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this is Bear Newcomb's first time to Alaska. He's 19 years old. I really think it's going to impact probably the rest of his life. There's just some landscapes in the world that just seem to just grab you. It's hard to describe this place is like exotic and wild and dangerous and beautiful and just has a whole different vibe. That's what's so incredible about Planet Earth is you go different places and you bring something home with you that's unique. I'm really excited to see what bear brings home. Hey everybody, this is Clay Newcomb and the clip that you just heard is from our film Southeast Alaska Boat Based Bears that's on the Meat Eater YouTube channel. And it was. This film's about when me and my son Bear John went to southeast Alaska last spring 2025 and hunted with our friend and outfitter David Bennett's on his big old crabbing boat and shrimp and boat, the Sandpiper. It was an incredible hunt, an incredible time. And it's episode three of Meat Eaters 12 and 26. And this what you're listening to, what you're watching. So there's, there's a video of this on the Meat Eater podcast YouTube channel, but you could also listen to this on audio if you're listening to this. This is the companion podcast where we're going to give behind the scenes. And, and like I said before, there's only so much that a video can show. I mean, imagery is beautiful and powerful and you can see, but there's just so much that goes on behind the scenes. And that's what we're going to talk about today. I have with me my main sidekick, Josh Landbridge, spillmaker. And we are about to talk about this whole hunt with bear, which was really special. I mean, kind of the key features of it were first of all, Southeast Alaska, which is just a phenomenal place. I mean anybody that loves wilderness, hunting, epic landscapes, I mean, southeast Alaska, yeah. Rivals any place I've ever been on planet Earth, number one. Number two, what was cool about this film was I got to go with my, with my son bears, now 20 at the time, he was 19 years old and it was his first trip to Alaska. There, there's, I've heard somebody say it. People have said it since they saw the film. But there's a pretty famous quote about somebody saying, don't go to Alaska when you're young.

Summary

The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 868: Clay and Bear’s Alaskan Coast Black Bear Hunt | 12 in '26

Date: April 28, 2026
Host: Clay Newcomb (with guest/co-host Josh Landbridge)
Special Guests: Bear Newcomb (through stories), David Bennett (Alaskan guide, discussed)
Companion Episode for the film: "Southeast Alaska Boat Based Bears" (available on the MeatEater YouTube channel)

Episode Overview

This episode serves as an in-depth, behind-the-scenes companion to the MeatEater film "Southeast Alaska Boat Based Bears," chronicling Clay Newcomb’s Alaskan black bear hunt with his 19-year-old son, Bear John, guided by veteran Alaskan hunter David Bennett. The show explores not only the technical and physical aspects of hunting in Southeast Alaska's challenging environment but also the meaningful, intergenerational experiences and reflections that come from sharing wilderness adventures. Topics span gear used, the technicalities of Alaskan black bear hunting, primitive vs. modern weapons, wild food, lessons learned, and the thrill—and heartbreak—of the hunt.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Southeast Alaska?

Extraordinary Setting:
- “There’s just some landscapes in the world that just seem to just grab you… this place is like exotic and wild and dangerous and beautiful and just has a whole different vibe.” – Clay [02:34]
- Noted as one of the world's premier places to hunt black bear for both numbers and size (due to skull measurements).
- Bears gain size from long, productive growing seasons and abundant food, but most notably, they don’t hibernate as long as interior Alaska bears, enabling longer feeding periods.
Hunting Logistics:
- Navigating formidable tides is a constant concern; if you miss the cycle, you may be stranded for hours.
  - “If you get out of the boat and you’re gone for an hour, you could come back and your boat could be on dry land… and it might be the middle of the night before the tide comes back in.” – Clay [10:03]

2. On the Water: Wild Food & Boat Life

Crabbing & Shrimping:
- The Sandpiper, captained by David, is a commercial crabbing and shrimping vessel. Harvesting and eating spot shrimp and Dungeness crab is an indulgent (but labor-intensive) highlight of the trip ([12:17]–[16:10]).
- Strict regulations: Non-residents must report shrimp catch to Alaska Game & Fish.
Cooking on the Boat:
- Meals simple and protein-heavy, though Clay missed Southern staples: “What I realized was how critical hush puppies, french fries and coleslaw are…” – Clay [16:43]
- Propane cookers, minimal seasoning compared to gulf coast traditions.
- Memorable quote:
  - “Have you ever been to Captain D’s?... It’s almost as good as Captain D’s.” – Clay, joking about seafood quality [14:20]

