Got dropped off for 8 days by myself back in the sticks hunting for grizzlies.
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Always amazed by what the better cub pilots can do. Not a strip, just tundra, and not as flat as it looks.
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[attachment=1,msg2817576]
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Unloaded quickly, and then he's gone for the next 8 days.
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:campfire:
Must have landed around 8pm.
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And although its the land of the midnight sun, days had been getting shorter so I hustled to get the tent up, camp squared away, and filter some water, before the sun set ~10:30pm. Wasn't that hard but with the flight and scenery I almost forgot the water part.
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:campfire: I've pulled up my stool.
Can't wait for this adventure.
Camp was far from spartan.
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But with a 65lb gear limit, camp was a 4-season 2 man (kindof) tent, sleeping on a simple ridgerest foam pad, an excellent 20 degree down bag, and a canister stove.
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And way too much food.
Before I dropped into the tent for the night of course I glassed the area for any critters.
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You can't hunt "same day airborne" but sure I want to see what's around.
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Spotted 2 grizzlies most of 3 miles away with the binos, a sow and cub. A good sign.
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To me the good part would be the 3 miles away. :scared:
Yes yes!! :campfire: :bigsmyl: :pray:
:campfire: :coffee:
AAAAAAAGGGGHH!!!!!! Why did I have to open this before the storys done!! Killing me!! Your crazy! What happened?! Are you alive? Is a friend writing this as a tribute to you? What beautiful country! :biglaugh:
This is gonna be good!!! :campfire:
Gator- yes it was nice to see them, but at a distance. I had thought about bringing an electric fence with me to put around camp. Not for while I was there but when I was away. Didn't want my food and shelter destroyed. But I left it at home.
As it was, I was attacked in my tent most mornings and nearly every night. By lemmings !
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The numbers of the little boogers had exploded. They got into my bag of steel cut oatmeal, the raisins, and the powdered milk. Incredible how loud the sound was of one of them crunching on the uncooked oatmeal.
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Not sure what it means but they left the mt house alone :laughing:
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Of course I shooshed them off but they always came back.
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Quote from: Boone the Hunter on September 03, 2018, 09:14:18 PM
AAAAAAAGGGGHH!!!!!! Why did I have to open this before the storys done!! Killing me!! Your crazy! What happened?! Are you alive? Is a friend writing this as a tribute to you? What beautiful country! :biglaugh:
That's EXACTLY what I thought too!!!
You be safe. This is going to be a wonderful adventure to follow.
I've walked tundra before... it is the definition of not flat!
Looking forward to this story.
With all the hustle of getting things wrapped up at home & work, and the travel, sleep came easy.
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Sometime in the night a heavy fog had moved in, so the next morning it was socked-in in my valley(s).
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When it cleared around noon I was out, hiking upstream to a low bluff overlooking the main river and the willow covered gravel bars that were a part of it. Our willows are bushes but generally pretty thick cover.
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I could see into some of them a bit and others not so much. And also kept an eye on the benches and slopes around me. Not many berries so the grizzlies would be digging roots and digging for different rodents.
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I wasn't too far into my sit when a big old grizzly appeared out of the willows, crossing the river to the far bank.
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"He was big and bent and gray and old
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold" from Boy Named Sue best sung by Mr. Johnny Cash
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:campfire:
I'm looking forward to this one. Let the story continue... :archer2:
I'm not sure what's more nerve racking? Waiting for the conclusion of this story or the concept of going to bed in grizz territory. Im thinking the first one.
:campfire: This is great!!! :campfire:
:campfire: :goldtooth: :clapper:
:campfire: this is a good one! I'm hoping for lots of pictures lol
Amazing country, and a great start to a hunt.
:thumbsup: :campfire:
You just can't hurry a good grizzly story. TMac...try not to tease us unnecessarily. :thumbsup:
Excited to follow this one!
In!!!!!!!
Bisch
Apologies, just getting some pics in when I can.
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So wow I was excited to have some action so quickly.
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The bear started moving downstream, while up on the far bank.
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I started hustling along on my side, trying to keep up, and looking for an opportunity to get in close. :pray:
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Eventually he made his way down onto one of the willow bars and started digging for roots, moving this way and that.
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OK, this is going to be more then exciting, but I am curious....how do you have phone coverage out there? Sat phone I'm guessing maybe. Heck around where I live on the drive to my house I lose coverage. Be careful and stay safe. :thumbsup:
I could only see him now because I was higher.
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If I dropped down to his level on the river, he would disappear.
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Watched him for most of an hour, waiting for him to commit to crossing the river downstream or towards me. Then I would make my move.
