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Well, I had enough people bugging (pun not intended....but this was Alaska after all) me to write a story about this hunt....and with late winter doldrums, I finally got this done. February 2018 found me at my mother’s house in the Bitterroot where I was wolf hunting when the Alaska draws came out. Little did I know, I had drawn an Alaskan rifle elk tag on Afognak Island along with my old college friend and hunting buddy. Weeks later the ADFG sent me a letter warning that these elk could reach 1200+ pounds, to which I initially scoffed. Little did I know how true this would be. Fast forward to late September. The day before the opener we were grounded in Kodiak due to weather…so we couldn’t fly in until opening day and subsequently not hunt until the day after. This was a bummer since our research had indicated that whomever gets into the herd first gets the shot, then the herd breaks up and goes into no man’s land. Opening day we flew into the bush and after setting up our main camp we decided to climb the ridge to our east to A) get away from the bugs and B) hopefully locate the herd and bivy on top of them, ready to pounce the next day. We soon found out how frustrating the brush is on that island. Well we found the herd a few miles away down near the ocean with the bulls bugling like crazy. These Roosevelt elk were so massive they honestly looked like quarter horses down there. We slept on the mountaintop that night, sans bear fence, eager to get into the elk the next day. The next day is was raining something fierce, so we decided to go back to our main camp to get better prepared and set up an actual spike camp closer to the elk instead of bivy camping like we did the evening before. The remainder of day two was spent hiking closer to the elk in the pouring rain, and finding a spot to spike camp. The morning of day three was clear skied. Perfect. We got ready and hiked up several hundred yards to a pass that the elk had been on the other side of. Luckily, they had not moved too far from the pass and were in a great spot for a stalk. We spotted a herd bull and formed a plan. I belly crawled into range as my buddy hiked a couple hundred yards further along the ridge to where another herd bull was bugling. I set up, jacked a round in the chamber and waited for my buddy to shoot. I was anxious to yank the trigger, but didn’t want to mess up this golden opportunity to get two bulls down. This was my view for several agonizing minutes. The bull I have my sights on is on the left. Minutes later my buddy shoots. The herd I am looking at goes on alert and starts looking his way when BOOM! I squeeze off a round and hear the unmistakable thwaaak of the bullet hitting home at 238 yards. The bull stood there like I hit him with an airsoft pellet instead of a .30 cal 200 grain old style speer grand slam. I jacked another round in and BOOM! The bull then collapses. My goodness we got two herd bulls on the ground! I walk up to my bull: a solid 5x6 and honestly as big as my 16 hand quarter horse. Twice the body size of any Rocky Mountain bull I have killed. I guess the ADFG wasn’t joking or exaggerating about the size of these elk… I head over to see my buddy’s bull, which was a 6x6 with some broken tines, but the same sized frame. AWESOME! We had noticed a bear down the valley earlier, and had been keeping our eye on it. After we had the bulls down and were admiring them, we notice it’s about a half mile away and headed our way: We sit tight and watch. When the bear gets to about 200 yards, the yelling begins, along with a shot a few feet in front of him. No reaction. Finally, he wanders off. No problem, but we gotta be cognizant. “I’ll stand guard while you butcher”, I said. I felt like I was back in Fallujah standing there, keeping watch. An hour later, the bear reappears 60 or so yards away. The screaming happens again, as well as another shot. He disappears for a while, then he suddenly shows up 30 yards behind me. OK……We can take a hint so we got the heck out of his way. Luckily we had just finished deboning my buddy's elk and had hauled the meat bags up the hill away from the carcass. The bear got to the several hundred pound carcass and jerked it under a tree without any trouble whatsoever. Talk about brute strength!. Knowing the bear was happy with his 5 star meal, I too was happy knowing he’d be content for a while and allow us to get my bull deboned and haul all the meat bags back to base camp. We stashed the meat up on top of the ridgeline, a few hundred yards uphill of where we last saw the bear, then proceeded over to my elk, and started deboning it. We finished deboning my bull and got all the meat up to the saddle above spike camp right as it was getting dark. What a day! We then spent the next 4 days straight hauling the meat back to base camp. I’ve packed meat out a lot further, but the bugs and brush on this island and the sheer amount of meat made this pack out a bit rough...but I have always enjoyed the work that goes into packing meat so I was enjoying the hell out of it despite the weather, bugs and brush. We saw a few more bears, but none gave us any more trouble, thankfully. I ended up eating a deer tag, but that’s OK. I could have shot a few, including one pretty nice buck the first day, but have no regrets. As much as I enjoyed the whole deal, the float plane ride out couldn’t have come any sooner, nor the shower and pizza that was waiting for me in Kodiak. I told myself that I wouldn’t be applying for this tag again…due to the bears, brush and bugs, but that all went out the window a day or so later, once the pain and soreness went away. I’d do it again in a heartbeat… Then, on home to Wyoming for moose, elk, deer and antelope…never a dull moment…
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Nice bull and write up Ted!! Thanks for sharing.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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- Greg
Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Congratulations on a fine hunt. I enjoyed your pictures and narrative.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Nice. I have an etolin tag for this fall after putting in for 10 years. They are massive beasts. Did you get a weight on your boned out meat?
