Kigluaik Mtns. 2002 I've posted this one and a few more on another board, found this and am at it again. This bear was 16 years old, had been in a study and was tattoed with a number in 1989.Killed on May 20th 2002. His hide was 7' 10'' and the skull is 24 1/16 B&C. Killed with a .243, three shots. Not the gun of choice but the stock broke on the .338 and the wolf gun doubled as the bear gun.

May 12th Grizzly,2000 This bear was killed with a .300 Weatherby Mark V and a nosler 180 grain partition.He came out of the Bonanza River on the Seward Peninsula. He was the 7th bear of the day and we killed him at about midnight. The hide is 7'9" and the skull was 23 6/16.

May 12th grizzly,2000

Bonanza River Grizzly '99 Here is a poor photo of a good bear. He also came out of the Bonanza River, was killed with a .300 Winchester and was an April bear. Hide was 7'11" and the skull is 25 5/16 Boone and Crockett.

Kigluaik Mtns. 2002 This should be better.

That guy looks mighty familiar to me...seems to me he bears a striking resemblance to my bear guide;)

Grizzly,
Great photos!!!

Lordy mercy, you ain't the person in the moose photos lying down in the rack are you?

You and JoelB kinfolk? I'm truly sorry!!! :D

Sorry GK but I can't seem to see a smile on the grizzley's face. I love my guns but I never did see any pleasure in killin God's greatest creatures.

Let's have some grizzly pic's in full splender (alive !!!)

I sure get lots of pleasure from it. I love it! I'm a bonafide hunting fanatic.

I guess you missed my point; I shoot 300WM, 340W, 375H&H, 404 Jeff, 500Nitro but I don't have to go out killin such magnificent creatures to get it off !!!!

Guns are just tools for me. Just as hammers drive nails, and wrenches turn bolts. I like them, but I like hunting better. It isn't some sort of "mystical" thing for me either. I just like being out there and hunting. If it bothers you, thats all right with me. I'm not on a crusade to convert people to come along to my way of thinking. However I kinda agree with Ted Nugent on this one, I think most folks would be better off if they would provide their own meat, rather than have somebody else do their killing.

This bear will go into the "book" as top 50 of all time...

Do you eat the BEAR!!!!

I don't pay others to do my killin. I do hunt and kill and use the skins and meat.

I've been a conservationist since age 11, after I came upon an eagle in the wild that was caught by 2 toes in a dog trap. After about 30 mins of calm introductions that wild animal let me free him without biting or trying to grab me with the free talon. As an 11 year old kid I was on a such a high that it could only be felt, but not put into words.

I watched him fly off, circle and fly back toward me about 20 feet over my head. I could have blasted him from the sky or whilst caught in the trap and taken some feathers for my hat.

That was nearly 50 years ago, but something changed for me that day, the realisation that maybe, just maybe that all animals think and feel as we do.

Thus I pose the question to all hunters, "What pleasure was there for the magnificent bear"

Strange...I spose the same as the chicken feels as its head is whacked off before it becomes Colonel Sanders. Or the same as the steer feels before it becomes a MacDonalds hamburger. If hunting bothers you so bad, why do you visit this site?

This was my first bear...

I don't have a problem with hunting; if I shoot a wild cat, that act of shooting has purpose. I am preventing that animal from destroying native fauna so that in the future my grandchildren will be able to hear native birds singing in the trees. "The act of shooting the cat has purpose and a future outcome."
If I shoot a rabbit and eat it; the act has purpose (food) and a future outcome (my preservation).
Which brings us back to the bears; do you eat them?????

Nope. State of Alaska doesn't require me to. I wouldn't eat one anyway. I would eat Black bear, but not Grizzly. Nope. I hunt them for the pure sport of it. I take the skull and the hide. The rest is left for the Ravens, Wolverines, other Bears, Wolves and other scavengers. And that doesn't bother me at all. In fact I'm going back up this coming spring to shoot another. Some of the natives eat them, I wouldn't. But see, I don't have to justify why I hunt. Nor do I care what others think about it. I wouldn't hunt an endangered species, but the Seward Grizzlys are over populated right now. In fact the State increased the bag limit to one a year to cut the population down. So I feel it's my duty to do the best I can to help them.:) And I will do just that:eek: (I guess I just justified why I hunt them!) It's to bad you can't give it a try, there is nothing like it. The best hunting I've ever had. The way they look at you, they aren't afraid of man like deer are. I suppose it would be like hunting the Big 5 in Africa, which I'd also would like to do. Especially Cape Buffalo.

My second bear...

