Julie Kreuter’s Birthday Brown Bear Hunt with Rick Kreuter
John E. Phillips 08.12.13
Author’s note: Rick and Julie Kreuter are the hosts of Beyond the Hunt that appears on the Outdoor Channel Mondays at 8:30 am EST and Thursdays at 3:30 and 8:00 pm EST. Rick and Julie have been married for 14 years and have hunted together for 15 years.
We were hunting coastal brown bears last October out on Sand Point on the Alaskan peninsula with Canoe Bay Outfitters (907-781-2245, GrizzlyCub@live.com). Most of the foliage along the beach and the sides of the tributaries was the same color as our Brush camo. There were also moss-gray rocks, yellow grasses and brush, and a lot of underbrush with no leaves, so we felt really comfortable and invisible in our Brush camo.
We saw numbers of great bears, but none we could classify as shooters because we hoped to take a bear that would measure close to 10 feet. The last day of our 10-day hunt was also Julie’s birthday. PenAir is the only airline that flies into Sand Point. That day the company called to tell us they didn’t have seats for us to fly out on the plane that day, even though we’d confirmed our flight before we went to camp. We decided since it was Julie’s birthday, the powers that be had decided to give Julie an extra day to hunt as a birthday present.
We climbed to the top of a mountain on an island, so we could see 360 degrees around the island. Finally we spotted a big mature brown bear walking along the shoreline and eating seaweed. We came down the mountain and got back on the boat. The whole time we were in the boat the wind was coming from behind us, so we knew there was no way we could get close to that bear without spooking him. I believe a bear’s ability to smell human odor is far superior to that of a whitetail deer.
When we were about 400 yards out, glassing the bear from the boat, we spotted an eddy where the wind was swirling in front of the boat. For no reason at all, the wind turned 180 degrees and was now hitting us directly in the face, giving us the perfect wind to stalk the bear. We decided Julie must be getting more birthday presents as this hunt went along. We steered the boat across a little bay and tucked it into a nook about 200 yards from the bear. Then we got out, and stalked within 100 yards of the bear. Here we decided to set up our cameras while Julie waited for a good shot on the bear.
After we were all set up, the bear decided to leave the beach and go into the brush. Normally, when bears leave the beach, they’re bedding down for the day. At first we thought the hunt was over, and that we had lost the opportunity for Julie to take her birthday bear on camera. But a few minutes later, the bear came out of the brush about 40 yards away and walked straight toward us as I video taped. At 30 yards, he stopped and looked at us. I think he knew we weren’t part of the rock we were hiding behind, perhaps because he saw the camera sticking up above the rock or there was a reflection off the lens. After asking our guide and confirming this was the bear she should take, Julie took dead aim with her Savage .338 rifle and shot the bear.
The bear ran into the brush and Julie immediately took off after it. Our guide had told us that, “These coastal brown bears are big, tough and hard to put down. If you can get a second shot, always take it. If the bear gets in the brush, you can create a potentially dangerous situation for us, if we have to go in after him.” Julie ran toward the bear to try and get that second shot, to keep us from having to go deep in the brush to recover him. The guide had also told Julie that, “As long as you can see the bear, take another shot.” Julie felt certain the bear was mortally wounded, but she did the right thing by attempting to shoot again. When she took the second shot, Julie was only about 20 yards from the bear. Julie was rock solid, from her first shot through her second shot. When we got to her, however, she was having a really hard time approaching the bear to touch it. Overcome by a huge adrenaline rush, she exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, this bear is huge. I know he’s dead, but he’s still intimidating.” Finally, Julie picked up the bear’s paw and put it over her face. It was so huge, you couldn’t see any of Julie’s head. Julie got her birthday bear, and what a birthday present he was!
For more information and access to all Kindle ebooks by John E. Phillips, click here.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
