Alaska Outdoors Forums - Alaska Hunting http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/ en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:23:12 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/images/misc/rss.png Alaska Outdoors Forums - Alaska Hunting http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/ Be Aware-Koyokuk http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86519-Be-Aware-Koyokuk?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:26:16 GMT I have 2 boat load of friends hunting up there now. Yesterday while traveling separately above the 3 day slough one boat was was flagged down by some... I have 2 boat load of friends hunting up there now. Yesterday while traveling separately above the 3 day slough one boat was was flagged down by some locals. When he stopped to see if they had a problem the locals demanded he pull his boat to the beach. He said he was meeting his hunting buddies and took off. When the other partner came up river he didn't see the locals until they pulled right up to his gunnel like they were gonna to try and board his boat at 25 mph. He pulled away and took off. Don't know what is going on with that aggressive action. But with a lot of hunters traveling with guns and beer things could get out of hand. They contacted me by sat phone and I have been trying to get hold of the troopers but Fairbanks said nobody is available until Mon morning. If you are headed that way you might have to keep an eye on your camp. I have been hunting up there since. 1991 and have not had any probs yet. But I haven't run in to that kind of welcome yet. ]]> Alaska Hunting tomfishhunter http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86519-Be-Aware-Koyokuk Willow creek brown bear, possible poaching? http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86517-Willow-creek-brown-bear-possible-poaching?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:50:11 GMT I hear from a good source, who seen the dead bear but didn't get boat info or anything for whatever reason. These yahoos were in an airboat. Had a dead brown bear hide, were drinking Fosters beer in the big cans. My source was chatting them up, and they started bragging it was the 4th brown bear they had taken in two months or shorter. They then said, tried to claim anyways, "they had predator permits" My source not being hunters, new they were trying to cover the butts with that story. The three of them all said they were poachers.

I will try and get more info, boat discription and such. Just getting it out there for now to have all you guys keep an eye open. The "poachers" claimed they are trying to help out the moose. Well in an 1 bear every four years area, I don't think there is predator controll area in there, I know there isn't!! Possible they had taken buddies out to get the 4 total. According to the story, it was just those two guys. Anyone have any info or see anything up that way? ]]> Alaska Hunting akrstabout http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86517-Willow-creek-brown-bear-possible-poaching 3 big bulls from the Brooks. http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86514-3-big-bulls-from-the-Brooks.?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:24:16 GMT Attachment 38585 (http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38585)Attachment 38584... Attachment 38585Attachment 38584

The dark one is double shovel.
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]]> Alaska Hunting LungShot http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86514-3-big-bulls-from-the-Brooks. any reports out of kotzebue http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86505-any-reports-out-of-kotzebue?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:57:50 GMT heading up that way in Sept, just wondering how its been up that way for caribou heading up that way in Sept, just wondering how its been up that way for caribou ]]> Alaska Hunting summitx http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86505-any-reports-out-of-kotzebue Little Double Drop Tine Moose http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86503-Little-Double-Drop-Tine-Moose?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:51:54 GMT So as I mentioned in another thread I have hit the ground running with hunting season ever since I got off work on the 18th of August. That... So as I mentioned in another thread I have hit the ground running with hunting season ever since I got off work on the 18th of August.

That evening I got off work we packed in a whirlwind and drove north to try to take advantage of the extended season in unit 13.

Morning of the 19th Becca and I wheelered in to an area our family has hunted for around 20 years. We quickly set up camp and spent the rest of the pleasant afternoon glassing a bunch of caribou and seeing a few cow moose here and there. That evening we met up with some family friends that we have hunted the area with for roughly the last 20 years: A couple that are my parents’ age as well as their oldest son (my age) and his wife, along with their two children (22 month old girl and 5 month old boy). As you can imagine two little ones out camping can be a handful so we helped them setup to giant Cabelas Alaknak with the wood stove to help keep the munchkins in a happy state of comfort.

While we had just began to help unload the wheelers and trailers our friends had brought, someone spotted a decent sized grizzly bear about 3/4 of a mile away. So the guys (not being ones to miss out on a chance to avoid camp setup when there are bears to be hunted) decided to go after it. So the stalk was on. Soon we were about 220 yards away but the bear never offered a good shot and went up over a bluff. We climbed the bluff and walked around quietly for about 20 minutes looking over the dense brush covered area to find nothing. Thinking the bear had winded us and was long gone we figured there was no hurt in blowing on the predator call for a little bit to see what would happen.

