I have been dreaming of taking a brown bear with a handgun for a number of years now. After one disappointing attempt a couple of years prior, I was fortunate enough to return to Alaska for a second chance at harvesting a big brownie with a handgun in 2011. I booked the hunt with Grizzly Skins of Alaska, owned and operated by well-known outdoor writer Phil Shoemaker, in January, 2010. Their hunting area is located on the Alaskan Peninsula which has a history of producing large bears. Time passed very slowly after booking the hunt, but the time for my departure from North Georgia finally came on September 28, 2011. I had planned on arriving a few days early in order to ensure that I would be sitting on the spotting hill at daybreak when bear season opened on October 1st.

I was reminded that just getting to Alaska can be an adventure in itself. I, along with my carry-on backpack and the duffel bag that I had checked, arrived in King Salmon, Alaska only an hour or so behind schedule. Unfortunately, the Pelican case containing my optics, shooting sticks, guns, and ammunition did not. After checking with airport baggage personnel, it was determined that my gun case had been diverted in Chicago and that it “should” arrive in King Salmon when the first flight arrived from Anchorage the following morning; I had my doubts. I decided to go ahead and fly into base camp for the night and call the King Salmon airport via satellite phone the following morning to ensure that the gun case had arrived before making an unnecessary return trip.

I was greeted on the landing strip by Phil and the remaining members of his family, along with the host of guides and packers that would help conduct the hunts from the various spike camps that were already setup prior to their guest hunter’s arrival. After a delicious home cooked meal at base camp, I retired to the bunkhouse for the night. Even though I was exhausted from traveling, I slept little that night due to the combination of anticipation, excitement, and worrying that my handguns might not arrive on time.

After breakfast the next morning, I phoned the airport in King Salmon and was informed that my gun case had indeed arrived. I couldn’t believe it! Phil and his son spent the morning flying guides, hunters, and packers into their spike camps via their Super Cub aircraft. That afternoon, I was flown back to King Salmon in order to pick up my gun case. After returning to base camp with my guns, I went out to the range to check the zero on both of the handguns that I had brought along for the hunt. I wanted to take a bear with my .500 S&W revolver but since this was the hunt of a lifetime for me, I also brought along my custom XP-100 chambered in .376 Steyr. Even though the gun was capable of longer shots, I placed a 100 yard limit on shots with the .500 S&W revolver. I was comfortable with the .376 Steyr at distances twice that far. I made some slight scope adjustments on both firearms and my guns were ready for hunting.

I was flown to a spike camp about six miles away from base camp and it was located about three miles from the nearest salmon stream. I was concerned about being so far away from the river but Phil assured me that this camp had produced some great bears in the past. I figured that no one knew his hunting area better, so I put 100% confidence in his judgment and anxiously waited on opening day of the 2011 bear season.

Opening morning found the trio of hunter, guide, and packer perched on the spotting hill, glassing for bears. Things started off slowly at first; we first spotted some bears fishing in the river but after a while we began seeing some medium-sized bears roaming the hillsides closer to our position. One bear was only about 800 yards away and it lay down right out on the open tundra and took a 2-hour nap! We also spotted several herds of caribou off in the distance.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., we spotted a big bear that we decided was definitely a bear worth going after. With my guide leading the way, we confined ourselves to the alders as much as possible, moving only when the bear was looking away. When we got to 350 yards of the bear we ran out of cover. We began belly crawling trying to remain out of sight of the bear as he continued to amble our way. When the bear was about 200 yards away the guide asked the packer to remain behind in order to minimize movement. I was put up front and my guide followed along behind as we continued to belly crawl toward the bear. Finally, we came to the edge of a small stream that the bear seemed to be headed to. I had brought along a rolled up sleeping bag pad to use as a field rest from the prone position and I placed it on the ground in front of me. The bear was now only 135 yards away and still heading in our direction. I knew that if he continued on his present course that he would drop out of sight momentarily while he passed through a tiny patch of alders. However, that would allow enough time for me to pop my earplugs in and to allow me to setup for the shot with the .500 S&W. Once he cleared the alders, he would be standing in an opening that I had ranged at 100 yards; inside my comfort zone for the revolver with a steady rest. It was a perfect setup!

After we lost sight of the bear, my guide and I got ready for him to emerge from the alders. Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty, then thirty; no bear! We finally realized that he had decided to take a nap once he entered the alders. My guide motioned for the packer to join us and he belly crawled up beside me. You can imagine how nerve-wrecking it was to have the bear of a lifetime sleeping in an alder patch, out of sight, only 125 yards away! I prayed that the wind direction would remain constant and that he would continue on his prior course after he woke from his nap.

