Since this thread has focused on the cost of an Alaskan grizzly/brown bear hunt, I thought I would share my 2004 Alaskan grizzly hunt story.
Back in 2003, I was reading a handgun hunting forum and read about a semiretired Alaskan guide, George Faerber from Trapper Creek, AK who was offering 8 day grizzly hunts for $2500. Yes, you read that right, $2500! Even back then it was a helluva deal! I think back in 2003 an interior grizzly hunt was in the $6500-7000 range minimum and of course a coastal brown bear hunt or Kodiak brown bear hunt started at 15K.
The only kicker was George had no email or computer, no cell phone, just a home telephone number and no voicemail. I was unsuccessful in reaching George, the phone just rang and rang. So for 30 days straight, I would call George, and I believe after the 30th consecutive day, he answered! “Hello this is George.”
I almost dropped the phone I was so surprised he answered! So I introduced myself and inquired about the grizzly hunt. George said he’d been busy hunting, was semiretired just doing baited black bear hunts and that I was his very first caller regarding the grizzly bear hunt. He said that we would be hunting GMU13 E and that grizzly predation was a real problem on moose and caribou calves and a hunter could now kill one grizzly a year there year round. He asked when we (my brother was going too) wanted to go and I chose the first week of August 2004.
The largest caliber rifle I owned at that time was a well used Winchester M70 Fwt All Terrain stainless 300 win mag. I had traded off my 416 Rem Mag that I’d previously taken to Africa. I was concerned it was on the small side but George said, “ oh, that’ll be fine, just use a good 180-200 grain bullet like a Nosler partition, Swift A Frame or TBBC and you’ll be good to go.” So I picked George’s brain a little, he had guided Ted Nugent back in the 70’s and had been hunting and guiding for many years.
I believe he had told me he had personally only killed 5-6 brown bear/grizzly bear as his job was to guide other hunters to kill them, not kill them himself unless wounded by one of his hunters. George said that the area we would be hunting is just outside of Denali National Park, approximately 200 miles north of Anchorage, along the Chulitna River. Boone & Crockett would consider these grizzlies to be brown bear and SCI considers them grizzly bear for record book purposes. All the same species.
George said a very large grizzly boar in this region could square 9ft and weigh up to 1000 lbs. They feed on both salmon and berries. Of course carrion, and the moose and caribou calves too. So smaller than the coastal brown bear but larger than the true interior grizzlies. I believe George was booking about 8-9 hunters for this grizzly hunt for 2004. So I obtained some factory Federal 200 grain TBBC for my 300 win mag and was quite happy to get 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards. I ordered some Helly Hanson rain gear and went and got some wading boots, and I was all set!
Finally, August 2004 arrived and we were picked up by George in his beat up old blue Chevy suburban at Anchorage International Airport. George was a medium sized guy, full beard of course, broad shoulders and I believe 60 years old at the time. Still very fit and tough as nails. He did offer a comment that Anchorage wasn’t the “real Alaska, more like LA.”
After picking up supplies, we made the several hour drive to his campsite in the bush. The nearest town being Cantwell. George employed a couple of assistant guides to help with the guiding. Robert, who was previously a full time guide but just part timing now and another gentleman that I forget his name now, both very nice gents.
The hunting plan was to hunt along the Chulitna River, I believe the king salmon run was just finishing up. I hunted with George the first few days and my brother hunted with one of the assistant guides. I recall walking along a very narrow trail, almost like a tunnel of willows and noticed tufts of grizzly fur all along the sides of the trail, on our way to 4th of July Creek. George causally mentioned a fisherman was horribly mauled by a grizzly on this same trail the year before!
I asked George if I should chamber a round in my rifle? George just simply replied, “no, they usually know where we at” while walking the trail. I was thankful I was wearing my Ruger 45 Colt Blackhawk loaded with 300 grain Buffalo Bore ammo since I could get that into action quicker. Funny thing, later on during the hunt, that handgun became a pain in the ass crawling through brush, climbing the surrounding foothills and wading along the river, that I later shoved it in my backpack then later left it back at camp!
I figured I had my rifle anyways. George told me a hunter he had guided before us had killed a 9 ft 1000 lb (estimated weight, no scale in the field!) boar grizzly with a 300 Weatherby in the same spot we we are watching. We didn’t see a bear that day.