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Another large grizzly appeared upstream above the river, close, but I stayed with this one. The 2nd bear seemed to be avoiding this one, seemed to know it was around.
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It was thick in the willows.
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David- no cell coverage for many many miles. Most folks are very quickly moving to the inreach texting devices for communication, and I had one with me.
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I found a better pic of the bear when he was still on the hillside.
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As they say, he had a butt the size of Cleveland.
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[attachment=1,msg2817723]
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Willy nilly silly old bear? Maybe. But events later would prove otherwise. :campfire:
Exciting stuff.......... :campfire: :coffee:
Here's a short video. He's the dark spot kindof in the middle, and not moving much at all. But gives a sense of things.
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https://youtu.be/VkgDItViIPY
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Haven't used youtube before, would appreciate a yeah or nay from someone if the link works. Thanks.
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Not working for me.
Thanks JR. I changed the settings, does it work now ?
Working now. Eagerly awaiting the rest if the story.
DAMN!...NOW WERE HUNTIN!... :thumbsup: :coffee:
im giddy with anticipation.....one question: how do you move around quietly with those big brass ba@& of yours!!!!
Dang brother, I'm livin this along with you. Thanks for sharing because I will never get the opportunity.
Reading this as i'm nursing a headache, but thinking of you alone for eight days in Grizzly country is not helping a stress induced headache! :scared: :biglaugh:
Ahhhh I was drooling reading this. Ready for an update! :jumper:
Timo, I could see his big "hunchback" sticking up above the willows in the video. Thanks for taking us along-I can only imagine what hunting grizzlies would be like...
South MS - I feel your pain with those headaches- hang in there.
Coilspring, thanks for the kind regards! Say a prayer for me my Brothers/Sisters :pray: Thinking of Tim alone with Grizzlies, while i'm in the midst of a Hurricane, with two wild grandchildren is not aiding in recovery of the headache!
Keep the story and pic's coming...
He ever so slowly dug & fed his way toward the far end of the willow bar.
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I packed up, and headed upwind a bit to cross where there were several channels, making the water shallow enough to just barely go over my knee high boots.
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Crossed slowly and quietly. Got up on the gravel and starting looking-looking for the bear.
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Ended up stepping up onto the willow bar from the gravel, just a foot or 2 of elevation.
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Was swiveling my head from say 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock, nothing. Then I turned to about 4 o'clock and boom there he was, his butt sticking out of the willows maybe 60 yards away.
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I spied a couple dry channels that wound their way thru the willows, that would help me get close quietly.
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Dropped down into one, lost sight of the bear, but angled that way, slow & quiet.
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Came around a corner and there he was at about 20 yards. He looked like a Jeep Wrangler (2 door !) at that distance and a little above me.
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Could of shot, but the window in the brush was tight, very steep quartering away, and I wanted to get closer.
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Real slow now I went further down the dry channel.
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The brush was thinning between me and him. In fact I now realized there was another dry (muddy) channel between us, and not much else.
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Suddenly I was out of cover and the bear was nearly broadside and very very close.
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I quickly drew my bow and shot.
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And all hell broke loose at 13 yards.
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"And all hell broke loose at 13 yards"
YIKES!!!!!!!!
David
:scared: :campfire:
I wonder if this is where he changed his pants lol
:scared: :help:
Awesome stuff!!!!! :campfire:
I don't know if I'd be brave enough to do this by myself. Incredible story!
Holy Cow! My chest is thumpin....It take a pair to make this sneak!!
I can't imagine......
That's it I quit! I can't take it! I told myself just wait a few days and let him finish the story then read it but of course I couldn't! Hoky smokes! I'm on the edge of my seat like I'm there myself! Love it! Your a madman!
This is amazing. And you're insane.
I think it is super cool, and I wanna do it too!!!!!!!
Can't wait to see the pics!
Bisch
Yeah... I am going to agree with the others. You're nuts! Now you have me wanting to follow in your footsteps!
"and I wanted to get close"
classic
I am taking notes. This exact scenario is my bucket list hunt, whether I survive or not.
Okay, I'm hooked! :notworthy:
Ha ha ... it's crazy enough with a big bore rifle backing you up.
This is a new level here. Wow :campfire:
All at once it seemed (1) my arrow appeared going thru the brush on the other side of the bear, (2) I thought "wow that slipped right thru him", (3) the bear snapped to his left at the arrow then snapped right and locked his eyes onto me, (4) the big sob came for me.
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I'm a think it thru kindof guy, and had decided well ahead of time what I would do given different situations and reactions from a bear.