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Campfire Tracker
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Good stuff! Congrats to you both on taking some really nice bulls & yes those elk do get big:)
"Rather hunt Mule deer than anything else" "Team 7MM-08"
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Member: Clan of the Turdlike People.
Courage is Fear that has said its Prayers
�If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.� Ronald Reagan.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Nice. I have an etolin tag for this fall after putting in for 10 years. They are massive beasts. Did you get a weight on your boned out meat? The troopers weighed what meat we donated, sans the choice cuts that we brought back with us but I cannot recall what the weight was. I do know we brought 14 game bags and used them all, between both bulls. Each bag was roughly 60 lbs if I recall so......420 lbs of boned meat each? Sounds about right.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Good stuff Tiny.
Congrats again.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire Ranger
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Nice bone. Glad you didn't die or have to call Sierra.
Slave
P.S. Suck it.
Have Dog
Will Travel
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Campfire Regular
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Congrats on a great hunt and thanks for posting the story.
SAVE 200 ELK, KILL A WOLF
NRA Endowment Life Member
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Way to Tin. Glad you had a good trip and successful hunt and enjoyed our great state.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Awesome, the mass on those antlers looks...massive!
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Campfire Tracker
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Nice bull.
And the clean-up department was present...
Defend the Constitution
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Cool hunt Ted...Minus the skeeters and that ass-hole bear 😎
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Great story, and what a huge bull!
"For joy of knowing what may not be known we take the golden road to Samarkand." James Elroy Flecker
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Campfire Tracker
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Great story! Thanks for posting!
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Cool hunt Ted...Minus the skeeters and that ass-hole bear 😎 Just doing what bears do! In my best Yogi voice...... Heeeyy booboo! There's an easy meal!
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Campfire Tracker
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Nice write up! A buddy of mine has harvested 4 bulls on Etolin thus far and he got drawn again this year. You couldn't pay me enough to do one of those hunts! Haha, way too brutal!
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Well that's about as awesome as it gets!
A great elk hunt with terrific success, and then having to deal with a big ol' bear. And thank you for not shooting the bear, since you didn't have to.
Great story of a great hunt. My goodness those things have some heavy antlers!
Guy
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Nice write up! A buddy of mine has harvested 4 bulls on Etolin thus far and he got drawn again this year. You couldn't pay me enough to do one of those hunts! Haha, way too brutal! Well, sure, but your ankle is all fugged up....so there's that.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Cool hunt Ted...Minus the skeeters and that ass-hole bear 😎 Just doing what bears do! In my best Yogi voice...... Heeeyy booboo! There's an easy meal! Hey Booboo, it’s all yours little buddy! I’m just gonna take my straps, tenderloins and horns and skeedattle. 😎
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Campfire Tracker
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Good story, Tinman! I remember your pics from last year, but the story adds to it.
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Thanks for sharing. Great memories.
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Campfire Tracker
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Nice write up! A buddy of mine has harvested 4 bulls on Etolin thus far and he got drawn again this year. You couldn't pay me enough to do one of those hunts! Haha, way too brutal! Well, sure, but your ankle is all fugged up....so there's that. Still wouldn't do it if it was at 100%
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Oh but to be young again:) I have packed out these "small" Elk in Wyoming, but I think that would be a little too much fun for a old guy like me;) Great job on the story and the hunt though!
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Campfire Ranger
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Awesome story and hunt. Congrats on the elk! That’s an amazing hunt.
Semper Fi
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Killing two at once and not losing one to the bear was amazing luck! Great job!
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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I had always heard that Roosevelt elk were quite a bit bigger than their Rocky Mountain counterparts, but to be honest I had no idea just how much bigger. That's amazing!
