Alaska hunt...

[greyfox]

… allot of my military friends fortunate enough to get an assignment in the Last Frontier, I tried for decade = no luck & yes, I’m pouting !!

They all arrived w/ their lower 48 calibers in ‘06 & 300 WM mainly but most jumped to .338 WM as mentioned in numerous posts …

Happy Trails.

My experience was opposite, I was stationed in Fairbanks many years ago, People came up and bought 300 win mags, saw how expensive hunting is, even for a resident, and sold those rifles CHEAP. One of my friend made a bunch of money buying and selling rifles.
I used a 7mm, and I bought a 375 when I got there because the price was WAY too good to refuse.

People used 270, 308, '06, 300. A few had 338s but most of them did not really hunt.

 

[Sourdough]

@akrifleman now come on, there is only like about a hundred miles of bison on the road ;-)

Hilarious when you think in Yellowstone the touristas ogle over a few “Buffalo”.

yea @375 Ruger Fan you make it to the Canadian border and you realize you are not even half way. ;-)

 

[F. Vaccaro]

@akrifleman now come on, there is only like about a hundred miles of bison on the road ;-)

Hilarious when you think in Yellowstone the touristas ogle over a few “Buffalo”.

yea @375 Ruger Fan you make it to the Canadian border and you realize you are not even half way. ;-)

You have to experience tourists in Yellowstone to really appreciate the risks they take. Every year some pay the price!

 

[WAB]

You have to experience tourists in Yellowstone to really appreciate the risks they take. Every year some pay the price!

They’re pretty out there in AK as well. Almost killed one standing in the middle of the road on a blind turn in a 55 mph zone. All for a picture of a cow moose!

 

[double rifle newbie]

We are talking about behavior, not how tough they are to kill.

As a brown bear and black bear guide, I completely agree with @Sourdough that if a black bear decides to attack, it is going to try to kill you and eat you. Once they start, they usually don’t stop. It’s rare but if a black bear comes for you, hopefully you have a firearm because bear spray will be a joke.

Alternatively, most grizzly/brown brown bear attacks are a warning and they are trying to reduce a threat, not eat you. There are some rare exceptions, especially with inland grizzlies as they are known to always be hungry.

Of course, a brown bear or grizzly is extremely dangerous if wounded but that’s a different situation than general behavior.

I 100% agree With everything you are saying, my friend. when a black bear comes for you, he’s coming to eat you. griz attacks are usually defensive. Anyone reading this post, if a black bear comes for you fight with everything you have. If a griz comes for you, ball up and protect your head. my humble opinion, gentemen.

 

[double rifle newbie]

… allot of my military friends fortunate enough to get an assignment in the Last Frontier, I tried for decade = no luck & yes, I’m pouting !!

They all arrived w/ their lower 48 calibers in ‘06 & 300 WM mainly but most jumped to .338 WM as mentioned in numerous posts …

Happy Trails.

its hard to get JBER lol

 

[WAB]

I 100% agree With everything you are saying, my friend. when a black bear comes for you, he’s coming to eat you. griz attacks are usually defensive. Anyone reading this post, if a black bear comes for you fight with everything you have. If a griz comes for you, ball up and protect your head. my humble opinion, gentemen.

Agreed, although I am typically armed in bear country, which changes the calculus somewhat.

 

[double rifle newbie]

Folks outside don’t understand. I moved from Wyoming to Alaska in 2003. In Wyoming we would just jump in the truck and go deer hunting for a day. That is just not a thing in Alaska. Every serious hunt is an expedition. If you want a decent hunt you have to go by air, water or a serious pack in. Every hunt is an expedition that can become life and death if it goes pear shaped. I’ve been over quite a bit of Africa and I haven’t seen anything remotely close to the remote wilderness of Alaska.

this is precisely correct.

 

[Sourdough]

A good way to illustrate a difference between Alaska and the United States I witnessed today. Was driving from Kenai to Anchorage to put my truck on a barge to ship it to Seattle. As I was going through the Cooper's Landing area, where a widening of the highway is taking place, amidst the road construction workers was a guard armed with a rifle, a professional hunter, whose job is to protect the crews from bears in the area, and there are lots of bears. More bears in Alaska than there are people. I smiled and knew that other than armed guards for chain gangs in the south (is that even a thing any more?) I've never seen an armed professional hunter with a construction crew- anywhere in the US. Kinda like death in the long grass, except death in the alder, spruce and cotton woods. I thought how do you explain that to civilized folks, and I guess you can't, no more than the hunters of the Dark Continent could.

 

[akrifleman]

A good way to illustrate a difference between Alaska and the United States I witnessed today. Was driving from Kenai to Anchorage to put my truck on a barge to ship it to Seattle. As I was going through the Cooper's Landing area, where a widening of the highway is taking place, amidst the road construction workers was a guard armed with a rifle, a professional hunter, whose job is to protect the crews from bears in the area, and there are lots of bears. More bears in Alaska than there are people. I smiled and knew that other than armed guards for chain gangs in the south (is that even a thing any more?) I've never seen an armed professional hunter with a construction crew- anywhere in the US. Kinda like death in the long grass, except death in the alder, spruce and cotton woods. I thought how do you explain that to civilized folks, and I guess you can't, no more than the hunters of the Dark Continent could.

