Here Are The Bare
Kodiak’s Famous “I
Alf Madsen, well known Kodiak
guide and outfitter, got a bit tired
of answering questions about Ko
diak’s big bears with letters coming
from hunters, housewives and
school children. So recently he had
printed 2,500 copies of a six page
brochure telling all about the
bears.
Here are some interesting facts
that even Kodiakans may not know
about these huge animals.
Scientists and anthropologists
who have unearthed remains of
bears generally believe that th;
bears possibly reached Kodiak Is
land over the Great Ice Cap mil
lions of years ago. The Bering Sea
and Straits were a solid bridge of
ice and some bears wandered on
and on and finally reached Kodiak
where food was plentiful and they
were marooned when the ice re
ceded and grew to be the largest
species in the world.
HOW MANY OF THEM
A conservation estimate of e
bear population of Kodiak, Afcg
nak, Raspberry and Shuyak ifeland
is that there are 2,000 bears, but
Madsen says from aerial surveys
made during the salmon season
when most bears are feeding that
for every bear observed there are
at least five in the brush.
In the last 10 years the average
kill by resident and non-resident
hunters has not exceeded 185 bears
per year.
The scientific name for Kodiak
bears is Ursus Middendorfi and his
cousin on the Alaska Peninsula is
Ursus Guyas.
Madsen writes that he weighed
a number of bears ranging from 10
feet, four inches to 11 feet, three
inches with the heaviest bear meas
uring 11 feet three inches and his
weight 1,320 pounds. The average
10 foot bear will weigh approxi
mately 1,000 pounds during the
late fall season. In the early spring
he is at least 250 pounds lighter.
Average female in the fall will
weigh about 800 pounds.
LIVE TO BE 50
The Kodiak bear may reach the
ripe old age of 50 years or more,
and the guide says that he and a
hunter killed a huge bear on Nov.
26, 1934 on the upper reaches of
the Uganik River which squared
out at 11 feet 4 inches. He had no
teeth—just empty holes where his
teeth had once been. His eyes were
coverd by an opague skin, indi
cating near blindness. His left hind
quarter contained an old Russian
musket ball which had flattened
considerably by the impact, appar
ently at close range. This type of
musket ball had not been in use
for over 50 years and it is safe to
assume that this huge bear was
over the half century mark. It is
Facts Concerning
Jrsus Middendorfi”
owned by Frank Ayeres of Ft. Col
lins. Colo., who killed it.
URSUS MIDDENDORFI
The Kodak bear has been named
Ursus Middendorfi after the Rus
sian scientist and naturalist, Mid
dendorfi. In 1796, this huge car
nivore became known to the out
side world and he was known as
“Ivan the Terrible.”
Bears were hunted for more than
100 years by both the Russians and
Aleuts for the market. From the
records of the Alaska Commercial
Co., it is indicated that an average
of over 500 bears a year were takpn
from Kodiak Island. They were
used for silver buffers and Rus
sian Cossack hats.
Largest bear ever taken by a
non-resident hunter was killed by
Erling Hansen of Seattle on Oct.
15, 1961, at the Uganik Lake Camp
with Walter Panamaroff acting as
guide. The skull measurements
were totaled at 30-11/16. Weight
was approximately 1,250 pounds
and the pelt squared at 10 feet, 8
inches.
MEASURING SKULL
For Boone and Crockett compe
tition a skull must first have the
lower jaw removed. The width and
lenth combined give you the total
score. A skull does not qualify un
til it has dried for a period of 60
days. The minimum score to enter
the B & C book is 27 inches. The
largest bears in the world have
come from Kodiak and the Alaska
Peninsula.
Madsen believes that still larger
bear will be found in coming years.
He points out that the accepted
method of measuring a hide is to
lay it loosely on the ground and
measure from tip of nose to tip of
base of tail and from claw to claw.
These two measurements are added
and divided by two, giving the
squared measurement of the hide.
And he doesn’t recommend going
after them with a bow and arrow
unless you have a powerful rifle
nearby.
They can be dangerous, he points
out, especially a male during
mating season, a female with
young cubs. However, most bears
will avoid encounters with men
and quickly put distance between
himself and his pursuers.
ARE CANNABALISTIC
The bears can be cannibalistic
and Madsen points out that the
carcass of a bear which has been
skinned and left in the field will
usually disappear within a few
days. Larger males will drag the
carcass to a brushy or sheltered
spot and cover it with grass and
sod.
Most of the bears head for the
hills in the middle of November
and only a few are found around
the lakeshores or bays. Many are
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in dens by early November and hi
bernate until early April. On Afog
nak some will stay in the heavy
timber near the beach and live on
beach shrimp or whatever floats
in.
Cubs are generally born the lat
ter part of February, and it is said
that the mother does not waken
when the birth takes place. During
the first year a female may have
only one cub, but two years there
after she can have two, three, four
and even five. The cubs stay with
their mother until the second year
when they go on their own. Old
males aren’t above devouring the
young cubs, even though the
mother will fight them off.
THIS THEY EAT
In the early spring the KodiaK
bruins eat young shoots of grass,
the tips off skunk cabbage, wild
celery and potatoes. Also they will
eat the bark off small alders along
with kelp and other sea weeds.
During the summer months and
early fall salmon is their main diet
supplemented by berries. In the
late fall the bears are on the ridges
and exist mostly on moss berries,
cranberries and an occasional fish.
When on the beaches they will also
eat any dead seal, sea lion or what
may drift in from the ocean.
He concludes that the Kodiak
bear can be crossed with other
types and tells of crossing Kodiak
bears with Polar bears. A litter of
three was born and one died. The
two survivors at the Washington,
D.C., zoo are known as Pokodiaks
and they attract more attention and
are found to be more intelligent
and amusing than the Kodiaks.
A copy of the interesting bro
chure may be obtained without
cost by writing Alf Madsen at Box
925, Kodiak, Alaska.
(Mirror Classifieds Bring Results)
I—
Bartlett Measure
Would Legalize
Fish Bargaining
Senator Bob Bartlett, along wit’i
Senator Warren Magnuson CD
Wash.) has introduced legislation
in the Congress which would per
mit fishing vessel owners to join
crew members in associations for
bargaining purposes on the sale of
their products. In addition the
measure would permit buyers to
associate themselves on an indus
try-wide basis for the purpose of
bargaining on fish prices. All such
associations would be held free of
violation of the antitrust or trade
laws.
Hearings on the measure were
held in Kodiak last year.
Biggest Share Of
Alaska King Crab
Taken By Russians
According to figures released
this week by Senator Bob Bartlett,
the Russian take of king crab near
ly doubles the combined take of
the United States and Japan.
“Between 1957 and 1961 the U.S.
catch of the king crab expanded
from 14 million pounds to over 43
million pounds and Japan’s total
reached 34 million pounds in 1961,
having hit a high of 47 million
pounds in 1957. Russia’s take over
those four years ranged from 6f
million pounds to 81 millior
pounds.
“We understand that at the pres
ent time the Russians and the Jap
anese are engaged in an extensive
king crab operation in the Bering
Sea on the continental shelf and
have been for a number of years.
‘We understand, also, that ef
forts may be made to extend this
operation into the Gulf of Alaska,”
Bartiett said in calling for the U.S.
government to establish exclusive
rights to the crab resources of the
continental shelf.
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