After about 20 seconds of rabbit squealing my buddy saw the bear stand up on his hind legs about 180 yards away in the tall brush. All you could see was from the shoulders up. We froze in place. Let the bear go back to all fours in the brush and they readjusted their shooting sticks now that they knew where the bear was located and I with video camera in hand began rolling. :D

Once again blowing on the predator call this time only took about 10 seconds and the bear was up on its hind legs again. Now I was just waiting to see which rifle was going to bark first, my buddies Browning 375 H&H or his dad's Ruger 300 Win Mag., as they both were drawing a bead on the bear now. BOOM!! The bear was now out of sight but not before we heard the tell tell sign of a thwack of a 300 grain Barnes from the 375 balled up the bear on impact. Apparently the son was just a hair quicker than the old man in this case. The video isn't the greatest as I didn't get zoomed in like I would have liked but such is life. After a bit of anxious alder searching for the bear we recovered it right where it was shot. It was a nice 7.5' interior grizz.with the longest white claws I have ever seen. We skinned it out in a hurry and headed back to camp to finish setting up the tents as darkness would come soon and the little ones needed a place to crash after the long day.

After camp was set the 6 of us adults sat up and reminisced about different animals taken in different parts of the country we were currently looking out over from the campfire. We also recalled some of the funny follies and stories we remembered from years of bringing 5-10 year olds out hunting year after year and the trials and tribulations that can at times occur which us "kids" could only now begin to fully understand what an undertaking that was.

The next morning Becca and I planned to sleep in a little as I was still just home for only 18 hours at this point and was looking down the barrel at 5 full weeks of hunting so an extra few hours of sleep one morning wouldn’t make or break the season. Around 6 AM we heard a couple wheelers leave camp. Around 7:30 we got up and made our way over to the big tent to see who got stuck with “baby duty”. Turns out Dad was on tower while Mom left the little ones at camp to go hunting that morning.

Shortly after doing a bit of glassing from camp we heard a few shots in the distance and about 45 minutes later Mom came back into camp just in enough time, as the 5 month old boy was ready to feed at this point and was letting us 3 know all about it though was little any of us could do. She also said that they had a big moose (turns out it was 59”) down and they needed a little more muscle to skin it out.

So off went my buddie (Dad), Becca, and myself to go help butcher up the moose. The weather was great soon and the moose was hanging in the shade of a couple spruce trees in white bags. We went back to camp and I decided to take a mid-day siesta during the heat of the day. I know it sounds like I sleep through all of hunting season ;) Around 3 PM I was back up and Becca and I decided to head back to another side of the mountain to look over an area the now “grandpa” said he saw a couple small bull moose at this morning before taking the large moose.

Around 6 PM a nice dark colored grizz emerged from the alders and begin feeding on the bumper crop of blue berries out there which allowed for some entertainment through the spotter for the next couple hours while we waited to things to cool and the animals to stand up.

Try as I might to convince Becca that we needed to go after this bear she kept being logical which was annoying as heck. “Hun, we need to take out this bear to save the moose.” “No, we don’t need another $1K in taxidermy bills and bears don’t taste nearly as good as moose so lets look for those little bulls.” Well as often is the case she was right……again.

Just before 8 PM we started seeing moose down in the trees in the swamp below about 1.25 miles out. After some looking over with the spotter I found a small bull. Man, it sure looked like a 3 point by 4 point bull through the spotter at this distance which is obviously just too big to be in the spike/fork category. “Oh well, likely won’t see too much else tonight anyways”, I told Becca so we began hiking that way for a closer look.

Now down in the brush its obviously harder to find the moose, but after 20 minutes of sneaking around through where we last saw the moose we finally saw a cow, and then another, and then the little bull, all within 150 yards. A quick look through the binos confirmed what I knew from 1.25 miles ago through the spotter: 4 points on one side a 3 points on the other, though the 3 (middle point) was a case of being close to not being longer than it was wide, however the hunting season was still VERY earlier and there is no need to push the issue. So instead I took the opportunity to help Becca indentify a legal bull by looking this guy over a good deal and explaining what a bull needs to look like in order to be legal and why this guy didn’t fit the bill.

