The Official: Alaska Bear Hunt Pack List

BGbasbhat · Aug 5, 2010

27 days till my Dad and my first hunt in SW Alaska for Brown and Black Bear!

Game: Brown Bear (Dad) and Black Bear (Me). Possibly wolf and wolverine.
Where: SW Alaska
When: September 1-15
Setup: Guided with small shack or canvas tent basecamp. No weight restrictions specified; but there could be.
Weather Forecast: Who the hell knows.

Here's my list. What would you change/add/bring/leave at home?

Clothing:
1 pair of socks per day (Smartwool, UA)
1 pair of underwear per day
3 sets of mid-weight base layers (UA, REI MTP, and Patagonia)
4 long sleeve hunting shirts (Microtex or Poly)
4 pairs hunting pants (Microtex or Poly)
1 vest (woolimate and windshear)
1 set of rain gear (Cabela?s AK Guide)
1 hat
1 beanie
2 sets of gloves
1 set of OR Gaitors
1 pair of hunting boots (Meindl Perfekt Hiker)
1 pair of camp shoes (Salomon XCR)
1 pair of camp pants
1 camp shirt

Weapons:
Rem 700 SPS Stainless.300 Win Mag
Leupold VXIII 3.5-10x50
3 boxes of Federal 180gr Partition, Accubond, or TSX
Ka-Bar D2 Tactical/Survival Knife
Skinning/Gutting knife
Sharpening Stone
Leatherman

Gear:
PLANE TICKETS AND HUNT TAGS/LICENSES!!!
Rifle Cleaning Kit
- Cleaning Rod
- Otis Field Kit
- .30 cal brushes, jags, and patches
- Break Free and gun oil
- Various hex heads and rifle tools.
8x42 Leica Geovid BRF
Polecat Monopod
Handheld Video Camera
Handheld Camera
20 deg Slumberjack bag
- Slumberjack fleece liner
- Goretex bivy
Small Surefire flashlight
Headlight
Nalgene Water Bottle
Extra batteries
Sun/shooting glasses
Northface Hotshot Pack
Camelback 100oz bladder
1 Large wetbag
5 5 gallon Ziploc bags
Compass
Watch

First Aid and Personal:
Bug Spray (100% Deet)
Moleskin
Bandaids
Tylenol/Ibuprofren
Joint wrap (ankle, knee, etc.)
Scentaway deodorant, soap, and detergent
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Small Towel
Chapstick
Reading glasses
Flask for celebration!
Book

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

TAGATTRACTER · Aug 5, 2010

Looks good Barret.

Bring a pack of Baby Wipes, they have many uses.

Something I started on my Dall hunt was writing a journal. It sure is fun to read back all the little things you forget about over the years.

Have fun and take lots of pictures.

BGbasbhat · Aug 5, 2010

ahhhh, good ol babywipes. Can't hurt to bring those!

Yep, I bought my Dad an engraved leather journal for the trip, which should be pretty neat.
[http://www.leatherkeepsakes.com/]

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

FullCryHounds · Aug 5, 2010

Two pairs of boots and two sets of raingear. Very hard to dry out boots or raingear for the next day if they get wet. A Poncho is a must and also waders. Why three boxes of shells? That's a lot of wasted wieght. One box should be more then enough. Everything else looks good. Have a great trip.

BGbasbhat · Aug 5, 2010

Thanks FullCry. From all of the lists I've read, everybody recommends 2 boxes of shells. I'm notoriously an overpacker though...so I couldn't help myself.
Good call on a poncho.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

Bambistew · Aug 6, 2010

You pack more cloths than a woman.

14 pairs of socks and underware?

You plan on having a fresh set of cloths just about every day? 5 pairs of pants!?!? Man... it would be nice though.

The list looks pretty good, but I would also add in a pair of hip boots and a change of rain gear as suggested. Go with one 'breathable' and one non-breathable.

No moose available on this hunt? Good luck on the wolf and wolverine... I'd be surprised if you see either.

60 rounds of ammo seems over kill.

I'm going out on a limb here and going to say you're nocking at the 90-100lb mark for gear/cloths pretty easily.

Good luck on your hunt.

