alaskanwhtail
New Member
Well, I'm back in the swing of things and hunting season is just about over and I didbn't get no time to hunt but a few days here and there. This was my first excursion up north besides going with my brother being the video man. I went north up the Haul roadfor the 8th time so far this year and it was my time to sling an arrow or two. I took 2 days off a hectic work scedule and got my game on. I went with my master scout Kelly, after driving the 11 hour trip to prudoe bay I stoped in town to show Kelly what the oilfields looked like and then didn't waste no time and headed back to the beginning of Franklin Bluffs which was about 40 miles south and didn't see anything, so I stopped and had her cook up a tastey meal and I fueled the truck outta my drum. After the meal was done it was time to glass again...
My truck would not start and I was screwed, a few gentlemen stopped by and asked if there was any problems and of course they went to the Veco camp in town which had a ford warrinty. So not long after a tow man came by and dragged me into town which was about 15 miles north.. I ended up spending 8 days in a tent in the no hunting zone in Deadhorse, which was sucky. It snowed and rained and blew like mother nature was pissed off. The mechanics there are terrible and it ended up being a easy fix of 1 hour after a whole shot part was ordered from California and was not the problem. It was bad fuel as there some how got 5+ gallons of water in my tank. Who knows how it gotthere but was a very expensive weeks loss in wages and a unhappy crew on my job site cause I was missing
They said they checked the fuel for water the first hour I was in the shop and really they didn't so I was about to kill the mechanic that quit the day before my 8th day stay in deadhorse cause he lied and just did a whole shot and said it was the main brain sensor of the electric somthing...
Anyway... I was on my way home with no hunting and a worn out little lady. I was about 100 miles south and the light was going away and I just said to my master scout I quit and just lets head home on a fast pace.
All of a sudden Kelly said huge bou, which was about a 1/4 mile off the dirt road, go get em sweetie! I about had a heart attact when she swung the truck on to the side of the road being on a 60 degree grade. I said get back on the road and dont stay here just drive by back and forth so no attention is gathered as there was some camps around and guys heading back to camp hunting there way back. So I got out and started the stalk. I ran about 500 yards out and there was three bulls standing in the river bed and where I was set uop in position I could see thier racks. One was very big and the other two were 250 class bous. there was a 10 foot bank seperating us and I was just waiting for them to climb up and present a shot at 20 yds. All of a sudden I coundn't see the big ones rack, just the two smaller ones and out of my perefreal visionto my right the big one appeared on top of the bank 50 yds away broadside looking right at me, it was less then a second I was swung over and released my easton tipped with a 100 grain montec broadhead. I saw the hunch and watched as the bull went down the bank and the other two smaller bulls scattered with him till he went down, then they thought it was ok to stay as the big one thought it was safe to lay down, he ended up getting up and falling down 9 times in a 100 yds. Finally he was down but not dead as he rolled his massive horns all around inside some brush on the little island where he hid all day long. The other two bulls were still spooky and out in the river bed watching me close in. I stopped and waited for the bulls to catch my 8 days with out a shower scent and they trotted off leaving the king behind.
Now it was just one on one, the bull was bleeding good but not enough to put him down in seconds it was a vital shot, solid liver and a slice in the back part of the lung. I took my boots off and slowly stalked to him to 10 yds and all I could see was his rack. I had a stand off for about 20 minutes till all of a sudden it sounded exactly like a grizz coming for the kill just 50 yds away from me and the bull. Rocks smashing and somthing was breaking trough as brush was making noise to. I immeditly backed off as the bull jumped up and dashed off 100 yds at the same time. I got back about 50 ydsand waited for more activity for the so thought grizz. The bou layed down after his scared stare down in that direction, Hmmm no bear, so I again made another stalk on the massive bull, I knew he was gonna pile up but I was fight light and didn't want him to cross the Sag river. I ended up getting up on him to 8-9 yds away not have a presentably shot. I waited for half hour and the bull was losing his noggin, all this time my scent was blowing directly at him, I was still bare foot after a half hour and still preparred to draw at the moment of movement. My adrenaline was pumping and I had to make a move so I grunted and he immeditly stood and I released, the string slapped my rain jacket sleeve and stuck him right in the hind quarter going deep in the vitals as he was qaurtering away. He crossed the ever so fast flowing Sag, and stood in the shallows for a minute and expired in the water. Boy was I excited, so excited I walked up and down the river knee to waist deep water trying to figure out how I'm going to get this guy. # hours in the dark at a frezzing temp. Talk about some adrenaline I should have had Hypathermia.
