Recent Expeditions
Cameraman Zig Mackintosh in Alaska
The Alaska Peninsula is a land of impressive beauty-towering mountains, broad valleys, misty fjords, marshy tundra and glacial lakes. This wildlife refuge is home to 30 species of terrestrial and 11 species of marine mammals.
The Alaska Peninsula extends over some 8 million acres. The Becharof and Alaska Peninsula refuge lands cover over half of the peninsula. For big game hunters the peninsula is most famous for the brown bear, king of the tundra. Hunting of the brown bear is strictly controlled and the two-week season alternates between the spring and the fall.
There is a lot of debate on which season is best to hunt big brown bear. Some hunters contend that the fall is the best time because the bears are busy fattening up for the winter. Their numbers are concentrated around the rivers and streams where they are catching salmon.
Others will say that the bear's coat in spring is longer and thicker from the long winter hibernation. There is the risk, however, of bald patches on the hide during hibernation. This happens when the hair has frozen to a rock and then gets ripped out when the bear moves.
Felix Widlacki is a spring bear hunter. On two previous trips to the peninsula in 2002 and 2004 he had returned home empty-handed. In 2002 he had hunted with Butch King out of Wildman Lodge. After two weeks in the wilderness he had only seen one female. In 2004 Felix hunted with Tracy Vrem out of Blue Mountain lodge. This time he saw a lot more bears during the two weeks but nothing big enough to shoot.
In 2006 Felix returned to hunt with Warren Johnson out of Bear Lake Lodge. His guide for this trip was " Mac " McGhan. Legendary hunter Don Johnson, author of the book “King of the Ice”, founded bear Lake Lodge in 1960. Today Warren runs a first class hunting operation.
Zig Mackintosh from Osprey Filming accompanied Felix on this quest for the Alaska brown bear. He had been with Felix on the two previous hunts and was just as keen to see a big bear taken.
The hunting in this area took place in the mountains surrounding Bear Lake. Every morning the hunters would take a boat across the lake and then hike a couple of miles up into the mountains. The day would then be spent glassing the surrounding countryside for bears.
From the first day the hunters started seeing bears. This was encouraging although the bears were still high up on the mountains in the snow line and difficult to get to.
After eight days of hunting and glassing numerous bears Mac spotted a good-looking boar down "gun-sight alley". It was a long hike into the valley but the hunters immediately set out after it. Eventually the hunters got into position and caught the bear sleeping on a snow patch. Felix made a great shot and killed the bear with one shot where it lay.
Felix's quest for a big brown bear had finally met with success. The whole experience over the three different hunts had been a fantastic one and his memories of the Alaska Peninsula would never be forgotten. It had all been captured on film to be relived again and again.
