One for Alaskan Bob

realunlucky

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My first trip to Alaska was a long time coming having dreamed about going there since watching mutual of omaha on Saturday mornings as a kid. Always figured it was always off the table due to budget and never put much effort into researching actual costs or requirements.
Four years ago I got a call that changed it all. My good buddy from the army called and invited me to hunt moose with him in Canada. I was in and not long after that the trip started to unravel. Plan b Alaska! It was twice the cost but moose are twice as big. Catch was we had to book in two days and no one had done any research yet. The race was on. My dad mentioned he had a cousin in Alaska and I should track him down and ask a few questions before shelling out any money to a transporter.
Alaskan Bob picked up the phone and after finding out the how i got his number, just who's kid I was, and what I wanted to know about moose hunting. Bob paused a few seconds let out a roaring chuckle and says don't give those guys your money come and go with us.
 
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realunlucky

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Shell shocked I said OK. There was a man I had only met as kid invited me and 3 buddies up to moose camp amazing generosity. I would call in periodically to check in and Bob was one of the nicest and knowledgeable people I had ever talked to. Was the months grew shorter excitement grew higher.
June 7th 2013 my grandfather called to say Robert Weaver was killed by a black bear near his cabin. Numb. Out of this terrible tragedy came my resolution that I would hunt Alaska and dedicate my trip to Bob a true Alaskan.
 
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realunlucky

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Well now what? We discussed our options and decided caribou would cost less and yeld higher returns. My buddies being a frugal bunch say let's rent a truck and hunt the Dalton for caribou. THANK YOU to everyone I pm'd called and harassed during the process. Roksliders are a giving bunch and Alaskan rokslide members are top tier for sure. We couldn't seem to get everyone schedules to a lineup in 2014 so it's 2015 or bust. Fast forward to first of the year need to get the deposit put down on the truck. Two guys backed out last minute due to thier new houses they built being over budget or whatever damn money pits anyways.er. Losing two guy's cut the cost savings of driving the Dalton, so we scramble for a fly out. Done deal book with a highly recommended transporter out of happy valley and wait until first week of September
 
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realunlucky

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12 days until we land in deadhorse we get the call that the migration is off and he won't be taking us out. Wtf will this trip ever come together? I just start dialing numbers. Answers all started running together booked but try this guy or maybe so and so has a cancelation. No love until someone says to take a chance on kotzebue. Hello can you take us? Did you say Yes? Hell yea see you then.
 
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realunlucky

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OK so you have endured my blabbering long enough on to some pictures. Disclaimer my camera was ruined on day one
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Day one fly into kotzebue in 135 knot winds noway are they taking the 180 out in that try again tomarrow. We also found out the president would be visiting in a few days and all commodities in this community were stretched thin. Hotel rooms were 330 a night. Julie was kind a enough to find us a place it lacked running water but got us out of the weather and saved us some money.
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home sweet home. Little did we know how much we would miss even the limited comforts of this
 

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realunlucky

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Be ready to go at 0900. This is really happening. Day two was raining but the winds had died down so Matty Owens gave the thumbs up.
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We were the second group they would fly out to start thier season. Rivers were running high so traditional sandbars might be flooded. Just get me in the game coach please!
 
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realunlucky

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Kotzebue is surrounded by the ocean on two sides and it was amazing to watch the white caps as we flew over. This was my first time in a plane so small and you pretty much put all your faith in the pilot. Half way over the ocean I turn and see Matty flying the plane with his knee opening his breakfast burrito. Both hands on the wheel thanks
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I won't bore you with all the plane pictures but needless to say it was a breath taking ride. We went about 135 miles out so about about hour 15 minutes flight or so. By the time he spotted a possible landing site I was more than ready to get out. Yea yea looks good let's try it
 
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realunlucky

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Well Matty see a sandbar that looks suitable for an airstrip does a fly over and says yea looks like you can cross it.
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landing was an experience I won't soon forget. Full flap cut motor hit brakes wait until bouncing stop throw gear in pile. Matty quickly strolls to water oh yea you guys got this and river level will drop in few days. As I'm helping him put the door back on he casually replies "hope you guys are ready this is the bears bedroom" hopped in his plane and he was gone.
 
