At the end of each hunting season (usually a sheep hunt) I have been posting the pic heavy story. Usually it is on a traditional bowsite (Leatherwall) but this Aug. I did my first here as it was not a true bowhunt. (Alaska, Wrangell Mountain Dall sheep hunt). As for this elk hunt, it would be easy to let it lie. But, as there have been a few to contact me already as to the results I feel I have to reply even though this will be one hard story to write.
I had been putting in for Raspberry elk for 14 years. When I drew this year I was more excited about this hunt than my annual sheep hunt ( I plan my whole year around that). My long time hunting partner could not go because of a surgery his wife was having. I had talked Matt into coming as a third as I thought it would be easier to pack out with 3 vs 2. With my partner out Matt made it still a go. At least the trip was not canceled. I had asked a dozen people to go, trying to get that 3rd one on board. (they were lucky they did not!) When the day came to leave the weather in the Gulf had been horrible and the State ferry was delayed. We should have arrived in Kodiak noon on the 10th with a flight to Raspberry at 3 pm the same day. With the ships weather delay we would not make it to Kodiak till 6 pm or later and would overnight in Kodiak and hope that the next day we could fit into the busy air taxi schedule. As this was not a direct sailing from Homer to Kodiak but a stop in Port Lions on the way, I got the bright idea of jumping off in Port Lions with our gear and have the plane pick us up there. Port Lions is halfway between Kodiak and Raspberry Island. The air taxi and us would still be on schedule, everything is great! As we were already at the dock when the change of plan was made it was a mad RUSH to get all our gear off the ship and onto the dock. The ship sailed away and the plane picked us up and delivered us to Raspberry Island. You do not know the meaning of LOW until you have been dropped off in the Gulf of Alaska in Oct. knowing that a major storm is on it's way and as you watch your plane depart realize that you do not have a shelter with you. Or SAT phone. The last thing I picked up before getting Matt was the SAT phone so it was behind the truck seat and not in any gear bag. My Kifaru tipi had fallen behind a large cooler and in the mad haste to get our gear off the ship was overlooked in its hidden place. I cannot begin to tell how bad I felt for putting Matt into this position. I had two tarps with me that proved to be leaky (they are now designated wood tarps) and we took our gear up into the old growth and did the best we could to make a shelter. Matt did great in stringing the tarps while I got busy cutting firewood. The first night went ok but could not leave to go hunt without somehow getting a shelter. I had signals on the beach made of cut up discarded yellow rain gear and had even scratched an SOS into the beach. We spent 2 days hoping a plane would come over or a boat would come into the bay. The third night the storm hit. It was a good one. I have been working the Gulf between Kodiak and Homer since '95 so I have an idea of what wind feels like. It blew an easy 60 knots with higher gusts. The early evening it snowed hard but later turned to very heavy rain. Kodiak reported 3", I had been guessing that much or more the next morning. The scary part about our shelter under the trees was the limbs raining down on our tarps. Was afraid that one would not fall and hit horizontally but would spear us. So glad it was ony a 14-16 hour storm instead of a couple of days as I have ridden out before. Having lost 3 days trying to get someones attention we decide (I) we had to hunt. Left a detailed message on a stake at the beach in a zip loc and started to climb the mountain. Halfway up looked down and saw smoke in the trees not far up the beach from our camp. Went down and found 2 young hunters in camp after packing their first load of elk back 3 1/2 miles. They had a SAT phone so were able to arrange to have the air charter get into my truck and then deliver us the tipi and phone. Knowing that it was going to take these two stapping youths 4 days to pack their elk the hard realization that my hunt was over set in. It was the 4th day when we got shelter. We did not have time enough left to pack one out unless it was near camp over the first ridge. The last couple of nights in the tipi were comfy and Matt and I got in some nice day hikes. The island is much tougher than I had imagined. All these years of traveling by and looking at all that open 'meadow' that I thought was knee high grass was actually chest high salmon berry, raspberry, rose, and devils club. A nasty mix on a steep grade that goes up 2/3 of the way before thinning out. The first ridge being 1600 ft., then a half mile wide valley that was boggy and wet, and thicker than the hill side. And then a second ridge 2000 ft. to get over before getting into the elk 'honey hole'. The other hard realization of this trip was that I am not as tough as I want to be. Nearing 62, my daily 30 min. weight training and 6 mile walks will have to be doubled if I want to try this again. Hunting sheep is easier. Pictures to follow soon....
