First hunt of fall

[Rick P]

Just got home form our first hunt of the fall season. we motored up the Big Susitna about 15 miles and had our own little private island, wonderful trip with the family.........but no moose.



Anyone want to see pictures?

 

[BSea]

I'd really like to see pictures!

 

[hewunch]

oh, me, me, pick me!!!! Except, how do you take pictures of moose that aren't there? :biggrin:

By the way, this past March I had, Moose stew, Reindeer dogs and fresh crab all cooked by a Cajun turn Alaskan. And they were GOOOOOD! I am a member of PETA... People eating tasty animals.

 

[lorbay]

Just got home form our first hunt of the fall season. we motored up the Big Susitna about 15 miles and had our own little private island, wonderful trip with the family.........but no moose.



Anyone want to see pictures?

Are you bloody kidding me FALL we haven't had summer yet.

Lin.

 

[Rounder]

Just got home form our first hunt of the fall season. we motored up the Big Susitna about 15 miles and had our own little private island, wonderful trip with the family.........but no moose.



Anyone want to see pictures?

Are you bloody kidding me FALL we haven't had summer yet.

Lin.

Our summer looks like fall, it is so dry. Leaves already falling from the trees. And I'm in central Texas.

 

[BlackPearl]

Our summer looks like fall, it is so dry. Leaves already falling from the trees. And I'm in central Texas.

It may look like fall but at 115* it does not feel like fall. The weather report said the other day that it was going to be ONLY 97 by the end of the week and I though Wow a cool front, great!

 

[Florida Marine]

My first hunting this fall starts Sat...

Dove season! My 9 year old is going to sling his .410...hit a dove with a .410 and he gets a trophy.

There is a an early doe season in a few counties starting Sat also...but warm weather deer hunting just seems wrong.

 

[BKelley]

Rick,
It is in the mid to high ninetys here in Georgia and you are talking first fall hunt?? It sure would be a big help if you could bottle up some of that fresh cool Alaskan breeze and ship it us. We need some relief, can you help?

Ben

 

[PenMan1]

My first hunting this fall starts Sat...

Dove season! My 9 year old is going to sling his .410...hit a dove with a .410 and he gets a trophy.

There is a an early doe season in a few counties starting Sat also...but warm weather deer hunting just seems wrong.

If he can knock down a dove with a 410, he doesn't deserve a trophy! He deserves a scholarship!

It's been so hot and dry here lately the doves may just fall to the field from heat and exhaustion! I'm glad I bought that set of mesh camo awhile back. It'll be near 100 before noon Saturday.

 

[Rick P]

LOL OK then, hope I dont have to re size them all but I'll post a few.

Ben
I've been trying to send some of our weather your way. Our freinds from Nuqisut (About as far north as ya can get without swimin) spent the summer with family down your way. Eskimos dont do well in temps over 65!

Florida marine
Good for you! My 4 year old tries hard to make a harvest with his long bow every time we hunt small game, he is getting to the point that this might be his year! The 410 is a great birding caliber, I took grouse, doves, woodcock and more rabbits with mine than I can count!

Pen man1
Where am I going for my masters work? What do I get for harvesting a duck with a recurve bow?

 

[Rick P]

We drove north of Willow Alaska to a out of the way launch then headed up stream on the big Susitna. The big su is heavily braided and has several large islands in it, we decieded to make a 200-300 acre one with a great camping spot home for the week.

 

[Rick P]

Gunther did a great job helping unload the freighter canoe. Right away we noticed signs that we had neighbors but they never came into camp for a visit.

 

[Richard Gibson]

Rick,
It is in the mid to high ninetys here in Georgia and you are talking first fall hunt?? It sure would be a big help if you could bottle up some of that fresh cool Alaskan breeze and ship it us. We need some relief, can you help?

