A pic of a large brown bear I harvested this month in Alaska using my self built bartlein barreled 338 Norma Mag topped with a 5-20x50 Vortex Razor HD.
Hunting & Fishing Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
- Thread starter The Animal
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Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
That is a nice pic. How big was the bear in lbs?
That is a nice pic. How big was the bear in lbs?
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Appx 800-850lbs. 9' 6" in length.
The pack frame under his chin is a large cabelas guide/outfitter pack frame that only goes the length of his head & neck to give an idea of just how big he was.
Appx 800-850lbs. 9' 6" in length.
The pack frame under his chin is a large cabelas guide/outfitter pack frame that only goes the length of his head & neck to give an idea of just how big he was.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
looks good!
looks good!
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Wow, that thing is huge. What exactly did you do with all of the meat? I'm going up there in 2013 for one and I am curious as to how much of the meat I might want to bring home? I've heard that it is pretty good and it is a fall hunt.
What kind of mount are you going to do?
Wow, that thing is huge. What exactly did you do with all of the meat? I'm going up there in 2013 for one and I am curious as to how much of the meat I might want to bring home? I've heard that it is pretty good and it is a fall hunt.
What kind of mount are you going to do?
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
....That's a huge bitch!!
....That's a huge bitch!!
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Good looking bear. Great photo with the background shot, nicely done.
Good looking bear. Great photo with the background shot, nicely done.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
That is one hell of a bear. I would love to be able to do that one day. Awesome bear.
That is one hell of a bear. I would love to be able to do that one day. Awesome bear.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: h4everything</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wow, that thing is huge. What exactly did you do with all of the meat? I'm going up there in 2013 for one and I am curious as to how much of the meat I might want to bring home? I've heard that it is pretty good and it is a fall hunt.
What kind of mount are you going to do? </div></div>
The state doesn't require you to take brown bear meat so we left it there for other animals to fatten up for the winter. (I'm a meat hunter so it was different than what I was used to).
To be blunt, brown bear meat stinks! Imagine the nastiest tasting pork, full of parasites, that has the aroma of fish. Sorry...not for this redneck!
Mount will be a rug mount with the mouth open and the skull will be a European mount.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: h4everything</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wow, that thing is huge. What exactly did you do with all of the meat? I'm going up there in 2013 for one and I am curious as to how much of the meat I might want to bring home? I've heard that it is pretty good and it is a fall hunt.
What kind of mount are you going to do? </div></div>
The state doesn't require you to take brown bear meat so we left it there for other animals to fatten up for the winter. (I'm a meat hunter so it was different than what I was used to).
To be blunt, brown bear meat stinks! Imagine the nastiest tasting pork, full of parasites, that has the aroma of fish. Sorry...not for this redneck!
Mount will be a rug mount with the mouth open and the skull will be a European mount.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Congrats on the great bear !
specs on your rifle ?
thanks Scott
Congrats on the great bear !
specs on your rifle ?
thanks Scott
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Where was that? South end of Kodiak? AK Penn? Also for the people asking about the meat, you would not eat dear meat that was in a garbage truck. Well, that Brown Bear is the Alaska Garbage truck.
Where was that? South end of Kodiak? AK Penn? Also for the people asking about the meat, you would not eat dear meat that was in a garbage truck. Well, that Brown Bear is the Alaska Garbage truck.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
What kind of bullet were you using and at what the distance?
What kind of bullet were you using and at what the distance?
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sendero_man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Congrats on the great bear !
specs on your rifle ?
thanks Scott </div></div>
The rig is a 338 Norma Mag that I built with a bartlein 5R med palma contour, jewell trigger, on a carbon fiber A-3 stock. I was shooting 250 gr accubonds @ 3000 fps.
The best part about the rifle, for this particular hunt, is the Vortex scope for a couple of different reasons.
Day one, I was one of the back up rifles, for a client of the outfitter and had the opportunity to shoot a bear that the other client had wounded at 70 yards. I placed a shot at 100 yards behind the shoulder and again at very close range where the bear charged us at 20 feet. Yes...<span style="font-weight: bold">20 feet</span>! So luckily I remembered to adjust the power setting of the scope, before approaching the bear at close range, from 10x at 100 yards down to 5x for close range shooting. (A 1-4x power TMCQ reticle would of been optimum had that been the only purpose of the rifle, but it wasn't). Needless to say it was a very surreal moment. All of this was captured on video and I'm trying to get a video from the outfitter. Plus friends that know me here know that I don't embellish or fabricate hunting stories.