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Prior to crossing the creek, I had racked a round into the chamber of the DA/SA 10mm semiauto strapped to my left (string hand side) hip. Safety off, hammer down.
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No remembrance of drawing the gun, just of firing 2 quick shots well over him but in his direction.
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It worked, he veered off 2 1/2 steps from me (my steps) and ran off thru the willows, back the way he came.
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It all happened incredibly fast. Incredibly.
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Watched him run off. My first clue was that as he ran, he was raising his front half up and swiveling his head around, like, what just happened (and I imagine his ears were ringing).
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Checked his tracks near me in the mud, no blood. No blood back to where he had been digging. No blood or hair at the site.
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Thankfully, after some searching, I found my arrow stuck in the mud& sand; clean as a whistle.
I had missed ! Thirteen yards... Don't think I hit any brush, just shot too quickly I guess. Man.
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Although, with some retrospect, if I had hit him maybe I wouldn't have been able to shoosh him away from me. I dunno.
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A few quick pics.
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A front track as he was leaving.
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Same track with my size 11 felt packs for comparison.
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And the scene.
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I'm standing about where I shot from. The bear was just past the first thin brush line, partly in the little opening in the middle.
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[attachment=1,msg2817854]
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That was all of the excitement for the day, the first day of hunting.
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Nice!!
Everybody misses once in a while. Hopefully youll get another chance
THIS. STORY. ROCKS!
Wow, incredible adventure. I hunted AK twice, both float hunts, saw tons of fresh bear sign along the rivers, even walked up on a buried moose carcass, but luckily the owner was not guarding it at the time. No other live bear encounters though. Can't imagine the adrenaline rush you had going on at such close range. You're living on the edge for sure. Hopefully you'll get another chance to close the deal.
Id love to do it with an osage bow and a stone point....preferably with a 45-70 back up :-)
Wow, that's awesome! I would love to do this someday. Hopefully you get another chance!
I do believe I would STILL be changing my underwear!
Love it, Exciting!
More please
That was awesome!!!! I sure hope there is more to come!
Bisch
Great Story!!!
Though that sounded a little too close for comfort! :scared:
:thumbsup:
simply....AWSOME! :thumbsup:
13 yards is waaaayyyy too close for me...... then 2 1/2 STEPS he turned????? Nope.... not me.
They'd have found me on that spot with soiled drawers.....
Just sayin
Loving the story, keep it up
Wow this is an incredible hunt. Looking forward to more :campfire:
:campfire: :thumbsup: I knew I should have waited to start reading this one!!! :coffee:
Jason
Wow!! talk about an adventure!!! :clapper:
Awesome adventure. Enjoying the report.
13 yards day 1! Criminently! :notworthy:
:campfire:
You sir are all that is man.
Shot ABOVE him as he was running at you?!? I dont know how you didn't empty every round into him and your underwear!
Awesome so far, wow! How cool is that? If it's any consolation, I missed my only shot on a brown bear trip back in 08' with Yote Robertson. It was a wide open 25 yarder on a 9 footer and he didn't come home with me. Stay after them and I know it will happen.
Come on! I have to leave on Saturday and really want to see the end of this hunt.
Mike
:pray: :pray: :pray:
Don't be disappointed at the miss, you did 90% of the job on the first day. You have a wonderful memory at 2.5 ft away!!! I can imagine myself in your situation and think I would have shot high and not picked a spot... thank you so much for sharing this adventure. I wish you the best in the next few days... we are all pulling for you and the trip is already a success...
Wow! :scared: :campfire:
Appreciate all the positive comments and interest.
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Been busy, not trying to drag this out. Only time to check the thread.
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So yes that was the excitement for the first day. Nothing else seen the rest of the day.
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Next morning around 10am I spotted a large bear moving down towards the river across from camp. But he just looped down and then right back up. Never got to the river, was acting like he was deciding whether to or not.
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I think it was the same bear I missed the previous afternoon. Must not have scared him too bad.
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Not sure how I feel about that :biglaugh:
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He walked straight away and back into the mountains, out of sight.
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Later that day ~4:30, a smallish bear, very-very dark but beautiful bear showed up on the river, upstream of me.
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Hiked upstream aways and by then he was in one of the willow bars. He's the dark spot a little left of center.
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[attachment=1]
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Again, I waited until the bear got close to the downstream edge of the willow bar. Then dropped down, went upstream to where I could cross, then crossed and approached the willows.
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And then the previously steady upstream wind switched 90 degrees and blew my scent to where the bear would be (couldn't see him).
