Trapper Kills Grizzly Near Alaska Cabin

FAIRBANKS - Trapper Frank Gurtler knows midwinter is not the time when brown bears are supposed to be prowling interior Alaska. That knowledge gave him little comfort when he found a hungry grizzly outside his cabin a few weeks ago.

Gurtler, 57, guessed the grizzly didn't hibernate this winter and instead went from cabin to cabin along the north fork of the Innoko River in the southwest interior, breaking in and eating whatever it could find.

Stories are told of "ice bears" - bruins that for whatever reason don't hibernate or that come out of hibernation early and roam the woods hungry, grumpy and dangerous.

Gurtler, who has hunted and trapped in the area most of his life, first saw fresh bear tracks Jan. 14, about 25 miles from his winter cabin and heading toward his brother Ed's cabin nearby. Ed Gurtler was at his home in Wasilla at the time.

"He trashed my brother's place," Gurtler said. "Tore the side right out of the shop, got into his cabin and cache there, and broke every window."

Gurtler assumed the bear would soon show up at his own home. On the night of Jan. 16, he was home with his wife, Diane, 52, and son Wess, 26. He said Wess walked out of the cabin and quickly ran back in yelling, "It's here!"

Gurtler looked out the window to see the bear coming toward the cabin.

Gurtler didn't waste time waiting to see what the animal would do. Bear hunting remains open through the winter in the area, and he had a valid bear-hunting tag. He grabbed his loaded .357 Magnum revolver and fired out a window.

"I shot right through the glass," he said.

The first shot struck the bear in the spine and it collapsed a few feet from the door, Gurtler said.

Knowing the tenacity of bears and that he was slightly underarmed, Gurtler continued firing. He shot it five more times with the .357 and then went to another room to load a .410-caliber shotgun with slugs.

In the short time he was away from the window the bear got up and crawled away. It was too dark for a safe pursuit, so he waited until morning to give chase.

"I snuck out the door and saw the trail of blood heading away, and I looked across the river and there he was, still alive," Gurtler said.

He cautiously approached and shot the bear four more times with the .357 and twice with the shotgun. Gurtler said he was amazed at the tenacity of the animal given its condition.

"He was skin and bones, no fat on him at all," Gurtler said. The condition of the bear's teeth indicated it was an aged animal.

Last week he brought the bear's hide and skull to the Department of Fish and Game office in Fairbanks to have it sealed. Biologist Harry Reynolds said the bear likely was in its mid-20s - old for a male grizzly. Its molars were worn smooth at the gumline and three of its long canine teeth had been broken off and worn like old weathered stumps.

Reynolds said the bear's condition may have caused it to forgo hibernation, toss aside any fear of humans and seek easy meals at cabins.