Over 50'S crowd ?

[Longhunter7]

Hello,It might be nice to know how many senior gent"s, those over fifty, backpack alone, or fly in and hunt alone in Alaska. Are you out there? Or is it a young man"s sport? Please have pitty on us old folks. Thanks in advance. Bill.

 

[Casper50]

I've been on one solo fly in drop off. I plan to do a DC001 both with someone and on my own when the schedules conflict.

 

[twodux]

52

52

I'm 52 and do a lot of solo deer hunts. Once in a while a solo moose hunt. Would still consider a solo goat hunt.

I don't neccesarily set out to hunt solo, but if I can't find someone to go and I'm in the mood I go. I do enjoy myself when I'm off by myself tho. Even when I deer hunt with my fave partner, we usually go in opposite directions so it's almost like hunting solo. You just have a guy there who knows if you don't make it back to the boat. And once in a while you get lucky and he's in the area to help you on the pack out.

 

[Snowwolfe]

53 for me. My son or wife usually hunts with me but I have been on a few solo's as well. I have not been sheep hunting for years but we usually spend 8-10 days in a tent on Kodiak every winter. Walking 5 miles a day helps keep me young.

 

[Michigan]

Longhunter7,

My husband is leaving this Wednesday, heading up towards the Brooks Range.He plans on being out in the Brooks Range for approximately 16 days .. all alone. He is 51. He has done this trip twice before. The last time being over 18 yrs. ago.

I have my reservations about this, but apparently this is done quite often.

I am still working on him .. to take along a satellite phone with him. (Of course, this is more for me, than him.) ;-)

Michigan

 

[Longhunter7]

Hi, Michigan hope he has a good time. He should take a sat. phone with him. My wife would want me too also. Bill.

 

[rainydayhunter]

older hunters

older hunters

I don't know how old one has to be before he considers himself old. I'm just 63. One of my hunting buddies will soon be 68. I've got hunting plans that will take me beyond my 70th birthday.

Most of my hunting (since I was 16 years old - wow, almost 50 years) have been lone hunts. Sometimes it was because my schedule and the schedule of others just did not coincide. Sometimes it was because of finances, or different hunting expectations, or different hunting philosophies, or different hunting methods, or different levels of physical fitness. I enjoy the heck out of the times my close hunting buddies spend at the campfires, at the shooting range, and shopping for our outdoor gear. When it comes time to hunt I prefer to hunt alone.

The few times that I actually enjoy hunting with others are with my young sons (12 and 9 years old). We'll be doing a plains game hunt in South Africa next year.

As for satellite phones - I prefer not to take one because I want to live every minute of my hunt by myself. The last time I took one I was in the Brooks Range and my wife and my daughter at home had to tell me about koi fish getting ich, and that they had found a bunny that they were going to call "Thumper", and that Nordstrom's had a great buy on...ad infinitum, ad nauseum. As for their concern for my safety and well being - I think that they have always taken it for granted that I would be alive for them forever and that nothing could possible happen to me. I like that confidence that they have in me. I can hunt without being emotionally burdened.

good hunting
rainydayhunter

 

[Ed M]

I'm 51 this year but I have done at least one solo backpack or hunt each of the last 10 years in Alaska. I'm skipping this year due to a few other hunts but I will do it again next year. They average about 5 days now but I did a few that were around 10. All the hunts were air drop-offs, float or tire, with a tent base camp.

My longer excursions were loop type backpack trips pretty much moving each day. An average would be about 35-50 miles spread out over 7-10 days. I am a very avid hunter but I have to say the backpack trips are more memorable. It is just nice to stop and take in the sights without having any real objective.

I think the sat phone is a good idea for the solo trekker but personally I'm not ready to take that step yet. The last few years I've used a very small and light 5 watt radio. Mine is a marine band but I am sure they are available in air bands also. I have always been able to raise someone if I wanted. Don't have any idea where they are when they answer but someone always answers. This is a good way to get you're meat out early.

I keep a web album with some of my pictures. The Alaska 2001 and Alaska 2003 are solo drop-offs, tire and float respectively. The Denali pics are from 2 solo backpacking trips in 96 and 98.

http://community.webshots.com/user/tundragriz

 

[Longhunter7]

Ed M, I viewed your photo"S, nice caribou. Q. I was curious myself if a VHF radio would work in the interior of Alaska? I am starting to set up a solo hunt for next year, God willing. I am 54 now retired ,and better get going if I am going to try. Thanks again for your input.Best regards Bill.

