Okay, I just got back from Church and I've got some time to share some of the details of this hunt. I'll try to hit the headlines so the story doesn't get too long.
The first time I met my Alaska hunting partner (Kevin Dill) was in 2001 on a caribou hunt in the NWT at Mackay Lake. We ended up in the same cabin and teamed up hunting caribou together the entire time. We hit it off right from the start and at the end of the hunt, Kevin invited me to his home in SE Ohio to hunt big whitetail. After giving the invitation some serious thought (0.5 seconds), I accepted the invitation and the rest is history! As Kevin mentioned in his post, we have been very fortunate to go on some great hunts together since 2001 and I am extremely blessed to have a hunting partner as generous as Kevin.
This was our third moose hunt together. The first was a guided hunt in the Yukon. I came home with some great memories and Kevin had memories, a moose and a black bear he stalked and shot at 5 yards! "Mr. Yukon" became his designated title when we arrived back in Whitehorse. The last two moose hunts have been unguided affairs in Alaska. We both love the freedom of unguided hunts. We would typically split up each day and hunt in different directions...knowing that when an animal hits the ground, it becomes a team sport.
On September 8th, our pilot decided I would fly in first since I'm lighter
along with some gear. He buzzed the "landing strip", and I remember saying to myself, there is no way he is going to land this super cub on that narrow strip of rocky river bar.
A couple of minutes later, we were unloading gear and he was asking me to help him turn the super cub around so he could go pick up Kevin. Shortly, Kevin arrived and we finished setting up camp.
9/9/09 - Kevin headed down river and I crossed the river and climbed to get some elevation and glass the valley. After a couple of hours, I spotted two great caribou traveling the edge of the river. I snuck down and began my stalk. I was able to reach the rivers edge undetected but the caribou kept moving as they were feeding and the thick cover prevented me from being able to keep up with them. I crossed the river and looked up a small ditch just in time to see three other caribou walking in my direction. Things happened fast, I picked out the largest bull and 35 yards later I knelt down next to a nice caribou on our first day of hunting. I was pinching myself because things don't normally come to me this easily (it took me three trips to Mackay Lake before I got my first caribou).
9/14/09 - Kevin headed down river where he was seeing some huge moose and several caribou. I decided to hunt a bluff 300-400 yards behind camp in the valley. The bluff provided great visibility with minimal disturbance. After 15 minutes, I cow called and received an immediate response. I could hear the bull racking his antlers and snapping brush. He was coming in fast and I hurried my way down the bluff to get closer to the edge that served as a natural funnel. I tucked myself behind a scrub spruce tree and then caught a glimpse of him tearing up some brush. As I predicted, he was walking towards the edge of the bluff and I knew the moment of truth was fast approaching. As he approach a narrow opening, I started to draw my longbow...instantly, he stopped behind some brush and I didn't have a shot. I was at quarter draw and I wasn't about to let down. Fortunately, he started walking and grunting so I let him walk past me for a quartering away shot. At 18 yards, I finished my draw, released and saw the arrow penetrate the ribs perfectly behind the shoulder. I ran back up the bluff to gain visibility but before I could raise my binoculars, I heard the bull crash and take a final breath. The bull only traveled 60-75 yards and it actually ran towards camp! Before long, I was kneeling next to my first moose, pinching myself again and thanking God for such a fantastic animal!
I blew on an airhorn to signal Kevin and we met back at camp. He asked if everything was okay and I told him today "moose hunting" was going to be a team sport! Thanks again Kevin for helping out with the all-day meat chores!
Equipment Notes:
61# Cari-bow Featherhorn Take-down longbow
Fir arrows
145 grain Eclipse broadhead
Have a great season!
Bryan
Topic: Alaska trip to meet Sarah Palin and I bumped into these two guys (Read 843 times)