Day two, myself and a guide move to a remote outcamp (shack & tent) a few miles away from the main camp. That evening we had brown bears in camp not wanting to leave. (Snorting, snapping, etc., 20yds outside our tent). One of the guides grabs my 460 S&W and flashlight to confront and/or scare the bear away. The bear doesn't want to leave the area so this goes off and on for a couple of hours during the evening while we are trying to get some sleep. The guide loses his patience and tells me to grab my flashlight and rifle to take care of the situation once and for all. So standing in the rain in shorts, tee shirt, boots, rifle and flashlight, against my better judgment, we are trying to scare this bear away from camp hidden in the tall grass in the dark. I tried to look through my scope at 5x, while holding a flashlight in my left hand under the forearm of the rifle and couldn't see squat so I remembered that I had the illuminated reticle so I turned it on high. This gave me a little comfort since I was able to see the reticle had I needed it. Luckily we didn't and the bear took off after we made numerous loud vocal announcements of our presence.
Day 4, I was able to get my bear to within 200 yards and to make an easy broadside shot after a 4 mile stalk.
So for all the typical hunting conditions someone sees in Alaska (cold, rain, snow, wind, humidity) the Razor HD held up beautifully and never fogged up or let me down. Scouting with Vortex Razor HD on 20x at longer distances while the guide was hogging my spotting scope made for easy glassing.
I don't want this to sound cheesy but I can't emphasize enough on the optics for this particular hunt. If any of you plan on a brown bear, sheep, mountain goat or expensive elk hunt, the most important part of your arsenal is high quality optics. You will be spending "days" behind your optics looking at and judging game.
Shooting at a brown bear is like trying to hit the car door window of a honda civic. Anybody reading this thread could probably do that with little effort even at long distances. What was key to a successful hunt is quality glass trying to spot and judge animals at 4-5 miles away. I was able to do that with the glass I had.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sendero_man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Congrats on the great bear !
specs on your rifle ?
thanks Scott </div></div>
The rig is a 338 Norma Mag that I built with a bartlein 5R med palma contour, jewell trigger, on a carbon fiber A-3 stock. I was shooting 250 gr accubonds @ 3000 fps.
The best part about the rifle, for this particular hunt, is the Vortex scope for a couple of different reasons.
Day one, I was one of the back up rifles, for a client of the outfitter and had the opportunity to shoot a bear that the other client had wounded at 70 yards. I placed a shot at 100 yards behind the shoulder and again at very close range where the bear charged us at 20 feet. Yes...<span style="font-weight: bold">20 feet</span>! So luckily I remembered to adjust the power setting of the scope, before approaching the bear at close range, from 10x at 100 yards down to 5x for close range shooting. (A 1-4x power TMCQ reticle would of been optimum had that been the only purpose of the rifle, but it wasn't). Needless to say it was a very surreal moment. All of this was captured on video and I'm trying to get a video from the outfitter. Plus friends that know me here know that I don't embellish or fabricate hunting stories.
Day two, myself and a guide move to a remote outcamp (shack & tent) a few miles away from the main camp. That evening we had brown bears in camp not wanting to leave. (Snorting, snapping, etc., 20yds outside our tent). One of the guides grabs my 460 S&W and flashlight to confront and/or scare the bear away. The bear doesn't want to leave the area so this goes off and on for a couple of hours during the evening while we are trying to get some sleep. The guide loses his patience and tells me to grab my flashlight and rifle to take care of the situation once and for all. So standing in the rain in shorts, tee shirt, boots, rifle and flashlight, against my better judgment, we are trying to scare this bear away from camp hidden in the tall grass in the dark. I tried to look through my scope at 5x, while holding a flashlight in my left hand under the forearm of the rifle and couldn't see squat so I remembered that I had the illuminated reticle so I turned it on high. This gave me a little comfort since I was able to see the reticle had I needed it. Luckily we didn't and the bear took off after we made numerous loud vocal announcements of our presence.
Day 4, I was able to get my bear to within 200 yards and to make an easy broadside shot after a 4 mile stalk.
So for all the typical hunting conditions someone sees in Alaska (cold, rain, snow, wind, humidity) the Razor HD held up beautifully and never fogged up or let me down. Scouting with Vortex Razor HD on 20x at longer distances while the guide was hogging my spotting scope made for easy glassing.
