Hello from Munsey’s Bear Camp. I love my job. Each morning during our summer trips, I sit on our dock for a few minutes and gather myself before heading out to our boat. I think about the day and imagine what we will see or catch. I have a good imagination, but it rarely matches nature’s magic. No two days are alike.
We were thrilled to have Marcia Messier join us again this summer to cook her delightful meals and excellent soups. Anna McMurchy joined our team as the camp helper.
Our summer began beautiful and sunny on July 15th with the arrival of Zach and Rachel
Culbertson and their children, Eli, Charlie, and Camille, all from Virginia. This active group started our summer off right. They helped boost our energy to prepare us for a long season with few breaks. The children waved at the funny sea otters and enjoyed watching the colorful puffins. The kids loved catching pink salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and the family enjoyed sitting on the bank of a river, watching bears. One bear seemed comfortable with their presence and stretched out near them in the stream to cool down on a hot, sunny day.
On July 20th, we greeted our friends, George Havice and Jeff Geist, both from Kansas. We were also happy to welcome back Russ Duncan and his wife, Marilyn, from Washington state.This group experienced an abrupt change in weather and battled rain and wind for the first three-and-a-half days of their stay. They did not let the
weather dampen their spirits, though. They enjoyed salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, and on a day when the wind forced us into a small cove, they saw bears, deer, and a fox on the beach. Finally,the wind calmed on their last full day, and they enjoyed good halibut fishing.
On July 25th, Paul and Pat Dunn, Steve and Cindy Erickson, Leah Dunn, and Dave Baker, all from Washington state, arrived. On their first morning, Dave brought a big halibut up to the boat and then watched in horror as it swam under the boat and cut the line. Leah caught a 62-lb. halibut the following day, and Steve landed a 55 pounder. In Brown’s Lagoon, this group caught twenty salmon and six Dolly Varden, and on another day, most of the group watched a large male bear eat a fish in front of them, while Dave enjoyed the thrill of catching halibut in shallow water.
On August 1st, we were happy to welcome back Bob and Sandy Comstock from
California. Their son, Bob, and his partner, Julian Fisher, joined them. On their first afternoon, this group saw puffins, eagles, sea otters, seals, a bear walking the beach, and another bear climbing a cliff. Bob Sr. joined our halibut club (40 lbs. and over) with a 55 lb. halibut and a 40 pounder. Sandy, Bob Jr., and Julian caught salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and during a summer when we saw only a few large whales, this group enjoyed the thrill of watching two giant fin whales.
On August 6th, we were excited to welcome back Paul and Polly Neldner from Colorado. They were last here 14 years ago! Steve Frank and Judy Holden from Florida joined the Neldners. Nature always surprises me, and 
during this stormy week, we experienced a wildlife moment that I am sure none of us will ever forget. Soon after we left our mooring one morning, we encountered killer whales. And watched in horrid fascination as the orcas tortured and ate a minke whale. Here is the link to my video: https://vimeo.com/597907562. Judy and Steve caught their limit of halibut one afternoon, while Paul decided to try for the camp skate record, hauling up ten of the heavy fish. Beautiful weather finally prevailed on this group’s last day. While the rest of the group watched bears, Judy persevered until she caught a 40 lb. halibut and joined our club.
On August 11th, we happily welcomed back Doug Hihn and Kathryn McCormick, who
brought their friends, Peter Kozak and Gearin Broderick, all from South Carolina. We also greeted Gary and Linda Litzenberger from Missouri. This group spent two afternoons sitting on a riverbank watching bears fish and interact. They laughed while two young bears batted each other and played on a log, and the cameras whirred when the bears stood on their hind legs and boxed. Linda and Kathryn caught the first two silver salmon of the season, and two days later, Pete and Doug also caught silvers.
On August 16th, we were excited to welcome back Dave and Pam Slaughter from Colorado. 
