My Last Remote Alaska Hunt

[MDHunter]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

Any pics of the Cubs? Would love to ride in one somewhere like AK.

I love riding in these things...

 

[smdub]

Very cool! A SuperCub (makes sense w/ flaps and all.)

 

[John from MD]

Thanks for sharing your great story.

 

[AlBeight]

Great story! Sounds like a good time, even if there was no harvest. That just makes it all the sweeter. Thanks for sharing, and inspiring the rest of us.

 

[delaware_export]

Awesome! And an excellent write up !

 

[Alan3413]

Great story and great pics! Would love to see more

 

[outrider58]

I will continue to live vicariously through you and your adventures MDHunter. Great story and pics!

 

[Slackdaddy]

I enjoyed reading about your hunt, thanks for taking the time for a detailed write up.

 

[JimB]

I'm jealous! Thanks for sharing

 

[Bikebreath]

It must be so nice out in that wide open desolate spot. Great story and adventure. Thanks.

 

[gamer_jim]

Living the dream. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RFBfromDE]

My says we can’t go unless there is a really nice Marriott up there in the wilderness and we can rent a car!

Cool stuff.

 

[Alan3413]

OP, curious why this is your last hunt? Or by "last" you mean "latest"?

 

[kstone803]

Always loved your write ups and pictures from up there. One day I'll make it myself.

 

[BigCountry14]

Man this is a bucket list trip for me. Congrats on the trip and success!

 

[RRomig]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[MeatGrinder]

That is really cool. Thanks for sharing.

I see one caribou is in velvet and one is not. Why do you suppose that is?

 

[MDHunter]

OP, curious why this is your last hunt? Or by "last" you mean "latest"?

It's my last remote Alaska flyout hunt...did the first one back in 2002, have done 12-15 since then. I'm 62, the remote hunts are a ton of work (I supplied all of the gear since 2010, and just recruit friends or partners for the hunt). Also, my girlfriend and I dated long distance for 20 years (she in CA, me in MD) until I retired in 2020; we've only lived together for 3 years, still feels like newlyweds. We have a bunch of places we want to see, and are planning on 3-4 trips a year for the foreseeable future.

When I completed this hunt, I sold my tents, backpacks, and sleeping bags and other gear to various sportsmen in Anchorage, and shut down my storage unit.

 

[MDHunter]

That is really cool. Thanks for sharing.

I see one caribou is in velvet and one is not. Why do you suppose that is?

It's the time of year when they start shedding their velvet, but all of the bulls shed at different speeds. My bull had velvet falling off that we pulled off; my nephew's had most of its velvet still on; and his Dad's was nearly free of velvet.

 

[King Chicken]

Somewhere along the way to Alaska I had caught some type of cold/flu, and hadn’t been sleeping well; between our night in Tok and our first night in camp, I probably got a total of about 2 hours sleep. So the first morning of the hunt, I told the guys I needed to lay in my sleeping bag for a while, even if I didn’t sleep. They got up and started glassing, and eventually hiked over to a couple of ridges just across the saddle from camp.

I got out of my bag about 10 AM, got a snack, and started glassing from camp. I saw the guys about ¾ mile away on one of the ridges, and saw a few small groups of caribou wandering throughout the area. Around 11 AM, a group of about 30 caribou wandered past camp on the ridge behind me. One bull was big enough to shoot, so I made a quick decision and said “I haven’t really started hunting, so if you keep walking, I’m gonna let you go. But if you stop and get clear of the other caribou, I will take you.”

They kept moving across the ridge while I watched them from near camp. When the bull was about 250 yards away, he cleared the other caribou and stopped to feed. One shot from my .338 Winchester ensured that my family in Anchorage would have caribou meat at the end of the hunt. A good meat bull, and a really easy pack to camp!

Wow. Cool story and pictures. Do you harvest all the meat and take it home?

Good idea taking the kevlar vest off the caribou before taking pic!