HuntNBgame · Aug 6, 2010

I would add A bug headnet and definitely good ankle fit hip boots, and most flights have weight limits so check it out it will save you alot of $$ by packing lighter. And baby wipes are a must, you can buy sent free ones.
Good luck

BGbasbhat · Aug 6, 2010

HuntNBgame
I'm gonna try and find some hip boots. Would you wear them every day and all the time, or just when crossing streams? If just for crossing streams, I'd just try to get some cheap ones. Otherwise, i guess I'd better look for something more comfortable.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

HuntNBgame · Aug 7, 2010

>HuntNBgame
>I'm gonna try and find some
>hip boots. Would you wear
>them every day and all
>the time, or just when
>crossing streams? If just for
>crossing streams, I'd just try
>to get some cheap ones.
>Otherwise, i guess I'd better
>look for something more comfortable.
>
>
>
>
>"...I'd rather be tried by twelve
>than carried by six..."

Check with your outfitter. Alot of moose and bear hunting is done wearing hipboots. I have the LaCross Big Chief's. Plus add in good calf high socks, LaCross makes them just for wearing with their boots. Plus hipboots double as rain pants with a longer rain top such as Helly Hansen Impertech.

BGbasbhat · Aug 8, 2010

thanks for the recommendation HntBGame. I'm going to check with the outfitter again, to see about hip boots.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

Bambistew · Aug 11, 2010

Cabelas makes a great pair of neoprene ankle fit boots. I have a pair and have used them heavily for the last 4 years. They have had a few pin holes, but easy enough to patch and keep going. They fit like a "LL Bean" boot and I don't mind walking for miles in them.

For sure a bug mask, and some latex gloves.

BGbasbhat · Aug 11, 2010

Thanks Bambi
My dad emailed the outfitter again yesterday to double check the hip boot situation. I'm going to Cabela's this weekend, so I'll check them out.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

BGbasbhat · Aug 12, 2010

LAST EDITED ON Aug-12-10 AT 07:34AM (MST)[p]Outfitter confirmed they have some lightweight slip over hip boots for us to use, in the case we need to cross a deep one. Nice.
One less thing for me to buy that I'll never use here in AZ!

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

HuntNBgame · Aug 12, 2010

Good luck to the both of you and hope to see some pic's of your bears.

earthman · Aug 12, 2010

2nd what Bambistew said...way to many clothes!!! 4pr underwear max... 1 on trip up...2 to change when they wake you up in your sleeping bag and the last fresh pair to wear home to mamma!!! Leave the first 3 in AK...no reason to bring them back. same with socks...just rotate them a little more often. Wal mart sells an unsented wet wipe towel packet that works dang good...i like them better than baby wipes. I also through in some some of the lipton tea mixes and lemonade in the individual packets...good hot or cold...alot of outfitters don't have a wide variety of things to mix in the nalgene bottle.
It's all part of the experience Clarke!!!

BGbasbhat · Aug 13, 2010

Thanks earthman
Yeah, i've cut down the clothes a bit. Good call on the scent wipes from Wally World, and the mixers. I'll probably need a bit of variety from water and coffee.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

CGS371 · Aug 23, 2010

Lesson I learned last year - paracord or rope. It can be dangerous trying to dress or tend to anything on a steep slope. In the future I'll tie them off to something.

BGbasbhat · Aug 23, 2010

Thanks CGS371. I got my 2 50' lengths of paracord in my pack now! I hope I have the opportunity to dress something out! 5 more days and i'm off to Anchorage!!! This is gonna be a long week.....

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

BGbasbhat · Aug 27, 2010

Well, it's getting down to the wire....I leave Sunday at 6 a.m. for Anchorage! I think I'm all packed and ready to go. But considering my OCD, I'll probably repack, refold, repack, recheck, and refold, and repack again...lol

Thanks to you all for the recommendations on gear and possibles. You all brought up some good ideas that should be of great help up there in AK.

Thanks again, and I'll post some pics in a few weeks. Hopefully of some bears on the ground!!!

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."

Gator · Aug 28, 2010

LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-10 AT 08:46PM (MST)[p]Condom are great for over the barrel or any other use you might run into. LOL Good luck

Here a addon superglue works great for closing up cuts and a few feet of Duct tape wrapped around something(flashlight ect) make repairs a lot easier and works great for a bandage.
I also get my Doc to give me antibiotic to take along in case.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".