Finally, two and a half hours later, he stood up in the alders in and continued in our direction. He stopped once he entered the clearing but it would have been a steep “quartering to” shot so I held my fire, waiting for a broadside shot opportunity. As he reached the top of the creek bank across from us, I hoped that he would continue down to the water’s edge which would have given me a 75-yard shot. Unfortunately, just as my guide had anticipated, he chose the path of least resistance and turned to go downstream in order to find a less-steep bank to descend to the water. Before leaving the clearing, he stopped in a quartering away position, 100 yards away. I looked over at my guide who was prepared to back me up with a .375 Ruger rifle if necessary, and I was given the “go ahead” to shoot.

I placed the crosshairs of the 2X Leupold just behind the bear’s right shoulder and squeezed off the shot. The bear growled and pulled his right shoulder close to his body. He whirled around and began biting the area behind his shoulder. I was able to fire two more shots before the bear retreated into a small patch of alder only about 15 yards away. I could see him momentarily, and then he would disappear before I could shoot again. After a few seconds, the alders quit shaking and my guide and I both covered the area with our guns. After a few more minutes with no movement from the alders, the handshakes and congratulations on the successful hunt began.

My guide and I crossed the creek, circled high above the alder patch where the bear was lying, and descended on the area very cautiously. We spotted a patch of brown fur in the grass beneath the alders and tensions were high as we approached the downed beast. After the bear showed no signs of breathing, my guide stuck the barrel of the .375 Ruger in the bear’s eye as I covered with my freshly reloaded revolver. No movement from the bear indicated that the beast was dead and after many years of waiting, I had finally fulfilled my quest for a hand-gunned brown bear!




Cessna 180, my air taxi from King Salmon to base camp.


Transportation to spike camps was provided by a couple of Super Cubs


Base camp.


The old guy in camp glassing for bears. He even managed to spot a couple!


Camping in the shadow of an active volcano.


View from the spotting hill where my bear was first spotted. He meandered down to the creek bottom in the center of the photo where we finally were able to get a shot.


I shot the bear "from a grassy knoll" 100 yards away. He was standing in the clearing at the top of the bank across the creek. When this photo was made, my bear is actually lying in the patch of alders jut behind the clearing. It is amazing how that stuff can hide critters!



One happy handgun hunter!


Rear foot.


Front claws.


He had a great hide!

Great story, great trophy, great shooting!! Thank you so very much for sharing!

Good show.

Wow, that's a lot of bear!

Thats one of my bucket wish hunts. Great Bear and looks like great time.
You wouldnt make it to good with my hunting group. You kill it you clean it we eat it.

Great story and an awesome trophy.

Joe W

Thanks for sharing. Great photos and story.

Great Job! What a bear! Truly a trip of a lifetime! Thanx 4 sharing! A great memory lasts 4ever!!

Great story, great shooting, congrat's.

That is truly awsome!! super nice pictures and what a GREAT looking bear.
Thank you so much for sharing.

More about the ammo and its preformance??? Yeah I know dead-is-dead...but what bullet/load, Hardcast?, Jacketed?, Did they go all the way threw?

Darrell H, congrats on an amazing adventure! That's truly a dream hunt!

I was looking at that bear and all could think of was--
"Only you can prevent forest fires"
Smokey is Down!!

Thanks freedom475! I shot the bear with a w296/375 grain Barnes XPB handload with a chronographed muzzle velocity of 1550 fps. Not really "jacketed" these are solid copper, controlled expansion handgun bullets. No bullets exited...

Thanks for all of the congrats guys!

WOW!! nice!

Darrell,

AWESOME!

But shouldn't you have built up a little more suspense, like waiting until the plane was packed up on the last day of the hunt?

Great hunt and monster bear!!!

Awesome,and thanks for sharing.It's a dream for many but,reality for a few.Congrats.

No Smokey jokes now he pays my bills!

Great write up and hunt, amazing bear. Thanks for taking us along

Sounds Awesome!

Congratulations on a truly amazing harvest. I am sure you will remember that day for as long as you live. Just a great looking hide on that bear also! Any decision on the taxidermy?

great hunt AWESOME ...

Awesome!

Landrum

You are a very fortunate man to have gone on this dream hunt. Awsome Man - Great Bear

Wow.... you guys/gal must have nerves of steel. What a hunt.

I would have to say that I believe you are a "bit" more satisfied with the outcome of this hunt when compared to the first. In other words... You son of a gun you did it.......Magnificent revolver shot, brown bear. James

Great hunt Darrell!!!
Congrats & thanks for taking us along with you. I was hoping to accomplish the same thing here locally last year but it didn't happen.
I think you are part of a fairly small group that have made the dream come true, & again, thanks for making us part of it!

Ed, I think you have already planted the inspiration in many of us here! Is elephant next??????

Great story and thanks for sharing it, congrats!

Awesome story and bear! Such a hunt is on my dream list too...

BB, I intend to do a full-body mount on him so that my friends/family can get a feel for how huge these creatures really are. I'm not really sure of the "pose" yet, but I want to mount him on all four feet, maybe stepping up on something? Not sure yet...

