING”. He was in very good physical shape. We waded flooding rivers. We hiked steep mountains and rough terrain in the pounding rain. We had fun. We had a safe hunt. During the hunt we sighted Bears in the upper teens and eleven Buck Deer. We had a great hunt. Andy it was a pleasure!