Excellent report. Now you can tell your descendants that you not only successfully hunted in Russia, but also spent time in the Gulag, lol. I've heard about this case, but it's different every time.
I was finally able to find the original source and read the whole story from beginning to end.
What can I say? Yuri should have warned you that for a long time there was a law in Russia prohibiting the rental of weapons. It's been canceled now, but still need to prepare the paperwork for gun. If this is not done, there will be problems. Which is exactly what happened.
But even in this case, there was a way out. You should have said that Yuri shot the bears, and you were just exploring the picturesque surroundings. They wouldn't have believed you, but they couldn't have done anything. However, you confessed. And the police couldn't let you go anymore. They were just doing their job.
And there was no need to try to fly away when the police were waiting for you to talk. The police wouldn't like that in any country in the world.
It's very funny about Dostoevsky's book. You should have brought his novel "Notes from the Dead House" with you – about how he was in prison. It would be more interesting reading, I suppose.
The subtleties of hunting in Kamchatka are that you do not need to contact companies. They charge too much money. And not only from foreigners, but also from Russians. You just need to negotiate with a professional hunter who will offer such a hunt quite cheaply.
There are satisfied customers from Germany, France, and Spain who fly to specific hunters and pay reasonable money for bears. They just never write about it on the forums. It's a secret. At the same time, hunting is quite legal, bears are shot under license.
As for the caliber .30-06, then it is good for small and medium-sized bears. But it is not suitable for Kamchatka. You're a good shot, but you still need a bigger caliber. Personally, I shoot the Kamchatka bear with a caliber .375 H&H. I also have a .470 NE for shooting at close range.
This is not an advertisement. I am a hunter and use the services of professional hunters in Kamchatka. If everything is done correctly, then there will be no problems. I hope you are not very angry with Russia.