# Our Hunt to POW island



## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

My wife and I am going to Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska for a Black bear and Deer hunt.We Fly from Anchorage to Ketchican and then to Kalwok from there we have an hour and half drive to Coffman Cove where we will be staying with Coffman Cove Adventures, you can look up what they have there and see some of the pictures that show the place. Wowe will get in about 2200 hrs. and not even leave the state, we fly out at 0900 hrs. We will be hunting black bear the most and may pick up some deer if we can. We will be using a rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and a rifle in 44 mag.

I got the trip to hunt there from the folks at work when I retired last year and am finally able to go. So my wife who retired this year is going as well and plans to shoot some animals too. we will be there a week and fly out on the following Saturday on a reverse flight back to Anchorage. While there we will drive around and check out the sights and hunts the creeks around the island. The Island is the third largest in the US and has over 900 miles of roads some are even paved. They have rain there and the temps. are in the high 50's now and will be cooling off sum as well.

That is the just of it for now and will post pics. when we get back. Have any questions a will gladly answer them and I know the is an adventure that most people do not get to do, so ask away. They do have sell service on some areas of the island and don't know were they are.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Congratulations to you and your wife on being able to have a grand adventure Barry. Good luck !


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Are you able to do any spot and stalk hunting for bears or will you hunt over bait?

I guess you won't have to fight off any black flies and that's a plus.

Hope you can get some good photos for us flat-land dreamers.

Hope you are able to bring back some bear meat, too - some of the best eating I ever had no matter what anyone says. Just gotta know how to cook it...SLOW.

You'll be living a dream, Barry. Best of luck.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

We will hunt spot and stalk some and set on a stream with salmon, the bait, and wait for them to come along. I have been told that they like the pink salmon the best and when they are done for the year they will disappear. I guess they have no good taste picking pinks to eat. It could be they like the eggs from them the best. I like the bear meat but, in the fall when they are on salmon they are fishy tasting and not as good, I will see when we get one down. They say the largest black bear come from POW, in the state. No brown bears either.

The place we are staying the guy said that he saw over 100 in three weeks this spring. The deer population is up as well, with four bucks being able to be taken.

They get some rain and say to leave your light weight rain gear home and get the heavy duty like commercial fisherman wear. We have some due to the fact we boat in Prince William Sound.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

The best of luck on the hunt.


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

good luck and post lots of pics for those of us who will have to hunt POW vicariously through you


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

We go back from the hunt on POW and we had funnn! We had fun and learned a lot about the Island. Mike who owns the place we stayed was super kind of guy and a hunter and trapper too. We saw several deer on the way over to Coffman Cove, all does. We went hunting the next day along an old logging road and meant up with another viechel of people staying at the lodge. They were after deer more than bear. There are old logging roads all over the place and we were hunting on the Tongass National forest. latter in the day we saw a black bear dart out of sight and went to check it out, then on down the road. We decided to pull out at a little stop and walk down the trail. We decieded to hunt there the next morning and head back to the lodge for supper. The pictures in this one is of the road that went down and how overgrown it is and a deer we saw on the way out.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

I have to break this up too much for one post and I have to get the pictures right.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

On monday we went out and was set up by 745 and started to wait, shortly we saw a bear cross log that was down across a creek and quickly lost sight of it then spotted it in a clearing less than 35 yds. away, it dissappered and was out on a beach of the creek less than 20 yds. away. My tells me to shoot it and she wants me to shoot it. There was not much time to discuss it so I did- and missed. Not sure that Ihad missed it I crossed the creek and looked for blood on the river bank. I found no blood and looked for bullet strikes in the bank, found none looked for trackes of a bear looking deep claw marks and into the woods. I found none and with my bad knee I was having trouble getting up hill looking for trackes and blood. Found none. I am having my knee replaced in Oct. I figured that I had actually missed due to shooting down hill at a fairly steep angle and not holdign high enough of the bear to take into account the angle down, I was holding too low on the body and with the steep angle. The picture here is of the creek and the area.






I was too close and missed the bear.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

All of the bear sighting and hunting for Monday was completed in 2 hrs. We sat on the creek till noon and no other activity there.


