Last Light of the Last Night

Luring in the Monster Alaskan Brown Bear

Hunter Becomes the Hunted

I’ve known and hunted with Lennis Janzen, owner/designer of CHO Specialized Hunting Equipment, for over 27 years. By the time Lennis came up with the idea of equipment designed specifically for the hunter, almost 20 years ago, we had already shared dozens of successful hunts. I’ve seen him take magnificent trophies, and go home empty handed when the type of animal he was after couldn’t be found. I can remember thinking Lennis was the luckiest hunter I’d ever met, “Always in the right place at the right time”, and that sort of thing, but eventually I came to realize his “luck” often went along about how he was going to “make something happen”. A few years back, Lennis teamed up with Heath Painter of Wild Eyes Productions and the result was one of the most entertaining hunting shows ever aired. Game and Gear Adventures on the Men’s Channel is all big game all the time, and it’s real, fair chase hunting, often in wilderness or other rugged areas where just getting there is part of the adventure.

Game and Gear was also an opportunity for me since Lennis asked if I was interested in working as a videographer for the show. I agreed right away, and hunting with a video camera has turned out to be as challenging and enjoyable as squeezing the trigger myself. One thing I didn’t count on, though, was the difference between hunting with Lennis and focusing on everything he does during a hunt.

I’ve witnessed an awful lot of good decisions, great marksmanship and tenacity while filming some amazing adventures; Dall sheep, Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Blacktail Deer and Wild Boar are some of the trophies I’ve watched Lennis take through a viewfinder. Occasionally, I’ve seen a mishap or an unsuccessful hunt, but I’ve never felt Lennis came home empty handed because he couldn’t get it done. I have to admit, though, even I was surprised by the ingenuity, determination and daring Lennis used to bag his latest, and I believe all-time favorite trophy.

Alaskan brown bears are the world’s largest predators. A mature boar can often top 1,000 pounds and the biggest ones weigh more than ¾ of a ton. Lennis has been hunting these beasts for six years, and it has become a quest for him to take one whose well-furred hide would square at least nine feet. We were going after them in the early spring while the snow was still deep and hibernation just ending. Hopefully the bears would be out of their dens, but it would be cold enough they hadn’t begun to rub the long lustrous winter fur from their hides. Lennis and I both felt sure this was a great opportunity since we were being guided by our good friend Neil Webster, owner of Bear Down Adventures. We had run into Neil at the RMEF Convention in Reno and he told us he had brown bear openings in less than two months. It seemed like short notice, but once he convinced me it would be a great time to take my first brown bear too, we couldn’t say no. The weeks between the convention and the hunt were a whirlwind that included multiple lists for packing and gear, shooting each other’s rifles and ended up by landing on skis on a snow covered runway. That alone should have been a thrilling highlight of the trip, but our pilot, Les of Alsek Air Service, was so thorough and competent it might have been an insult to get too excited.

Once our gear was unloaded, we checked out the cabin which was to be our home for the next ten days, and we weren’t disappointed. It wasn’t Neil’s main camp in the area, late snows kept that camp inaccessible, but it was warm and comfortable and in a great location for bear hunting. We had stayed in a similar cabin a couple of years before when I filmed Lennis take a beautiful Dall ram at nearly 500 yards while hunting with Neil so we knew we wouldn’t be “roughing it”.

Neil’s Bear Down Adventures offers first class hunts for brown bear, black bear, wolf, Dall sheep, Mtn. goat and moose. It’s been our experience that you can always count on several things when you hunt with Bear Down Adventures; areas rich with game, experienced and knowledgeable guides and good food and accommodations which all add up to a great Alaskan hunting experience.

Not long after we unpacked, Les’ plane returned with Neil, and the rest of our provisions. We couldn’t hunt until the next day, and Neil wouldn’t let us help set up camp or cook, so we got our gear in order, practiced on snowshoes and made sure our rifles were dead-on using an Accu-Site laser bore-site, something no hunter who travels should be without.

When Lennis and I both turned down seconds of the hearty breakfast Neil prepared the next morning he decided it was time to explain our hunting strategy. The bears in that area tend to become active in the late morning or early afternoon, and roam around near the rivers flood plain, and the plan was to let the bears come to us. This would go on until about an hour before dark (around 8:30 PM) then we would hike/snowshoe back to the cabin.

The first day of hunting was nothing short of thrilling. A dozen bears came within sight of our perches including a couple of eight footers and a glimpse of one bruiser that looked to be at least a nine foot bear. The most important lesson I learned that day was to glass as far into the willow and alders as possible because the really big bears seldom come out in the open.

Day two began slowly. No bears were wandering the flood plain as we crossed to get in position, and even our first couple of hours of glassing was uneventful. We were in a spot Neil called “the log jam” where two large trees had washed up together in an “L” shape during some long-ago flooding.

