After months of waiting and preparing, we finally made it out for our Prince William Sound black bear hunt. My uncle and two of his friends came up from Minnesota. Our group of four matched perfectly, and the four of us had a great time together. The weather was absolutely beautiful for every single day of their ten-day visit. We had clear skies, warm sunshine, and flat-calm seas. Prince William Sound has got to be one of the prettiest places on earth.
Here is a view from the boat:
Here's another scenery shot:
During our hunt, we dropped shrimp pots and did a little fishing. We ate an ample supply of spotted prawns and fresh halibut. What a great treat!
The boat we hunted from is a brand new ACB (Aluminum Chambered Boat). Our charter took delivery in January, and we were the first group to hunt from her. She's 30 feet long, with a 10-foot beam. The custom seating easily accommodated all of us. The twin Suzuki 250's were more than adequate to move her along nicely, and yet they were barely noticeable when we were idling around glassing for bears. We didn't have rough seas, but this boat rode as nice as any I've been on. It was very stable, even with five guys continually moving around. We were all very comfortable and happy with our charter boat. Here she is:
During our five-day hunt, we saw over 30 bears - not including cubs; we saw several of them as well. Our party of four hunters shot three bears. The only person to not shoot a bear, was Greg. He is an avid bear hunter in his home state of Minnesota, and he has shot several black bears. He had several opportunities to shoot a bear, but he passed them up to wait for Godzilla. We never saw a true trophy quality bear, but he wasn't upset in the least. Greg had an outstanding time, just like the rest of us.
I shot my bear on the third day. We spotted it eating grass on one of the sunny beaches. The boat driver positioned the boat so that there was a small island between us and the bear. I used a small inflatable raft to paddle to the rocky shore of the island. Once on shore, I loaded the rifle and slowly crept around the side of the island until I could see the bear. The bear was still on the beach and right where we last spotted it. There was a fair amount of brush sticking out around the rocks, so I threaded my rifle barrel through the brush for a clean shot. At a distance of 100-125 yards, I placed two, off-hand shots right where they needed to be. One shot took out both lungs, and the other creased top of the heart. The bear made it 15 feet before piling up dead. I was very happy with the outcome.
I will remember this hunt for a very long time, because it marks many "firsts" for me. This is the first bear I have ever shot. It's also the first Alaskan big game animal I have taken, and it's the first game animal I have killed with my .338-06. I had the rifle built in 1998, but have never had the opportunity to shoot anything except paper targets with it. It's finally drawn blood!
My bear was certainly not huge, only about 5-feet, but the experience of the hunt means far more to me than the size of the animal. I did everything exactly the way I hoped I could. I spotted it, made the stalk, and placed two very accurate shots. What else could I hope for?
Here's my bear:
After the hunt, we went to Ninilchik, AK to do some salmon and halibut fishing. We caught a bunch of halibut, the largest being about 40-pounds. We wore ourselves out catching halibut, and then we headed in to troll for king slamon. After already catching the largest halibut, my uncle bested us once again by catching the only king, which was also about 40-pounds. In all, I don't think I can imagine a more perfect week. What a great time!
Prince William Sound Bear Hunt! 
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