So I'm screwed at this point and my bull was on the other side of the river a 1/4 mile off the road. I went back to the truck which Kelly thought I was dead be ause the two bulls dissapered hours ago and I was no where to be seen, of course it was darkand I scared her when she was kinda sleeping in my truck. I headed north to where I seen a state trooper at his camp and tryed to get some info on finding a raft or canoe to get this bou. He knew of a hunting party that was packed up and had rafts but ready to leave in the morning to go home. I headed towards there camp and they didn't want to part with it cause it was all packed away. So I offered them 320 for a raft and promised to bring it back all rolled up and ready to be packed away for them to head south. It was enough to cover the raft price but they still didn't want to part with it, all of a sudden a guy came out from there wall tent, he immeditly reconized me from the deadhorse camp which I met him 6 days ago and told him my story on how I was stranded. He understood my circumstances and went before the others and got me the raft and I gave him the cash in case it was damaged. I took off heading south outta Happy Valley and was now geared for the situation. I carried in the raft and all the stuff to get this bull in out with Kelly also carring knifes and a flashlight. I tod her about the possibly bear encounter and how it ended up being a rock/bank slide in the river. We floated across after pumping the raft and got it down and across the river in one trip in a 1/2 hour. I made a few trips back carring the meat and antlers with kelly carring the front quarters. I dropped off the raft at 3 am and the guys were fast asleep in Happy Valley, so I waited till 6 am and woke them up and made the raft/cash exchange and headed home. Long story short it was some expensive meat because of poor mechanics and 8 days of lost wages. It green scored net at 342 5/8 making the Pope and Young Records outta velvet gross at 351. I have harvest photos but they turned out like crap and ice fog so here are some in the yard head cut off pictures. Oh yeah, I'm glad to be back and posting as work slowed down, but still high overtime and it is gonna back to to the same in a week or two so I am not gonna have alot of time to spend here on the greatest site in the world. I'll post some more harvest pics when I get time (second and third oldest dall sheep rams ever recorded in Fairbanks Fish and Game, some real trophys)
The freezer is packed. Theres more to come besides that two as my brother scored on a moose as well.
Enjoy!
My truck would not start and I was screwed, a few gentlemen stopped by and asked if there was any problems and of course they went to the Veco camp in town which had a ford warrinty. So not long after a tow man came by and dragged me into town which was about 15 miles north.. I ended up spending 8 days in a tent in the no hunting zone in Deadhorse, which was sucky. It snowed and rained and blew like mother nature was pissed off. The mechanics there are terrible and it ended up being a easy fix of 1 hour after a whole shot part was ordered from California and was not the problem. It was bad fuel as there some how got 5+ gallons of water in my tank. Who knows how it gotthere but was a very expensive weeks loss in wages and a unhappy crew on my job site cause I was missing
Anyway... I was on my way home with no hunting and a worn out little lady. I was about 100 miles south and the light was going away and I just said to my master scout I quit and just lets head home on a fast pace.
All of a sudden Kelly said huge bou, which was about a 1/4 mile off the dirt road, go get em sweetie! I about had a heart attact when she swung the truck on to the side of the road being on a 60 degree grade. I said get back on the road and dont stay here just drive by back and forth so no attention is gathered as there was some camps around and guys heading back to camp hunting there way back. So I got out and started the stalk. I ran about 500 yards out and there was three bulls standing in the river bed and where I was set uop in position I could see thier racks. One was very big and the other two were 250 class bous. there was a 10 foot bank seperating us and I was just waiting for them to climb up and present a shot at 20 yds. All of a sudden I coundn't see the big ones rack, just the two smaller ones and out of my perefreal visionto my right the big one appeared on top of the bank 50 yds away broadside looking right at me, it was less then a second I was swung over and released my easton tipped with a 100 grain montec broadhead. I saw the hunch and watched as the bull went down the bank and the other two smaller bulls scattered with him till he went down, then they thought it was ok to stay as the big one thought it was safe to lay down, he ended up getting up and falling down 9 times in a 100 yds. Finally he was down but not dead as he rolled his massive horns all around inside some brush on the little island where he hid all day long. The other two bulls were still spooky and out in the river bed watching me close in. I stopped and waited for the bulls to catch my 8 days with out a shower scent and they trotted off leaving the king behind.