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realunlucky

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Well we only saw about 30 caribou on the flight in so we didn't know what to expect. I'd gotten many helpful pms from guys on here and since cowboy had hunted with Matty about the same time last year and scored most of thier bou up high I knew the high ground had possibilities. Just pile my crap into the long hunter without sorting it or properly packing it. Strip down to drawers, don the crocs, stretch the trekking poles out. Let's do this!
 
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realunlucky

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Well lucky for my buddies and everyone else the priceless looks on everyone's face as they inched deeper and deeper into the icy braids of the river were lost when my camera broke. Water was just over balls deep and I'm here to tell you that will take your breath away. Luckily by the third and final braid every thing below the waist was numb. After a quick scramble up the steep bank was my first encounter with alders. Thick push and fight your way though until finally it opens up some. Look down and spot a grizzly track. That'll get the old heart pumping. A quick powwow and we know we really don't want to push through the dense alders for over a mile to the mountain and chance the possibility of running into a bear.
 
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realunlucky

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How hard can walking on the tundra be? You just got to want it right. Wrong! Everything I've read is right on, it's mentally and physically draining. First stretch we hit was swamp wet and deep and I was frustrated just trying to keep my boots dry. With every step my feet for wetter and wetter and it was like slow motion trying to reach the high ground. Now I'm pissed I'm wet I'm just going to put my head down hit the high gear and make the high ground.
 
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realunlucky

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Splash oh sh*t I'm tits deep in a little stream. Tried to just make a little hop and misjudged and slipped to the bottom. Trekking poles are stuck in about half way and I'm standing on my tip toes. Scared some now pack weights in around 90 and I know if fall forward there is a real chance I could drown. My brother in law is about 100 yards away and struggling to make his way to me. I slowly put all my wieght on the poles, seems like they'll hold yep and I'm out.
Light mist is falling and temperature is dropping I'm soaking wet, i could be in real trouble quick. Stupid stupid me no fall back plan now it's just us and what we brought in on our backs
 
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realunlucky

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Hey guys let's get camp set up ASAP.
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I wisely had packed everything in dry sacks but looks like boots will be wet. Stove felt good but my diy jobbie sure sucked at drafting on this trip. Not sure what the issue was but it smoked us out of the tent a couple times. Will be adding window/rear access zipper in my copycat shelter. Diy bear fence sure helped rest easy at night
(Follow the peak of the green tent to the river that's our landing bar. 1.4 miles in over 5 hours that's brutal terrain )
 
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realunlucky

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You can't hunt until 3am the day after you fly in. Back in kotzebue we had a little Texas hold em to determine a shooting order. Only time queen seven is a winner against hole aces
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thanks Eric. I'm first up tomarrow
 
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Day two
First day we can actually hunt and I'm up to bat first. Day dawns about 5am and it's cold my boots are frozen solid. Nothing can let the air out of your sails faster than cold boots. Pound down some oatmeal and a cup of via french roast and throw on those stupid boots and get to walking hoping to warm the toes in the process.
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view from camp is awesome. Shawn spots four bulls coming down by the rock hill across the swamp. Exciting and depressing at the same time knowing there no way to cut them off and no way are we going in the swamp again. Plan is hopefully river level drops and we can follow that back to the sand bar for pickup when that day comes. On the horizon we can see a storm coming and I feel we need to camp to a lesser exposed part of the hill. Eric and I start breaking camp and Shawn heads for the stream to pump some water. When he comes back he informs us the bottom is all swamp and where are the bou he spotted earlier? I had not given them much thought since deciding they were out of play due to location. I do a quick glance around and discover bulls with in a 1000 yards. Game on.

