juno grl

Nearly every day in Juneau is a perfect day. It' s just that today is one of those days that everyone is squinting and wondering what that bright shiny thing is. I was watching a friend' s three-year old this afternoon for a few hours, and when we were driving down the highway, he kept telling me the sun hurt his eyes. [8D]

ArcticBowMan

And yet another action packed night on the north slope!

My shoulders hurt, my feet are wet, my face is cold... how much fun can a guy have in one night?

I got dinner early, about 5:30, and got it to go, came back over here, woofed it down and got dressed up in my white camo and got all my gear loaded up to head south. Bumped into a state worker right at my first set, but he was just pulled over on the road watching the sun set. I talked to him for a minute or two, pulled up to the pipeline gate and walked out to my set. This was the 330 conibear in a bucket that I saw all the fox around the other day. No fox, but the trap was out about 2 feet from the bucket and the line was tight. There was some drifting snow and I picked the trap up and oh, looky there, an arctic fox! Schweeet! [8D]

I tried setting the 330 prongs to get the arctic out, but only got one side set, so I dug up the anchor and brought the rest of the set back to the truck and threw it in the bed. I brought out the box set that I have that holds 2, 280 conibears on each side and walked it out quite a ways from the other bucket set and got it ready for some action.

I got back to the truck, and headed south to my other sets. I decided to pass the first one and check the middle one first. I had good feelings about it for some reason. When I got there, nothing. No sign, no tracks, nothing. I dumped about 8 pounds of that chicken pot pie and stir fry in the back of the bowl I made, and took off 4 miles south to my next set. I pulled into the pull off, and saw a fox running around out by the set. I waited a bit just to see if he would go into it, and it looked like he was right on top of it. Finally I got tired so I headed out to it with the .22 in hand. He took off of course, and when I crested the little hill I could see that I had a nice red in there! Schweeet! He was in a foot hold, and managed to trigger off both foot holds in that set, so both his front feet were caught. I put a round into him and he is now hanging on about to be skinned when I finish this post. [8D]

I got him back to the truck, got the shovel and other traps and went to re-set the area. I got it set up just like it was, and went to check my last set about 8 miles north of there. As I drove towards it, tracks everywhere. I was thinking hat trick, but to no avail. Oh well, can' t be too upset! There were at least two different reds running around, and ermine tracks were all over as well. I dumped the last 3 or 4 pounds of goodies into that bowl, and set the trap a little different.

So, all is checked, and then I get this wild hair up my butt to pull back into the first set while I' m driving north and try to get the arctic out of the 330 to get it re-set. As I turn to go into the pull off, I cut it too thin and dump the truck right down into the ditch. DOHHH! The wind was perfectly smooth, and I could swear up and down that I was clearly on the road where I turned. But, no s...' s, SOfaB, or other curse words out of me, I just got out of the truck, and started shoveling. I had the left tires up on the road, but the right headlight was down in the snow. It was that nasty hard packed crap too. I thought I had it dug out pretty good, threw her in 4 low and tried to back out. It wasn' t happening. I shoveled about 15 more minutes, breaking all the hard pack under the truck and tried again. Nope, not that time. I kept on shoveling even after I saw distant headlights, and soon enough a trucker was standing there joking with me. He said he probably would of done the same thing, by the looks of the road and where the gate is. Regardless, we decided to play a quick tug of war, but I didn' t want to embarass him so I put the truck in reverse when he pulled and it jumped right out of the ditch. The whole front axle brought a large glacier with it, which is probably the reason I wasn' t moving.

No damage to the truck, and come to find out my cousin just spent all day fixing this guys truck, so he was more than happy to help me out.

And it doesn' t end yet...

I scratch the idea to try and re-set the prongs on the 330 since my shoulder is mush, so I head back up north. Then, I spot eyes. Dangit, I can' t just ignore them! [&:] I turn back around and drive down the road aways. I get out, walk out to the river, where the red fox was running the side, and get down. Oops, I forgot the spotlight and it' s light, but not light enough to really draw a bead. I figure with my patented mouse squeek I can get him in close and hopefully get a shot at him from a few feet. Well, I get him into about 15 feet, but the little bugger went around behind me. I contorted my body around, but had to shoot left handed, and couldn' t get my right eye closed without both of them closing, so I tried an open eyed, down the barrel shot and off went the fox, unscathed. He stopped, came back in after a minute or so, then started trotting back off down the river. I went back to the truck and figured, what the heck, might as well try it again. I drive about 3/4 of a mile south and hop out and run out to the river WITH the spot light and my head lamp. I get set up, fire up the spot light and not 5 seconds in I see eyes coming right to me. He came into about 50 yards, but didn' t stop, and went around me till he got downwind, then he gave up paying attention to my squeeking and took off. Oh well, it was a valiant effort and fun!