"For joy of knowing what may not be known we take the golden road to Samarkand." James Elroy Flecker
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Campfire Outfitter
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congrats on the two bulls, i always hate when bears show up !
LIFE NRA , we vote Red up here, Norseman
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Campfire Tracker
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Killing two at once and not losing one to the bear was amazing luck! Great job! That’s what I was thinking. I’ve known a couple guys that have done that hunt and the bear stories are a nightmare. Seems that it’s impossible to get the meat all out before a Bear is on it, and your not!
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Sweet hunt, story, and pics. thanks for posting.
I think I'd rather deal with the bear than all the rain.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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T Inman: I very much appreciate you sharing your Hunt and the great photos with us. Congratulations on the Hunt and the draw. I have been to Afognak on a Salmon fishing excursion and it is indeed a beautiful and wet place. Over a weeks fishing from a sleep on size Alaska fishing vessel we saw Elk on the shore of Afognak as well as Deer, Fox and countless Sea Otters swimming about in all the bays. Great place I hope YOU get to pack another of those double chubby Elk out in the future. Thanks again. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
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Campfire Tracker
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Terrificly told story, Tinman.
Like I was there....which I wasn't.
Couldnt see the pics today. Maybe theyll flash up tommorree.
Not losing any to Mr. Grizzle is just flat out amazing, considering what is said about their noses. Of course you didnt lose any to sharks either. The blind luck of it all. LOL.
Well done.
Trump HAD the World, ", Trump saw our children, " Trump saw a way to make a brighter day so he started giving There was a choice he was making, he was saving our own lives Its true he made a brighter day for you and me. --Trump WINS 2016
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Great story and thanks for sharing. I've hunted Agognak but only packed deer. I know how tough it is. You worked hard!
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Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
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Sweet hunt, story, and pics. thanks for posting.
I think I'd rather deal with the bear than all the rain. Well I'd start praying for rain just to get rid of the damn bugs, then I'd pray for the rain to stop and I'd just deal with the bugs. That cycle was continuous... It was a vicious cycle of miserableness and the bears were not even a part of it!
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Looks like a great experience. Even better with the pics.
1Minute
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Great adventure and complete with pictures. That ship has sailed for me, but I still enjoy the reading. donsm70
Life Member...Safari Club International Life Member...Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Life Member...Keystone Country Elk Alliance Life Member...National Rifle Association
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..Crumpst!!
The pics flashed up, and horry ballrz that bear is close!
love that adventure - Bugs, bears, and balls.
Glad he let you be, Theodore.
Trump HAD the World, ", Trump saw our children, " Trump saw a way to make a brighter day so he started giving There was a choice he was making, he was saving our own lives Its true he made a brighter day for you and me. --Trump WINS 2016
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Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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Awesome story! I wonder if using a suppressed rifle would alleviate the dinner bell effect at all?
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Great story and pictures. Thanks for sharing. Glad you made it though with all the packing, and the bears didn't get any.
NRA LIFE MEMBER GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS ESPECIALLY THE SNIPERS! "Suppose you were an idiot And suppose you were a member of Congress... But I repeat myself." -Mark Twain
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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_______________________________________________________ An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack
LOL
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Campfire Outfitter
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Outstanding! An awesome hunt and write-up. What an incredible experience you and your Bud had, minus the bugs, of course.
A few times, when I was in AK back in the early '90s, I actually had to pack up camp and depart for a different location because the skeeters were so bad - thick clouds of them and they were miserable.
Last edited by High_Noon; 04/15/19.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right. - Del Gue
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New Member
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New Member
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Great story, thanks for sharing.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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That's a lot of meat, well done!! (not the meat)
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Outstanding! An awesome hunt and write-up. What an incredible experience you and your Bud had, minus the bugs, of course.
A few times, when I was in AK back in the early '90s, I actually had to pack up camp and depart for a different location because the skeeters were so bad - thick clouds of them and they were miserable. The skeeters were only miserable because you kept packing up and moving away from them! If you had just stayed put they would have been happy skeeters. Just saying!
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Campfire Tracker
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Great write-up. A buddy I worked with when I lived up there did that hunt one year. He was a pretty experienced hunter and been all over the state. He couldn’t put that hunt into words, he looked like he had been drug behind a truck for a few days.
Congrats on the double
Stuck in airports, Terrorized Sent to meetings, Hypnotized Over-exposed, Commercialized Handle me with Care... -Traveling Wilbury's
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