 

[Water_Gremlin]

WOW!!!

It took TWO years of hounding my wife to finally let me go on a hunt alone, and I was only going to Knik for some coyote hunting. It's time to put the foot DOWN.

 

[MacGyver]

Think young and you will be young.

Think young and you will be young.

I'm 65 and hunted moose solo on most hunts. I don't know how many moose I've taken by myself. The last moose I took by myself was 50 inch and I was 63.

I think I was only 50 when I started snowmobiling and I've done over 5000 miles solo and when I was 59 I snowmobiled from Nenana to Nome 800 miles not a big deal except I could not find anyone else to go. So I went by myself.

When a friend's wife heard what I did she could not believe my wife would have let me go. I asked my wife why did she let me go? You always do things alone and my step dad would go prospecting for a month at a time alone, it what everyone does and You always carry a lot of gear.

I have a philosophy, plan on breaking down and carry enough gear to survive and know how to use it.
I looked into a sat phone and I would not bet my life on one. (That is what you are doing.) I carry a EPIRB 406, it was designed to save your life when everything goes wrong. If anything will work it's a EPIRB 406.

 

[Longhunter7]

The solo hunt?

The solo hunt?

Here is a story of a solo hunt back in the 60"s, when things were a bit cheeper. I guess I was about 13,or 14 at the time, I am 54 now. It was thanksgiving at my uncles house in Bayshore , on Long island N.Y. My uncle asked us if we wanted to see a moose his friend had shot. Arthur, had shot a LARGE bull which he had hanging in his driveway , on a tripod. It was a very large bull in one piece. Authur had diven up to Canada by himself, with his 32 Winchester special , was hunting deep in the woods alone, shot the bull, and then realized that now he had a problem. I rember him telling me that it was very cold that year. Anyway he starts back to his truck, a 3/4 ton pickup, for tools? He then crosses rail tracks which take him to a logging camp, which has a helicopter. The pilot offers to assist him after he tells him his story. So off they go . The piolt air lifted the bull, with a large chunk of snow attached , in to the bed of his pickup. I remember Arthur telling me that all the pilot would take from him was a bottle of whiskey. Anyway thats the story of a hunt from a bygone era. best Regards. Bill . PS the ony problem he had driving home was with the state police. They wanted him to cut the leggs off, they were hanging out of his pickup. They decided he could transport it if he tied red rags arround his leggs , which he did.

 

[Ed M]

LH7,
My radio is a Standard Horizon HX460 Marine VHF. I looked at their website and apparently it has been replaced by the HX471. It is the size of a pack of cigarettes, submersible, and loaded with features. I have been very impressed with its quality, performance, and battery life.

All of the air taxis I used monitored the marine band emergency channels but I would not consider them really interior services, Koliganek area and POW. I am not sure what is required for interior aircraft.

I have made just a couple calls but I was surprised to always get a response. One time I was on an interior bay of POW surrounded by 2000 foot mountains. I was trying to reach my air taxi to let him know I got a bear early. I heard a plane and used the emergency channel because I knew that is what my pilot was tuned into.The coast guard in Ketchikan answered. I wasn't able to get my air taxi because apparently the plane wasn't him and the coast guard wouldn't relay a non-emergency, anyway, that was still a long way for no line of sight.

Their air/land versions (VX) are similar to mine but seem to lack some of the neat features. I appreciate the WX weather channels.

http://www.standardhorizon.com/?cmd=DisplayProducts&DivisionID=3&ProdCatID=85

http://www.vertexstandard.com/?cmd=DivisionHome&DivisionID=64


Ed

 

[BrianW]

Ed,

Sure miss the Marine Operator days.

 

[twodux]

Marine operators

Marine operators

Ed,

Sure miss the Marine Operator days.

Me too Brian. The Marine operator channel made for some fine entertainment. It was quite funny to hear some wife getting mushy or downright amourous on the phone, then listen to her embarrassment when her husband (who you couldn't hear) informed her that the whole fleet was listening to her.

And then when you got the bill for the call...........on second thought, I don't miss the Marine operator at all.