I finally got back in around 9:30, so that ain' t too bad. The truck doesn' t have any damage, and drove just fine back. The bad part is I' ve driven in and out of that pull off a thousand times. Oh well, it happens to the best of us I guess. [&:]

juno grl

Congratulations on the red and the arctic! The only arctic I' ve ever seen is the one hanging on the wall of the office at Doc' s house that SEAK gave them. They' re beautiful animals. Hopefully getting those two took the sting out of having to dig out the truck? Too bad SEAK wasn' t with you--you know, farm implement use and all---or, wait, does he actually know how to use farm implements for their normal every-day uses, or just to kill stuff? [&:]

Squirrel Mudman

OK, Finally I' m jumping into the middle of it. I' m an Alaskan bowhunter and have been watching this thread for some time but have never made a post. I especially enjoy Arctic Bowman' s stories hunting in the north. I spent my first summer in Alaska in ' 91 working in a hunting camp in Coldfoot. I also worked on the slope for a number of years so I can appreciate the fortitude it takes to hunt year round. Presently, I' m getting ready for my annual pilgrimage to SE alaska to hunt black bear. I can hardly wait. I had an especially good bowhunting winter this year. My company sent me to Texas hunting on the Corporate lease for whitetails in December and I bagged my first two whitetails with a bow. I' ll never again turn my nose up to whitetail hunting. Those little buggers are fun to hunt. Probably because they' re easy....Ha, Ha.... I' m in the process of registering my first P&Y animal - a dandy of a caribou scoring really well. O.K., enough of the bragging - Hopefully this year is as good as last - I need to keep the blood flowing.

Phish-On!

Welcome aboard, S/M! I' m sure there is a story behind that handle. Where are you headed to in SE for black bear? There' s no shortage anywhere (or so I' m told), so you should do OK.

Do you have a green score on your ' bou? Those big bulls are very impressive, aren' t they? And mighty tasty if you get them the right time of the year. I' d like to haul my old tired ass out there and harvest a couple before I have to get some young buck to push my wheelchair - LOL! Nothing for sure, yet - but I am thinking that I will get to do that in ' 04 with a couple of my S-I-Ls.

Don' t be a stranger.

Squirrel Mudman

My handle comes from my name " Earl the Squirrel" and my profession working as a drilling mud hand on the slope. So there you go... Squirrel Mudman. My caribou officially grossed 416+" and netted 380" +, not too bad eh? Caribou hunting with a bow is the sport of gods.

I' ll be going to POW for the black bears. I love that place. I highly recommend putting in for draw tags in south central Alaska - thats all I' m sayin' .

ArcticBowMan

Hey, glad you joined in S/M! That sounds like a hell of a bou! I presume you took him down south? Got any pictures? I' d love to take a look at him. I' ve had to deal with a couple of drilling mud spills, man I hate handling that stuff! Three of us on the board work up in Prudhoe. Who did you work with out of Coldfoot? I knew Dave Nell before his plane went down outside of Bethel. He ran out of the Happy Valley area.

Maybe you would know this question as you are in the process of getting him entered... how do the width measurements work as far as scoring? There are 4 total spread measurements, the tip to tip, widest point and inside spread, and then the spread credit. Is the spread credit all you get credit for? My dad shot a dandy bou this summer up here and it will make B&C if the 4 spread measurements are included, but won' t if it is just the spread credit.

Are you going to be at the ABA banquet this coming weekend? Quite a few of us will be there. We procured Dave Watson as this years speaker, but unfortunately I' ll miss the dinner, speaking, raffles etc. I' ll be there during the days events and the annual meeting at 11:30. Try to make it by if you can.

No luck on the traps. Crappy weather came up today, so I hightailed it south and pulled the line since I' m headed south on Thursday. Nimrod and SEAK, don' t forget to pick us up at the airport! Make room for the kids seat!

Juno Grl, I' ve never seen SEAK use a farm implement for its normal purpose, I' d have to presume he thinks they are just weapons. I' d never get stuck with him in the truck though, I' d never hear the end of it! []

SE AK BowMan

Holly Cow!!! Do a little traveling and kid chasing for a week and you people get a little out of hand!!! I can see now that none of you are to be trusted when you get together!!!

