Black Bear
The smallest of North America's bears (an average male weighs approximately 180 to 200 pounds in the spring), the black bear (Ursus americanus) occurs over most of the forested areas of the Alaska, though they are not found on the Seward Peninsula, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta or north of Read More...
Brown Bear
While formerly listed separately by taxonomists, Alaska's brown and grizzly bears are actually classified as a single species, Ursus arctos. That includes the famously oversized bruins of Kodiak Island, though these browns are now classified as a subspecies distinct from mainland bears, due to their genetic and physical isolation, as Read More...
Choosing the Right Upland Bird Dog for you
Choosing the Right Upland Bird Dog For You by Jim McCann I started out hunting ruffed grouse a very long time ago when I was just a kid, and I did it like most other hunters, without the aid of a bird dog. At the time I thought hunting grouse without Read More...
Hunting the Competition: Predators in Alaska
Hunting the Competition: Predators in Alaska by Steve Meyer The vapor trail from the 55-grain Nosler Varmint Ballistic Tip bullet was clearly visible in the dazzling light of a cold and clear February afternoon. The scope, turned down to 16X, and the mild kick of the .220 Swift made riding Read More...
Shotguns, Bows & Fool Hens
Shotguns, Bows & Fool Hens by E. Donnall Thomas Jr. Although the termination dust had yet to fall, it was the kind of September day that demands the acknowledgement of the seasons’ passage. Although fresh silvers were still entering the streams, the heart of the fishing season lay behind me. Read More...
Getting the Edge: How to Sharpen Your Knife
Getting the Edge: How to Sharpen your Knives by Tom Claycomb In hunting camps all across Alaska, an old-timer is relegated the task of honing everyone’s knife by the light of an old Coleman lantern. All outdoorsmen use a knife, and yet, how to obtain a good edge is a mystery Read More...
Cold Weather Goats
Cold Weather Goats by Tony Russ TWENTY yards below me lay a nice billy. He had no inkling a bowhunter was above him with an arrow on the string. Not only was I poised above him, we were both on a relatively gradual, grassy slope. I had worked long and Read More...
Bowhunting the Bearded One
Bowhunting the Bearded One by Lon E. Lauber The deafening drone of the small aircraft made verbal communication difficult. I tapped the pilot on the shoulder and then pointed toward the two dark specks contrasting against the barren, winter wasteland below. The pilot maneuvered the plane’s yoke. Instantly the Cessna Read More...
A Split Second, to Make Right
A Split Second, to Make Right A Story of a Solo Brown Bear Bow Hunt on Admiralty Island by Tim McGee The Cessna descended toward the blue salt as my eyes searched the shoreline below, looking for a bear that was out there somewhere. The floats skipped across the water Read More...
One Day Dall for Dad
One Day Dall for Dad by Scott Haugen Dad's dream of hunting Dall sheep was finally under way, but we faced a major obstacle—we had only one day to hunt. Following a restless night, we were enthusiastic to start the hunt. Alaska’s Dall sheep season was open and within minutes Read More...