I don't want this to sound cheesy but I can't emphasize enough on the optics for this particular hunt. If any of you plan on a brown bear, sheep, mountain goat or expensive elk hunt, the most important part of your arsenal is high quality optics. You will be spending "days" behind your optics looking at and judging game.
Shooting at a brown bear is like trying to hit the car door window of a honda civic. Anybody reading this thread could probably do that with little effort even at long distances. What was key to a successful hunt is quality glass trying to spot and judge animals at 4-5 miles away. I was able to do that with the glass I had.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Alaskaman 11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where was that? South end of Kodiak? AK Penn? Also for the people asking about the meat, you would not eat dear meat that was in a garbage truck. Well, that Brown Bear is the Alaska Garbage truck. </div></div>
West side of the cook inlet NW of Homer AK.
You're correct about the garbage truck. Funny analogy.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Alaskaman 11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where was that? South end of Kodiak? AK Penn? Also for the people asking about the meat, you would not eat dear meat that was in a garbage truck. Well, that Brown Bear is the Alaska Garbage truck. </div></div>
West side of the cook inlet NW of Homer AK.
You're correct about the garbage truck. Funny analogy.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
thanks ! congrats again.
thanks ! congrats again.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Nice bear. The bears I've had the pleasure to skin smelled like a gut pile. Not something you want to eat!
Nice bear. The bears I've had the pleasure to skin smelled like a gut pile. Not something you want to eat!
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Great story, great bear, great rifle.
Great story, great bear, great rifle.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Congrats! I am hoping to go for black bear in Maine next year don't know that I would want something as big as your brown charging me!!!
Congrats! I am hoping to go for black bear in Maine next year don't know that I would want something as big as your brown charging me!!!
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Congrats on a very nice bear.
Congrats on a very nice bear.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: The Animal</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I don't want this to sound cheesy but I can't emphasize enough on the optics for this particular hunt. If any of you plan on a brown bear, sheep, mountain goat or expensive elk hunt, the most important part of your arsenal is high quality optics. You will be spending "days" behind your optics looking at and judging game.
Shooting at a brown bear is like trying to hit the car door window of a honda civic. Anybody reading this thread could probably do that with little effort even at long distances. What was key to a successful hunt is quality glass trying to spot and judge animals at 4-5 miles away. I was able to do that with the glass I had. </div></div>
Could not agree more! In 2008 I went up for a grizzly hunt. I had my 16 yr old Zeiss 10x40 bino's and a newer Zeiss 14-45x spotter on a K&K tripod. The countryside of Western Seward Peninsula is totally treeless and on a clear day one could see for 10+ miles. We spotted a good bear 6 miles out along with a 62" bull moose another mile further. I know he is 62" wide 'cause I shot him @ 15 yds with my Ruger NM Black Hawk in 45LC.
Don't scrimp on a hunt such as this with cheap glass!
Oh yeah! Nice bear!
6.5x47
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: The Animal</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I don't want this to sound cheesy but I can't emphasize enough on the optics for this particular hunt. If any of you plan on a brown bear, sheep, mountain goat or expensive elk hunt, the most important part of your arsenal is high quality optics. You will be spending "days" behind your optics looking at and judging game.
Shooting at a brown bear is like trying to hit the car door window of a honda civic. Anybody reading this thread could probably do that with little effort even at long distances. What was key to a successful hunt is quality glass trying to spot and judge animals at 4-5 miles away. I was able to do that with the glass I had. </div></div>
Could not agree more! In 2008 I went up for a grizzly hunt. I had my 16 yr old Zeiss 10x40 bino's and a newer Zeiss 14-45x spotter on a K&K tripod. The countryside of Western Seward Peninsula is totally treeless and on a clear day one could see for 10+ miles. We spotted a good bear 6 miles out along with a 62" bull moose another mile further. I know he is 62" wide 'cause I shot him @ 15 yds with my Ruger NM Black Hawk in 45LC.
Don't scrimp on a hunt such as this with cheap glass!
Oh yeah! Nice bear!
6.5x47
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
From your thread title I'd expect you to have beaten the bear to death with your scope!
Congrats on a successful hunt and a great looking bear.
From your thread title I'd expect you to have beaten the bear to death with your scope!
Congrats on a successful hunt and a great looking bear.
Re: Large Brown Bear taken with Vortex Optics
Those bear paws are bigger than his head!
The .338 Norma mag is definitely the right rifle for the job-
Those bear paws are bigger than his head!
The .338 Norma mag is definitely the right rifle for the job-
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