Finally Lennis spotted a nice bear across the river. After carefully inspecting it from every angle we could, it was obviously the best furred bear we had seen, but didn’t quite have the size Lennis was looking for. “Would you take him”? Lennis asked me. “You bet”. I replied. “Then remember to put your first shot a foot down from the top of his hump, and anchor him”. He advised. Neil put a slight damper on things by reminding us the bear was on the other side of the river, and pointing out he had never seen one cross in the deep water nearby, only in the shallows upstream. We fell back into the routine of glassing the brush lines until Neil brought us all suddenly to life, “The bears in the water.” He said and pointed. We had seen sea lions following the run of a small herring like fish Neil said were called hooligans, but this was definitely a bear swimming with his head up straight toward our shore, “I’ve never seen that before,” Neil said, “you better get your gun.”

The bear crawled out on the ice that covered our side of the river, shook itself heartily then began to sniff around. Every so often it would stop, raise part way up on its hind legs then smash his forepaws forcefully down on the ice. Neil explained there were hooligans frozen beneath the ice from an earlier run, and apparently the bear had figured out how to get to them if the ice was thin enough. It wasn’t having much success, but more importantly it was occupied.

To get into position for a good shot we would have to cross several hundred yards of open ground. There was no way or place to hide so the only way to get it done was to only move when the bear had its head down, stay in single file and stand motionless when we were in clear view. After the first couple of rounds of stop and go, the bear began to take notice of us but didn’t seem alarmed, but it looked our way each time it raised its head.

Eventually, we came to a place where there was only ice in front of us. Neil whispered over my shoulder that if we tried to go any further we would stand out too much and be seen for sure. We were still nearly 250 yards away but I nodded to Neil, put my Hunter Seat Pad on the ice, sat down, set up my Shooting Stix and began to wait for the clear, broadside shot I hoped would come. The shot was longer than I wanted but I had complete confidence in the rifle I was shooting, Lennis’ custom made .375 Ultra Mag by Bill Wiseman. I said “I’m gonna take him,” so the shot wouldn’t be a surprise, and then settled my crosshairs on the spot Lennis said would “anchor” the bear. With the roar of the rifle, the bear lurched forward and bit at his chest. I don’t know if I misjudged the cross-wind or pulled the trigger squeeze a little, but the bullet hit behind the front shoulders instead of breaking them down.

Even with a huge hole through both lungs, the bear began to run. Within a few strides it had located us, and was running fast. So much for “anchoring” him! I didn’t want to shoot the bear in the head, but that’s all that seemed to fill my scope. I squeezed the trigger again, and cursed as flying snow indicated a miss. Luckily, my first shot had done the job, and the bear reeled then fell over on the ice. Twice, I hurriedly asked Neil if I should shoot him again, but Neil’s casual reply was “Only if he tries to get up.” He didn’t.

Retrieving a brown bear is best done patiently under any circumstances, but when the animal is out on ice that’s breaking up and rotten in places, taking it slow is a must. We carefully made our way to where the bear had lain motionless for ten minutes or so, and that’s when I was really struck by the beauty of a spring bear. Fur so thick and lush it almost defies description, claws long as fingers and sharp as razors and a vitality that was obvious even though the body was still.

By the time we began taking photos, the wind had picked up and sleet was stinging our eyes and faces. It wasn’t hard to smile, but looking at the camera was literally painful. When the pictures were done skinning began and it was getting colder. Neil’s skill and knowledge made short work of the big job and in a couple of hours we were headed back to camp.

One thing about carrying the hide and skull of a brown bear is it sure warms you up. Neil selfishly tried to keep all this heat to himself, but part way to the cabin I fooled him into giving it up. For the rest of the hike I was downright toasty. In fact, the deeper the snow we trudged through the warmer I got. I think it must be one of those old Alaskan guide tricks they try to keep to themselves.

The next morning we headed out intending to hunt our way around Neil’s main camp. Neil thought it would take about four hours to get there, but we would be in prime bear country the whole way. When we reached the rivers flood plain, Lennis, as usual, was the first to start seriously glassing. “Wolf!” he said without lowering his Leica binoculars, “Big Grey one.” Set up the camera.

As I let out the legs of the tripod, Lennis took my rifle; a .300 Ultra Mag also built by Bill Wiseman, and then went for his Shooting Stix. Lennis carries both standing and kneeling models, and for a second he hesitated, he grabbed the shorter ones and moved into position while I focused on the big alpha male in the viewfinder.

I could tell Lennis was having a little trouble finding a shooting lane through the waist to chest high willows, but I stayed on the wolf. The shot rang out and I saw the wolf flinch and cower, but it ran off, unhurt. Before I could turn the camera on Lennis, Neil was yelling, “More wolves!” Out across the flood plain, the rest of the pack was high-tailin it after their leader. Several wolves were running about 500 yards away, but one was going to pass by at maybe one-quarter that distance.