Some great pictures you got there, I would like to be you someday, great shooting:) As for the conservationist, you must know these hunts are regulated and are very costly, This man deserves the right to tag one of these beast, Don't worry about animal numbers they are all controlled bye F&G I am sure your aware of this, Griz/browns meat is terrible and most people don't eat it, you might find a few Eskimos around there that will, **** most animals won't eat it either,maybe a wolverine or some birds;) for the most part the pelt is taken and claws, out of the bear family the black bear is the desirable meat to eat. I would love the opportunity to hunt one of those big bears for sure. I eat, sleep ,live hunting. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Before we get too carried away here, I think there are a few points that must be considered.
1. Hunting is the most effective and efficient population management available to most Fish and Game offices. Alaska is no different. Though some folks do not appreciate the killing of predatory species for pelts or hides, they do need to be managed.

2. In most parts of Alaska, if bear populations are not maintained a certain level, they do reek havoc on the other animal populations. The once thriving moose pop. in the Nellie Juan drainage has recently been reduced down to 8 animals total. ADF&G's final report was that heavy bear predation was the cause. This was part of a special GMU that has been closed to hunting for years. This would be fine if we want to manage game by seeing the population boom and bust cycles that mother nature uses to control game. Most prefer to have some type of predator management instead of population explosions then starvations, though that is effective, too.

3. Contrary to popular belief, Grizzly/Brown bear meat is good IF taken when the bear has been feeding on berries or other vegetation. Not worth a hoot if it's been feeding on salmon or carrion. I've had Brown Bear roasts that would put beef to shame.

4. I have no problem in using sport hunting as a management tool. Just like more traditional "edible" game, predatory species are part of the ecology of any area and must be controlled too, if others are to survive. This would include, coyotes, wolves, cougars, bears, you name it.

Eric, I have put a few live bear pictures in "My Neck of the Woods" forum here at Beartooth. Check those out, some really neat photos of bears being bears. These hunting forums are more than likely to include game killed by hunters.

Joel and Grizzly Killer,
Those are great looking bears.

No offense was intended, I hope none is taken.

Grizzly on ridgetop Wally, you shoot a cat or rabbit and that is hunting, but I shoot a grizzly bear and I am killing GODS Greatest creatures? You define hunting by what you think is acceptable game in your realm of things, and take offense at what I think is acceptable. Your opinion is your's, your event with the eagle memorable, surprised you didn't lose an eye. Your unhappiness seems to come from the fact I don't eat bear meat. I said I was the Grizzlykiller. Not the Grizzlyeater.What I am doing is following the letter of the law in hunting what you bet your *** is a magnificent animal, the Arctic Grizzly Bear. Your welcome to shoot all the kangaroos in your section, I wouldn't hold it against you, as long you were engaged in a legal and managed hunt. I would'nt expect you to eat the prize, and I know I would'nt. I dont' know where the line blurs from game animal to mojo animal but apparently you have a grasp on it. Good for you, don't stand in judgement of others.Your requirement that the meat be consumed to complete the circle is your vision and good for you. If your that riled over it, book a bear hunt and go kill one. You will be a changed man. Your image of magnificent will be redefined. If not, enjoy my photo's.Sow Grizzly and cubs

Griz - you are certainly entitled to your opinions, but please be polite. I'm sure that you intended to be, but the written word can be interpreted in many ways, not all of them good, so it pays to be cautious so that differences of opinion aren't interpreted as a personal attack.

Thank you for sharing your photos with us, some truely impressive critters. Can't imagine what it is like to hunt a beast that could swat you into mush in the blink of an eye. Closest we get in TX are wild pigs, which NOBODY considers cute or cuddly or magnificent, at least not other hunters! But they can bite you.

Eric, your opinions are certainly valid as well, if you ask the question 'why' you'll get a lot of interesting answers, as you can see. By the way, the hunter soon learns that nothing is wasted in nature. If you don't eat it, it is food for something else, some other creature that might not otherwise survive.

Personally I like to eat what I kill but that isn't always practical, for a variety of reasons.

You'll know if your grizzly is fit to eat the minute you start skinning him, mine stunk to the high heavens, but a friend of mine took one in Delta that tasted better than any moose I've eaten, it fed on grain and alfalfa. Joel, some real pretty bears, I like the grizzlies much better than the browns, not that I wouldn't go hunting for them, just my preference is the interior bears.

We like hunting them as well. I'd hunt the Brown Bear if I had the chance. But the Interior Bears are alot prettier. I've seen colors range from true black silvertip, brown, and pure blonde, with a mixture of colors on any bear. The bear I got last year was beautiful. My brother said it was the nicest hide he has ever seen. Are you still in the states or are you across the big pond?

