Into The Unknown: Solo Alaska!

[ronp]

What an amazing hunt!  Stay safe and best of luck.  Looking forward to more pics

[northener]

Best of luck   the follow up will be worth the wait, stay safe and shoot straight.

[Greg Dearth]

Wow! Keven what a great adventure.I wish you good hunting and a safe trip. How in the world did you find a pilot that would drop you off solo? I have thought of doing the same thing but figured it might be wise to plan such a trip with a hunting partner, for safety sake. Good Luck.

[A.S.]

   

[dnovo]

Good luck Kevin. Will be waiting for another incredible story when you get back. Best of luck and be safe

[rastaman]

Good luck to you sir!  Watch your top knot!  

[Kevin Dill]

Got to thank Surewood Shafts and Snag for the superbly matched firs which I built into arrows:

[wingnut]

Kevin,

When you headed out.  We leave next Monday.
You going through Tok?

Mike

[Danny Rowan]

Good luck Kevin. You have more nerve than I do, I could never do a solo in Griz country, would never get any sleep.

[Kevin Dill]

Mike: I fly into and out of Fairbanks. I leave home tomorrow morning early. I fly into my camp the next day...Thursday. Tight schedule.

Danny: Grizzlies are like sharks and other creatures of fear. They can get you, but the statistical odds are greater you'll crash in a bush plane or drown while swimming. Nothing is risk-free, but the odds favor no encounters up close.

[Onions]

Godspeed Kevin!
Look forward to hearing all the details upon your return!

chris <><

[achigan]

"It seems appropriate looking back in my life. I roamed the Arizona desert as a kid and most of my memories have me exploring alone. As a child I fell into a fast and deep AZ canal but managed to grab some brush and save myself from certain drowning. I hunted with my dad but was so determined to hunt and fish that I did a lot of it alone. I would kill a limit of squirrels and clean them with nobody to notice. I would fish by myself all day, just stopping for lunch. I have spent many days fishing far out on big ice (Great Lakes) with nothing but wind and walleyes for company. I have killed enough deer to...not important...but nobody has ever seen me shoot even one. I remember hiking to a new stand deep in the woods and hunting all afternoon during the rut. The full moon came up at dusk and I couldn't leave. I felt perfectly at home back there where it was just me and the natural world. I sat in the stand until midnight enjoying the cold, watching the moon shadows of rutting deer run beneath me, and knowing I had to be there alone to see it." The above is gonna make a good opening to a great book, hopefully...

[Bowwild]

Good luck Kevin.  I hope all your planning is right on the money and you have the time of your life!  

Like most bowhunters here I hunt solo most of the time, but....I can crawl to the house if need be (if I need more granola or get thirsty-Ha!).

I lived in CO for 2.5 months after graduating college. I was in the outback counting trees (Stage II inventory) in areas that were too wooly for the Forest Service.

Went almost 3 weeks during one span seeing no other people.  Didn't bother me at all. I don't think I could do it these days (I'm sure I won't)...I guess I feel more mortal now than when in my twenties.

[JimB]

Good luck Kevin.Hope you have great weather for it.

[reddogge]

Good luck. A hunt like that is beyond me at my age but I hope you have a safe and successful hunt. I do have a couple of questions.

If you shoot a moose early how do you keep the meat that long.

If you get socked in on the day you fly out do you have provisions to last a while.

[Steve Jr]

Best of luck Kevin, enjoy the moment and may your arrow fly true. Looking forward to reading of your adventure.

[Kevin Dill]

Originally posted by reddogge:

If you shoot a moose early how do you keep the meat that long.

If you get socked in on the day you fly out do you have provisions to last a while.

It's usually cool enough (weather) to preserve meat as long as it is kept shaded during the day. I carry a satellite phone and can call my pilot in for a meat pickup also.

I don't bring extra food, but I try to skimp and conserve some through the trip so I have some extra at the end. With the sat phone I can generally stay abreast of weather issues and plan to get pulled early if really bad weather moves in near the end. I've seen snow in camp many times and lows down to single digits.

[LB_hntr]

Kevin congrats on you soon to come adventure. It will be an amazing trip. Be safe, have fun!
Wishing you a successful adventure and many great memories!

[Ted Fry]

Good hunt Kevin

[IndaTimber]

Good luck Kevin!! It was your thread last year about solo adventures that lit the fire for me. Probably won't ever have the opportunity to do a hunt half as wild as this but I did a few 3-4 day hunts last year on National Forrest land and it was because of your inspiration.

Again, best of luck and stay safe and I cannot wait for the story!!