9/14/2007

I just got back from a two week moose hunt in Alaska.  My brother Jim (also from Kansas) and I went to Alaska as guests of our cousin Larry (a.k.a. Larry the Alaskan) and Larry’s lovely wife B.J.  Joining us there were two of our cousins, and brothers of Larry; Dave of Alaska and Dan from Oregon. Larry and B.J put us up at their house, providing us with comfortable rooms and great food for the duration of our stay.  Larry fed us some of his outstanding smoked salmon and moose from his previous hunts.  Their home was used as a base of operations for our hunt and Larry allowed us the use of his off road machines and camping equipment for the hunt.

I did shoot a moose.  It was a small moose; the antlers measuring 34” wide.  I was very happy that it was a small moose as it was in a very difficult place to get it out.  The weather was great for the hunt, but the area where we hunted is swampy and I have never hunted in such difficult terrain.

On our first foray into the hunting area, we started out with Larry’s big tracked vehicle and his smaller tracked ATV, as well as David’s four-wheel ATV.  Each of the vehicles was pulling either a trailer or a sled.  The swamp was unusually wet and the water deep this year and we had a great deal of trouble with getting stuck.  We wound up having to tie the vehicles together so that the big track rig was pulling the smaller ATVs through the mud.  I was riding the four wheel ATV behind the other machines and I can tell you that there isn’t much that is more exciting than watching two larger ATVs go through huge, deep mud holes and knowing that you are going there too as you are tied to them and have no choice.  It was quite an exhilarating experience!

We were about 12 miles into the swamp when the big track rig CAUGHT ON FIRE!  The rig burnt to the ground with all of our camping gear in it, most of our food, all of the guns except mine (which were in one of the smaller ATVs), plus most of our knives.  As the rig burned, the ammunition that was in it started to explode, as did several jerry cans of fuel that were on top of the rig.  It had just turned dark when the rig caught on fire.  It was quite a sight to watch the rig burning in the darkness and we ran for cover as the ammo and fuel started to explode.  Larry and Jim smelled transmission fluid right before the fire broke out and we believe that something knocked a transmission cooling line off and the fluid sprayed on the exhaust system and ignited.

As it had just turned dark, the temperature was dropping quickly and we were basically stranded in the swamp without enough machines to easily transport the members of our group to better ground for the night.  Thankfully, some other hunters that were camped about three miles away heard the explosions and came out to investigate the cause. These hunters had traveled into the area in airboats and came looking for us using their machines.  It was such a relief to hear the airboat engines and see their search lights coming towards us. They found us and took us to their encampment on some high ground.  They fed us that night, plus breakfast the next morning and used their airboats to help us get the remainder of our gear and Dave and Dan out of the swamp.  Larry, Jim and I then drove the two smaller ATVs out the next day.  We are very much indebted to Percy, Orville and Randy for providing us with food and comfortable quarters for the night and their help to get our equipment out.

As we no longer had the big track rig, we didn’t have enough machines to get all five of us back into the swamp. Only Dan and I had moose tags, so it was decided that Dan and I would take the smaller tracked ATV and go in by ourselves to hunt.  We had to drive 100 miles to Fairbanks to purchase another rifle for Dan and new camping gear.  Plus, we had to make a trip to the grocery store for more food.  We spent another day resting and then Dan and I set out into the swamp again.

We traveled about 16 miles into the swamp the first day and camped overnight.  The next day, we spent all day hunting around two lakes near where we were camped.  We were on our way back to our camp around 6:30pm when I decided to check out a clearing that was just behind our camp.  I was only 30 feet from where we were camped when I saw the moose.  I shot it and it fell only 100 yards from where we were camped.  Initially, we were happy that the moose was so close to our camp, but upon investigation, we discovered that the moose was across 100 yards of the worst terrain that we saw on the entire hunting expedition.  There was floating grass over deep water and a creek channel filled with mud and muck and vegetation that had to be crossed to get to the moose.  We spent the rest of the night trying to get to the moose without finding a way and had to leave it until the next morning.

At first light the next day, we sorted out a way to get to the moose, though with great difficulty.  We were able to drive the ATV across the floating grass, but could not navigate the creek channel because the vegetation wrapped around the front of the ATV and it could not “swim” through the muck.  We had as part of our equipment, a fiberglass land sled that we pulled behind the ATV.  We pushed the land sled into the creek channel and Dan and I waded into the muck and held on by one arm to opposite sides of the sled.  We then swam, waded and clawed our way across the creek channel dragging the sled with us.

I fully expected that bears, or some other creatures would find the moose that night, but we found it untouched when we got to it.  Due to the cold weather the meat did not spoil overnight.  Because of an oversight on our part, probably caused by our consternation about how to get to the moose, we left the only decent knife that we had in camp.  As it was so difficult to get from camp to the moose, we decided that it was too much work to return to camp for the knife.  So, I wound up cleaning and boning the moose out using a Gerber multi-tool.  After dressing out the meat, we loaded it into the sled and then clawed our way back across the creek channel.  Motoring back across the floating grass with the ATV pulling the sled was uneventful.  We broke camp and started back towards civilization.  We managed to travel about 5 miles that day and then camped overnight on some high ground.  The next day we finished the trip out.

The trip back was not without incident.  Numerous times we got the ATV stuck (as expected since we also got stuck going in) and had to work our way out of mud holes and deep swamp water.  Since we were dragging a sled behind the ATV, whenever we drove into a mud hole the ATV couldn’t swim the abyss because it was basically anchored by the sled which was still setting on firm ground.  So, it was necessary to unhook the sled to get across.  We were pulling the sled using a 50 foot length of rope with loops tied at 10 foot intervals.  As much as possible, we pulled the sled by a loop that towed the sled about 3 feet behind the ATV.

