After harvesting a male lion with my bow, there was only one thing left at the very top of my bucket list…. a big brown bear! Spotting and stalking a brown bear with my bow has been a lifelong dream of mine. My quest started a year ago in the snow covered mountains of Alaska. We hunted hard for 10 days in -20 degree weather and the majority of the bears were just not out of their dens yet. That is part of hunting. Every trip doesn’t end successful, but my quest had just began and I wasn’t going to give up that easy. This last week we headed back up to Alaska to try to once again fulfill my dream. We were hunting with Bill Stevenson and Alaska Outfitters on the Alaskan Peninsula. We met Bill and guide Rebecca this past year at the SCI show and knew immediately that it was a perfect fit. Our guide, Rebecca Francis is one of the leading women bowhunters in the world. I have followed her for awhile now, and she has harvested some incredible animals with her bow.
The adventure begins….
After arriving in Alaska, we flew into a small fishing village and spent the night before jumping on a Super Cub and flying into camp. We were fortunate enough to meet some great people there. We stayed with John and Tinker Jones, who own and operate a commercial fishing business in the town.
John and I before heading out.
We landed in the basin of a huge river valley and setup camp. The scenery was breathtaking. You can’t find this at any Holiday Inn.
Me with owner Bill Stevenson and our guides Rebecca Francis, Cole Kramer, and Stig Yngve.
Rebecca and I setting up camp!
That first evening, after getting the tents and everything setup, we headed up to a high spot to glass for bears.
We were overlooking a huge river valley surrounded by immaculate snow covered mountains. These bears were using the valley as a travel corridor, and we could see for miles.
We started seeing bears immediately on the first day! We set up a small cover shelter on our spotting knob to protect us from the conditions.
We spent a lot of time here, glassing and strategizing, waiting for the right opportunity to put a stalk on a big bear.
Enjoying a little Nature’s Kettle Coffee. Just add hot water and you can brew yourself a fresh cup of coffee! This is a great product for us and especially on mountain hunts like this.
We had a blast with these guys. We were all anxious to put the Outdoor Edge’s to work!
We spotted this huge bear down on the gravel bar and tried to get down ahead of him into position…
Taking a break while stalking in to refuel with some Sqwincher.
After a long stalk, we got close, but just not close enough to close the deal, so we headed back to camp to grab some food and some shuteye with high hopes for the following day.
Eating dinner and having some fun with our guides, Rebecca, Stig, and Cole!
When you are out in literally the middle of nowhere in a remote location, one of the toughest things is battling the elements. Every night we had to come back and hang out all of our clothes and gear in the tent to try to dry them for the next day. You never know what curve ball mother nature might throw at you, and the weather can change so fast, so you have to be prepared for everything.
We did get to have a little redneck shower one day. Rebecca and I washing our hair in the crystal clear river below camp!
Later that day, we were back after it! We spotted a beautiful bear way off working his way down the river bottoms towards us and decided to make a move.
With the wind in our favor, we headed down the mountain and got into position.
The beast finally appeared out of the brush, and was heading right for us!
At this point, my legs were starting to tremble. Watching this huge animal take every step closer made my heart beat faster. He came down across the river and up onto the gravel bar in front of us….
Standing face to face with a huge brown bear is like no other feeling in the world. I thought this was it… something that I have dreamed about all my life. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I was taken back by the sheer beauty and size of this amazing animal. My heart felt like it wanted to beat out of my chest. As the bear turned broadside at only 23 steps, I drew back my Mathews and tried to calm my nerves. As I released the arrow, I remember seeing the Lumenok disappear right behind the shoulder..
The bear took off into the brush and I watched him go down. I couldn’t stand. My whole body was shaking and my whole world was turned upside down. I had just done it…Spot and stalked and harvested a huge Alaskan Brown Bear with my bow! Emotions that I have never felt rushed through my body.
We all started to hug and celebrate! What an absolute rush. 23 steps!
As we approached him, I started to come to a realization of what I had just accomplished. As a knelt down beside the enormous animal, I was speechless.
My dream just came true. This was absolutely the hunt of a lifetime and a long time in the making.
I started hunting when I was a little girl and to have the opportunity to harvest a bear like this with my bow was everything that I could have ever imagined and more. If you work hard, and follow you’re true passion, dreams do come true!
Thank you so much to Bill, Rebecca, Cole, and Stig for a wonderful adventure, and making my wildest dreams come true!
Alaska Outfitters
Bill Stevenson
www.unit9bearhunts.com