We got back home on Friday. I've been going through pictures and trying to catch up on mail and other stuff around the house. We had a great time in Alaska. Many thanks to Bill Sant and saltwatertom for their kindness and hospitality. I wasn't able to connect with some others who sent invitations. We found out that Alaska is just too much state to cover in 13 days!
I was able to do some shooting with Tom as well as some scouting for bear and moose. Thanks to Bill, I had a bow and arrows to shoot. Here are some pics of me shooting from Bill's cabin deck.
Here are a couple of black bear cubs we spotted, momma was behind the wing strut. They were in an area I hope to hunt with Tom in the future.
Alaska is beautiful and wild and vast. This is both good and bad. Those who think they will find a bear behind every bush will be in for a shock. There are bears, but they have a lot of area to roam. In 1700 miles of driving, we only saw one bear, a large black bear. We did see nine grizzly bears in Denali National Park from the shuttle, but none while fishing.
Moose are a bit more common, but certainly not like whitetails here in the lower 48. The quality of the fish and game in Alaska is high, but the quantity is low compared to many places in the country.
I was saddened to see that, while many in Alaska strive to preserve its pristine beauty, there are too many who don't. I saw too much trash, too much discarded fishing line, too many junked out, abandoned cars, and too many bullet holes in road signs. I read an article in a local paper about a city working to ban the use of plastic shopping bags because so many had escaped from the local landfill and scattered across the tundra.
Despite these problems, I am still drawn to the state. What started as the trip of a lifetime, now seems like my first visit. I will return to Alaska. I hope it will be sooner than later. I would love to stalk black bears with my longbow. I long to feel the tug of a salmon on my fly rod again.
Topic: Back from Alaska (Read 553 times)
