This lucky guy gets drawn for an any bull permit in a pretty easy to get to area in the interior. Early in the spring a few buddies say they would love to go and try for a harvest ticket moose with me even though the likely hood of finding a legal harvest ticket moose is much lower than a tweener any bull. A spike-fork eats better than a 50" moose most the time anyway so just maybe a fella could punch a harvest ticket with one of them.
I have what I think is a good spot picked out a few miles down river from town. I ask a guy I "know" from the intertube forums that lives in the area about what he thinks of the spot and it turns out he has hunted it for many years. I instantly feel like I am trespassing. He says that for an any bull permit it's a gold mine as long as the squirrel assassins don't run all the little bulls out of the area with their camp mayhem. The guy even provides GPS data to one of his old tree stands, as he has moved on to other areas that are further from town and more productive for how his family hunts. He also said later in the season is better for seeing tweener bulls as they are moving west down river out of a high pressure region to the east off a major tributary.
The Alaska summer causes all kinds of hell for most people's fall plans. New projects needing to be completed before it snows. Projects that drag on or are delayed. Some guys even find themselves in a new relationship and don't want to test it just yet. Some guys are saving all their leave for a family trip during the darkest coldest part of the winter. Some can only get out for two to three days. Though they all would like some moose meat if I get one.
Thanks to how things go at the cubicle farm I have over two weeks of use or loose leave this year and I schedule the last half of September off. I cleaned out the freezer by smoking last years reds and canning them and then making caribou chili with some really old meat and canning that. I ran my old 1655 Roughneck jet boat up and down the Kenai to see how it will do on a river with a heavy load and the small 50/35 jet. Its a one moose at a time situation. I check out my rifle and find that Frog Lube CLP turns into thick sticky goop after 8 months. Lots of carb cleaner later the firing pin is working again. I am loving the .358 winchester and hope I get an opportunity to put it to work. But I will take the old 30-06 or maybe the .338WM (that I love/hate) just in case. And a can of carb cleaner in the boat box.
I picked up bear fence stuff and made my own system. I bought some light weight cots which should help my back and hip issues. I added a better ax to the gear box and then had a lot of fun sharpening it. I pickup a big bow saw as I know i will have to deal with blown down and fire killed spruce trees, I don't want to be using a chain saw. Propane bottles on sale so the buddy heater and the camp stove will be well fed. I think I'll take the PR49 as well in case one of the shallow side swamp streams offer up better options for access or retrieval. 100 feet of blue steel for the rope-a-long. 100 feet of poly cord. Already have lots of tarps. Lots of game bags. Lots of knives. Two pack frames to test out under heavy loads. The new US Army rec permit, 40 year old hunters ed card, locking antler tag and permit from ADFG are all in hand.
With one more work project to be completed at the end of August I will be free to sort and pack then head north on 9/12. I sent out some feelers for folks that may have changed their minds and find they are even busier than they were in the spring. I did get a meat processing assistance offer, which I will gladly take up if I get one.
To solo hunt for a moose is quite the thing to consider. At least with the any bull permit I don't have the "is he over 50" or "does he have enough brow tines" dilemmas. The "is he too far from the boat" dilemma will become very important. I have had that conversation with myself a few times on walk in hunts: He's legal but will I live through the pack out to the truck? In this area I shouldn't have to consider more than a half mile of hauling meat if my moose calling skills don't scare them off.
Dilemmas. Whats a fella to do?
EDIT: tongue firmly planted in my cheek on this post. I am going. I am going to have a good time for a week or more on the Tanana. I might even shoot a bear.
I have what I think is a good spot picked out a few miles down river from town. I ask a guy I "know" from the intertube forums that lives in the area about what he thinks of the spot and it turns out he has hunted it for many years. I instantly feel like I am trespassing. He says that for an any bull permit it's a gold mine as long as the squirrel assassins don't run all the little bulls out of the area with their camp mayhem. The guy even provides GPS data to one of his old tree stands, as he has moved on to other areas that are further from town and more productive for how his family hunts. He also said later in the season is better for seeing tweener bulls as they are moving west down river out of a high pressure region to the east off a major tributary.
The Alaska summer causes all kinds of hell for most people's fall plans. New projects needing to be completed before it snows. Projects that drag on or are delayed. Some guys even find themselves in a new relationship and don't want to test it just yet. Some guys are saving all their leave for a family trip during the darkest coldest part of the winter. Some can only get out for two to three days. Though they all would like some moose meat if I get one.
Thanks to how things go at the cubicle farm I have over two weeks of use or loose leave this year and I schedule the last half of September off. I cleaned out the freezer by smoking last years reds and canning them and then making caribou chili with some really old meat and canning that. I ran my old 1655 Roughneck jet boat up and down the Kenai to see how it will do on a river with a heavy load and the small 50/35 jet. Its a one moose at a time situation. I check out my rifle and find that Frog Lube CLP turns into thick sticky goop after 8 months. Lots of carb cleaner later the firing pin is working again. I am loving the .358 winchester and hope I get an opportunity to put it to work. But I will take the old 30-06 or maybe the .338WM (that I love/hate) just in case. And a can of carb cleaner in the boat box.
I picked up bear fence stuff and made my own system. I bought some light weight cots which should help my back and hip issues. I added a better ax to the gear box and then had a lot of fun sharpening it. I pickup a big bow saw as I know i will have to deal with blown down and fire killed spruce trees, I don't want to be using a chain saw. Propane bottles on sale so the buddy heater and the camp stove will be well fed. I think I'll take the PR49 as well in case one of the shallow side swamp streams offer up better options for access or retrieval. 100 feet of blue steel for the rope-a-long. 100 feet of poly cord. Already have lots of tarps. Lots of game bags. Lots of knives. Two pack frames to test out under heavy loads. The new US Army rec permit, 40 year old hunters ed card, locking antler tag and permit from ADFG are all in hand.
With one more work project to be completed at the end of August I will be free to sort and pack then head north on 9/12. I sent out some feelers for folks that may have changed their minds and find they are even busier than they were in the spring. I did get a meat processing assistance offer, which I will gladly take up if I get one.
To solo hunt for a moose is quite the thing to consider. At least with the any bull permit I don't have the "is he over 50" or "does he have enough brow tines" dilemmas. The "is he too far from the boat" dilemma will become very important. I have had that conversation with myself a few times on walk in hunts: He's legal but will I live through the pack out to the truck? In this area I shouldn't have to consider more than a half mile of hauling meat if my moose calling skills don't scare them off.
Dilemmas. Whats a fella to do?
EDIT: tongue firmly planted in my cheek on this post. I am going. I am going to have a good time for a week or more on the Tanana. I might even shoot a bear.
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