At camp, for hygiene purposes, we each had our designated latrine hole about 80 yards from camp and our tent. I would even walk out there at night to pee (didn’t think of a piss bottle back then). I would take my handgun on those trips. After waking up the morning of the third day of the hunt, we discovered giant grizzly tracks all over the campsite upon exiting our tent, including just outside our tent flap!
This grizzly didn’t disturb anything and all the food was in bear proof containers away from the tent. George said that “ he was a well mannered bear.” Anyways, that ended my late night excursions to go use my latrine hole!
So we hunted 5 straight days along the Chulitna River without success. It seemed the grizzlies had finished up with the salmon run and transitioned back up into the hills to feed on berries. I forgot to mention, while we were prepared and expecting lots of rain, it didn’t rain once during our 8 day hunt, it was a damn drought that year! So on day 6 I was hunting with assistant guide Robert, who used to have his own guiding operation but now just guided part time.
Robert was funny, witty, but also a very serious hunter and a little more high strung than mild mannered George. With Robert, I saw my first grizzly! It was a huge golden colored grizzly, visible to the naked eye from almost a mile away, the sun reflecting off it’s golden coat. Viewing through my binoculars, I could see the fat rolling when he walked! I asked Robert, “Can we go after him?” Robert said no, that bear was moving with purpose, let’s watch him awhile and see where he’s going before we try a plan to intercept him.
Well, that Grizzly didn’t come out where we expected him to, he must have diverted to another direction. I was a little dejected but that’s hunting. Then Robert glassed another grizzly and this time closer! Robert said, “this one’s even bigger, about a 1000 yards away, let’s go after him!” So we made a beeline for that grizzly, which was much darker than the previous bear.
Robert was constantly testing the wind, we were good, wind blowing towards us, just needed to close the distance while the grizzly fed on berries. While working our way to the grizzly, we could hear the drone of an ATV in the distance. Robert said, “that’s probably a subsistence hunter and if they get any closer they’re gonna scare that bear away!” So we hurried towards the bear as fast and quietly as possible!
The droning of the ATV was getting nearer and nearer. We were now about 200 yards away from the grizzly, still feeding on berries, unaware. Robert asked if I could make the shot from here and I said yes. He found a large mound of tundra, that made a perfect prone rest. Robert looked at me and said, “You’re only gonna get this once chance, don’t f@#k it up! Gee, nothing like a little more pressure as the droning of the ATV got closer!
I went into the prone position on my prehistoric rest, it was as solid as a bench-rest, perfect! I usually have a 2 second rule, I always try to aim and shoot a game animal in 2 seconds or less and this was no exception. I aimed right behind the shoulder and boom, down he went! The bear quickly got up and boom, down again! The bear still struggling to get up and a 3rd shot into the chest and that was it. Me and Robert high-fived and made our way to the grizzly.
It later squared 8 ft and estimated weight was 800 lbs. I noticed one of its paws was lodged in its mouth? It took some effort to pry it out it had bitten down so hard. I later asked George why? Well, he said, sometimes they do that when they’re in pain. I felt both elated and a little sad at the same time. To keep a balance, the populations must be kept in check. Later, Foster’s Taxidermy in Wasilla made a nice rug out of it where it presently hangs on the wall of my den, but I don’t think I’ll kill another grizzly, one is enough for me.
I believe George Faerber only did these special grizzly hunts the one year. I think he was going to up the price to $3500 but I think he ended up having shoulder surgery and stopped doing the grizzly hunts. Anyways, George and my brother had a pretty exiting encounter with an obnoxious grizzly at night but that story is for another time.
Not many hunters are able to go on a nice 8 day Alaskan grizzly hunt for $2500! I’m very thankful for the experience. If I were an Alaskan resident today, I could do this hunt for a very reasonable cost, (fuel and a weeks worth of food) and hiking a bit, however the wife wouldn’t entertain moving to Alaska!
I still recall conversations with old George, guiding was a way of life for him back then, he was never going to get rich, it was simply a lifestyle he enjoyed. I believe he still has his Alaskan guides license, he must be around 80 now.
Brendon J.
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