Lennis tried to draw a bead on the closer one, but once again he had to find a gap in the willows to shoot through. This time the bullet clearly hit behind the wolf as it raced by at top speed. Wow! In a blink of an eye the wolves were gone. Things had happened real fast, but unless I was mistaken, Lennis still had both his wolf tags to fill. I started to make some sort of remark, but stopped short when I saw the tight lipped look of disappointment on Lennis’ face. “I blew it.” He said with disgust in his voice. “I knew I should have used the tall Shooting Stix. There was just no way I could get a bullet through those willows.” After a moment or two more of thoughtful silence, Lennis made his last comment on the matter. “I won’t make that mistake again” and I believe him.

Getting to Neil’s main camp turned out to be tougher than we expected and the damage done by the extraordinary spring snows was definitely not good. Two of Neil’s six structures had collapsed including the storeroom. Fortunately, the sleeping cabins and kitchen/dining room were intact. The other collapsed structure was the shower house, and the equipment from inside was easy enough to salvage.

By the time things were in some sort of order it was too late to hike back to the cabin before dark. Since it had been a long day already we suggested to Neil that we stay the night and head back in the morning. Neil said it would be fine, but reminded us we had salvaged only one sleeping bag. Lennis said there was an extra heater, and we had extra clothes so we’d be fine and Neil could have the bag.

After a hearty dinner whipped up out of one of Neil’s bear-proof storage containers, we settled in as best we could. The heater was barely keeping up with the falling temperatures so Lennis came up with an idea “Help me with this carpet” he said. “Help you do what with it?” I asked, but I wasn’t ready for Lennis’ reply when he said “cut it in half.”

When I realized what he had in mind I had to laugh, but it was a great idea. Cut the carpet in two pieces then roll up in them like burritos. Not exactly down sleeping bags, but we were glad to have it and slept pretty darn well

The next morning it was back to bear hunting, and I could tell Lennis had stepped up both his focus and determination. If anyone had asked him what his outlook was for the rest of the hunt it would have been summed up by one of his favorite phrases, “On a mission!”

Bear after bear he found even though we were all constantly glassing, his attitude was an amazing combination of patient and aggressive. Lennis knew exactly what he was after, and was doing whatever it took to make it happen.

The hours and days began to run together with the bear being the only constant and the only difference. Sometimes we could see several bears all at once and sometimes it would be several hours between seeing bears. As the time left to hunt grew shorter, Lennis upped the ante with more and more effort.

On the last day a sense of urgency finally began to show in Lennis, on all of us, actually. Out in the field way before daylight, no breaks, binos glued to our eyes, relentless. There were plenty of bears, too, just not the one that would make Lennis say yes.

Morning became afternoon, afternoon ran into evening and by the time you had to admit it was late evening everyone (except Lennis) had begun to have private doubts about whether or not it was going to happen. We had ended up back at the log jam, and the only thing moving bigger than a seagull was the sun dropping toward the horizon.

What happened next was the most amazing, unconventional and down-right brilliant hunting tactics I have ever seen or even heard of. One thing that seemed for certain about the bear is it was hunting also. Its perch on the embankment was a perfect place for an ambush if anything walked along the bank of the river, as we had seen several sows with cubs walk right underneath his location. Lennis figured it only made sense that if the bear saw its natural prey somewhere nearby, it might come running, or even swimming. I could try to describe how this came about but I doubt if I could do justice to the inspiration, thrill and satisfaction of what took place so here’s the rest of the story in Lennis’ own words, just as he told it while still a little shaky from to much adrenaline and wearing a trash bag.

Time to Gear Up and Bear Down! I glassed harder than any other day and no bears were out except for a seven foot female bear we called Blondie and a small bear that were both looking for fish in the remaining ice chunks along the river. We usually walked back to camp about 8:30 to 9:00 pm and about 8:00 pm I was glassing from the log jam, my favorite place to glass from, and I spotted a huge bear across the river, laying flat on top of the bluff and it was obvious he was hunting for something to kill. The guides studied the bear and said that it must be a female with cubs sleeping next to it. Its ears didn’t look right, but they were sure it was a big female. Out of the 54 bears we saw on this trip, this bear was giant, a lot bigger than any other bear we’d seen. I wondered if this bear was the one the 12” track on the beach belonged to. Finally the bear stood up and Mark, the guide, saw that this was no sow with cubs, this was King Kong. The bear stood up and started rubbing his back on a pine tree and it was amazing how tall he was and that’s when I came up with the wildest plan I ever concocted.