Ben

Ben, these Alaskan guys are eating "Moose stew, Reindeer dogs and fresh crab all cooked by a Cajun turn Alaskan "... I don't think I would ask them to bottle up a "breeze" and send you. That might be an environmental hazard...:doctor:

 

[Rick P]

The temps at night dropped to the lower 40's, time to start the wood stove.

 

[Rick P]

Speaking of food I feed us well! Home made bacon and eggs for breakfast and who wants to do an evening hunt on a empty stomach?

 

[Rick P]

Here's an Alaskan hat rack in the cook shelter.......And the wife taking a break.

 

[Haynie]

Da*nit!! I'm sitting here working on taxes in a 90 degree shop (Cooler seized up two days ago and paper work takes precedence). I'm starving too. I open up this site to check out the pen porn as a break and here you are talking about cold weather, and you include food pictures.

 

[Rick P]

Tracy and Gunther spent there time fishing and watching over camp while I hunter in the eveniings.

 

[Rick P]

Da*nit!! I'm sitting here working on taxes in a 90 degree shop (Cooler seized up two days ago and paper work takes precedence). I'm starving too. I open up this site to check out the pen porn as a break and here you are talking about cold weather, and you include food pictures.

Well I wouldn't want you to be misled about how rough it is hunting in back country.........imagine what I can do with a real stove and running water! (Oooooo that was kinda mean!)

 

[Rick P]

Three guesses what the white thing at the top of the log jam is........hint trips on our rivers dont always go as planned!

 

[Rick P]

Our trip went without a hitch, we even got to see Denali on our way home. (highest peak in north America, Willow is about 5 hours drive from Denali national park the peak is only visable 75 days a year due to cloud cover)

 

[Rick P]

We got home just in time to enjoy a rare August northern lights display! The down side of the "midnight sun" is not seeing stars for 5 months. I do think it adds to your apreciation of the fall night skies!

 

[Haynie]

Da*nit!! I'm sitting here working on taxes in a 90 degree shop (Cooler seized up two days ago and paper work takes precedence). I'm starving too. I open up this site to check out the pen porn as a break and here you are talking about cold weather, and you include food pictures.

Well I wouldn't want you to be misled about how rough it is hunting in back country.........imagine what I can do with a real stove and running water! (Oooooo that was kinda mean!)

Jerk:biggrin:

 

[Haynie]

Three guesses what the white thing at the top of the log jam is........hint trips on our rivers dont always go as planned!

Would that be the butt end of a boat

 

[Rick P]

We have a winner! It had been there a long time but thats a boat some 10+ feet out of the river at the top of a log jam! The island we camped on is clearly underwater during the spring floods. Our firewood all came from wash outs. I even found log jams in the tall trees you can see in the background of the camp pic.

 

[Rick P]

Hope you guys like these, there are more but this set gives one a fair over veiw of the hunt.

 

[PenMan1]

Rick:
I have shot with the current Olympic Gold Medalist in Sporting Clays. He gets his shells free and somebody pays him to use their gun. He has a heck of a time shooting doves with a .410.

You teach that kid to consistently shoot dove with a .410 SOMEBODY WILL GUVE HIM A SCHOLARSHIP! You might have to move a few thousand miles South and East, but if a kid is a good competitive shooter or can run 40 yards with a football in 4 seconds, the colleges here will beat a path to your door

Good luck, Saturday! I'll be using a 20 gauge, simply because it is REALLY embarrassing to miss a dove with a 12 gauge ---all three times

 

[Rick P]

Pen man:

Gunther is BIG for his age, were talking the size of an average 7 year old, he is 4. I'm pulling for hokey but a sports scholarship is not out of the question.

12ga is too much gun for non waterfowl birds! 20ga is nice but have ya ever shot a 28ga? The unsung hero of bird guns IMHO.

 

[Rick_G]

Thanks for the photo shoot. Looks like a good weekend even without the moose. From a guy that's been stuck in the flatlands of southern Ontario most of my life being in country likes that definitely makes me jealous.

