Our 40 mile hunt - 08/23/21
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.
.
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..
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.
.
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..