During the process of getting the little bull to look our way to get good looks at his antlers at 80 or so yards, I would occasionally cow call. While we were looking over the little bull I peeked over my shoulder and lo and behold another little bull was less than 100 yards directly behind us looking a little confused at the weird looking cow making all the noise. :D Being as Becca had drawn a coveted valley cow tag I was the designated shooter. A quick look at his little antlers through the binos showed 3 points and a brow tine (4 total) on his left antler and…….what the heck is THAT on his right?!?! I could only make out one point through the binos but knew beyond a doubt there were no more than two points on his obviously strange looking right antler.

Now that it was confirmed the bull was indeed a legal begal it was game on. We did a bit of a dance through the scrub swamp spruce until he was broadside and two quick pops with the little Kimber Montana in .308 and it dropped with lights out at 200 yards.

Walking up to the moose we found the moose died how they always seem to, with the non-legal side in the air and the legal side dug into the ground. I picked up his head and saw the funkiest looking forked antler I have ever seen. Both points came out and pointed downward. I dubbed him my “double drop tine” moose.

I had dropped him at 9:30 PM so after a few quick pics we got the moose into position to begin butchering (man those spike fork moose are so much handier to maneuver than a big 50+” moose especially when its just you and your wife out there and its getting dark quick.) A little over an hour after putting the little havalon knife to work we had the 4 quarters off and the guts out and the hide off the moose.

Now began the 1.25 mile hike back to the wheeler in the dark with just one headlamp, but actually learning from past experiences I have began marking where we leave the wheeler on the GPS prior to going after an animal so late in the day. This came in handy, as it was pitch black and even with a headlamp didn’t see it until the GPS said we were 44 ft away.

We rode back to camp that night for a midnight din din and went to sleep. The next morning we strolled over to our friends’ camp and told them the story as they were unaware of when we had come in the previous night and just assumed they didn’t hear us come by. However, it is not surprising that they didn’t hit the little .308 chirp given the distance and terrain between the moose and their camp. We made a plan to run both moose and the bear hide out to the road that day while the girls wanted to stay back and pick berries (including the 22 month old girl that decided that eating them was MUCH more fun than actually putting them in her bucket).

That night was another fun time spent with more stories and reminiscing around the campfire with great friends and family. The next morning we packed up camp and headed back home with plenty of meat to put in the freezer to take the pressure off the rest of the season. ]]> Alaska Hunting Alaska_Lanche http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86503-Little-Double-Drop-Tine-Moose Zero - zero http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86502-Zero-zero?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:57:04 GMT If that camp or spike camp can't be found in zero-zero conditions -blinding snow storm or other horrible conditions - it is in the WRONG location. Probably even more critical at this time of year, when the "beautiful" CVU conditions, that in less than a hour may deteriorate into a two or three day snow storm.
Joe (Ak) ]]> Alaska Hunting wantj43 http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86502-Zero-zero 2010 Fall Bear thread http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86495-2010-Fall-Bear-thread?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:26:31 GMT Well, I didn't get my bear this spring so I'm going to try and get one this fall. My plan is to hike some trails on the Kenai and in the Chugach to get above tree line and then just sit tight and glass. I'm also considering trying some of the archery registration hunts in the Anchorage area.

Anyone else trying the same and want to share any info? I'm 100% on foot or via truck. Any advice for me? ]]> Alaska Hunting MNViking http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86495-2010-Fall-Bear-thread I met a nice guy on a trail, that talked to much. http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86486-I-met-a-nice-guy-on-a-trail-that-talked-to-much.?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:38:54 GMT I was coming back from trying to cross a swamp that I decided was too wet and met a guy on the main trail, that was headed into his hunting spot and... I was coming back from trying to cross a swamp that I decided was too wet and met a guy on the main trail, that was headed into his hunting spot and I pulled over to let him pass. He stops to talked, he tells me where he is hunting (miles from trail head), method of hunting, the 47 inch bull he called in two days ago, the 57 inch bull he shot last year and all the moose a friend with a plane sees when he fly’s over.

After he tells me everything, I could not stand it and said, “Why are you telling me all this? You have no idea who I am. I could be some guy who tells everything on a hunting forum or at work and you going to find your area over run with hunters. Nice guy “I thought you were a local” RM “Why would tell a local? We went back and forth several times; I do not believe I got my message across to him. I hope I did because if not he can kiss his area, good buy.

