Dukats Journal of Hunting

We first locked eyes at about 40 yards.  I dropped the deer and started walking away, while yelling and waving my arms.  The bear showed no interest in the deer.  He was growling, snarling, popping his teeth, and pounding the ground.  I tried to move away from the deer, by walking laterally on the hillside, but the bear kept cutting me off.  My rifle was stuck to my back pack and I thought, "This would be a dumb way to die!" 

He kept walking towards me until I was finally able to rip my rifle out.  At about twenty yards, I tried to aim at him, but I was shaking too bad and I was looking directly into the sun.  I sat down at 15 yards, knowing that I'd only get one shot and that I had to make it count.  I still struggled to get him in my sights.  I looked up from my scope and he was @ 10 yards.  I then looked back in my scope and saw nothing but fur and pulled the trigger. 

The bullet hit him just under the collar bone.  He rolled backwards, making horrible noises.  I reloaded.  He tried to muster back up, but fell dead, shortly after letting out a hellish death rattle.  I sat for about five minutes, shaking and praying that the ordeal was over.   

His face was covered in scars and old wounds.  The guides at the lodge said that this indicated that he was a 'bad attitude bear'.    They said that 99.99% of bears would have simply either taken my deer or ran away, but his behavior meant that he wanted to actually fight me.  

I had to fill out some standard paperwork.  The lodge owner joked that I got a $20K hunt for free, but I didn't feel so lucky.  He said where the shot placement was on the cape, that he'd doubt if I'd hear from Alaska Fish and Game.  The guides said that I could probably buy the cape back at auction, but I never want to see that bear ever again!!    

If your headed to Alaska, be prepared.  It's not only the weather, the wide open miles of nothingness or the bush flight in you need to be fear.  Get in shape and know your gun because it may save your life.