TopGun was nice enough to pass on the link to my bear pictures.
myurl
Before I get going here, let me tell you this will most likely be my first and last post, as I can tell there are people here who no matter what you tell them will disagree. It all has to do with what you feel is right or wrong. This is America, and there is nothing wrong with having the opinion you have. I am not about to lower myself to the point where this will turn out to be an all out argument.
Some of you are definite anti-hunting, others are pro-hunting, yet others are not hunters, but do not claim to be anti either, you are the ones lacking knowledge on the topic and at the same time thirsting to know more. Those of you who fall into this category are the ones I want to address what I have to say.
First some truth to the story you have heard. This bear was not 12.5', it was not 1600 lbs, nor did it stand on its rear two, drop and charge my partner and I. As a matter of fact it didn't show any signs of aggression. It was about 1200 lbs and 10' sq. It was shot from 10 yards away as it was walking straight towards us. It was killed (yes killed, not harvested, killed! It isn't a vegetable.) quickly and humanely (humanely- civilized, it didn't take 20 misplaced shots to kill this bear over a matter of 40 minutes).
Fact- Brown bear populations in Alaska are alive in thriving, just as deer populations in PA and NY are. When you hear there are so few brown bears in the world this is true, but it is the big picture, you have to look at the only two places where they thrive, Alaska & Russia, the much smaller picture. There is still a need here in Alaska to ensure proper management of bear populations. It is essential so when some of you decide to make a trip to Alaska, you have an opportunity to use your $1500 Cannon camera on a deer, moose, caribou, or sheep. It is known that on average a grizzly bear or wolf will kill one moose or two caribou a week. All of these species in one area or another are struggling to survive, and these predators are a direct cause to the overall mortality.
Yes, we were in the bear's backyard. We were accessing his backyard to get up into some deer country. In most places in Alaska there are only two periods you can hunt brown bear, the spring and the fall. Whoever said we didn't know if the bear was a male, female, or pregnant female is uneducated about bears. There is a way to identify a sex of a bear, and I can assure you that a female bear carrying cubs will never be killed, as the sows give birth to the young ones over the winter while they are denned up. Someone else posted a link to the ADF&G website which says a bear cannot be kept if killed during defense of life, liberty or property. This is true when the bear is killed out of season, however the bear you have seen pictured was killed during legal bear hunting season. Even though this bear was killed from 10 yards away, and for some is considered too close, if the bear was out of season this would not be reason enough to kill the bear. The bear has to make some physical contact before you take his/her life or you better be ready to do some explaining to the judge. Selective hunting is definitely encouraged when hunting bears. Boars are the recommended target. Every hunter should make an honest attempt not to take a sow. Those that take a cub, or a sow with cubs, I look down upon, but more importantly than what I think is what the law says, and trust me, illegal taking of bears in Alaska is nothing to play around with.
Final note in general. For the most part hunters are good people. We have good ethics, are responsible, compassionate, and thankful. I gave thanks to the Lord for this animal upon its death. I guarantee you it was treated with the utmost respect. But just as there are those people in society who make a civilization look bad, there are those few people (I refrain from calling them hunters) who give my sport, my utopia, and my life a bad name. Don't judge everything you read or see based on the press, or Joe-bob running down a backroad in his P/U truck throwing out beer cans while firing off his shotgun on some deer that crossed a road. Those are fallacies.
I hope maybe this will shed some light on a lifestyle many of you know very little about. Perhaps, you might be more interested now than you ever were about hunting. Perhaps, my writings did nothing for you on your rational. Whatever the case thanks for taking the time to at least read what I had to say, good luck to you.
PS. Those that bad mouthed me, my hunting partner and really all hunters in general have much to learn. Do not criticize something you have neglected to educate yourself on. Though I know of some hunters who take a liking to the term "Redneck", I assume the individual who posted the remark meant it as a derogatory comment. We are not all what you consider white-trash bubba's. Those of you who made similar remarks about us hunters take a moment to breath in what I said.
myurl
Before I get going here, let me tell you this will most likely be my first and last post, as I can tell there are people here who no matter what you tell them will disagree. It all has to do with what you feel is right or wrong. This is America, and there is nothing wrong with having the opinion you have. I am not about to lower myself to the point where this will turn out to be an all out argument.
