It has been some time since I have written about one of my hunting trips and its long overdue. This story started about ten years ago when I met a young and extremely ambitious Social media developer from Alaska and we hit it off immediately! He and I have been on a number of hunts together and even though he wanted to sit with me in stand many times to film, I forbade it. I wasn't about to have him mess up any chance I might have taking an animal. Austin has filmed and guided hunts for many years but never has had his "own" license. I had made many suggestions that he follow through with such since he enjoyed it so much and his budding family could certainly use the extra money! A couple years ago he decided to go after his license to find out that he had already met over half the criteria. During this time, Austin had been telling me that when he obtained his license, I was to come up for a FREE brown bear hunt! Skip forward to the beginning of this year.. The time had come. Austin was finally a licensed outfitter and he was pushing me to come on the bear hunt this year. I was reluctant as I am overwhelmed with work and underwhelmed with help. I was hoping to put this off until next year. Undenounced to me, my wife and Austin had different plans.

When I found out that I was to be going to Alaska, I asked Austin if he had room for other hunters.. at the time, it was suggested that that it just be me. Brown bear hunts require a guide to sit with the hunter and it was currently only him. Fast forward to last week... Hey Jim, I have room and guides for no more than 3 more hunters... and the bears?... they are everywhere! It took all of 48 hours to confirm flights for three friends who are benefitting from a short notice discounted brown/black bear combo hunt. This has exponentially increased the excitement for me as we can now harass each other for years to come over this experience! :biglaugh:

We leave on the 26th of this month and it couldn't come any sooner.. but I know on the day before I leave, I will wish for 2 more days to get work done. :deadhorse:

Austin (Mission Alaska Outfitters) has been sending us some pictures of bears. They are impressive! and have my name on them..I don't know about the whimps that are going with me, but I for one will be fearless! :saywhat:

In Austins area, he can legally bait browns and there is a two brown bear limit per person. He also has many black bears in the area. Combine all of this with some halibut and salmon fishing and it is going to be an experience for the ages!

Austin Manlick and I have been working together and he has helped me to build the company I have today.. its time for me to repay the favor for a well deserving friend!

More to come! BigJim

Can't wait to follow this.

Ditto, Phil!

AWESOME!!! Looking forward to following!

Very interesting !! Good luck Big Jim, I'll be watching for the more to come part !!

Go get em Jim!! Good luck!!

Wow sounds like a once in a lifetime hunt, good luck and I hope you score! Tell me Jim, are you taking the first brown that. Comes by or you going to wait for the big boy? What bow setup will you be using?

Good luck Jim!

Have a blast and please keep us updated!

This will be good!

Be prepared to tell stories at ETAR, can't wait.

Big Jim, thanks for posting this.

We talked about it at Compton.

Wish you the best!

Best of luck and safe travels Jim!

I’m sure Jim will stick to a very sensible #43 and keep his shots inside of 12 yards…..

(Oh, lighten up!)

Looking forward to this one. Kinda hard for me to get my head around 2 brown bears on a single hunt… they must be doing something right on the management side of things up there…..

This will be a good thread. I remember Pats Bear hunt on The Leatherwall years ago.

Good Luck...will be following your adventure!!

Austin wants me to anchor the first brown, but it had better be decent sized or I will wait. Browns are decimating the moose calves in the area hence the liberal limit.

I will be shooting either a 54lb monarch or a 53lb desert bighorn. Both measured at my 32" draw. Dark timber 400s full length tipped with 300 grain big jim/vpa heads and flo pink BigJim buffalo feathers. BigJim

Gonna miss ski sawmill

Those bears are in so much trouble :o)

Good luck Jim! Hope I get a chance to bump into you while you are here

Good luck and shoot straight

You mentioned to me about this trip while at Cloverdale. Good for you. I wish you much success. Will be looking forward to hearing the rest of the story. Greg

Have a blast and even have a lot of fun. You work hard and taking some time off like this will regenerate you and refresh your heart and mind. Adrenalin rush supreme for hunting and fishing, a dream time for most of us. Good luck Sir, can't wait to read your stories and see your pics.

Good luck! Keep us updated.

Have fun and good luck hunting

Good luck, Big Guy, Fearless or not Take Care, Big Jim

Good luck big guy. Have a great hunt and please don't get mistaken for one of the bears!

I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Big Jim's arrow that man can shoot. Good luck and have the time of your life you deserve it.

Sounds epic! Safe travels and shoot straight big guy. Can't wait for the story.

Sounds awesome can't wait to see pictures & more.

Wow. That’s awesome. Good luck. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the story

Goid for you and your hunting friends! You deserve this.

“I will be shooting either a 54lb monarch or a 53lb desert bighorn.”

I shudder to think what kind of poundage I would have to go to in order to replicate the velocity that you must be generating at 32”… sounds like even the biggest of bears is in deep guano….