S/M - Welcome! Congrads on the Bou' , Good luck on the POW Hunt, should be able to get a P&Y Blackie pretty easily down there. You said anual trip, how many times have you hunted SE? Any luck on the blackies with the bow in the past? Stories are usualy good when it comes to blackbears and spring beach stalks!

ABM - I don' t know how to tell you this bud, but I didn' t even need to be with you when you put it in the ditch for me to never let you live it down! All that had to happen is for me to find out about it, and that has already happened!! So, there goes your record of haveing never put a truck in the ditch that was still on its wheels!!!

Phish - Looks like the darn weather turned on you and ruined the fishing for a while, winter finaly made it, eh! We have got to stop this me coming to Juneau when you come to Oregon trick we have going!! I will have the kids there for the week you are turkey hunting in May and then for most of the summer, less the caribou hunt at the end of July. Hope to hook up sometime this summer.

Nim - I really shouldn' t even be talking to you after the pic you posted, but I find it in my big heart to forgive you (until I have a pic of you anyhow). Hey, how did it go at the Board of Game meetings? Been keeping any scores lately? Casey shot a 284 Last week and won the state 4H archery turnament for the second month in a row!!! That is 2 wins and one 2nd in the 3 turnaments!!!

Lost - You still around?

Juno - Heard you were in Anchorage, how was the trip out of Alaska? Hey, Whats up with these " other uses" for hunting tools? I would have helped ABM plenty, I would have rolled down the window and kept him company as he was digging!! I could have said such things as " hey could you dig a little faster, I am a little tired and would like to get back to camp soon." or maybe " Man, that looks tough, Hey, could you tell me that story about .... again, I am getting a little bored just sitting here" .

Lil - Hey, sounds like fun with the Stick Bow Brownie filming, hope you can get the Blackies in on it also. Talking of Fly tieing, My 13 year old has gotten into that, he learned how at a 4H club in Juneau and has continued. He really likes it and it keeps him away from his sister long enough not to fight!! He has more feathers and fur in his room then I have on the walls!!!

AK NIMROD

S/M- WELCOME TO THE BOARD, I' M THE THIRD OF THE NS WORKERS ABM MENTIONED. ACTUALLY LOST ARROW IS THE 4TH.
SEAK- JUST WAIT TILL I POST THE PICTURE OF YOU WITH YOUR FIRST BEAR AND THE RAKE (THAT WAS NOT A DOCTORED PICTURE AND YOU SET UP YOURSELF) AND THEN THE WALL OF SHAME[>:]
VBM- SEND ME A PERSONAL EMAIL WITH WHEN WE ARE TO PICK YOU UP. SEAK PROBABLY KNOWS. DO YOU HAVE MY CELL # ?
LOST ARROW SHOULD BE HEADING BACK NORTH TODAY.
BOG MEETING SEEMED TO GO WELL THEY KINDA BACK DOORED US BUT WE HANDLED IT FINE. THEY LIMITED GROUP TESTIMONY TO 5 MINUTES INSTEAD OF 15 AND PERSON COULD ONLY TESTIFY TWICE, FOR INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP OR GROUP AND GROUP OR ADVISORY COMM. AND ONE OTHER. BUT AC' S GOT 15 MINUTES. JACK WAS GOING TO DO ABA, SCI AND HIMSELF. SO HE HAD TO SHORTEN HIS TALK AND PHIL DID ABA. I DID KRAC. JERRY FLETCHER WAS THERE AND KAREN TALKED AS WELL AS JOHN SUMMERALL. PRETTY GOOD TURN OUT .
LATER PAT

ArcticBowMan

DOH, forgot all about Lost Arrow working up here. I guess that' s because I never see him anymore, when he is up, he' s on nights when I come over.

I' ll drop you an e-mail nimer. I presume you already knew this, or was my post the first you heard? Phil mentioned that the environmentalist group numbers were way down, did you notice that as well? Maybe they realize they aren' t going to get away with as much as they tried before since the BOG change. Wish I could of been down there. Work has been slow, they probably wouldn' t of noticed I was gone!

SEAK, I realize you' ll use it against me. Although I' ve still never put a truck in the ditch on all 4 wheels at a high rate of speed! Hell, I was almost stopped when I went in, if I had it in 4 and punched it I probably would of come out the other side, in fact, I' m fairly certain of that. Don' t worry though buddy, I got more chedder on you than a Vermont cheese festival.

S/M, I almost forgot, congrats on your deer as well! I' m hoping to hunt them in the next couple of years while I' m living in Vegas.

WHICH BRINGS UP ANOTHER POINT!!! STOP WITH THE VBM, MY BUTT STILL LIVES IN ALASKA!!! [:@][:@][:@]