Most bears are opportunists, however, this bear was a predator so I told Neil that I had a plan to lure the beast across the river and if it works it will be totally unbelievable. I said “it may sound stupid but what do I have to lose, it was the last light of the last night”. Neil and Mark, the guides, said tell me your plan. I said “Well brown bears hate black bears, so to lure him across the 100-yard wide river I’m going to dress up as a black bear and you’ll just have to trust me it will work”. They both didn’t believe it would work Neil had only seen one bear cross the river here and it was Jeff’s bear, “What the heck” Neil said “Go for it, but how are you going to look like a black bear?” Knowing that poor bears have poor eyesight, I got out two black trash bags. I put on over my coat and punched holes for my arms and legs to go through and put on a long black head sock hat to look like a bears head to complete my costume I used a black umbrella to resemble a black bears big butt. I have to admit I looked pretty stupid in my outfit, but off I went. Stooped over, I headed below the bear without ever looking around for danger, always keeping my back to the bear making him think he could blindside me. The guide and cameraman watched and filmed the bear get more and more interested and finally he started stalking me. Watching the film afterwards, I was able to witness the incredible transformation of going from the hunter to the hunted. The big bear had a bead on me and didn’t look around at all, just at me mimicking what the other bears had been doing. I was jumping up and down on the ice like I was looking for a fish, but he wouldn’t come off the bluff and swim the river. I then I grabbed my predator call and that caught his attention. He wanted to commit, but the bluff was too steep. Once I started grabbing rocks and sand and throwing them up in the air and acted like I was killing something, at the same time I was calling the bear, he couldn’t resist the temptation. He quietly slid off the bluff, on his belly, back legs first, like a cat burglar climbing down a fence. He didn’t make a sound or roll a rock and while my back was to him he slid into the water like an alligator without me knowing he was in the water. I was about out of breathe when I finished my calling and ducked in a crevice to hide, I peeked over the ice to see where he was on shore and he was no where to be found. I thought he must have of smelled me, climbed back up the bank and disappeared in the timber. Then suddenly he appeared about 40 yards away swimming directly at me – OH @#%&*! My gun was 20 feet away and I hadn’t even put a bullet in the barrel because I didn’t know if my plan would work either. But it was and I wasn’t ready, so I crawled over to my rifle and loaded it as the bear was approaching the sandy beach below my mini iceberg I was hiding behind. The swift current of the river swept him downstream and he ended up coming out of the water about 35 yards away. It was a perfect place for him to come out in order to use the wind to his advantage so he could stalk me with the wind in his face. As he swam closer to shore I pulled up my scope to get ready. Then the most unnerving thing happened, my scope was fogged up badly and frozen from sitting on the ice all that time. Without thinking for a second I reached for my Spudz lens cleaning cloth that was connected to my binoculars. This handy product saved the day. I cleaned the back end of scope and still couldn’t see anything, then I cleaned the front end and the scope was still foggy, but I could make out objects. This all took place in a second or two, than the giant beast arose out of the river. Probably the most amazing sight I have ever seen, he looked like a UPS truck coming out of the water. Then he shook and water flew 20 ft from him, he was definitely a giant and way to close for comfort. I found him in my scope, located his giant hump above his shoulder, aimed down 12 inches and let him have it with my 375 ultra with a 300 grain bullet. I dropped him in his tracks and shot him again just to make sure. The giant beast was down and my wildest game plan I have ever made worked.

“Look at this bear! Can you believe it? Thank you, Lord! I knew it! I knew he would come after me!” This bear was a predator, he wasn’t wandering around looking for food like most of the others, and he was hunting for meat! “Just look at his head, one ear mostly gone, chunk out of his nose, scars on his muzzle, he’s even got a busted canine tooth, split vertically into his gums, which would make any bear have a bad attitude. He was definitely on top of the food chain.

I have to thank Jeff, my hunting partner for many years, for everything he helps out with, my dad for teaching me my outdoor skills, and to never quit anything. Bill Wiseman, rifle maker and friend, for building such awesome rifles. A special thanks to my guide, Neil Webster of Beardown Adventures for the best hunt I’ve ever had, but mostly to God for giving me a business in the hunting industry and a life in the great outdoors, truly there’s no other place I’d rather be!

Just remember anything is possible if you believe in yourself no matter how goofy it may sound!

I hope you enjoyed my story. Do you feel you have the best hunting partner? If so, please submit your story and photos at www.crookedhorn.com with attached pictures for our Hunting Partner Contest. On Thanksgiving Day we will announce the winner and you and your partner will each receive a MasterGuide II Backpack Total Package. It will be loaded to the top with all the gear you and your partner will need for your next adventure. Don’t forget to watch our TV Show Game and Gear Adventures on the Men’s Channel found on Direct and register weekly to win great prizes with a Grand Prize Colorado Elk Hunt with Elkhorn Outfitters

Be Safe & Shoot Straight

Lennis Janzen