Alaska Hunting Blog

Dear Brad,

Enclosed with this letter is your Leica range-finder, which somehow made it out with me in your Super Cub. I’ve also enclosed a CD containing photos of our hunt, one or two of which are pretty special.

Thanks again for putting together an exciting, hard-charging bear hunt. I didn’t come to Cold Bay with the expectation of stalking big bears for miles, of hiking mountain terrain in waders, or of needing that range-finder to make shots over 300 yards – but that’s just what happened. That we successfully stalked an old battle-scarred bruiser of a ten-foot bear is something I will always remember. And from here on I’ll always judge the steepness of our Tahoe ski slopes by how they measure up to the avalanche chute we climbed to get that bear.

BEAR OF A LIFETIME

by Bill Zlupko

I know I am not alone when I say that hunting Alaskan Brown Bear has been a life-long dream. So when Brad Saalsaa of Alaska Wilderness Charters and Guiding contacted me about a 2008 brown bear hunt, I was all ears. Brad explained that he had a rare opening due to a cancellation by one of his clients who was having medical complications and would have to reschedule. And as we discussed the dates, flights and all of the particulars, I suddenly realized that my lifelong dream was finally about to begin.