Now it was just one on one, the bull was bleeding good but not enough to put him down in seconds it was a vital shot, solid liver and a slice in the back part of the lung. I took my boots off and slowly stalked to him to 10 yds and all I could see was his rack. I had a stand off for about 20 minutes till all of a sudden it sounded exactly like a grizz coming for the kill just 50 yds away from me and the bull. Rocks smashing and somthing was breaking trough as brush was making noise to. I immeditly backed off as the bull jumped up and dashed off 100 yds at the same time. I got back about 50 ydsand waited for more activity for the so thought grizz. The bou layed down after his scared stare down in that direction, Hmmm no bear, so I again made another stalk on the massive bull, I knew he was gonna pile up but I was fight light and didn't want him to cross the Sag river. I ended up getting up on him to 8-9 yds away not have a presentably shot. I waited for half hour and the bull was losing his noggin, all this time my scent was blowing directly at him, I was still bare foot after a half hour and still preparred to draw at the moment of movement. My adrenaline was pumping and I had to make a move so I grunted and he immeditly stood and I released, the string slapped my rain jacket sleeve and stuck him right in the hind quarter going deep in the vitals as he was qaurtering away. He crossed the ever so fast flowing Sag, and stood in the shallows for a minute and expired in the water. Boy was I excited, so excited I walked up and down the river knee to waist deep water trying to figure out how I'm going to get this guy. # hours in the dark at a frezzing temp. Talk about some adrenaline I should have had Hypathermia.
So I'm screwed at this point and my bull was on the other side of the river a 1/4 mile off the road. I went back to the truck which Kelly thought I was dead be ause the two bulls dissapered hours ago and I was no where to be seen, of course it was darkand I scared her when she was kinda sleeping in my truck. I headed north to where I seen a state trooper at his camp and tryed to get some info on finding a raft or canoe to get this bou. He knew of a hunting party that was packed up and had rafts but ready to leave in the morning to go home. I headed towards there camp and they didn't want to part with it cause it was all packed away. So I offered them 320 for a raft and promised to bring it back all rolled up and ready to be packed away for them to head south. It was enough to cover the raft price but they still didn't want to part with it, all of a sudden a guy came out from there wall tent, he immeditly reconized me from the deadhorse camp which I met him 6 days ago and told him my story on how I was stranded. He understood my circumstances and went before the others and got me the raft and I gave him the cash in case it was damaged. I took off heading south outta Happy Valley and was now geared for the situation. I carried in the raft and all the stuff to get this bull in out with Kelly also carring knifes and a flashlight. I tod her about the possibly bear encounter and how it ended up being a rock/bank slide in the river. We floated across after pumping the raft and got it down and across the river in one trip in a 1/2 hour. I made a few trips back carring the meat and antlers with kelly carring the front quarters. I dropped off the raft at 3 am and the guys were fast asleep in Happy Valley, so I waited till 6 am and woke them up and made the raft/cash exchange and headed home. Long story short it was some expensive meat because of poor mechanics and 8 days of lost wages. It green scored net at 342 5/8 making the Pope and Young Records outta velvet gross at 351. I have harvest photos but they turned out like crap and ice fog so here are some in the yard head cut off pictures. Oh yeah, I'm glad to be back and posting as work slowed down, but still high overtime and it is gonna back to to the same in a week or two so I am not gonna have alot of time to spend here on the greatest site in the world. I'll post some more harvest pics when I get time (second and third oldest dall sheep rams ever recorded in Fairbanks Fish and Game, some real trophys)
