Swazi founder Davey Hughes’
Moose hunt in the Yukon
Setting off across the Fannin Valley.
T
he scale of Yukon always knocks me flat on my back. When you look across a valley and try to estimate the distance to the far side, you invariably get it all wrong – so very wrong. What you might have thought would be a two or three-hour horseback ride will end up taking a full day, if not longer. At night, it’s even more awe-inspiring as the northern lights (Aurora borealis) fire up the sky and put on the most amazing show of every colour you could possibly imagine. Hunting in Yukon is special. I’d been here – in the Fannin Valley, north of Drury Lake – two years prior, with Bill Sandulak of Trophy Stone Outfitting from Whitehorse. That time I hadn’t seen a bull I wanted to take. I had, however, been taken aback by the grandeur of the landscape and the remoteness of the wilderness, so at the end of that first hunt I made myself a pledge to return and see if I could find the elusive bull moose another time. So, in October 2019, I was back for another ten days with Bill. When choosing any outfitter or guide, as well as going by their hunting prowess, you’ll want to get on with them personally. That’s why I chose Bill again: he is a mighty fine 82
hunter and a super fine human being. From my hometown Levin, on New Zealand’s North Island, it’s quite a journey. First, you have to take four flights in relatively large aeroplanes. This takes you to Yukon and the last major airport, Whitehorse. From there, you take a smaller plane to fly into camp – for me this time it was a romantic looking, amphibious De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter. From there on, all travel was on horseback or foot – to the discomfort of my posterior, mostly on horseback. We arrived at the main camp, which was quite a large affair with horse corrals and individual cabins, along with a kitchen cabin for meals. Lower down the hillside, below the camp, there was even a shower. The water was heated in a 44-gallon drum then gravityfed down to the shower room. In the bathroom, written on the wall, was a note dating from 1981 from the builder of the shower stating how to use the somewhat basic system. A quick glance at the instructions was soon followed by the unexpected realisation that this shower builder just happened to be a friend of mine back in New Zealand. It was one of those moments when you realise what a small
Autumn 2020 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
world we live in. Imagine his surprise when I grabbed my sat phone and promptly rang him to say: “Mate, I’m standing naked in your shower…” especially since it was 3.30 am in his morning!
Winter arrives and travelling is slower Winter arrived the day after we did. Heavy snow storms made travel interesting to say the least. The main storm lasted three days, then the skies cleared. As a result, travelling became slower, but the physical tracking of the moose was easier due to the fact you could spot their tracks and determine fairly accurately when they had passed by a particular spot. From base camp, we rode to the outer camps. Some days, this could require a journey of up to eight hours. I generally feel that nothing about hunting is really ‘difficult’: some things will be harder than others, but every single experience and occurrence is enjoyable. Ironically, however, riding in Yukon is one of the things I do find challenging. For some reason my behind doesn’t like western saddles. I can ride all day on a Kiwi stock saddle, or an English saddle, but me and the western version simply