3. Bowhunting with Primitive Weapons

The Self Bow:
- Clay and Bear planned to hunt with self bows they made themselves—a primitive, one-piece osage orange bow (handmade with copperhead skins and turkey feathers).
- A legal technicality: Bear couldn’t bowhunt in Alaska because he lacked a certified bowhunter education card required by state law. He used a rifle (borrowed from Giannis Patelis) instead ([19:54]–[21:04]).
Why Go Primitive?
- “Everywhere that I’ve ever bear hunted, to me the landscape… kind of dictate what kind of weapon I’m going to use.” – Clay [24:39]
- Southeast Alaska offers enough opportunity and numbers to warrant bringing primitive weaponry, but it's a challenge: 19 separate stalks before a shot presented itself.
- Clay imposed a strict 10-yard limit for shots due to expected weather and variable stalk circumstances.
Self-awareness:
- “There are times when I love to limit myself to the extreme and then there are other times when I’m like thrilled to be out there with a rifle.” – Clay [33:49]
Traditional Know-how:
- Bow details: Bear’s bow was 50 lbs—“just about the right weight” for black bear.

4. Stalks, Strategies, and Struggles

Stalking in Alaska:
- The terrain and environment made closing from 50 yards to within 10 yards uniquely hard. The abundance of rain, noise, wind variance, and bear sensitivity to sound made boots and gear critical ([63:43]–[64:13]).
Key Tactic:
- “Volume is what [guide David Bennett] finds that kills bears. He would rather you get out of the boat and just do the boldest move possible….” – Clay [66:20]
The Emotional Rollercoaster:
- 21 stalks over 6 hunting days. Multiple near-misses. One shot taken at close range (10 yards) ended with a nonlethal hit to a bear’s shoulder, a major letdown for Clay.
- “It’s a bummer to hit a bear and not recover it, but my hunt’s over. Such is the drama of the self bow.” – Clay [72:19]

5. Traditional Skills & Reflection

Flint Napped Knives:
- Bear skinned his bear with stone tools for a primitive/ancestral experience: “If all you had was a flint knife and a way to sharpen it, you could skin any animal in North America.” – Clay [47:00]
Artifacts at Home:
- Clay finds ancient stone points in his mule pasture in Arkansas—“Evidence of ancient bow hunting right here…” [49:21]

6. Wild Encounters & Natural Wonders

Whale Carcass:
- They encountered a beached humpback skeleton, with bear, wolves, and eagles scavenging it for over a year. Memory of its stench and the scale of its bones lingered. [51:07]
- Memorable quote: “Bear didn’t believe in whales. He had to see one first before he believed it.” – Clay [50:39]
Humpback Sightings:
- Humpbacks appeared daily, sometimes popping up fifty yards from the boat.

7. Meat Recovery & Legalities

Getting Meat Home:
- Meat was kept in a commercial freezer, packed in ice chests, and shipped via local seafood transporters to Arkansas ([44:48]–[45:16]).
- “You can also check a cooler, you know, duct tape the cooler… it’s not cheap.” – Clay [45:24]
Bear Aging:
- “That bear was 15 years old. Somebody made a good comment. They were like Bear and that bear were almost the same age.” – Clay [41:45]
- The process of aging via cementum annuli (growth rings in teeth).

8. Hunting Ethics & Hard Lessons

The Missed Recovery:
- The bear Clay hit with a self bow was eventually found by another hunter who recovered the embedded broadhead weeks later—a moment of bittersweet closure ([78:19]–[78:41]).
- “You don’t want an animal running around with the broadhead.” – Clay [79:03]
- Legally/in good conscience: drawing blood tags out the license.
On Carrying Firearms:
- Not the norm for black bear bowhunters to carry backup firearms; more common and advisable in grizzly country ([79:50]–[80:31]).
On Failure and Skill:
- Clay’s humility in admitting the hunt was harder than expected, lessons learned, the value of bold stalks, and the difficulties of interpreting bear anatomy versus deer at the moment of truth.