I have seen this several times in the passed, most people do not give as much details. My question to all of you; Why, do you tell co-workers, and strangers where you hunt? ]]> Alaska Hunting Rutting Moose http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86486-I-met-a-nice-guy-on-a-trail-that-talked-to-much. petersburg moose hunt http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86483-petersburg-moose-hunt?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:08:58 GMT My friends brother has a cabin up in the petersburg area and either of us have ever hunted the area or even know much about it. Anyone know much... My friends brother has a cabin up in the petersburg area and either of us have ever hunted the area or even know much about it. Anyone know much about hunting the area? ]]> Alaska Hunting buckkunz http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86483-petersburg-moose-hunt Bug Proof Camo: What do you use? http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86481-Bug-Proof-Camo-What-do-you-use?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:44:51 GMT I'm going to be purchasing a set of bug-proof camo, and I was just wondering what you all use and recommend. I've heard good things about Shannon Bug Tamer, and the Cabelas brand suits also seem to get good reviews (at a MUCH cheaper price). Any reason to spend the extra for the Shannon?

RW ]]> Alaska Hunting HereDuckyDucky http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86481-Bug-Proof-Camo-What-do-you-use European mount for Caribou http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86474-European-mount-for-Caribou?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:23:15 GMT I wanted to do a european mount for my caribou I got but after looking what the taxidermists want ($250-300) they can forget it. Has anyone done them... I wanted to do a european mount for my caribou I got but after looking what the taxidermists want ($250-300) they can forget it. Has anyone done them themselves? Or knows of a cheap alternative? ]]> Alaska Hunting mossyhorn http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86474-European-mount-for-Caribou AO12 arctic oven http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86469-AO12-arctic-oven?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:21:58 GMT Yesterday I received a new AO12 arctic oven with built in vestibule.WOW this is a bad ***** tent.The kids and I sleep in it last night in the back... Yesterday I received a new AO12 arctic oven with built in vestibule.WOW this is a bad ***** tent.The kids and I sleep in it last night in the back yard and prayed for wind and rain all night.The new vestibule has lots of guy outs so I think it will be fine in high winds.:topjob: ]]> Alaska Hunting elim http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86469-AO12-arctic-oven Last minute moose partner http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86467-Last-minute-moose-partner?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:10:19 GMT I am posting this for my friend. Call him for more details. I am looking for a moose hunting partner for the 7-10 of Sept for the Chugach State... I am posting this for my friend. Call him for more details.

I am looking for a moose hunting partner for the 7-10 of Sept for the Chugach State Park. I was planning this as a solo hunt but my wife has other ideas. If you are interested or have any questions, please call me at 907-854-9053. Thank you
Josh ]]> Alaska Hunting mntransplant http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86467-Last-minute-moose-partner Worth bringing the rifle? http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86462-Worth-bringing-the-rifle?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:59:32 GMT Weather permitting me and a few buddies are planning on day-hiking the Russian Lakes trail this next week from Cooper to the Russian. Would it be... Weather permitting me and a few buddies are planning on day-hiking the Russian Lakes trail this next week from Cooper to the Russian. Would it be worthwhile to bring the rifle along in case we see a black bear along the trail? I'll be bringing the shotgun regardless as I know this is grizz country, but if the opportunity to see a black bear is high would be happy to trade it in the for .338

Thanks for any help y'all can give!


