Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Our 40 mile hunt

Meat is in the freezer, antlers stripped, refuse to the dump!

Pic heavy - I'll try to leave out a bunch of trivia. Might be installments.

First thanks to MtDan for the "ATV morons" term - I'll use and abuse it.

We hit our pullout about 2 the day before season. Bummed muzzle tape from the first guy there-an old boy named Al, from N Pole. He didn't have blue.... Found mine - also black - next day, tho.

After setup in "camp", we took the two bigger ATVs, a Kodiak 700- wife's, and Kawasake 650 Brute ( ( We are ATV sitting - "Use it like you own it"), up the trail to the cave I found last year, and where I would spend the night, wanting to see the action if any during the first 4 hours of daylight. Never had! Took the machines back downing timber to just above the last bad trail section, and stashed them off-trail about a mile up from the camper. We don't like to fight the muddy ruts, especially after they get the hell torn out of them the first day, nor do we want to hold up the hair-on-fire guys. It costs us about 15-20 minutes walking time over riding time, each way. Worth it - and the dogs like the hike.

Hiked back to the camper, had supper, and just before dark I took the third machine, my 2005 Ranger, up to the cave. Our son would be coming to the camper about 11 pm , and he and his mother would come up the next morning.

The cave is barely one person long and wide, semi-uncomfortable and smells of cave, maybe animal too, musk. I'll have to launder the bag, which picked up the smell quite readily. Probably won't do that again, but it has it's advantages- one can get out of the wind and rain, and it is a dynamite hide and shooting blind on a travel route. A tarp at entrance kept the rain off my feet, and I even had a dry skylight. A flat rock on a small outcropping 12 feet in front , with fanny pack made a rock solid (cough) sit down bench rest, if not entirely out of the wind (about 20 mph all day, every day!), but the brush line just beyond does provide a very good wind break, and a better view to the left.



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My wife killed her bull here, 135 yards out, our first year, and I shot a wounded cow (bullet chipped hoof) right at 300 yards last year, just this side of the larger spruce clump in left center, The two spruce in center range at 200, the dead scrub just beyond at 260,, I shot my bull this year just a bit farther out and to the right of the dead scrub - I'm calling it 300, tho I did not (and should have) back ranged.

I'd set my phone for 6, the first of 8 or more ATVs , started coming by at 5 and woke me. Muffins, an orange, and a pint thermos of coffee (kept inside my bag overnight for heat retention), and I was GTG. First faint shots at 6:30, first band of 18 cows and calves crossing the ridge up valley at 7, first band of 11 bulls (4 big ones!) 10 minutes later.. Al was on the first rock outcropping, about a mile from me, above the deep saddle connecting our ridge with the higher main ridge behind with apparently no shot or maybe view of bulls, (By walking a few steps up to the crest above the cave, I could see both sides of our ridge, clear to the low saddle, over a mile away). A couple guys stayed in the low saddle, more had gone over the high ridge, A couple late-coming soon-to-be "morons " with a UTV and ATV, saw the crossing route, and set up on the point of a short side ridge to ours, about 3/4 mile from me.. That was the first and only smart thing they did all day.

A few minutes later a band of 5 bulls, two good ones, followed the route , and again I didn't hear Al shoot. We named that rock after him as he stood there all day long , before connecting with a bull toward evening, with rack a bit less tall than mine, but more massive.

The morons had already double ridden the ATV up and down the ridge a couple times, but were back at the UTV as this latest band of bulls approached. Wind - did I mention the friggin wind?? - was in the boys favor, so apparently the bulls heard, or saw them move, as they turned back and recrossed to my side of the ridge and milled indecisively until our dimrods skylined themselves double riding the ATV. The bulls headed my way so I zipped down behind my rest and waited.

Halfway to me the boys made a set up, but didn't like what they saw, jumped the ATV up to 100 yards from me, and started setting up again, too late. I was on it! I think they didn't know I was there until I shot.

The caribou were in a move-out mood- almost trotting. The second biggest bull was 15 or so yards in the lead, the others were bunched and trading places, vying for the best "last caribou shot" position, so I took the lead one. Meat hunters can't be too picky, after all. .