 

[Rick P]

lol The area we camped is considered the flatlands of south central Alaska. Would you like to see some mountain pics?

 

[Rick P]

Sun rise over our Mountian, pioneer peak and my midwinter rabbit hunting lynx trapping spot.

 

[Rob73]

I've never gone hunting before but back in the day, in high school I had a friend that did. I will never forget him calling me up and telling me to stop by that him and his father had just gone hunting and bagged a couple bucks.

I drove on over to his house to find a buck on the ground and his father doing some cuts on it. He then took a golf ball and shoved it into the hide and tied it off, then tied the other end to his truck. He had the antlers tied off to a nearby tree. He got in the truck and slowly pulled away. There were some quite horror movie esq sounds produce and then the entire hide just slide right off and hit the ground. Leave the carcass behind. I'll never forget that site or the sound.

Couple weeks later had some nice venison jerky to take home though

 

[Kenessl]

Heading up to Kansas tomorrow to go dove hunting with a couple of buddies. Deer season doesn't begin in Oklahoma for another 4 weeks.

 

[Rob73]

Wow those pics are gorgeous! Must be nice living in such a peaceful place. One of these days I'll have to take an Alaskan cruise or fishing trip. I could easily see myself sitting in a chair with a 12 pack watching the northern lights.

I had a friend that moved to Juneau to work as a traffic controller. He used to live in my area and always told me it got colder here than there. He loved it though. Built himself a boat and would put out lobster traps. Mountain scenery in his back yard. Made me extremely jealous Though he did have a couple bear stories that were not quite pleasant.

 

[Rick P]

Rob my 4 year old "helped" skin a Dall sheep last year. He did great till I got to the face then he hid his eyes and said "owe owe" every time he peaked through his fingers! (the sheep was bound for a taxidermist)

 

[Rick P]

Juneau is in the pan handle and it's weather is very similar to interior Washington state. I live considerably north of that, keep in mind that if you laid Alaska over the lower 48 it would cover everything west of the mississippi!

It's a 19 hours drive from my home to where I caribou hunt on the north slope and the Iditarod is 1492 miles long crossing less than a third of the state from willow to nome.

 

[Rick P]

BTW "Snow blind" is a better fit than beer for watching the lights. Our best displays are around midwinter and beer freezes! Snowblind is Vodka cut with mead.......it never freezes!

 

[Rob73]

BTW "Snow blind" is a better fit than beer for watching the lights. Our best displays are around midwinter and beer freezes! Snowblind is Vodka cut with mead.......it never freezes!

Fire up a smoker and sounds like a party

 

[bitshird]

Pen man:

Gunther is BIG for his age, were talking the size of an average 7 year old, he is 4. I'm pulling for hokey but a sports scholarship is not out of the question.

12ga is too much gun for non waterfowl birds! 20ga is nice but have ya ever shot a 28ga? The unsung hero of bird guns IMHO.

Rick, your only the second person I've heard of that even knew that a 28 GA. existed, My dad had one when I was a kid, it was considered a lady's shotgun I used it until he traded it off I was about 7 or 8 then I got a nice 40/22 over under . I wish I still had either of them, but all I have a a Le Fever 12 GA. beautiful shotgun, but I can't find low base shells for it any more and it's of course a Damascus Twist barrel. but I used to knock the tar out of Doves and Quail, not to mention the occasional Grouse and Pheasant, I miss hunting.

 

[Rick P]

I like the 28 because it is a light gun, most of our bird hunting is hiking up and down the side of the mountain and any weight reduction without loss of efficiency is more than welcome! I have been accused of under gunning game and under rodding fish but I have no problem filling my freezer! Fact is I think most folks pay far less attention to shot placement and just go BIG! This is especially true of bear hunting! There is no need for more than 270 on black bears and most other game. 300 win mag is my all around choice because it also covers our Bigger big game like moose........we eat a lot of moose.


Gunther and I just finished up a walk around the property and gathered a few wild edibles for dinner.