Jon ]]> Alaska Hunting akhunter3 http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86462-Worth-bringing-the-rifle DCUA Dall Sheep Success!! http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/86460-DCUA-Dall-Sheep-Success!!?goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:41:23 GMT After 13 years of unsuccessful applications for permits here in AK for any species I was at the Anchorage Sportsman’s Show this spring knowing... After 13 years of unsuccessful applications for permits here in AK for any species I was at the Anchorage Sportsman’s Show this spring knowing permits were due out but thinking to myself, “another year of donating to Fish & Game”. My buddy Craig called me and gave me the good news. I finally had broken the code and drawn my first AK permit, Dall Sheep in the Delta Controlled Use Area (DCUA). I drew the non-motorized hunt. I knew if I had any chance of success, I had better start getting into better shape so I could do my part. My first order of business was to call my buddy Garrett to see if his offer of accompanying me on the hunt when the day came still stood. He works on the slope and had to do a bit of rearranging of his schedule but we were on for the hunt. Garrett had been into the area as a permit holder a couple of times over the years and also accompanied a couple of other friends on their hunts over the years so he was pretty familiar with the area. This was my first real sheep hunt and I was more than excited to get going. I spent my summer hiking, running and lifting weights as often as I could. I had a nagging case of tendonitis in my elbow which caused me some concern. A quick trip to the Doc and a cortisone shot later and we were back in business.
We departed Wasilla on Sunday afternoon of the 8th of August and spent the night at the trailhead near Delta Junction. Monday morning the 9th was rainy and windy, typical Delta weather. I had plenty of anxiety and butterflies as we stepped off with heavy packs. My pack was full on the way in and I kept asking myself, how am I going to fit half of a sheep in here for the trip out….. The hike in was approximately 10 hours before we got to the base of the mountain we had to climb to access the glacier valley we were going to hunt. The weather was turning bad so we pitched tents and ate a hot mountain house just in time before the winds picked up. It was gusting off the glacier and would go from 0 to approximately 50 mph every couple of minutes. I thought for sure my new MSR Hubba Hubba tent was coming down but it held through the night. A bent pole was the only damage the next morning and a quick fix with the repair sleeve and we were on our way. We spent opening day hiking up into the glacial valley and glassing for rams. Lots of scree, gravel and loose rocks. More than once I wondered if I was every going to get to the top and actually see rams. Once we finally made it to the top and looked down into the valley we spotted a tent further down the creek so knew we were in the area we would hunt. I would never drop in on top of another hunter. There was more than enough real estate and sheep to keep us all busy. We dropped our packs on the top of the ridge and spent a couple hours glassing our side of the glacier. The weather was still pretty typical for the area, windy, rainy and some sleet. As we grabbed our packs before dark and started looking for a camping spot we heard a very loud booming sound-thunder, followed by some bolts of lightning. Here we are at 6,000 feet in the middle of a thunderstorm, complete with lightening. We grabbed our gear and bailed off the lip of that ridge as fast as we could go without falling and getting injured. We were carrying “lightening rod” rifle barrels and trekking poles and wanted nothing more than to “not be the highest point on the hill”. We moved 1500 feet or so down the ridge and carved out a couple spots on the hillside to pitch our tents.
The morning of the 11th found us trying to glass through some light fog and clouds. We finally spotted a nice ram on the other side of the glacier. It was about 10 AM so we knew we had to hurry to have any chance at this guy before dark. It was a 4 hour hike to get down the hill, across the glacier and up the other side to get to the bowl where we had spotted the ram. The wind was whipping straight down the valley off the glacier. We could not detect any wind once we got up in the bowl. The ram however winded us and after 30 minutes of glassing, he appeared out of nowhere and was walking up the back of the bowl headed toward the top-and safety. We were able to get the spotter on him as he moved out. One look at Garrett’s eyes told the story. He said it was probably the biggest ram he’d ever seen. Oh well, I was not going to take a shot at over 500 yards on day 2. We headed back to camp and were eating hot chow and glassing for sheep as darkness set in.
Thursday the 12th started off with great weather. We were able to glass right away at daylight and found 2 potentially legal rams right away. We inhaled coffee and oatmeal, grabbed only what we would need for the day and set off. The trip down the hill was loads of fun. Loose scree and a very steep slope required intense concentration so we didn’t break our necks. I managed to hit a patch of scree that gave way which spun me around and down I went. Tore my left knee up pretty good and shredded my Sitka Pants. I stopped long enough to rinse the cuts with some water and do a quick patch job on my pants with some duct tape. Garrett commented that I “looked like a real sheep hunter now”…. We negotiated the mud and rocks on the lower part of the glacier and found our way across to the far side. We had few options to climb up the other side because of the steepness of the terrain. We climbed up a creek which offered our only footing in the rocks of the creek bed. We were down wind of the rams we had spotted which made our approach go a little quicker. We soon found a spot to drop packs and get a look at the rams at about 1pm. They had moved up several hundred yards into the rocks from the time we glassed them at first