Placement was a little lower than planned, but OK for a heart shot - just too much lead. TheCorelokt bullet put a tangerine-sized hole through the front of his brisket, forward of the leg. That slowed him down! The others milled and reversed, and he tried to follow, but kept falling down, so I knew I'd not hit him properly, but a standing broadside shot at 300 with a solid rest is a gimme. This time the bullet went where intended. That cheap 770 was a virgin no more, and a good choice for hunting in crappy weather- not much to lose! . It is accurate, tho I don't see how, really. Wears a Tasco 6X40 WCplus scope too!



Picking up my fanny pack and rifle I met the idiots at my machine on the crest. They were ecstatic, and genuinely congratulated me., just as my wife and son arrived. A few minutes earlier and the shot would have been my son's. It was 8:09. You snooze, you lose. I advised the guys that they would likely do better just parking their butts at the UTV, but it didn't take. Wife and son said they were all over that ridge, all day long, double riding on that damned red ATV, haring after or trying to intercept moving caribou. They did get a modest bull - probably a 4 year old, along about 6 that evening.

Wife and son went on up toward the ridge head and picked a couple spots behind rock outcroppings for wind protection, this side of Al.. Up here, caribou can cross most anywhere, so one spot is about as good as other. I took the Yaller Ranger on down to dress my bull. I had the meat bagged and tied to the ATV when a slight drizzle started. 5 more minutes and I'd have had it dry under a tarp above the cave. I spent the rest of the day there with my wife and dogs, hoping for another one , and headed back down early to take care of the meat. My son had to be back in Fairbanks, a couple hours drive away , for work at 6:30 am.

In mid-afternoon, Eric arrived with a non-hunting partner on a single ATV. I mildly mentored him two years ago. Guess it took, he killed a nice bull that year (his first ever BG hunt) , and another last year, both walk-in hunts. The young man is learning!. Also showing up were three walk-ins. Michael and his brother Pat, and their NR dad, with tents and gear to camp up top. Screw that everyday hike in!. They found a couple flat spots behind rock outcroppings. Did I mention that bitchin' wind? I ATVed the meat from a big bull out for and bummed a gallon of gas off Michael last year.

At the truck, I stripped the damp bags, sprayed the meat with vinegar. (more heavily next time), and rebagged it with dry, vinegar-soaked, sun-dried ones,. Flies did not like it! Nor did the sour-mold. Hung the legs and ribs on my handy-dandy redneck take-down, take-along meat pole under a tarp and put the neck and loose meat in a big cooler on top of 40 lbs of ice.







End of day one.

Stay tuned for episode 2 - probably Tuesday..

Nice, congrats! Looking forward to the rest...

I don't know much about ATV 's how big is the yellow rancher cc wise.? Looks like you all had a good time. Congrats. Mb

That big rock where you were glassing from looks familiar, is that off of 12 Mile Summit?

No. And I'd lie if it is.

It's just over the ridge and down a bit from Trump Rock, about a mile from Al's Rock, and 3/4 mile from Moron's Rock.

I don't know offhand - I'd have to look it up. It's done yeoman's duty tho, for 7 years out of Kotzebue, and now here. It certainly wasn't that happy the time I put two bull caribou on it 8 miles out of Kotz! But it did it. (You put the rib cages on and stuff them with legs! . )

Last year it was acting up on the hunt. The key was getting hard to turn and I'd have to wiggle and jiggle it to get it to turn and it just quit several times while rocking and rollin over rough ground, then would not start for a few minutes. I was afraid it was a loose electrical connection - I hate chasing those bastards! Mechanicing while ignorant- that's me! Sometimes it even works. At home, I ordered a new ignition switch, meanwhile douched the hell out of the ignition switch with WD40. New switch is still in the box, no problem with either thing this year. Dust, I think - I used the collared key this year, and taped it up for transport..

Electric start went out this trip, but I think I've got that covered. Twice before I've had to replace the starter brushes when it did the same - all carboned up, tho still with life in them. I kept the last set used - garage job later this week, after the boat is readied for a trip to the remote cabin in Interior. .Back through Fairbanks!

Rancher comes after coolant flush and change on the Ram on Tuesday.

Just remembered MB - it's a 350FM designation model- I assume that's cc displacement?

