Stranded after fly-in hunt prior to winter…

[Gmatlock13]

I read Hatchet a long time ago that qualifies me to survive I’m pretty sure. I’d definitely die hiking to somewhere before I sat there and starved.

 

[IBen]

Theres usually a river town, active runway, mining camp, coast, abandoned cabin within 40-60 miles of even the most remote places in Alaska. Shooting a moose and wintering in would be possible if you could survive the temperature lows.

 

[9.3koolaid]

I was working at the seaplane base in Anchorage when 911 happened. The air taxis were shut down for a few days.....bluebird days. When they lifted the fly restrictions some places were socked in.

I asked the pilot at Rusts how he planned to not get killed by the clients. He had copies of the paper taped to the window.

What a way to find out

 

[49ereric]

Not enough fat on a moose to survive so a 410 shotgun & small game and boil the meat so you don’t loose the fat.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Military or Coasties would pick ya up if you hit the sos

 

[Dos Perros]

Hugh Glass was out for 6 weeks.

Brian from the Hatchet was stranded for 54 days.

The Uruguayan rubgy team was on the mountain for 72 days.

The Donner party was out for nearly 4 months.

Matt Damon's character in Interstellar, Dr. Mann, survived on his planet for several years.

Just some context to consider.

 

[sconnieVLP]

Military or Coasties would pick ya up if you hit the sos

This is what I was thinking. Hit the SOS and nobody else can get in there, the rescue folks from the 176th will come and get you.

Pretty cool article here:
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/...s-save-lives-in-the-wilderness-and-in-combat/

 

[doc holiday13]

Yeah I wouldn't be caught dead without the SOS button if I'm being flown in.. However, if pickup gets pushed more than 1x due to XX, I can guarantee you that I'd be setting out to kill another animal and start shelter building.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

I'd be dead after the first week. Once I ran out of gummy bears things would go down hill quickly.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I feel that with adequate shelter and some sort of saw I could survive an Alaskan winter. Every drop hunt I do I measure how far I would have to walk if no one came to get me. Only place I felt that I would not make it is the north slope.

 

[jahaze]

9-11 my friend was on a moose hunt in Alaska. Plane didn't show up at the appointed time or location. No contact with the outside world (just my friend and his guide). Hiked to a native village and ate/drank with the natives for seven days before word got to the village about what happened. He tells the story much better than I could..involved lots of alcohol and fish. Took awhile for the pilot to figure out where they might have gone.


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[TaperPin]

The guys that win Alone are the chubbiest - I’d argue that was probably the same with the Donner party. Maybe the key to making it an entire winter is putting on a little beer belly/dad bod and hunting with thin friends that might not be overly tough and chewy if push comes to shove? *chuckle*

 

[william schmaltz]

Just some context to consider.

Recognizing that the chance the scenario the OP has laid out would happen is about as close to 0% as mathematically possible, I’ll play along for fun.

How many of those people/groups had planned ahead with a modern 4 season tent, collapsible wood stove, fire starter, two modern rifles with 50 rds, modern pistols, down sleeping bags, down tops and bottoms, wool layers, several pair of wool socks, synthetic boots, neoprene foot waders, insulating mid layers, rain gear, saw, hatchet, 2-3 extra tarps, etc. etc. etc. In addition you’re in a spot that was hand picked because wild game frequents it, not on top of a random mountain. We’re talking a a scenario where the person has planned ahead for survival in the wild for an extended period of time. Not a plane crash or TV show where you pick your 3 items. Hell, most moose hunters have a better setup today than a man in a trapper cabin did 100 years ago.

Again, the chance of this happening is 0. Alaska is wild, but not nearly as wild as people like to imagine it is. There are winter trails to every village. Snowmachine trails spiderweb the tundra and most areas are frequented by trappers, wolf hunters, and shed hunters. Not to mention the same type of folks in the sky running trap lines and looking for wolves and sheds. An SOS in the snow on a frozen lake would get you help in 48 hours in most of AK, less if people were looking.

 

[LostArra]

9-11 my friend was on a moose hunt in Alaska. Plane didn't show up at the appointed time or location. No contact with the outside world (just my friend and his guide). Hiked to a native village and ate/drank with the natives for seven days before word got to the village about what happened. He tells the story much better than I could..involved lots of alcohol and fish. Took awhile for the pilot to figure out where they might have gone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I read more than one 9-11 story about hunters waiting on planes and thinking "we should have paid more for our plane ride" then cooking their moose.

 

[Laelkhunter]

It is Alaska, so do I have my 6.5 CM or am I woefully undergunned with something else?

 

[Dos Perros]

Recognizing that the chance the scenario the OP has laid out would happen is about as close to 0% as mathematically possible, I’ll play along for fun.

How many of those people/groups had planned ahead with a modern 4 season tent, collapsible wood stove, fire starter, two modern rifles with 50 rds, modern pistols, down sleeping bags, down tops and bottoms, wool layers, several pair of wool socks, synthetic boots, neoprene foot waders, insulating mid layers, rain gear, saw, hatchet, 2-3 extra tarps, etc. etc. etc. In addition you’re in a spot that was hand picked because wild game frequents it, not on top of a random mountain. We’re talking a a scenario where the person has planned ahead for survival in the wild for an extended period of time. Not a plane crash or TV show where you pick your 3 items. Hell, most moose hunters have a better setup today than a man in a trapper cabin did 100 years ago.

Again, the chance of this happening is 0. Alaska is wild, but not nearly as wild as people like to imagine it is. There are winter trails to every village. Snowmachine trails spiderweb the tundra and most areas are frequented by trappers, wolf hunters, and shed hunters. Not to mention the same type of folks in the sky running trap lines and looking for wolves and sheds. An SOS in the snow would get you help in 48 hours, less if people were looking.

I saw my scenarios as minimum durations, for the reasons you mentioned. Also, two of them were fictional, and one of them wasn't even on this planet.

 

[JF_Idaho]

First thing is to establish dominance with your partner/s . You don't want to end up the "little spoon" when cuddling for warmth.

 

[Mojave]

When I was a kid someone had their horses walk off at night in Wyoming's 60. This would have been in the 1970's. Guy got eaten by a grizz.

Last time I heard of a similar story to what you talk about is a crashing a plane in the bush and no one knew he had flown out there. He was single and lived remote. In his 60's and another supercub flew past him and saw the tail of the plane sitting out of the lake and landed to investigate and saved his ass. This was in the 2014-2016 range.

Guy flew over the lake and knew that there wasn't a cub tail sitting in it regularly.

Family has to know where you are going. And a deadstop date to contact the Alaska State Troopers for you.

 

[Jimmy]

Imagine being picked up a day late and you've got several "extra" animals down for food, and your hunting buddy tied to a tree and his gun taken away.

 

[william schmaltz]

I saw my scenarios as minimum durations, for the reasons you mentioned. Also, two of them were fictional, and one of them wasn't even on this planet.

Get a surviving on mars thread going!

What is better Kuiu vs. Sitka vs. FL down for insulation on Mars?

Which rain gear handles acid rain best? (spoiler alert, I’m ignoring everyone’s recommendation for Helly Hansen or Grundens and buying Sitka anyways)

Is a 223 with 77 TMK enough for space monsters or should we pack something with a bit more knockdown power?

We have a lot of unanswered questions on Mars survival!