I always think of it when customer service tells me they only ship to the US, but your version works. Hell, I never think even think about those things. They are so normal. Only state left where a handshake still means something, even with real money.

 

[Sourdough]

@akrifleman well said, and so true

 

[WAB]

A good way to illustrate a difference between Alaska and the United States I witnessed today. Was driving from Kenai to Anchorage to put my truck on a barge to ship it to Seattle. As I was going through the Cooper's Landing area, where a widening of the highway is taking place, amidst the road construction workers was a guard armed with a rifle, a professional hunter, whose job is to protect the crews from bears in the area, and there are lots of bears. More bears in Alaska than there are people. I smiled and knew that other than armed guards for chain gangs in the south (is that even a thing any more?) I've never seen an armed professional hunter with a construction crew- anywhere in the US. Kinda like death in the long grass, except death in the alder, spruce and cotton woods. I thought how do you explain that to civilized folks, and I guess you can't, no more than the hunters of the Dark Continent could.

A number of years ago a tourist was grabbed by a bear on the lawn of the Kenai Princess right there in Cooper Landing. Got a good chewing if I recall correctly.

 

[Mountaineer]

I have been using a 338 win mag in a stainless configuration and a 41 mag titanium on my belt or my backpacks waist band. A pistol in a backpack will do you no good. I have found that lightweight weapons have much more of a chance to be on you if you need it.

 

[WAB]

I have been using a 338 win mag in a stainless configuration and a 41 mag titanium on my belt or my backpacks waist band. A pistol in a backpack will do you no good. I have found that lightweight weapons have much more of a chance to be on you if you need it.

Agreed, I carry a S&W Mountain gun in .44. A man gear Alaska holster makes sure it is always handy.

 

[mcaustin]

Agreed, I carry a S&W Mountain gun in .44. A man gear Alaska holster makes sure it is always handy.

This was my fishing/hiking/camp gun as well, with a chest holster, when I lived in AK. It was a great combo and behaves much nicer than the lightweight .44s when shooting heavy loads.

 

[ldmay375]

Hello people! My question is what rifle and caliber do those who hunt in Alaska use or prefer to use? It's a doubt I have... Thank you

There are different types of terrain in Alaska, like most places. Which definitely can vary shooting distances. Animals of various sizes also.

Personally, I am mostly a moose hunter. The areas that I hunt will limit maximum shot opportunities to 230 yards.

I prefer stainless steel and synthetic rifles. I usually carry a Ruger Mark II / Hawkeye or a New Haven M70. The past several / many years, I have used 375 or 416 Rugers with 20" barrels. Which are a couple of my favorites.

I have carried 325 WSM, 338 Winchester, 375 Ruger, 375 H&H, 416 Ruger, 416 Remington, and 458 Lott.
I will probably use these again. And maybe others.

In my opinion, the 338 Winchester with appropriate bullets is a great do-all cartridge.

 

[double rifle newbie]

338 is great in alaska. per the guys at sportsmans warehouse in anc, the two most popular calibers are 338 and 300wm. makes sense. both shoot flat and hit hard. caribou tend to flop over when hit and wont put up much struggle. moose will go down with either cartridge. i do recommend as flat shooting and hard hitting a caliber you can shoot comfortably and accurately for moose. they will make for water. skinning and quartering a 3/4 ton moose in the frigid alaska rivers isnt for the unannointed. brutal in fact. that being said, if u are in caribou and moose country you are in bear country. this is why lighter calibers arent recommended in alaska. is a 338 necessary to flop a caribou? nope. but mr griz might show up so i would NEVER ever venture out into the alaska bush 500 miles away from a proper hospital with anything less than a 300 or 338.

hunting caribou up in the brooks range, and many other places in alaska, can sometimes require a long shot. my 338 set is sighted in at 300 yds. my advice is to put a good scope on your rifle because interior hunts put a beating on a rifle. (bad weather, river crossings, etc). and your rifle WILL get scratched up so prep yourself lol. i also recommend a synthetic stock for any alaska hunt. ( wont change point of impact with weather changes/save scracthes on your pretty wood stock/absorbs recoil much better than wood stocks). my humble opinion, gentlemen.

 

[godwincp]

in Alaska I took a sheep, moose, caribou, black bear and interior grizzly with a 300 weatherby magnum and a 180 Barnes x bullet. For the costal and Kodak bears I used a 300 grain Barnes X in a 375 H&H out of a Wearherby dangerous game rifle. Both applications were perfect.

 

[double rifle newbie]

in Alaska I took a sheep, moose, caribou, black bear and interior grizzly with a 300 weatherby magnum and a 180 Barnes x bullet. For the costal and Kodak bears I used a 300 grain Barnes X in a 375 H&H out of a Wearherby dangerous game rifle. Both applications were perfect.

perfect

 

[R eight]

I’m starting to think that I must be the only silly barstard to have hunted Alaska with non magnum cartridges and old fashioned bullets.