Those 350 Ranchers are stout machines, wife had one for about 5 years before she sold it and bought the 09 420 AT with power steering, she sold the 350 for about $300 less than she paid for it and I honestly don't know how she does it. lol

Thanks for the info Las. Mb

Day 2 was a bust. Both son and wife are enamored of the upper ridge where we saw the most caribou, and the most hunters, so that was her choice. Personally, I like the timberline to cave section - maybe not as many caribou passing through, but enough. Hunters mostly just pass through iton the ATV trail also, tho caribou are killed by some, in transit. Like I did with my first. It is, IMO, an underrated spot by most, not me.

First we sat (have I mentioned the wind, yet? ) behind Between Rock, about midway between Al's and Moron's, maybe 500 yards to each. It is just down-slope from a low spot in the ridge - not even a saddle, really, but the caribou like it.

First, 2 cows with calves came by behind us, 70 yards or so away (pic) , , and not long after, a bunch of about 20 came along in front, 200 yards out, including 5 bulls about like mine. I sat 30 feet behind my wife, keeping the dogs quiet, while she aimed and aimed and aimed until the last animal passed out of sight over contour.

It was my fault - "Where is the gun you built for me? What did you do with it? This gun doesn't fit me. The stock is too long. The scope is too far forward". I can't see anything through the scope, except sometimes a small circle, with no animals in it. I can't shoot this!".

It is her gun, and at the two range sessions, she had pointedly told me not to "do anything" with it.

But that was before she had added a heavy shirt, a medium jacket, a heavier medium jacket, and a heavy raincoat, with a 10 pound Dachshund (with his own jacket) tucked inside the 3 jackets..... We do remove the concealed-carry dog for shooting purposes. He might be recoil shy, even with '06 reduced recoil ammo, and we don't want him developing a flinch.

I watched subsequently as she practiced her shooting stance/lanes at other sites, , and yeah, outfitted like that, I'll be taking another inch off that stock and re-attaching the Decelerator pad. A slip-over can re-correct that if need be.

Those were the only caribou we saw that day, but a dozen or so ATV hunters passed us by there and later while we spent some time at Moron's and Al's, then about 5:30 we headed back to the cave, for the rest of that day's hunt. Chilly up there, and she has itchy feet anyway, so we moved. A lot. Our son was getting off work at 2, so I expected him at the truck about 6, and went down with the dogs to meet him, leaving my wife to watch in peace, at the cave.

Part way down the end of ridge big slope leading to timberline, both dogs alerted to caribou scent. Eric and his bud were off to my left rear about 500 yards, and anything traversing that slope would walk right into them, so I piled off the machine and cozied the dogs beside me. Soon a cow came around the contour into sight and we watched as she did indeed walk right past Eric, who passed on her.

Our son didn't show up until 11pm, with only the next day off left to hunt, but my wife showed up about 7:30 (it doesn't get dark until 11). She indicated it was not in her job description to get her hands bloody, alone, on a kill.

The next day she stayed at the camper with the dogs, reading, picking blueberries, several walks with rifle to watch a small meadow across the road and up-creek a bit, where at least one bull has been killed in each of the last two years, while our son and I hunted the ridge again.

Next installment. Maybe tomorrow. Hand surgery Thursday, so we'll see.

At Between Rock. The farthest high point at right edge is above the cave, Moron's Rock off the left edge, Al's rock behind me. For perspective.

Son and I set up first on the big ridge-end slope between timberline and peaking the ridge. Have I mentioned that damned wind yet?

Found an semi-wind protective outcropping with a good view, just below the bench where I killed my first bull 2 years ago- also in full view., Positioning the 4-wheelers gave us a nice blind, and 20 minutes of rock work greatly improved the wind-break. Next day, my wife would make her kill from this set-up.

After a couple hours, my son (enamored of the ridge-head, like my wife) wanted to move to Al's Rock, so we did, for the rest of the day. (And heard several big bulls had been seen, but not gotten out there on ridge-end...). We saw 4 cows on the high ridge-line, and another 11 with calves working cross-slope on it, and the inevitable ATV motorists. While I was talking to one such a small band of cows and calves walked into my son, just over the crest. Pass. We also saw Michael and Co. hiking down into timberline below the pass, then a while later straggle-lining back up to their camps with loads. Michael had tarp-camped overnight down there, and scored a nice bull about 8, that came up-valley out of the timber.