9. Family Reflections

Hunting with Bear:
- Deeply proud to share this experience with his son and observe Bear’s passion develop organically: “Of the kids, [Bear] is the one who’s kind of taking it the furthest so far, you know.” – Clay [50:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Emotional Impact of Wild Alaska:
- “It’s hard to describe this place is like exotic and wild and dangerous and beautiful and just has a whole different vibe… I’m really excited to see what Bear brings home.” – Clay [02:34]
On the Danger of the Sea:
- “If we went down right now, would we survive? And everybody’s like, no, you’re dead.” – Clay [11:13]
On Traditional Bowmaking:
- “Osage orange is the king of North American wood for making bows. This is the most primitive archery tool.” – Clay [18:14]
On Bear’s Big Moment:
- “I don’t think I’ve ever shot a bear in such a pretty place… That was one of them.” – Clay [39:16]
- “Bear and that bear were almost the same age.” – Clay [42:35]
On Primitive Skills:
- “If all you had was a flint knife and a way to sharpen it, you could skin any animal in North America. People have been doing that for longer than we had steel… It’s pretty kind of a neat idea.” – Clay [47:00]
On Limiting Himself as a Hunter:
- “I knew in Southeast Alaska I would have a lot of opportunity and I just felt like it would be the place to get really close to bears. Yeah, and I wanted to.” – Clay [32:11]
On the Thrill and Uncertainty in Stalking:
- “21 different stalks… after over the course of how many days?… Eight days. Well Bear bear hunted kind of two days, so really six days. Okay, seven days.” – [63:15]–[63:22]
On Missing the Shot:
- “It’s a bummer to hit a bear and not recover it, but my hunt’s over. Such is the drama of the self bow.” – Clay [72:19]
On Ancient Connections:
- “Evidence of ancient bow hunting right here, where we’re recording this podcast.” – Clay [49:21]
On Daily Motivation:
- “Success in hunting is all about just going.” — Clay [26:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

Setting the Scene – Alaska’s Draw: [02:34]–[06:52]
Tide and Travel Challenges: [08:59]–[11:51]
Seafood Harvest & Cooking: [12:17]–[17:00]
Self Bow Story & Technicalities: [18:14]–[21:16]
Why Go Primitive?: [24:10]–[26:09], [32:11]–[34:00]
Hunting Tactics and Stalking: [35:00]–[36:09], [62:10], [63:15]
Primitive Tools on the Bear: [45:45]–[48:44]
Failed & Successful Stalks: [54:41], [70:07]–[72:19]
On Bear Aging and Skull Sizing: [41:39]–[44:23]
Transporting Meat Home: [44:48]–[45:24]
Reflections on Family and Passing It Down: [50:00]
Ethics, Regulations, and Wounding: [81:42]–[82:17]

Lessons, Takeaways & Audience Questions

Hunting Drama Is Real: Even experienced hunters encounter setbacks—wind, noise, rain, and target anatomy all present unique challenges. Humility is key.
Alaska Tactics Differ: Volume and boldness trump meticulous, slow crawling in this setting.
- “Do the boldest move possible. And if it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” – Clay (quoting David Bennett) [66:32]
Primitive Techniques Remind Us Where We Came From: Flint knives, self bows, and ancient arrowheads connect today’s hunter to thousands of years of human experience.
Family is the Heartbeat: The joy of watching Bear succeed organically—without pressure, living out his own passion.
Hunting Is Not Just the Kill: The process, wild food, the struggle, the setting, and personal growth all matter as much as, or more than, the success of the harvest.

Recommended Viewing

Watch the companion film "Southeast Alaska Boat Based Bears" on the MeatEater YouTube channel for visuals of the hunt, the landscape, and memorable stalks and close calls.

Final Reflection: This episode is a candid exploration of the raw reality behind wilderness hunting: the glory and disappointment, ancient skills and modern logistics, and the bonds forged through wild adventures that span generations. Clay’s humility, humor, and thoughtful storytelling blend for a rich and honest account—equal parts tradition, challenge, and awe for wild Alaska.