I was driving the ATV, so it was poor Dan’s job to get out, wade through the water to the back of the ATV and unhook the sled.  I would then drive the ATV to solid ground.  Dan would then have to clamber to wherever I stopped the ATV and re-hook the sled at whatever loop was closest to the ATV.  I would then pull the sled through the water hole. Once the sled was on solid ground, I would back the ATV up so Dan could  attach the sled again by the 3 foot loop.  This process was repeated many times on our journey in, and out, of the hunting area.  Often, the ATV couldn’t get itself out of a hole because the bank was too steep.  It was then necessary for Dan and me to get out and push the ATV while reaching in to operate the ATV’s controls.  This too was sometimes a fruitless effort and we had to use the winch on the front of the ATV to pull the machine out.

Getting stuck was not our only problem.  We were about 5 miles from our pick-up point when we threw a track on the ATV.  Our first thought was to call for help.  Dan tried to reach anyone who could hear on his walkie-talkie, but got no response on any channel.  I had my cell phone, but couldn’t get a signal, even by standing on top of the ATVs roll cage and holding the phone as high as I could reach.  So, it became obvious that we were going to have to take care of ourselves.  It was possible to drive the ATV without the track, running on just the tires on that side, but the machine wouldn’t be able to pull the sled with the meat and our camping supplies.  Leaving the sled behind would mean loosing the meat to spoilage and risking the theft of our gear.  To put the track back on required letting the air out of the tires and then refilling them once the track was back in place.  We had an old 12 volt air compressor with us, but were worried that it may not work properly.  If we failed to get the tires aired back up, it would mean loosing the meat, possibly our gear and then having to walk out the 5 miles on foot.  So, it was with great trepidation that we began letting the air out of the tires.

We also needed to get that side of the ATV off of the ground to have clearance to maneuver the track onto the tires.  We had no jack to lift the ATV, but we had with us several small ratchet straps.  There was a tree about 6 feet from the ATV, so we attached three of the straps to the tree and fastened the other end of the straps to the top of the ATV’s roll cage.  The straps by themselves did not have enough leverage to lift the machine, so I wedged a log under the ATV and lifted while Dan worked the ratchet straps to take up the slack.  We were still not able to lift the ATV off of the ground, but were able to support it by the straps.  Needing more clearance to work on the track, we used a hatchet to chop away at the frozen and root bound dirt beneath the tires.  We then used our hands and sticks to clear away the debris and finally gained the clearance needed to work on the track.

After about four hours of work, we got the track back on the machine and the air compressor worked perfectly to refill the tires.  We were once again on our way.

Because of myself and Dan’s inexperience in this terrain and also with driving the ATV that Larry allowed us to use, we probably worked harder at getting around than was necessary.  Our inexperience also heightened our sense of concern over our ability to get the machine through the mud holes and prevent our getting stranded in the wilderness.  We also spent a good deal of time unsure about our location and not certain that we were on the right trail.  I’m really not sure how we managed to get in, and out of there without getting lost.  At this point, it is easy to look back and say, “That wasn’t so bad”, but at the time we were quite anxious about the situation.  I’m sure that experienced Alaskan hunters would find our reaction to the adventure humorous.

We got back to Larry and B.J.’s house and then took the moose to a meat processor.  We took the next day off to rest and re-gear for another expedition.  Dan and I went back in for another 24 hour hunt to try to get Dan a moose, but did not see one for him to shoot.

Larry had told Dan and me that there were bears in the area and that we needed to be careful of them.  We didn’t see any bears, but we did see signs of them and were concerned for our safety the whole time that we were out.  After the hunt, Larry and B.J. had some of their friends and also B.J.’s sister and brother-in-law over to their house for a very nice meal of grilled salmon and baked halibut.  After the meal, these seasoned Alaskan hunters all shared their stories of hunting and outdoor adventures with us.  They told Dan and me of how concerned they were of bear attack while in the wilderness.  Dan and I got the feeling that we should have been much more afraid of bears than we were while we were out and probably should have been much more careful and aware.

This was the most physically challenging hunt that I have ever been on, but the setting and scenery is some of the most beautiful on the continent.  The difficulties we encountered coupled with the outstanding beauty of the landscape made this the most thrilling hunting adventure I have ever been on.  The memories of this hunt will be with me longer and be more vivid than any Kansas deer hunt that I have ever experienced.  I want to thank Larry and B.J for their generosity and hospitality during our stay.  I also want to thank Dave for all of his help, Dan for accompanying me on my hunt and all of his work to get my moose out and Jim for sharing this adventure with me.  I am very lucky to have such great family members.  Thank you again and God bless you all.

As I have taken this time off to go hunting, I am quite behind in the shop.  I have a pile of guns to fix and the gun and knife show in Wichita, Kansas is just a few weeks away.  At the time of this writing, I have absolutely nothing to take to Wichita, so I have got to get busy!

Before I left for Alaska, I completed a new knife model.  It is my Chisholm Trail Camp Knife.  It is now shown on the Models Page.  I gave this knife to Larry in appreciation of his generosity in hosting a moose hunt for me.  Unfortunately, it was one of the knives lost in the track rig fire……..

Got to get to work, so I will write again the first of next month.

Home   Newsletter  Newsletter Archive  Show Schedule  Background  Contact Info  Shop Gallery