Uncharted Alaska: Solo. Updated 1-18

[Kevin Dill]

This is the account of my 2016 Alaska moose hunt... a solo adventure and my second consecutive solo hunt.

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I've been hunting Alaska every year for moose, caribou and/or black bear for almost a decade now. Those years have given me some insight and experience which ultimately led me to seek new and different places to hunt, with new challenges to face. I hunted solo for caribou in 2015 and was diverted from hunting by a wild multi-day storm which kept me in survival mode on a mountainside in eastern Alaska. It all ended with a snowstorm and I flew out after 7 days of being alone in all of it.

For 2016 my pilot decided to open a new area by creating an airstrip along an unnamed stream in a valley known to hold plenty of good moose. The area had never been hunted due to lack of access. Somehow I earned the invitation to hunt this new valley for the first time. During our discussions my pilot gave me plenty of detail regarding the terrain, moose numbers and what to expect. He also wanted me to hunt it solo and use a bow. Check and check....I can do that! I got busy planning and readying gear. After some discussion I decided I needed at least 10-12 days in there to learn what the area held...about moose movement...and to get an opportunity to kill. With schedules and all figured in, I ended up planning for 13 days of hunting alone.

The time passed quickly as departure day neared. On September 7th I flew to Fairbanks and set the wheels in motion for the hunt....a hunt the likes of which I couldn't foresee ever happening. What follows is the story of that hunt, as factual as I can make it. There won't be any embellishment or stretching of the truth: I'll tell it as it played out. Airplanes, rivers, longbows, sharp steel and big moose.

Let's go hunting.....

 

[4dogs]

       

[Charlie Lamb]

Most excellent!!

[Kevin Dill]

Even before arriving in Alaska my pilot was sending me messages telling me about big bulls near my airstrip. He advised me to get my gear in order pronto as he had me placed first on the fly-out list for the 8th. I was up early and repacked stuff for the Super Cub....breakfast...few groceries....license and tags....I'm ready.

 

Faster than I can say it we were headed for the airport in North Pole and lifting off. I never get tired of bush flying and the endless expanses of tundra below. Flat terrain gave way to hills and low mountains as we entered wilderness territory. Eventually we flew through a low pass and entered the upstream end of a drainage...the one I would hunt. Almost immediately I began seeing moose below along the valley floor and up on hillsides. I scanned the topography carefully as we soared down-valley and circled the area for a better understanding. I liked what I saw...and in some cases didn't see. There were no beaver ponds...perfect. The valley was narrow which lent itself to bowhunting nicely: easier to get on a walking bull in narrower settings. Most amazingly were the number of shed moose antlers spotted from above. I counted at least 6 antlers visible from the air. Something like that pretty well confirms you're in a superb area.

A very large bull was standing on the side of hill which had been burned 8 or 10 years previously. He was no more than 400 yards from us as we touched wheels and braked to a stop. I couldn't help but grin as I unloaded my gear while watching him watch us. I knew I was seeing a moose see his first humans ever. A few exchanges of words and suddenly the Cub was airborne and cutting out of the valley.

 

It wasn't a new feeling to me...no profound “I'm alone” moment happened. I simply grabbed my gear and began looking for a suitable campsite.

[ron w]

On the edge of my seat........  

[Steve O]

I'm quite familiar with the PBS and echo Kevin's comments; I've had some excellent hunts just due to being a PBS member...subscribing      

[Mud_Slide_Slim]

[Bowwild]

I just renewed my PBS associate membership due to the start of this thread.  I have great respect for the allegiance PBS members show for their organization.

[Kevin Dill]

It took considerable effort but I managed to cut brush and level off a somewhat decent campsite. I wanted to be back in some trees but that was impossible. The terrain was far too irregular and consisted of boulders covered with 18” deep sponge moss. I gave up and settled for a spot on the edge where water was abundant. Speaking of water, there was a spring-fed cascade coming off the low, steep mountainside right next to my camp. The water was clean and pure and I opted not to filter it. The recent cold weather had a thick crust of ice around the edges. Even the moss underfoot was semi-frozen when I arrived.


 

[23feetupandhappy]

   

[Marc B.]

This is going to be a great read. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Kevin,

I echo your words about the PBS.  a better group of Bowhunters will not be found.

[Duckbutt]

OK, buddy.  I was going to show patience with you getting started with this as I know what home is like after a trip like this.  BUT, you popped this cork so you better be ready empty this bottle now that we've had a taste.

So so happy for you to be back and sharing this tale!

[K-Mac]

I agree with Duckbutt start pouring !!!!

[Kevin Dill]

First morning: My camp is situated so that I can basically hunt as soon as I'm out the door. I woke early and made breakfast, then slipped into the gray dawn of a chilly morning. The first of many sunrises definitely didn't disappoint...

 

 

I spotted a couple cows but no bulls, so opted to play it loose and do a bit of sneaky exploring. I needed to get more familiar with this area and see what pieces of the puzzle might be revealed. I passed my camp at 10 am and noted the frost was still heavy in the shade.

 

Straight across from my camp...across 300 yards of valley...the opposite hills were all part of very large burn. The dead black spruce now appeared to be gray hair coat across the hills. The second growth consisted of willow, scrub birch, blueberry, sedges, grasses, poplar and other varied herbaceous plants. The moose were living large in this cornucopia of moose browse and cover. The drainage shown in the middle of the image really had my attention. Experience told me this feature would likely be a major key in finding moose and patterning some movement. Little did I know....

 

[Kevin Dill]

JT and others...you know better than to gulp the good stuff. Sip and savor....

[Huntrdfk]

I'm hooked Kevin......

David

[Kevin Dill]

The day ended with no bulls spotted, but I knew they were around. Moose are that way. You might see nothing for 2 days and then have multiple chances the next day. I wasn't concerned. I spent some spare time doing camp chores and making sure I had things ready for the hard hunting days ahead. I sat on a rock pile as the evening alpenglow settled over the valley and warmed my spirits.

 

I began to think and it came to me again. This is hunting as it was meant to be...old Alaska and undisturbed. I was an interloper but my task was to blend in and become another predator awaiting an opportunity. How many men will ever see an undisturbed part of this state in their lives? How many will hunt it with a simple bow and arrows? Alone and unfettered? The simple gravity of it was amazing and left me feeling thankful in many deep ways. It was also not lost on me that...not very many miles away from where I sat...Glenn St. Charles and Fred Bear along with several other notable bowhunters hunted 'old Alaska' in the late 1950s. I likely flew in through some of the same valleys and drainages as they did. Wood arrows...hand-sharpened broadheads....some bushcraft...it all seemed so appropriate at that moment.

[Kevin Dill]

Break! Will work on this again later today/evening. Thanks

[deerhunter_w]

Im hooked. Keep it coming.

Jeff