light and were able to get in place. They were truly magnificent watching them sleep on their rocky perch, safe from anything-including hunters. We played the waiting game knowing that if we tried to make a move on the rams, that the two other sublegal rams in the bowl would bust us and everyone would be leaving the bowl, leaving us with no option but to wait. Four hours ticked by as we tried to stay warm and out of the wind. Garrett and I both made several trips further down the valley out of sight to do some walking and stretching to stay warm. Finally at 6pm the rams promptly got up from their naps-and fed out of sight. I knew this was our best chance at a sheep and my hunt was quickly drawing to a close. We had to hike out on Friday the 13th as Garrett had to return to work on the slope. I was very grateful that he had take time off to help me out so I was prepared to go home without a ram. Garrett later told me he could see the disappointment in my eyes as we contemplated what to do next. While we discussed our options a sheep stood up high in the bowl that we had not seen previously. A quick look with the glass and we realized he had potential. I put the rangefinder on him, still 500 yards away and moving pretty slowly our way. Daylight was our number one factor as to whether or not we had a chance. Garrett kept the glass on him and finally declared “he’s legal”. Since I was the shooter, I took a look and had to be sure for myself. He finally gave me the angle I needed and I too was sure he was a legal ram. The ram started staring towards our side of the bowl indicating he was going to make a move towards us. He made up his mind and in a short time was on our side but further up in the bowl. Once he was out of sight, we grabbed rifles and off we went keeping terrain between us and the ram. We closed the distance in a couple short minutes, stopped to catch our breath before showing ourselves. Garrett shouted out that he was 230 yards as he ranged him. The ram knew we were there and was getting a bit antsy. I moved a few yards up into the rocks, dropped down and quickly took the broadside shot. The .270 Wby loaded with 160 grain Nosler Partitions did the job in short order. The ram tumbled approx 40 yards down the hill before getting wedged in some rocks. It was over just that quick. A flood of emotions overcame me as a lifelong dream had just come true. I knew we had a lot of work left to do but I was going to do whatever I had to in order to get my ram and ourselves off the mountain.
After some back slapping and pictures we caped and quartered the ram. He taped out at 38” on the right side and a broomed 35” on the right. Bases were 13”. I was elated. It was the first ram I had taken much less caped. We worked quickly on the side of the mountain as light faded. We got the ram into packs and headed off the hill and down the side of the valley. We quickly ran out of daylight and had to spend the night on the side of the glacier. If you ever have the chance to spend the night in an emergency bivy sack made of foil-don’t! It was a bit chilly and it rained most of the night. I felt like a turkey in a roaster oven bag! We were up the next morning thankful that we did not have any furry visitors during the night. We stepped off at 4:30 AM headed back across the muddy slurry of glacial sludge and up approx 3,000 feet back to camp. We arrived back at camp and quickly finished caping out the head of my ram and taking down tents etc. A hot meal and we stepped off at noon with really heavy packs now that tents and sleeping bags etc. had been added. I was grateful to have a Barney’s Pack on my back. I could not imagine carrying that much weight with a different pack.
I tried to convince myself that we only had a few hours to go and we could drop the tailgate of my truck and drop these extremely heavy packs. Yeah, I had to keep reminding myself of that over and over during the grueling 12 hour hike back down the trail. We made several creek crossings and during one such crossing Garrett’s feet got tangled up and down he went in the creek. Now we were in more of a hurry to get off the trail and into dry clothes. We pushed hard as darkness approached. I had not done a very good job of eating towards the end of the day. I had stopped to rest for a minute, trying to get the weight of the pack off my shoulders for a minute when I got dizzy and down I went face first into the rocks. I remember my trekking poles being under me and the sound of grinding rocks. I wondered why the rocks were so close to my face. I finally regained my senses and realized I had passed out and was now face down in the rocks. I struggled back to my feet and wiped the blood off my busted eyebrow and cheekbone. We pushed on, completed the trek by headlamp and were very elated to drop our packs for the final time.
I told myself that I would not celebrate until we were safely out of the mountains with my ram. Well that time finally came and emotions ran high. A dream finally come true and I had a great story to share with family and friends. We celebrated with a couple of cold beers and a hot meal before getting some sleep in the truck. We were up early on Saturday the 14th and made the drive home.
I learned a lot during this trip and only a small part of that was about sheep hunting. I am a retired Marine who spent 20 years in the Corps and this was by far more physically grueling than any mission I undertook in the Corps. I pushed myself beyond what I thought were my physical and emotional limits. We endured rain, high winds, thunder and lightning, sleet and the terrain. I now know that I can accomplish more than I thought I could thanks to my goal of a Dall Ram and my good friend Garrett. I cannot thank Garrett enough for everything he’s done to help me to fulfill this dream. He endured the same pain and discomforts, just to help a buddy. Thanks Garrett!
I’m sorry this is such a long story but after reading successful stories from all the members on the forum over the years, it is nice to finally write my own story.



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