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## pokeyjeeper (Sep 5, 2013)

Sounds good a good hunt


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

On tuesday the weather was clear and cool, we went to the same spot to hunt and did not see any thing so we went to Thorn bay and to drive some more of the logging roads and check out the different areas. On Wendsday we to the north end of the Island and checked it out to see what was there, we did see two black bear that day and a lot of new country that was very pretty.Thursday we went back to the creek we had set on and not a thing was moving except a brush hog mower clearing out some of the over grown road. Friday I took three guys from Utah fishing fro halibut and rock fish, we got one small halibut and one rock fish of the veriaty we could keep, plus four dog fish(sand shark) which created a problem for us in tangling lines and creating problems. The weather was good and not much wind. Saturday we went to set on the creek that was near by and did not find any thing and then went back over the creek and set again Gale got a shot at a black bear at about 40 yds. and missed, again I went to look for blood and tracks and did not find any that led me believe that she had hit it. Only thing that I can figure out is that she lost the elevation dross hair in all of the black and aimed lower than she thought. I had her fire another shot and it hit at the correct place and would have done the job. The first picture is of gale waiting to shoot at the log which was were the bear actually came on to the rocks in front of.












This is the vehicle we had to drive while we were there and all we paid for was the gas.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

We had the days run together of what we did and I may have been off a day on some of what happened but, here are some pictures that did not fit the story that I told. the first one is of lots and I mean lots of spaning salmon in the river the dark color in the first picture is of the amount of fish in the river, the little riffles is each at least one fish and look close how many there are.






The next is of the river down stream of the last and all of the riffles which are fish also.






The nest picture is of a game trail that I saw while I was looking for sign






of Gale's bear.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences, Barry, and for posting all the pictures. I love the looks of that moss and have seen it only on Alaskan TV shows.

I guess we'll never know where those bullets went or what really happened. However, I doubt that you actually needed to consider where to hold on a bear that was so close other than to point and punch the kill zone. Holding over or under at that range would not be necessary, considering the large bull's eye on a bear.

Here's the thinking: On any angle - up or down any significant hill - the bullet will always hit *higher* than it would on the same target on level ground. So, if you shoot up a 30-degree angled hill or down the same angle, the bullet will always hit exactly the same amount *high*. But, this consideration would not apply in the situation you described, because you were so close.

Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if the bullet(s) found their mark(s) and simply did not exit and provide any clues. At least, that's my theory unless you flinched under the excitement of the moment.

I mention this because I've shot deer that disappeared without a trace - not a drop of blood to follow, but found them dead with perfect shots that did not exit. Very common on anlged shots with expanding bullets.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Great write up Knapper. What beautiful country. It sounds like you and the wife had a great time and now have the memories to share The wife and I have been in the Tongas twice, the moss is like a carpet. We did a cruise through the inside passage twice. One with her Mom( Dad has passed) and her two elderly aunts. Two years later we took my parents. I'm glad you had the chance to do this hunt, it sounds like quite an adventure.

Good luck with the knee replacement. DO THE THERAPY!


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

Thanks Glenn for your thoughts and impressions, I have thought about that and am not sure what to think. I have seen many black bear that have been hit and these did not react as they have. I am thinking of going back next spring and doing with the new knee and my son, the wife may go along too. It was not like most hunts I have done with staying at a lodge and going out every day to hunt. My older bones kind of enjoyed it and the visiting with other people. I am really impressed with the lodge and the way it is run, I am hard to impress with stuff like that. Don I plan on doing the therapy and getting back to more normal getting around.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

To get that heart pumping (like I know it did) and to feel that adrenaline rush is a kind of excitement non-hunters may never experience.

I really enjoy your posts as our only Alaskan connection, because it gives us an honest view of a land far away.

Best of luck with the knees.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

Got the knee right one done on Oct. 22 and I go this wen. the 4 th, for first post op visit. Haven been getting out and walking some every day now and it is not hurting as much. They said that there was more ware than they had expected and it took longer to do because of the cutting done on the bone. I feel some pain in the bone and have been keeping up with the meds. They will pull the stichis out on Wend. and check it out. Will let you know how it is doing.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Good to hear, Barry.

Gotta have those wheels.


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