Probably a hijack, but what’s the cut-to-center on those bows? 400 at full length + 300 seems like it would net out far too weak….

That is awesome. Enjoy it while you can. Work will always be there.

Good Luck! Hunting creates great connections. Enjoy.

There is no better way to test equipment.

Tedd

Corax_latrans The bows are cut 1/8" past center.. yes, I thought it might be a bit weak too, but proof is in the pudding.

The general consensus and recommendations on arrow spine are generally far too stiff. There are so many ways for an arrow to give you a false reading that it's possible for a decent look arrow and even a bare shaft to trick the shooter.

I maintain that when a fletched arrow with both field points and broadheads fly to where you are looking then why question it.

Even though these arrows are much heavier than I like them.. 12gpp +- they shoot fantastic with 300 grain points!

Was shooting my Big Jim 300 grain 1 1/2" cut three blades at 35 yards yesterday.. I can't shoot any better than they fly! Oh, I also get a perfect bare shaft. BigJim

Nice.

Good luck on your hunts sir.

How true Big Jim. Most arrows on here are over spined this the heavy point weight.And you are correct. If FP and broadhead fly where you are looking then you are good to go.

This sounds like it is going to be a very tasty story to follow. I literally just back from a two weeks road trip in Alaska with my wife. My first visit there and it was truly amazing and wonderful to see. I did a little fishing in the Kenai and some lakes but no hunting...yet. I have been thinking that my travel to hunt days just might just be over. Since experiencing Alaska, I am rethinking that.

Jim: what part of the country are you hunting?

This sounds like it is going to be a very tasty story to follow. I literally just back from a two weeks road trip in Alaska with my wife. My first visit there and it was truly amazing and wonderful to see. I did a little fishing in the Kenai and some lakes but no hunting...yet. I have been thinking that my travel to hunt days just might just be over. Since experiencing Alaska, I am rethinking that.

Jim: what part of the country are you hunting?

Looking forward to this hunt Big Jim. I may never go so I will live vicariously through you on the hunt.

Good luck and I hope you have an amazing adventure.

We will be hunting in the Talkeetna area.

I often hear "man, I sure wish that I could do some of the hunts you get to go on!" My response is. That will never happen on a wish!

Most of my hunts are invites or trades and I take some pride in being able to do such, however it hasn't always been this way. I have been on many where a couple of friends and I said.. screw it, lets go and even though I have never had "Money", I never had to skip a meal because of it. In ten or fifteen years, I'm likely to have to console myself to only ground deer or pig hunting due to the abuse I subjected my body to.. and hopefully a morning afield with my dogs and a shotgun. However, I am building a life time of memories. If you are too scared to build on your own, you're welcome to follow along. :) BigJim

Good luck, shoot straight.

Hugh

Waiting for the story and pics.

Good luck Big Jim!!

Well said Big Jim. Most guys could go if they wanted too. Lots waste money on other things. You have to want to go. I remember one time I collected pop cans to pay for airfare to Africa. Of course I took a ribbing for that. I have buddies that have 30 or more bows. And as many guns. If they didn’t buy all of those they could go on trips. And if you aren’t hunting why do you need all of those weapons? And here is another deterrent. The wife. Some guys have wives that would kill them if they went. Anyway, once you get older you may not be healthy enough to go. Life is short

Well, I am on my way.. sitting here at the Atlanta Airport awaiting my flight, I can't help wondering... It will be an epic trip for sure but I'm unsure if I will be able to shoot my bow. Last night as I raised my left arm, I felt something in my chest snap! This is a first.. of all my self inflicted injuries, I've never experienced this. It feels as though I tore something in my pec muscle. I was only able to shoot 3 arrows this morning and even though they all hurt like hell, they were kill shots. So I will take it easy and hope this is short lived! BigJim

Hoping for the best for you.

Hoping that you are able to take and make your shots, and yes, we make our memories happen because we want them to happen enough to do them. Better to get them made while you can and are able, those "Golden Years" aren't always so golden, in fact, about the only thing golden for me is getting up at night to go to the bathroom. You have a lot of people waiting to hear some of your memories and to see pics. Eat well, visit well with friends and make new friends as you embark on this wonderful journey of a hunt/fishing trip.

sorry to hear that wishing you the best and a-OK by the time you get there

I hope you heal up. Safe travels and good luck Jim!!!

Thanks for taking us along.

Heck yeah!!!!

Yikes! Here’s to your healing!

That sucks. Good luck. You only only need to shoot one arrow. you can do that.

As it happens, my outfitter/social media guy's mother is a Dr. In the area. If that doesn't work, I will go to the veterinarian! :biglaugh: BigJim

Heat and rest and ibuprofen will get the job done. When that big boar cones in I bet you won’t feel a thing. Good luck and hope you get your bear. When does the hunt begin?

Save yourself for the kill shot, good luck.