I crossed back over, got up high, and yup he was nowhere to be scene.
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Just a pic of crossing one of the channels.
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[attachment=1]
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That was the action for day 2 (3rd in the field). And I didn't see a bear on day 3, 4, or 5.
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Which left day 6 (7), my last day of hunting. I was set to get picked up the day after that.
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:campfire:
Oh man. :notworthy:
:campfire:
Sometimes it pays to be out in the sticks where I don't get much service. Can't check back as often! Such an amazing hunt already!
Regardless of success or failure.....what an amazing hunt!!!!
:campfire: :campfire:
That night, it snowed.
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So I woke up to this.
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[attachment=1]
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And it snowed & fogged all that day.
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Had a bit of that no country for old men feeling to it.
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But it looked much worse than it was.
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[attachment=1,msg2818457]
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Late that last day, around 5pm, a small dark bear came around the corner upstream.
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I hustled to get over there, but when I got there 20-30 minutes later it was nowhere to be found. Think it went up one of the tribs.
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I've got other pics of caribou and camp etc, but that was the bear hunting action.
Thanks DennyK for the great bow, I think it was 10 years ago now.
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The plane came and got me mid-morning the next day.
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Look low in the center of the pic.
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"No! There's the land. (Have you seen it?)
It's the cussedest land that I know,
From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it
To the deep, deathlike valleys below.
Some say God was tired when He made it;
Some say it's a fine land to shun;
Maybe; but there's some as would trade it
For no land on earth—and I'm one." Robert Service
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Last light.
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Hope you enjoyed the telling as much as I enjoyed the happening.
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That was one hell of a story. Really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it with us.
excellent adventure, thanks for sharing.
those vista's definitely rekindled some memories for me as well.
Fantastic story! Sounds like an incredible trip!
Fantastic story Tim! Loved every minute of it!! Thanks.
Kenny :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Thank you for sharing your amazing adventure!!! :clapper: :campfire:
You got to dance with a grizzly in some of god's most beautiful country. Sounds like a successful adventure to me. :thumbsup:
Excellent recount! What an adventure Sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Like I told my bro when I missed a big 10 pt whitetail, guess I had all the fun and none of the work!
What a hunt! Thanks for taking us along! I love the look of that country.
Dude you have balls the size of coconuts! :notworthy:
Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed this. :thumbsup:
Thought I'd add a video of the going home take-off and a very small part of the return flight.
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https://youtu.be/mqEuS43K2BA
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Gives a sense of the scale of things.
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:notworthy: Nice photos, thanks for the chance to tag along.
Thanks for sharing your experience I enjoyed it
Thank you, great story and pictures. Maybe next time you'll get a bear. Absolutely amazing country with more bears than people. :clapper:
GreaT adventure! I haven't flown a plane in few years but always wanted to fly a Cub in Alaska, really enjoyed the Bush flight footage. Also bowhunted moose there in 1987 and saw over a dozen Grizzlies up close ( not at 13/2 yards but close enough) swore I wouldn't do that again with out a big bore rifle- my hats off to you sir. Thanks for taking us along.
:archer2:Most men go through life knowing that two things in this life are for sure, death and taxes,bowhunters know there's a third ,Adventure.You hit the nail on the head my friend ,kudos to you and thanks ever so much for the Adventure.
THANKS !!!!!! :thumbsup:
I said it was really cool after day 1, and even though no griz was taken, it's still super cool after the flight home!!!! Congrats on a grand adventure!!!
Bisch
Thank you that was awesome!
Sorry you missed with your arrow, glad you missed with the pistol. We might not have heard the story. Good storytelling.
What an adventure! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent adventure and well told story.
Thank you so much for sharing. :thumbsup:
That video from the plane has me nearly home sick. I only spent a summer in it, but dang, I miss that land!
Watching your flight out I could not help but wonder what was going through your mind at that point. Mixed emotions no doubt. What a fantastic trip you have taken us on. Thank you.
Enjoyed! That is one beautiful place
What a great way to spend a long week. Thanks for the story.
Wow! Sounds like a great hunt! I probably wouldn't have been able to hunt after that first encounter. Depends on how many pair of pants that I had packed.
Webster dictionary........ Bowhunter: \ˈbō-ˌhənt-er'\....Tim McKinley...aka Chinook907
awesome hunt....
Unbelievable.......what a great hunt and story. Thanks for sharing it with us! 👍👍
Awesome adventure! Thanks for sharing
Quite the adventure. Thanks for taking us along. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
What an awesome hunting adventure! Thanks for taking us along! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: