glass eye
Well-known member
Went to POW for black bear and took my wife for her first visit to Alaska. Had a 6 hour layover in Seattle and when we finally arrived in Ketchikan I discovered that TSA had cut the locks off of my gun case and put a different lock on it. I complained to TSA and asked them to cut the lock off and that they owed me 2 locks. A supervisor came over and to oversee the opening of my case. Nothing was missing but my friend from Ketchikan said " Better hope that someone didn't spin your scope " I dismissed his comment and we continued directly to POW in his boat in time to set up camp before dark. While motoring back in his dinghy to his anchored boat, we saw a big rolly-polly bear on the beach. I put a stalk on him and got within 100 yards with my crosshairs on his shoulder, but I didn't want to take an off-hand shot so I went prone but could only see his back. I sat up to take a shot but he quickly disappeared into the dense forest. This would repeat itself as the bears would not stay long on the beaches.
The next day we saw a wolf ( saw another 2 later )but no bears. After we went to his boat for breakfast I spotted a big bear on another beach and the stalk was on. I got into a prone position with a rock rest and took the 143 yard shot....missed. Then the weather turned and the relentless rain came with 4 days of it in the forecast. I was hoping to get a bear while my friend was with me so I could get a ride out. He had to be back to work on Monday and wouldn't be able to come back for us until Saturday.
The next day ( Sunday ) we saw nothing all morning and it was time for Tony and his wife to head home. My wife and I hunkered down in camp and looked for bears from our shelter. My wife spots 2 bears and off I went in my kayak. I made the stalk and settled into a comfortable prone position and took the 100 yard broadside shot and missed, chambered another round and missed again. The day before I figured it was just me, but now I knew something was wrong. I took a target shot and found it was hitting 2 feet high. It took 54 clicks to bring it down to zero. Someone in TSA spun the dial on my scope without a doubt. I've been shooting the same rifle and scope setup since '92 and it has never moved an inch.
Brooding about my lost opportunities due to sabotage by an anti-hunter and missing the chance to avoid the terrible weather, my wife and I continued our efforts glassing for more bears. Late in the evening I see that Tony has returned and was anchored again. The sea was too rough to return home safely so they had to wait until the next morning to try again. While he was motoring over to us in his dinghy I spotted a bear on the same beach as earlier in the day. I jumped into his dinghy and headed for the bear. I made the stalk to the same spot as before and had about 100 yard broadside shot from a steady rest of a fallen tree. I didn't size up the bear, I took advantage of this 2nd chance and took what was presented to me. With the rifle now sighted in I dropped the bear in its tracks.
So now I have my bear and didn't have to subject my wife to camping in the rain any longer. The first 4 days of our trip was terrible weather, but the remainder of our days were glorious with absolutely perfect weather and extremely gracious host'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcuVKqZnjvw&t=40s
The next day we saw a wolf ( saw another 2 later )but no bears. After we went to his boat for breakfast I spotted a big bear on another beach and the stalk was on. I got into a prone position with a rock rest and took the 143 yard shot....missed. Then the weather turned and the relentless rain came with 4 days of it in the forecast. I was hoping to get a bear while my friend was with me so I could get a ride out. He had to be back to work on Monday and wouldn't be able to come back for us until Saturday.
The next day ( Sunday ) we saw nothing all morning and it was time for Tony and his wife to head home. My wife and I hunkered down in camp and looked for bears from our shelter. My wife spots 2 bears and off I went in my kayak. I made the stalk and settled into a comfortable prone position and took the 100 yard broadside shot and missed, chambered another round and missed again. The day before I figured it was just me, but now I knew something was wrong. I took a target shot and found it was hitting 2 feet high. It took 54 clicks to bring it down to zero. Someone in TSA spun the dial on my scope without a doubt. I've been shooting the same rifle and scope setup since '92 and it has never moved an inch.
Brooding about my lost opportunities due to sabotage by an anti-hunter and missing the chance to avoid the terrible weather, my wife and I continued our efforts glassing for more bears. Late in the evening I see that Tony has returned and was anchored again. The sea was too rough to return home safely so they had to wait until the next morning to try again. While he was motoring over to us in his dinghy I spotted a bear on the same beach as earlier in the day. I jumped into his dinghy and headed for the bear. I made the stalk to the same spot as before and had about 100 yard broadside shot from a steady rest of a fallen tree. I didn't size up the bear, I took advantage of this 2nd chance and took what was presented to me. With the rifle now sighted in I dropped the bear in its tracks.
So now I have my bear and didn't have to subject my wife to camping in the rain any longer. The first 4 days of our trip was terrible weather, but the remainder of our days were glorious with absolutely perfect weather and extremely gracious host'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcuVKqZnjvw&t=40s