Son had to be at work back in Fbks at 6:30 am, so at 6:30 pm we pulled the plug, stopping to talk to Michael and pick up his meat to transport down to the parking lot. As we approached the cave, 60-70 (est.) caribou, more than half medium bulls like my son killed, begin pouring over the ridge 300 yards ahead of us. I didn't see any really big ones, pretty much all of a size, with some cows and calves mixed in. Had we been at the cave site, - 30 yard shot! They were crossing just the other side of this guy, a walk-in moron who set up 100 yards away. the first day (of season) my wife and I were at the cave site (my kill on machine). Every 15 minutes he would do this..... Idiot! 100 yards from us!



One bull stopped broadside on a small knoll just behind the stream of running caribou, daring us to shoot him. My son did, using the 770 (twice a virgin no longer!) he'd swapped my 260 out for earlier after looking thru the 6X40 Tasco, vs the 2-7 VXII. "This scope is so much easier to see through!" 300 yard shot using the ATV for rest. Bull was about 100 yards off trail, and ran another 100 downslope before falling over. It was 7:09 pm..What's with this "09", anyway? Mine was killed at 8:09 am.....

Field dressed, sectioned, bagged, we put the cooling parts on a tarp (old shower curtain, actually), turned the antlered head upside down over the meat, and rock-weighted a poly tarp over the whole thing, and boogied. Meat would be retrieved the next day- He had work to get to at 6:30 am., and I had meat to put into freeze and a kill to report. In our haste, we took no pictures.

Next afternoon:



We reached the truck about 9:30, Michael had been wondering what happened to us for the last 1 1/2 hours!. He'had hiked his antlers out, and was going to Fbks in the morning to refrigerate his meat and report his kill.

We loaded my meat, and hit the road, leaving the trailer, Rancher, and meat rack to hold our place. Al was staying over and not leaving until the following pm. and would watch it. We hit Fairbanks at 2am, and we immediately went on-line to report our kills. Depending on how you look at it, I was 2 hours late if midnight was the deadline, or had a comfortable margin of 6 hours if the kill time was the mark..... 9 minutes after the office would open,

Meat went into freezer van (Alaska Cold Storage on Aurora- just blocks from my son's place), we did a couple needful things and were back at the parking spot by 1 pm., then up on the ridge to the cave. The wind was still blowing.....

Next morning wife informed me she would hunt until noon, then was done. We hit the ridge-end blind first, but she was un-impressed - "I have never seen a caribou out here!", so after 20 minutes or so we pulled stakes for Al's Rock. All we saw were passing ATV's. At 1:30, cold and ready to quit, we headed back to Ridge-end, getting there after a couple stops, at about 11, and settled in. 20 minutes later, four 2-year old bulls came up out of the timber 450 yards below and to the right (see previous photo of this blind). When they got as close as they would-directly across from us and 200 yards, I told her "any time" . She managed to get on the scope this time, using the ATV for rest, and spined the lead and largest one. I finished him from about 30 yards with a head shot from the .260


And we were done, with a half hour to spare!

The frozen meat was a handy cooling agent for the latter two caribou on the 16 hour trip to Soldotna from Fairbanks. Just laid it on top of the unfrozen stuff in the cooler and other transport (lightly insulated) box. 16 hours, as we spent 3 hours sitting in line 5 miles back from a 3 fatality head-on. I'd bet the line went another 10 miles behind us. Our day was better than theirs.....

Home at 2:00 am, backed the trailer with ATV's and meat into the garage, unhooked, drove the Ram out, closed the garage doors (bears !) and to bed.

As of this morning, that stock is an inch shorter!

Good stories thanks for posting.

Was that the wreck on the Parks at mile marker 87? We were stuck in that traffic as well.

Great write up , thanks
Any Warble larvae in the meat?

None. Here is a pic I managed to delete, and a couple more. My wife killed from here - her bull was about center of pic, 2/3 way from ATV trail to tree line.



Son with his antlers - pic taken from on the trailer, so there is a little "off" camera perspective - but it's more impressive!



and ours together.

Very cool las! Thanks for taking the time to share the pics and the story. I really enjoyed it!

Good deal bud!

Great hunting trip and write-up with pics!

Congratulations!

Good deal.

The current quota is just over half in zones 1+4. I am headed up there on Saturday morning. I hope the crowds are largely gone and the velvet is coming off.

Many arigatos, Las. For many moons I've followed and enjoyed your contributions here. Please know that your adventures and words describing same move some souls far beyond where your setting sun slides below the horizon. Cheers and Godspeed.

What he said ^^^^^