heeeere moosey moosey moosey

     So fall has been odd with random and new activities.  A five-day trip house-to-house got our our hunting party some moose meat.  Being my first real hunt ever I found it way more enjoyable than I expected.  We had 2 days of sunny weather followed by a partially rainy day, a full rainy day and concluded with a sunny day.  We saw a number of caribou as well as several legal bull moose and ended up shooting one under the >50" category.  We also saw eagles and coyote, but no bears.  The scenery was amazing, and it even snowed one evening.  I learned a fair amount, most notably how large a moose really is.  It was a good time and we plan to repeat next year with experience on our side.

There was evidence we were clearly in caribou country.  Next year I might opt for shooting one of these in addition to the moose hunt.  We'll see.

I have never seen this columnar ice curl like that, usually it is straight.  The frozen ground made for some easier walking than swampy low-land.  Dry feet are a luxury.

Caribou country.  This bunch moseyed on through: 2 bulls of small to moderate size were in there.

This was our measurement method to confirm the spread was >50".  It was.  

Going to town.  I was a noob so took pics and did an occasional slice here and there.  The moose is heavy when you have to carry it.  

Once at the water and floating, things were much more pleasant.  Rafts are and excellent way to transport meat.  

Photo: Adam Baxter

Pa-tarmigan hunting

     So I have been doing some brief outings during rain-breaks.  Today's was another hunting attempt.  Just so you know, I have a 0% success rate for hunting in AK, so I figure maybe if I go for something almost as populous as salmon, something I see all the time and almost step on, something I can shoot with my own gun, I will be successful. 

     Partly sunny skies + no work = outing.  Despite bouncing off the walls with energy, Chugach Lucy is still recovering from surgery and I didn't think she would handle the gun well so she stayed home.  I headed out to 1 of 2 areas to hunt ptarmigan with a .22, Peters Creek.  After a relaxed hike up and in to Mt Eklutna I saw nothing.  Then I hiked back toward Bear mountain.  Nothing.  I didn't see any wildlife except for 1 magpie.  I did feel pretty BA hiking around with a gun though and I was really tempted just to unload a clip at something. 

     Despite my hunting un-success, the hike was amazing.  On the way up a came across a high pass from which a spring sprung.  Had I been thirsty or low on H2O I would have enjoyed it even more.  The colors on the mountainsides were perfect and the caribou moss was as thick as snow on some of the peaks.  The smell of the start of fall was in the air and the cool blues/grays could be seen on the periphery of the horizon.  Termination dust on the high peaks could be seen out by Hatcher Pass and deeper in the Chugach.  There was also a hint of the still, peaceful cold that I associate with fall. 

     I think this is prime hiking season: colors are great, temperature cools so I don't burn up on the ascents, berries are ripe for the picking and my winter stoke is rising.  After walking around that whole area I sat down and ate some blueberries and cranberries, figuring I might as well be productive in another way.  This is a hot spot for blueberries: the largest and most ripe I have seen all season, particularly on the southern slopes.  They are dense like grape clusters.  I snacked on those for awhile then headed down.  I will try the other site next time but want to practice quickly field dressing so I can do some ski-hunting this winter/spring when more areas back in the valleys are more accessible. 

 

    

 

 

 

    

Maybe hunting is not for me?

     So I waited in line at Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game to get my permit to hunt a bull in the Ship Creek drainage this fall.  I spent the night there, comfortably in my bivy, because I heard they only issue x permits and they run out.  Come door opening time there were way fewer people than permits.  Oh well. 
     Got the permit and headed out Friday of the opening weekend with some ski buddies.  So did everyone else.  We went from S. Fork Eagle River trialhead to the second pass back.  When we got to a good vantage point we could see about 6 groups of hunters scattered below us.  No bulls.  All cows.  If there was a bull, it would have 15 pairs of binos looking at it no doubt and everyone would be on it.  Ridiculous.
     We went out several other times as the season progressed and encountered fewer hunters.  We hunted the same areas, saw no bulls whatsoever but plenty of cows.  It may have been the late and sparse snow coverage or maybe it is just me.  The original plan was to wait until later in the season and ski in there to hunt and sled/pulk it out, hoping our backcountry travel skills would work to our advantage.  No snow = a no go. 

The season came and went.  No luck, but being in the chugach was great and worth it.

Goat hunting in Bird/Penguin

Northwest approach to ridge north of penguin

      So I drew a permit to hunt goats in the Bird/Penguin area this fall.  Between the nasty weather and work, I was only able to make it out 4 times.  The first day out I went out to the northwest approach to the ridge north of penguin.  It had snowed which made the climb less than pleasant and we ended up alderbashing a fair amount.  The views from the top were worth it and it got me thinking about the winter/ski season to come.  No goats in sight, or at least none that I could see with the snow.

     The second day out I went up bird ridge and hiked it a ways back.  Some snow remained, but mostly on the ridge itself.  It was a beautiful day with perfect weather.  We saw no goats but did see a young black bear wandering about.



Bird valley viewed from the ridge.

     The third day I went up to penguin ridge.  Bird valley was socked in but the clouds cleared around 2500' to bluebird skies which made the climb worth it.  I saw a much larger black bear on the highway side of the just above the gut of the gully.  No goats nearby but I saw some further back on the ridge of my first day out.  I scoped a decent approach and would head out there soon.

     The fourth day out I headed up penguin creek trail and shot up a climb-able gully.  Once out of the trees I could see the goats were still there.  After cresting the ridge, eating, resting, spotting, and enjoying the view I earned, I figured out at least one billy.  I finally saw a bunch of goats, but unfortunately they were all nannies with kids.  Eventually they decided not to hang around and left for terrain I could handle, but not before crossing terrain that was too dicey.  I noticed two other goats on much steeper terrain further away.  The one billy I was after joined the nannies and kids.  They were beautiful to watch while I could, but I couldn't follow them. 

     After being unsuccessful and giving it an honest try I don't think hunting goats is for me.  I hated alder-bashing with a gun, not to mention the extra weight.  I loved the views, wildlife, and hiking though.  If there's a next time I will try to get off work for an extended period that will allow for greater travel    in the backcountry.