My first moose/carribou hunt

frank church guy

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I hope everyone enjoys, thought I'd share an incredible hunt. First I would like to send thanks to all the Alaska hunters who gave advice on hunting in Alaska wilderness back in February to a first time moose hunter (and kevin dill). And I am including my caribou hunt with my moose hunt. (and a griz hunt with a resident that shot one) I will attempt to tell the story from start to finish. It started in late July when my long time friend/boss fired me and everyone else here in the Frank Church. I will not go into details but needless to say I need a new username. So after I got canned I called my friend who invited me to go hunting in Alaska and explained the situation. So after explaining he invited me up early. So I changed my ticket and flew to Fairbanks three weeks early. For three days I hung out in Fairbanks (beautiful town more on that at end). Helped the mechanics with prepping the super cubs and being there little labor guy. Had a great meal at the Chena steak house the night before I went on the most incredible 5 weeks of my life. (The pictures will follow)

The next morning helped load the planes and jumped in to fly north to start my adventure. Upon arriving into the first of three strips as we were on final approach, the strip was loaded with caribou scattering west. At this point it just capped off a day like no others. The country we flew over was absolutely beautiful, and more remote than any place I have ever been. Ate an incredible meal of moo cow steak and beans. This meal was delicious but nothing compared to what was to come.

So the next morning I am up and ready to go hunt. Fortunately for four hours we watched herds of boo go buy. No shooters
(I wouldnt know the difference because this was my first time ever seeing a caribou up close). So I learned from friends. Around noon a friend and I went for hike. His seven year daughter wanted to hike. She had her tuff boots and she lived up to the word tuff through the rest of the day., After walking a couple miles of that insanely "cool" tundra we hit a small hill with black spruce. My friend is leading and I am twenty feet behind with his daughter in the middle. He stops abruptly and holds his hand out to tell us to stop. I ask him, "what a griz?" Yep fifty feet a griz is bedded and all we can see is its head. Made sure his daughter was behind us at this point and then start barking at the bear. I know, silly, but wanted a cool picture. Beautiful blond head. Bear did not care. So we backed away slowly and headed back to camp. That was the first of twenty grizzllies I saw. So cool.

About a couple hours later we spot a bachelor heard of boo a mile away on the other side of the river bottom. Watched for a bit and then decided to make play for them. Starting across the river and then up into tundra, we moved in slow jog to cut them off from their westward mission. The whole time his little seven old daughter in her tuffs is running along! Almost cut the boos off but they kind of got in front of us (imagine that two legged humans vs four legged tundra bait) So I dove down prone throwing my rifle over my pack. Ranged the group and started asking my friend if their shooters. range was 595. He tells me the front one looks like a shooter but it is up to.......boom! My excitement took over. I was really jacked up. 7 saum delivered a 160 accubond right through the heart.

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He only is around three hundreds but with velvet he looked huge to me! The coolest thing to me was that little seven girl was right on backside through the tundra in her little tuffs! I have pictures with her but I wont post those. And the grizz we saw three hours earlier was around six hundred yards from where I dropped this boo. What a awesome 2 days. ( I still have thirty two to go). Let me know if I am okay at telling the story. A couple moose hunts and more follows, I spent thirty days in the brooks and 14 were solo
 

young7.3

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Awesome story and congrats on the caribou! Did you get a moose? More pics please!


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AKDoc

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I was wondering how your hunt went. You're telling a great story, keep going...
 
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frank church guy

frank church guy

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Had to grab an adult beverage. So I shot my caribou on the 14th or there abouts. Moose opening is so far off. My time there had just started. A day after I shot that boo, that beautiful blond grizz showed up and decided to sleep on the gut pile for three days. two young bruins showed up and fled when they smelled that bear. One was a hundred yards out of camp. When she left A white wolf came calling. Tried to get a shot but man those wolves are so fing smart(just like in the frank). Two days after I shot that boo my friend said he is flying back to fairbanks to take care of my boo. Ask if I want to go or stay. Easy answer.......STAY! So he loads his 206 up with his granddaughter and my boo. Leaves me with his little jack russel. She is a 10 pound bundle of love who thinks she is a hundred and fifty wolf.
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Dont worry, I never got her drunk. This picture is in moose camp four weeks later and s he is sleeping on my cot. Just thought it was funny picture with her sleeping like that on my bag. So me and my little 10 pound guardian did our first three days alone. I loved that little dog. A rodent hunting machine who is the most loving little dog. For three days watched close too two thousand caribou wander westward. They are driven dedicated prey. Incredible!

After a week, my friends showed up again and tells me we are moving camp. We load the cubs this time
(no 206s can't go where we are flyjng) At this camp i watched thousands caribou walk by. Some 60 yards out of camp. A couple days into this new strip is when a few alaskan folks show up. All friends. Next day we are watching a grizz (while i was at this strip I saw 5 grizly bears with in 200 hundre yards of camp.) and a wolf. The wolf was doing laps over two miles too retrieve caribou quarters, and haul them back to his "den".I actually shot him at 700 yards and watched him jump 10 feet in the air around "dark" (it really wasnt getting dark at this point. next morning I got up and went to look for that wolf for 8 hours in the tundra. left the jack russel in the tent. She was pissed. Neveer found him, but I know I hit him.

So I was saying my friends who are Alaskan came to meat hunt. (they get ten boo tags, doesnt have to be a bull. This is when the dutch oven eating became beyond delicious.) They got their meat and decided to leave me again. This time for ten days. Left me a rear off a cow boo. I ate so good!

So back to the griz. After a week by myself with incredible boo stew three cubs fly in to camp. Anxious to move to moose camp. The weather didnt cooperate. So the next day we are watching a wolf and a grizz. My new friend ask me what stalk i'd like to do. I said the grizz. We decide to go after the grizz. We watched her bed down, and made the stalk. We get to a point in the creek bottom where we have to crawl up the bank and slither through the tundra. She is up on a tundra hillside. We crawled to within 250 yards and start fiddling with ranging her. My ignorence never kicked in. She could of closed 250 yards in two blinks of an eye. Just the excitement of the moment never made me think about the wrong outcome. And then my friend lets 300 prc shout out. Blew her rear spine out. When walked up on her she was alive and pissed and crippled. Her roar was not like a black bears death moan. She was pissed and if she could she would of killed both of us. Fortyfour mag finished her. So cool to me. I have already seen 10 grizzlys and now I get to help cape this beautiful bear.

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this two in half weeks of my time in the brooks. I have seen over 4000 caribou, 10 grizzlys, two wolves. At this point two camps. And the best of my trip is still in front of me. will get to the moose hunt next. but it is late and need some zzzz's.

IMG_8019.jpgIMG_8019.jpgIMG_8001.jpgand the pictures dont do justice to them lights!
 
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frank church guy

frank church guy

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one more beer. Remember, this is from the heart and my adventure from this trip is still in motion. (explain at the end of this). So three days after the grizz met her end, we pack up and go to moose camp..

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I was here for two and weeks. Saw lots of bou. One afternoon we were down from camp a mile on the creek bottom watching a hundred bou or so and then instantly they spooked and bolted. Sure enough a big boar was running up the creek chasing with a huge smile. It was so wild of omaha stuff. The huge front legs digging into the river throwing water everywhere. So amazing! At this camp we flew a bit north and fished for char and caught a bunch, and ate a bunch!

And so around the eighth of September I got to do my dream hunt. It wasnt with out regret. I was invited on a sheep hunt to help pack. He shot a boone and crocket sheep the same day I got my moose. And that sheep was absolutely one of the best protiens I have ever ate.

The day before we were glassing and six miles south we spotted moose on the river bottom. So that night we decided to go after the moose, leaving me out on the sheep hunt. That night we decided to stay up and watch the northern lights. But they did not show up until after eleven. Absol;utely beautifiul! Next morning my friend and me start down river towards the moose. About two miles of tundra and 3-1/2 miles on the creek bottom. That was interesting. It was where that big grizz came running up the river a few days before. And about two miles dow n we cut across the river through all that "tall alder" with game trails. Moose sheds everywhere, caribou sign everywhere, and grizzly scatt everywhere. Love be on high alert.

We get about four in half miles from camp and are looking at the river bend a mile in half where we had glassed those moose the day before. Now we are scouting a gravel bar where we can land super cubs and marking it out. About that time I am glassing down river but on the tundra a bit and see a sow with two cubs drop in right where we think those moose are. My buddy looks at me and jokingly says you are own! HaHa! A few minutes later we watched them leave the creek bottom and disappear into thge tundra. And about that time we see three bulls. Two young ones and a mature bull, but cant quite make it out. So we climb out of the river bottom and start moving down river toward the bend where the moose were. We get to around three hundred yards from the bend and five cows walk out, seperate from the three bulls.

Getting excited now! And sure enough a bull appears. Three hundred yards. But we are not sure about the other mature bull, so we watch. (I wish I could down the videos not that smart). We watched him tear a bushes up and then we filmed him laying down and taking a nap! Remember we were waiting to see what that other was like. (he turned out to be a shooter too) We watched this bull for two hours at three hundred yards. At about 4 oclock we knew we had to shoot him or not,(have to field dress him, packing a mile in half to the gravel bar, and get all 5 trips with the cub back to camp, we are six miles from camp) Aso we had to get him out of his bed. About this time one of the cows walk by him and pees on him! And at this point we are yelling at him to stand up! Finally he stands up broad side, sun glare! But then the cows clear, nice profile, and then 7 saum 160 grain accubond at three hundred yards turns him into little white packages in my freezer. (I wish I knew how get the video of all three hours to download, including the kill shot)

That incredible animal was the most beautiful impressive animal I have ever walked upon. I felt guilty for ending his life. He was impressive (and three days later I helped friend get 68-1/2 inch narly bull) made respect hunting that much more. he was only 52-1/2"s but unique lower palms. And my first moose ever!

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I have packed a ton of elk in my life for lots of miles, but that rear qtr. was the heaviest. Overall I packed three rears, three sets of ribs, lots of neck brisket and loins. This trip was the funniest hunt I have been able to do.

And now my crazy 4 months is turning into a crazier 6 months. As type this I am trying to get to Fairbanks. I have a lot work offered to me, and a place to stay. The direct ferry to alaska is closed till may but I can get to haines and through Canada with an expidiate passport. I fell in love the place.. Hope to share future huhts with RS
 

AKDoc

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I truly enjoyed your recalling and sharing of your adventure with us. I greatly appreciated your sincere expression of gratitude for the experience, the animals, the wonderful meat, and the ineffable wonder of Alaska. You had a truly epic adventure that few will ever know. Thank you for sharing it with us...glad it worked out for you as it did. The best to you, sir!
 

keller

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What a truly awesome adventure and your gratitude for the experience and animals is overwhelming! Everything happens for a reason sounds like you found your place!!
 

bmrfish

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Wow! What a fantastic adventure! Thanks for taking us along and best of luck on your future endeavors.


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frank church guy

frank church guy

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Thank you all with your kind comments. To me since I was little, hunting has been an experience that I enjoy. I love the adventure. It has never been about the kill or how big mine was vs. yours. It has always for me been about the adventure and time spent in the woods. It doesn't matter to me if I am solo or with good friends. I love my time spent in wild country.
 
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