Bear Hunting Trip Back Home

By: Kerry Powers

As the familiar roar of the plane's engines fades to a rumble, I step out, engulfed by the place I will always call home. Faces I easily recognize as my long-lost family, who helped raise me, form a line as we all pitch in to unload gear, mail, and other goods for the village of Old Harbor. Cheerful smiles light up as we work together.

As we make the iconic gravel road trip from midtown to downtown, we arrive at the lodge where I spent countless hours running around as a child. It welcomes us like an old friend. The time for exploring some of the greatest places this world has to offer beckons—Sitkalidik, Barling Bay, and Three Saints Bay.

Hopping in and out of bays with our incredible transporter, Wesley Christianson, we encounter bears left and right. We pursue multiple 10-foot bears while stopping to take in breathtaking scenes. On the second afternoon, we spot "the one." With luck and skill, we manage to take down a stunning 10-foot brown bear, battle-hardened and majestic. As we begin processing the bear in the very first Russian settlement in Alaska, the feeling of gratitude for being able to return to such a place and call it home sinks in.

If you ever get lucky enough to visit this place to hunt, fish, or simply explore, I promise you this: at some point during your trip, you will experience a similar feeling of awe and gratitude. Wesley and the team at Kodiak Island Lodge are some of the finest individuals and organizations I have ever encountered, and I highly recommend them.