Thanks for the congrats, it still doesn't seem real. The image of that bear standing in the alder when he woke up from his nap will forever be etched in my memory. He was larger than life...

Ed, you are correct it is a great feeling but it is kind of sad that the anticipation is over. Poor ol' SChunter had to put up with my waffling back and forth over which guns/loads to take all Summer long; thanks buddy!

I spoke to Whitworth on the phone today and he and I discussed how hard it is for outfitters and guides to have much faith in the short guns if they have never witnessed them in action. Even though I would have truly loved to have taken this bear with one of my Super Redhawks (454 or 480) I finally decided to go with the .500 S&W so as to get as much "reaction" to the shot as possible so that my guide wouldn't have felt the need to begin shooting right away. Whether or not that is sound logic, I'm not sure but it worked out!

There are many more animals that I'd love to take with my handguns. The type of terrain encountered will determine which gun to take. I plan to hunt antelope with my brother in Wyoming next year. I'll probably use my .309 JDJ due to the possibility of a long shot. However, the one and only antelope that I have ever taken was shot with a 30-06 rifle at 85 yards; well within 454 Casull revolver range so my Super Redhawk will probably be with me as well.

As far as "dream hunts" go, this would be the next one:


Hopefully, one day that hunt will become a reality. If not, then I have already been blessed with more than I deserve.

Thanks again for all of the congrats guys!

Darrell

Hopefully, one day that hunt will become a reality. If not, then I have already been blessed with more than I deserve.

Thanks again for all of the congrats guys!

Darrell


Great sentiment Darrell. Its not often these days you here folks say that. I hope you Buff hunt becomes reality.

Heck, my pleasure! I got to plan and "take" a brown bear hunt vicariously! Fortunately there was a weight limit on the SuperCub, otherwise you'd still be hauling gear off there with my suggestions. So when do we have to start planning for the Dagga boy?

I'll start squirreling away my change now...

Thats awesome Darrell! Way more rewarding with a handgun. Thanks for sharing.

GREAT BEAR!YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD.....

dang, great hunt. sounds like ya hit him hard. congrats on getting him with the revolver.

awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the congrats guys. I really appreciate it!

I'd like to thank some folks who helped me prepare for this hunt and I hope that I don't forget anyone. I had considered using several guns for this hunt including my FA .475 Linebaugh, .375 JDJ Contender, .480 Ruger SRH, and .454 Casull SRH. In the end, I opted to go with the biggest hammers that I had and took my .500 S&W revolver and .376 Steyr XP-100 and I did not feel "overgunned".

First of all I'd like to thank Mark Hampton who took the time to relay his experiences with various 375 caliber cartridges and the 270 grain Hornady. His experience with the .500 S&W revolver also proved invaluable.

500WE (Ken Oneill) shared his vast experience with the .475 Linebaugh and 375 JDJ on large game.

James From Jersey was a wealth of knowledge with his .475 Linebaugh and .454 Casull revolver experience on large game animals.

Doc Rogers shared his experience with the 500 S&W revolver on brown bear and his recommendation of the 375 grain Barnes X bullet proved to be a good one. The bullet shot well in my gun and I couldn't be more pleased with how quickly it put the bear down. Here is a 100 yard group with the load that I used on the bear fired from the prone position:


GA Sixgunner shared his field experience with the .475 Linebaugh on big critters and provided me with some sage advice..."listen to Doc Rogers."

SCHunter provided me with a ton of 454 Casull revolver experience on deer and hogs. He also put up with my waffling back and forth between all of the guns and cartridges listed above all summer long!

Last but not least I'd like to thank Steve Roe for the awesome 376 Steyr XP-100.

It is a tack driving machine and my packer "Josh" absolutely fell in love with it. After the hunt, both he and my guide were vaporizing tin cans filled with gravel at 100 yards with it even though neither had ANY prior single shot handgun experience. Although it didn't get used on this hunt, I had complete confidence in it. Hopefully, it will get "blooded" at some point in the future!

Josh was so excited about handgun hunting that I ordered him a copy of Mark Hampton's first book on Hangun Hunting. We may have another member of the club soon.

Thanks again guys!!!

Darrell, Congrats on an Awesome Bear... Thanks for sharing the
Details , nice shooting too, you gotta love the Barnes Bullets and the .500 S&W
You done a Great job, my hats off to ya!!

Darrell, that's a GREAT brown bear, and you've done a wonderful job of describing the hunt. Congratulations to you, and on being able to do it with your revolver!

I ran into Steve Roe on our range the day after you left on your hunt, and he was looking forward to hearing of your experiences. That's a nice looking XP he built for you. Hopefully, there will be many opportunities for you to also use it on hunts in the future.
Congratulations again!

What a fantastic bear!!! The hide is gorgeous. Someday, when I have a bigger gun
I'm gonna get one myself
Congratulations on a great adventure

Thanks for sharing,very beatiful Bear for the best hunter!