I'm still here, it is -16 which isn't bad, I head out in May. I am going to take a couple of friends I work with down into the Alaska Range this spring and look for a bear or two as they come out of the dens, may try a varmint call, old timer swore they worked well, just have to be carefull.

did not the people from down under ban semi-auto an most hand guns. an did not wour crime rate go up 90%. may be this liberal thinking has gotten mixed into your hunting ideas. some time it is necessary to control the population it is part of being a good conservationist. god put us here to manage an care for the earth too bad we cannot start over

I love these "how I feel" debates. They do serve a purpose as long as we don't get personnal and we are doing pretty good here.

I want to Quote here but I will have to paraphrase. It seems the debate here is taking the life of one of the earths great predators and not utilizing the entire animal. The other part of this debate seems to have something to do with conservation of reasources. Another part is how animals feel.

Now for the paraphrasing of the Nuge.

1.OOP's. Don't have one for the Nuge here. I have heard him say he utilizes everything from all animals he kills but I think that is probably not true if we think about it. It is very hard to do for us semi Urban folks. Deer skins are trashed. Senew is discarded. Bone, what would we do with it, Holves we don't make hide glue no more. I think we all utilize what is convenient and discard what we can't or don't need. Dig deep in side and see if that fits unless you live the Sylvian life and in that case you would not be reading this because you would not have a computor.

2.Unless you are an outlaw and don't buy a licience you are contributing to conservation and therefore a conservationist. To what degree is relative. Do we want to get into who is more than another. We really don't even know each other at all so how could we do that. Opp's, no Ted there either.

3. How animals feel. Dang we don't even know how we feel most of the time so how the heck could we know how they feel. Dang. Still no Ted Nugent quotes.

4.I'll do it now. "Remember, the most blundered death of an animal by the hand of man does not even approach the horror of the average death of an animal in the wild". "We love these animals, and yes, we kill them." "There are people that think a goat should have the same rights as human beings."

Most of us would not take an unfair advantage when sport hunting is our purpose. Most of us would try to release an animal that had somehow fallen into a bad situation if possible. Check those feelings at the door when it comes to hunting and apply that God given brain power. Feelings always get in the way of right and just.

Well I think those were fantastic photo's of some marvelous looking DEAD BEARS! I love them live at the zoo but running across them in the wild while elk hunting is not my cup of tea.

Now some of the old boys that think the .243 is a little light for deer hunting should come take a look at this bear you think? Well, I appreciate your photo's and Congrates on your success.

Now for the AUSSIE that wants to ring somebody else's gong!
I like Roos, but you boys in the Land Down Under don't seem to be having a problem exterminating them in many fashions as well as at night under artificial light.....We call it SPOTLIGHTING IN THIS COUNTRY MATE! Read up on what is Hunting in the first place and why doing such is better all away around for the enviroment and animals there.

2Bits, not sure what your point re: kangaroos is? Note that 'roos are considered a crop-destroying pest in Australia, and I doubt that spotlighting them is considered a sporting proposition, just a necessary chore.

We have similar problems with wild (feral) hogs in Texas and other states and spotlight them without any reservations. If we didn't we be up to our ears in hogs.

Mike,
What are the regs concerning those hogs? Do you even need a license? Is there a season? Or is the state just happy to eliminate as many as possible?

Surprisingly, you do actually need a regular hunting license in TX (some states don't require any licensing).

Other than that, it's wide open, no season, no limit, no restrictions (even the usual caliber/firearms restrictions don't apply - bring your NFA weapons and have fun!).

24 hours a day, seven days a week, as many as you can kill..... yes they are considered a terrible pest here (and they truely are).

Sound like fun? It is!

Someday I'm going to have to go down there and do my part to help the state of Texas!

What I shoot I eat for the most part, of course not varmint, well muskrat/grey squrrel are very good;) I use the bones and parts deer etc... I am not eating for Coyote bait, works well, I always put back what I take out from the land, this is how I was taught bye my father, I put out food plots for the deer during the hard winters, I never waist anything, even meat scrapes I feed the coyotes/skunks/weaseals/racoons off season etc... as well, to plump them up for the hunt the next season;) just kidding, Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Well MIkE G. my point is this: One man's junk is another man's treasure putting it politely OK. I mean if I want to hunt and kill Grizz Bears and it's legal......Somebody else needs not get upset I shot a couple of bears and posted pictures of them.

I like Roos and think their kinda cute.......but saying so doesn't give me the right to tell somebody else, they shouldn't be shooting one of GODS cutest and greatest pest! Now even though their put into story books for kids, I hope you get my drift. I think bears are the greatest wonder in the woods, but I will drop a hammer on one in a New York Minute, if it gets within my space limit.