Prayers for your healing and for a great hunt ?

You can do this my friend

Best of luck boss!!! I’ll see ya in GA soon to prep for ETAR. Aim small hit small!!!

It's hard to keep a good man down, go for it Sir.

Good luck Jim, trip of a lifetime.

I have faith in you Jim, you"ll do all right if you get the chance for a shot. Kurt

Well.. I'm in Texas cooking playing dad-uber... so this is just wonderful! Pick a spot Jim!!! Thanks for letting us be a part of the experience.

Al

I'm right there with you Allan!!!

We have been completely confused. Is it day? Is it night? What day is it? :) We have only been in camp a few days. The first day we spent fishing. 26 hours of road and fishing time kept us out of the stand.. Rick opted out of the fishing trip and was rewarded with an awesome black bear!

Rick and his bear

Beautiful bear, bet he was thrilled with his decision.

Very nice. Will be watching for updates.

Awesome

Very nice!!

Nice Bear, congrats to him, now it's your turn. Pappy

is now friday.. the hunt report is as follows: Rick took his beautiful black bear on his first sit and grazed a brown on his second sit.. he and his wife drove 5 days to get here so they decided to leave after that. Jamie spooked a monster brown at 25 yards, had to pass on another with cubs and missed a black bear. Drew unfortunately didn't get to see an entire bear.. but bits and pieces. Drew and his wife and Jamie fly out tonight. I enjoyed watching a small black bear for 20 minutes. He reminded me of my dog.. sweet and cuddly with a vicious bite! Wind has been heavy and bad for most nights. I have two more days left.. fingers crossed. BigJim

Baby black.

The crew

Like the updates

The real honest real life hunting

Thanks

good luck

Good luck buddy

The bottom of the 8th and Big Jim is upto bat, good luck !!!

P.S how’s the shoulder doing?

Enjoying the story Big Jim!

Good luck Big Jim!

You need to find a wide body like this one. It spent the summer eating salmon on the Russian River and looks the part.

Dang, Craig — that’s a BEAST!!

WOW now that's a bear !! OK Jim it is time for the rest of the story :) Pappy

As it often happens for bow hunters, I am home with wonderful experiences but no bears.

I sat Friday night on a bait that was across a river allowing for an 18 yard shot.. it was a tough night as it was raining lightly and the wind was less than ideal meaning a bit strong. Austin .. my outfitter sat in a tree a few yards behind me but with a much better view of the area and a better ability to cover me with the rifle. He witnessed a bear chasing a moose cow only to give up when the moose jumped in the river. As the bear retreated past the bait, it stopped and let out a growl.. bear could have easily been shot with a rifle, but was out of site from my location.

Unfortunately the last night/morning to hunt came with continuous rain and strong winds. We decided to sleep in. I wasn't excited about loosing a bear because of a washed out blood trail.

All in all, it was a fantastic hunt with lots of camaraderie to include heavy harassment :). A bear was taken, two opportunities were missed and a couple passes. The entire group has promised to do it again next year! Thanks for joining me on this adventure, BigJim

Next up is Florida aligator in August!

Yep those bears didn’t want to tangle with Big Jim, but a great outing even with the rain, and next year to look forward to, God willing. Take Care Big Jim. Thanks

Thanks for taking us along Jim, sounds like you had a great time. Get em' next year!

Keep us posted on that August gator hunt please.

That’s why we call it hunting. Great experience and thanks for letting us tag along.

That is bowhunting for sure. Keep at it. It will happen

That’s why it’s called hunting good for you

Okay, I'll expose my stupidity but as many times as I've watched the "King of the Swamp" Troy Landry I'll admit I don't know! Are gators bow hunted at night or in the daytime?

did you see any browns in gun range?

Sounds like you had a great hunt Jim.

Glad you still had a great time and are home safe and sound. Ground work was laid for next year, always a good thing

Glad you made it back safe Jim, sounds like a great hunt and some good fishing also.I always love to bring home meat but it's not all about the kill that's for sure. Pappy

4nolz@work, I didn't see any browns at any distance. However, they are extremely sensitive to human scent even with the baiting going on. The Black bears are much more concerned with the brown bears than they are about scent. The stands were set at about 16 yards to bait with maximum shots of about 20 yards. 8 plus hours in the stand allow for a lot of scent dispersal!

Yes Pappy, the fishing was good and I brought home 50 lbs of salmon and halibut. BigJim

Having a bear close and growling is worth the experience. Sorry you didn’t get a bear but if your going next year I’m sure you’ll be rewarded. Did your shoulder heel up for a shot?

LBshooter, we are still re hashing the hunt and making big plans for next year! My chest or pec muscle still hasn't healed however with over the counter meds, it was tolerable. BigJim

Glad you had a good time get healthy for next year!Thanks so much for sharing

Nice to see a thread about hunting. You'll get one next time Big Jim, thanks for the take along.

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