Few places on Earth can rival the raw, untamed wilderness of Alaska. It’s an amazing place and it holds some of the biggest brown bears on earth. As a consultant for WTA, I recently had the chance to embark on a last-minute hunt that turned out to be an unforgettable experience. Here’s how it all went down.
Just a few weeks ago, an opportunity for a brown bear hunt in Alaska came up unexpectedly. My boss, Jason, asked if I wanted to go. After a quick discussion with my (very) understanding wife, I found myself with plane tickets to Anchorage. I was set to head to Alaska and it wasn’t even 10 a.m.!
I packed quickly and headed to the airport, arriving in Anchorage late that night. We found a hotel after landing and caught a flight the next morning to Cold Bay. Cold Bay is part of the Aleutian Islands and during World War II they held 40,000 people. It now holds 65 residents, some military, and the rest is part of the hunting and fishing industry. From there, a short super cub flight took me to our spike camp where I met my guide.
My guide, a top-notch professional with a decade of experience in Alaska, immediately impressed me with his deep knowledge of the area and its wildlife. He started his career as a packer at 19 and now runs his own operation. Our outfitter, with 43 years of experience on the Peninsula, operates one of the premier setups for hunting big brown bears, making this trip even more promising.
The first morning of the hunt was filled with excitement—I still couldn’t believe I was in this place. We spent the morning “beachcombing” for bears. We found some Japanese glass fishing floats, but didn’t see any bears. Later, we hiked up to a glassing hill and spotted five bears, including a 9-footer on our way back to camp. I was debating going after it, but my guide assured me that we’d find better bears, so I passed.
The next day was sunnier, which usually means bears are more active. We returned to the glassing hill and, by late afternoon, we saw a boar chasing a sow over a mile out. As we watched, a third bear, a sow, appeared suddenly out of the wet coastal overgrowth. She was chased off by the other sow pretty quickly. It was a dramatic scene. As the bears ran around, they turned and started making their way towards us. The boar looked huge as it bounded across the landscape. My guide gave me the green light and we moved to intercept them. We got into position by a creek and waited as the boar and sow came within 150 yards. As soon as I had an opening, I took a shot. It was over in seconds.
Walking up to that massive bear was surreal. Seeing the sheer size and power of such an animal up close was both humbling and exhilarating. The boar was right around 9’6″ square, a great size with excellent fur, fitting perfectly with my hopes for a bear over 9′. My guide caped it out while I handled the skull, and we made our way back to camp, crossing a waist-deep river along the way.
The weather turned the next day and left us stuck in our tents for two days. Eventually, we packed up and waited for our ride back to Cold Bay. After a few weather delays, we made it back to town, showered, ate, and I managed to change my flights to head home. The next morning, I was back in Denver, mowing my lawn by 9:30 a.m.!
This experience was not just a hunt; it was a profound interaction with the Alaskan wild. The expertise of our guide and the top-tier organization of our outfitter made this adventure possible. For anyone dreaming of such an encounter, remember that opportunities like this come with the territory at WTA. We don’t just offer hunts. We offer unforgettable experiences, carefully crafted to meet the dreams of our clients, whether that is a brown bear in Alaska or other big game across the globe.
If you ever get the chance to embark on a journey like this with WTA, don’t hesitate. It’s more than a hunt—it’s a moment in life that you will never forget. Join us and let WTA set you up with your adventure of a lifetime.
