AK Solo With a Selfbow

SliverShooter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
203
Location
Bozeman, Montana
The short Version, condensed from my journal:

9/11/2021: 6:00 pm, bush pilot dropped me off a lake 1 ¼ ground miles according to OnX, (¾ air miles according to the pilot) from target river. I camped that night at the drop off/pick up lake.

9/12/2021: Packed up camp and hiked to river. Explored area, found good moose trails, moose sign, and then called that evening (cow calls). Had bull come close (30-40 yards) to camp around 1-2 am that night. I didn’t want to spook him from the area, so I laid quietly for 30 minutes until he moved on.

9/13/2021: Next morning explored area while calling, found place to load and launch raft on Oxbow lake. This would reduce hiking distance from 1 ¼ miles to 7/8 of a mile. Head shot grouse at 25 steps. While in camp, a little after 1:00 pm, I called in a decent moose. Not a gagger like Monty shot a few years back, but a decent, respectable moose. I shot the moose. Spent that afternoon/evening taking photographs, skinning, deboning, and bagging the moose meat. Got one side completely deboned and bagged. Ate the grouse for dinner.

9/14/2021: Spent most of day skinning, deboning, and bagging the moose meat. Moved meat and antlers away from kill site to other side of the river. Planned and prepared mentally for hauling everything out that evening.

9/15/2021: Packed camp then floated meat, gear, antlers, and camp, ¼ mile to portage area. Packed meat, gear, antlers, and camp ¼ mile to Oxbow lake. Moved/floated meat, gear, antlers, and camp 3/8 mile to end of lake and made camp.

9/16/2021: Slept in. Oxbow lake was frozen, had to build fire and thaw boots in order to put them on. Started packing around noon. Packed camp and 9 of 12 bags of meat to pick up lake. This was a real pain as the footing was typical Alaskan tundra/muskeg/hammocks. Slept at pick up lake.

9/17/2021: Packed remaining 3 bags of meat and antlers to pick up lake.

9/18/2021: Pilot arrived, flew out 8 sacks of meat to larger lake. Flew me and ½ my gear out a really large lake where we met a plane capable of transporting me and my gear most of the way to Fairbanks. First pilot flew back and got the rest of my camp, the remaining four bags of meat, picked up the first 8 bags of meat, and met us an hour out of Fairbanks.

A moose hunt is a lot of work.

Gear used:
Hooligan, 58# @ 28 ½”, takedown selfbow I made for this trip
Arrows: Surewood shafts crested and assembled by me, tipped with a 145 grain Eclipse Broadhead
Kayak Raft: A DIY Packaraft that I assembled from a kit. Paddle was a two piece paddle that I converted to a four piece paddle.
Pack: Kifaru Pack frame with 44 Mag, 22 Mag (gen1), and Sherman, Bags. Used my 22 Mag bag to carry/store all my food, kayak, and paddle.
 

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Read1t48

WKR
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
522
Location
Oregon
Incredible. I would enjoy reading the long version! Motivates me to hone my craft to the point where I could do something like that in the future. Solo. Self bow. Great moose. Not sure how it gets any better. Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 

PNWGATOR

WKR
Joined
Oct 14, 2014
Messages
2,612
Location
USA
Congratulations and WELL done!

Appreciate you taking time to share you’re experience and pictures.
 

Clarktar

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
4,174
Location
AK
What a great adventure and plenty of meat to boot!! Congrats!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
720
Location
NM
Wow!! What an adventure! Thank you for sharing this with us.

What willpower to get that done by yourself! Inspiring.
 

JES

FNG
Joined
Sep 24, 2019
Messages
78
Location
Richmond, TX
Impressive, amazing you did that alone, what an accomplishment. I like the point you made about mentally preparing yourself to hump everything out, that’s the only “muscle” you can’t work out in preparation for something like this. Thanks for sharing.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
3,158
For those who don't know him, SliverShooter is as gritty and determined as anybody I've ever known. Hell of a bowhunter-moose man.

Loved hearing about your success Walt. That was really nice, especially after last year's escapades. I can't help but think about you every time I walk into the Pump House saloon. Someday we need to do that again.
 

AKDoc

WKR
Classified Approved
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
1,532
Location
Alaska
That's one heck of a job and a beautiful bull...very well done, sir!
 

ScottH

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 13, 2013
Messages
229
Location
AZ
Congratulations! A great adventure and a great bull. Thank you for sharing your hunt with us.
 
OP
SliverShooter

SliverShooter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
203
Location
Bozeman, Montana
For those who don't know him, SliverShooter is as gritty and determined as anybody I've ever known. Hell of a bowhunter-moose man.

Loved hearing about your success Walt. That was really nice, especially after last year's escapades. I can't help but think about you every time I walk into the Pump House saloon. Someday we need to do that again.

Thanks Kevin.

I also look forward to a good porter at the Pump House you.

Folks, the Pump House holds some great memories for me, I go there the evening before going into the bush on every moose trip. When I was restarting my AK moose hunting in 2012 Kevin & his hunting partner Bryan met me at the Pump House and patiently answered every one of my questions and imparted a lot of moose hunting advise and knowledge that would normally take s decades to learn. I still follow the basic tenants they imparted in all my hunting, not only moose hunting.

Thanks again Kevin, you should go to Reno in March.

When do we get to hear your about your adventure?

Preston, John, hope to see you both in Reno.

Everybody,
Thanks for the good words, they are appreciated.
 
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