Some of you are definite anti-hunting, others are pro-hunting, yet others are not hunters, but do not claim to be anti either, you are the ones lacking knowledge on the topic and at the same time thirsting to know more. Those of you who fall into this category are the ones I want to address what I have to say.
First some truth to the story you have heard. This bear was not 12.5', it was not 1600 lbs, nor did it stand on its rear two, drop and charge my partner and I. As a matter of fact it didn't show any signs of aggression. It was about 1200 lbs and 10' sq. It was shot from 10 yards away as it was walking straight towards us. It was killed (yes killed, not harvested, killed! It isn't a vegetable.) quickly and humanely (humanely- civilized, it didn't take 20 misplaced shots to kill this bear over a matter of 40 minutes).
Fact- Brown bear populations in Alaska are alive in thriving, just as deer populations in PA and NY are. When you hear there are so few brown bears in the world this is true, but it is the big picture, you have to look at the only two places where they thrive, Alaska & Russia, the much smaller picture. There is still a need here in Alaska to ensure proper management of bear populations. It is essential so when some of you decide to make a trip to Alaska, you have an opportunity to use your $1500 Cannon camera on a deer, moose, caribou, or sheep. It is known that on average a grizzly bear or wolf will kill one moose or two caribou a week. All of these species in one area or another are struggling to survive, and these predators are a direct cause to the overall mortality.
Yes, we were in the bear's backyard. We were accessing his backyard to get up into some deer country. In most places in Alaska there are only two periods you can hunt brown bear, the spring and the fall. Whoever said we didn't know if the bear was a male, female, or pregnant female is uneducated about bears. There is a way to identify a sex of a bear, and I can assure you that a female bear carrying cubs will never be killed, as the sows give birth to the young ones over the winter while they are denned up. Someone else posted a link to the ADF&G website which says a bear cannot be kept if killed during defense of life, liberty or property. This is true when the bear is killed out of season, however the bear you have seen pictured was killed during legal bear hunting season. Even though this bear was killed from 10 yards away, and for some is considered too close, if the bear was out of season this would not be reason enough to kill the bear. The bear has to make some physical contact before you take his/her life or you better be ready to do some explaining to the judge. Selective hunting is definitely encouraged when hunting bears. Boars are the recommended target. Every hunter should make an honest attempt not to take a sow. Those that take a cub, or a sow with cubs, I look down upon, but more importantly than what I think is what the law says, and trust me, illegal taking of bears in Alaska is nothing to play around with.
Final note in general. For the most part hunters are good people. We have good ethics, are responsible, compassionate, and thankful. I gave thanks to the Lord for this animal upon its death. I guarantee you it was treated with the utmost respect. But just as there are those people in society who make a civilization look bad, there are those few people (I refrain from calling them hunters) who give my sport, my utopia, and my life a bad name. Don't judge everything you read or see based on the press, or Joe-bob running down a backroad in his P/U truck throwing out beer cans while firing off his shotgun on some deer that crossed a road. Those are fallacies.
I hope maybe this will shed some light on a lifestyle many of you know very little about. Perhaps, you might be more interested now than you ever were about hunting. Perhaps, my writings did nothing for you on your rational. Whatever the case thanks for taking the time to at least read what I had to say, good luck to you.
PS. Those that bad mouthed me, my hunting partner and really all hunters in general have much to learn. Do not criticize something you have neglected to educate yourself on. Though I know of some hunters who take a liking to the term "Redneck", I assume the individual who posted the remark meant it as a derogatory comment. We are not all what you consider white-trash bubba's. Those of you who made similar remarks about us hunters take a moment to breath in what I said.