Shawn heads down the hill to cut them off and Eric and I head up hill and to a vantage point I hope will provide a short shot. Using a few scattered bushes and some low crawling and terrain features we end up at 297 yards. I'm ready it's well within my comfort zone '06 165 grain swift a frames have always preformed great for me.
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wow did that happen? After all that it finally came together. Rest of the bulls stop at 418 Eric says that's to far little does he know what the trip has in store for him.
 
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realunlucky

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So luckily I've basically taken the shot from our new camp site. We set up our sleeping tent and head over to see how we'll get the meat back to camp without going through knee deep water. Thankfully I anchored him on solid ground and no butchering in ice cold water. I managed to make it over walking root clump to clump of the bushes. Cross the stream extra carefully this time.
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Shawn packing the quarters back to camp that tundra was knee deep all 300 yards up that hill. Grew to really hate walking up or down that sucker every day for water.
I'll throw this picture in
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this little bush in the background has maybe 1 inch limbs but held all three caribou. Like everything in Alaska it was tough
 
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realunlucky

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Day three
Shawn's up today but we wake up to this.
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and it's cold like 15*. Worse part is fog as rolled in and visibility sucks.
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not much we could do but rest up and hope it blew over (so glad I moved camp for wind relief) Shawn was a little stir crazy
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trying to glass the mountain from doorway. He did get to play his first game of yatzee but I kicked butt and won't let him win.
 
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realunlucky

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Sun started to peek out
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threw on some snivel gear and headed out for trip around the "rock"
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I thrown warm hot rocks in my boots and had made some real progress drying the insoles while waiting. So much easier to talk yourself into a walk when boots aren't frozen. It ended up all for not as no bou were spotted on day 3
 
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realunlucky

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Day four
Day of Eric. Eric is pretty worried he might not get a opportunity since our sightings had been few and far between. I was feeling pretty bad since I had planned this trip and was the only one to pull the trigger thus far. Plenty of time and I had a plan. Looked like if we crossed the tundra and used the two hills with more solid footing we could make the base of the mountain.
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we would than split up Eric and I heading for the far drainage we saw bulls on day two and Shawn covering the drainage closest to camp. Deal was if we lost solid footing we turned back. Well Plan worked and we minimized the amount we had to travel on the tundra. It was about 3 miles winding along to the top of our drainage. After we got to the top I spotted a grizzly on the opposite ridge chasing a fox eat berries for awhile than chase the fox again. We dropped over the other side to get out of the wind and man did the sun feel good. Stripped down to my drawers drying my gear and enjoying being warm for first time since the plane dropped me off, when I spotted a damn caribou. They were all in the drainage Shawn was watching but hell he was at the bottom and we would probably push them down to him anyway and it's was Eric's day anyway. I spotted a huge bull way up on top and knew we would have to make play for him. Long 1 mile later and no bull Damm figures.
I know they are working the valley below us and seem reluctant to push into the narrow steep drainage exit Shawn is watching. We ease along just peering over the top when I spot two bulls on the opposite ridge. Eric had bought a new scope that had a 400 yard hash. He thought he could make the shot if I could get him inside the bubble. Low crawl up to the lip hit the button on the vortex and 386! I tell him to get setup and he sees a bigger bull. He wants it problem it's 560 and to get closer we have to expose ourselves to the first two bulls and I have to crawl through wet tundra to get there. I was pissed but it was his day his call. He also wanted to video his shot. Wtf I had never ran a camera before but this man had had my back more than once or twice in Iraq and I owed him a solid effort. The other bulls raced off after spotting us but his bull remained content to rub his antlers.
393 hold on his back squeeze the trigger boom
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great shot. He is great bull
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glad he didn't make it into the thick stuff. Camp straight down the draw 2.3 miles . What did we just do?
 
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realunlucky

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Of course no bulls went pass Shawn they went up and out. Don't worry buddy tomarrow is day of Shawn 2. Some pictures to enjoy
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