Dave’s brother, Darien, and his wife, La Nee, from Louisiana, and Dave’s sister, Dana, and her partner, John Mitchell, from Texas accompanied Pam and Dave. This group enjoyed a great day of bear viewing. They saw a sow with one cub, a sow with two cubs, and a sow with three cubs. Everyone in this group caught halibut, but LaNee had the catch of the week when an 8-ft. salmon shark grabbed her hook and swam around the boat.
On August 21st, our fishing buddies arrived for their annual week with us. Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gene Fanucchi, Mike Saner, John Mendoza, and Howard Hancock, all from California, climbed out of the plane, ready to relax and fish. Unfortunately, Gordy couldn’t make the trip this year, but the sent his brother, Bruce Sexton, from Washington. Mike Saner wasted no time joining this year’s halibut club. He caught a 40 pounder the first afternoon and landed a 60-pound halibut three days later. Bruce, Dan, and John also joined our club, and all the guys caught nice halibut. We found the silver salmon on their last full day and finished filling their fish boxes.
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from Pennsylvania, Beth Harris from Colorado, and Patrick Rudicill from Alaska.This group was interested in bears and other wildlife, so Mike led them up a river, where they saw 29 bears. They sat and watched two bears rough-house and photographed them rolling on the ground and playing. They saw a large male bear, mothers with their cubs, curious bears, and one funny bear sprawled in the water, playing with a fish and a twig. The following day, this group watched and photographed fin whales and killer whales, and the next day they saw 23 bears.
On September 5th, we were thrilled to welcome back longtime guests and friends Tony and Karin Ross. The Rosses stayed with us for 12 days. We also greeted Mark McCaffrey and Eric Newcomb from Alaska and Steve Pelphrey from Illinois. On their first day, this group enjoyed sunny, calm weather while two young bears clumsily chased fish in front of them. The following day, a bear caught a salmon and held it up for everyone to see and photograph. He seemed to be posing for them. Several other bears fished near them, and they laughed as they watched two cubs play with and chase a fox. On a day of fishing, this group caught 23 silver (coho) salmon on a beautiful little river.
On September 10th, Brian and Allison Bloch from Kansas joined Tony and Karin.On
their first day, they saw a huge male bear stretch out in the water to cool down, and later, Mike saw the silhouette of the large bear, standing in the brush watching them. On a rainy, windy day, Brian joined our halibut club with a 55 pounder. When the storm subsided, this group hiked up a river, where they watched three family groups, including a sow and two cubs of the year. Two of the family groups fished near them, and the sows seemed to ignore each other and the humans.The Blochs and Rosses laughed at a young red fox that caught one fish after another and lined up his trophies on the bank.
Tony and Karin stayed two extra days and helped us wrap up our summer season.On a hike up a small stream, they watched and photographed a bear sleeping on a log and saw another bear take a bath in a pond. On their last morning, the sun shined, and Tony decided to get serious about fishing. At the last minute, he hauled in an 80-lb. halibut – our largest of the summer.
Can you imagine sitting behind a log on a riverbank watching a fox steal a fish from two little cubs? Nearby, mom catches salmon and ignores her babies and their new friend. I’ve been working as a guide for a long time, and I still have to pinch myself to believe I am here in the middle of this beautiful place.
Thank you, Marcia. You are wonderful, and we appreciate you. Thank you, Anna, for joining our team this summer. We had a very busy season, but you two made our lives seamless.
We thank all of our guests this summer. As I wrote this newsletter, I relived the adventures we had with each of you –from the gruesome killer whale behavior to the startling appearance of the salmon shark to the funny fox that played with the cubs — and so much more.
I am thrilled to announce the publication of our Kodiak wildlife book, filled with photos by Mike. You can purchase the book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble (online), and other booksellers. You can also buy it from me. Just drop me an email (robinbarefield76@outlook.com) if you want a signed copy.
This post with more photos will soon be online at our website www.munseysbearcamp.com. Also, check out my website at https://robinbarefield.com. -Robin