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Volume 11 • Issue 12 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Mary Catharine Martin, Brian Watkins SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith DESIGNER Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Aumann INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES media@media-inc.com ON THE COVER For four years Brian Watkins tracked a giant Kenai Peninsula brown bear he referred to as “King Tut.” Hunting with his brother and sister-in-law, they finally harvested the king. (BRIAN WATKINS)
MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com www.media-inc.com CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 12
SAVORING THE GOOD TIMES IN A MOMENT OF BAD All of our lives have changed – some, sadly, a lot worse than others – during the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down much of the country, if not the world. For Alaskans like our Arctic sportsman Paul Atkins, hunting and fishing are a huge part of their lives, just like work and family. Atkins knows everything has changed, but he’ll never forget all the adventures he’s experienced in the north. He shares stories of hunts past as well as his hopes for making more memories in the time to come.
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(PAUL D. ATKINS)
FEATURES
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RUSSIA VS. U.S.A., CRAB FISHING-STYLE
Whether it’s in the political arena or an ice hockey rink, the U.S.A./Russia rivalry is real. Granted, crab fishing isn’t exactly the Cold War or the Miracle On Ice, but try telling that to captains like Josh Harris, who depends on catching king crab to stay in business. In the new season of Discovery Channel’s popular series Deadliest Catch, new regulations by Russia’s crab fishing industry drove up the price of crab and increased the competition. We sat down with Harris to talk about the new challenge in the bitter Bering Sea.
THE KING AND I
There was a Kenai Peninsula brown bear that was so majestic, so big and so dominating, that Alaska hunter Brian Watkins named it King Tut. Indeed, the bruin was ursine royalty in the valley that Watkins hunted for four years straight. He details how this long-standing chess match between man and beast played out in a thrilling – and chilling – conclusion!
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 17 31 45 69 75
The Editor’s Note Outdoor calendar Game Management Unit Profile: The inside scoop on Southeast Alaska’s spectacular GMU 1 From Field to Fire: How to train your new hunting dog while in isolation The Salmon State: Finding peace during a pandemic
Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues) or $49.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2020 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 12
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Emma, the editor’s dog, takes advantage of a sunny social distancing walk during stay-athome orders. (CHRIS COCOLES)
EDITOR’S NOTE
H
ere’s how much things have changed during the coronavirus pandemic that has so many of us – myself included – isolated in our homes: I don’t recall ever starting an interview discussing personal hygiene. Yet here I was when being connected with Capt. Josh Harris to discuss the new season of Discovery Channel’s chronicles of Alaska crab fishing, Deadliest Catch (page 20). After we traded greetings, our initial exchange went this way: Harris: “Do you have a beard yet?” Me: “Uh, no. I’ve been shaving but my hair is getting way too long, though.” Harris: “I want a barber on steroids.” Me: “I need a haircut badly.” Harris: “I’m right there with you, bro.” Welcome to life during a stay-at-home order. Besides my follicle frenzy, the term homebody fits me in the extreme nowadays. I’ve binge-watched TV shows I never thought I’d ever take the time to sit through. While editing stories and downloading photos from our writers, the desktop on my MacBook Pro is as cluttered as the one on my PC at our office. I live with just my dog Emma, who I suspect – even with the stressful bouts of separation anxiety she had after I first adopted her – must be sick of the lack of privacy she once enjoyed due to my new at-home work shifts. But if enough of us continue staying home and we presumably return to some normalcy, maybe we’ll learn from all this. I know the best part is me and Emma’s twice-daily walks. Warmer, sunnier weather has made our time outside – social distancing among others in the neighborhood – pleasant and peaceful. It’s a feeling that makes me appreciate the outdoors all the more. Way too often I’ll spend my weekends – especially during my beloved fall college football season – watching games on my flat screen throughout the day and night. Maybe the next time when the sun is shining I’ll choose to grab a fishing rod and find a lake or stream to wet a line. Or I’ll fight the traffic and look for some quiet hiking trail to explore with Emma. I could tell Capt. Harris is also cracking. He had planned to use his time to remodel part of his home, but, well ... “I’ve been stuck in it for so long I thought I was going to be able to do that,” he said. “It hasn’t worked out so well. When this thing lifts, I’ll have a lot of people at my house fixing what I started.” Maybe we’ll all fix some things when it’s all over. –Chris Cocoles aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2020
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THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!
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DEADLIEST CATCH CAPT. JOSH HARRIS, RIVAL CAPTAINS TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGE AS CRABBING RACE INTENSIFIES
BY CHRIS COCOLES
I
Capt. Josh Harris, who learned the crab fishing trade from his legendary father Phil, takes his crew out for another season on Deadliest Catch, this time competing not just against other American captains but the Russians as well, after that country tightened up regulations on its fishery. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
t’s a rivalry that never dies – from the Cold War to Olympic hockey games to accusations of presidential election interference. Russia vs. the United States is a part of both nations’ pulse – for better or worse. The feud has spilled into the Bering Sea’s lucrative crab fishery in this season of Discovery Channel’s ongoing series Deadliest Catch, which continues with new episodes into this month and an intriguing twist: Russia has cracked down on the country’s trend of illegal fishing and revamped its crab quota, which would dramatically drive up the market price for prized king crab. So for captains like Josh Harris, it’s only added to the pressure boats are under to not only outperform their longtime rivals from Alaska, but also beat the talented fishermen from just across the Bering Strait, who now have more access to these valuable crustaceans. “We’re always running into a snag in the Bering Sea,” Harris says. That was never more evident than in the first episode of the new season, when Harris and his business partner and friend, Capt. Casey McManus, took their boat, F/V Cornelia Marie, out for the first time after a million-dollar renovation in the offseason. The boat unexpectedly developed a mechanical problem, which forced them to turn around and head back to home base at Dutch Harbor for repairs, potentially ruining their season before it even started. “Right when you get brand-new stuff you expect it to work,” Harris says. “But it doesn’t always work out that way and it could cost you the whole season.”
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Harris’ boat, F/V Cornelia Marie, got a million-dollar renovation in the offseason. It’s one of the bigger boats in the Dutch Harbor fleet. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL) We chatted with Harris – like so many others, he was isolated at home during the coronavirus pandemic – to discuss his ups and downs taking on not only fellow crabbing skippers like Sig Hansen, “Wild” Bill Wichrowski and Keith Colburn, but also matching wits with comrades from Russia.
Chris Cocoles Tell us about the influence that Russia’s changing of its regulations and cracking down on illegal fishing impacted your American boats. Jonathan Harris They not only did that, but they’ve upped their processing product. So it’s more superior (than before) and similar to ours now. So in price quality, there’s less crab at the market and higher quality in crab at both ends. So we start fishing at the same time, but they’ve got these monster boats over there; just huge. [Harris’ Cornelia Marie is one of the bigger vessels
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as well.] A long time ago – in the late 1980s – Americans went over and taught these guys how to fish in this industry. And so they’ve got the mentality that we have, and now they have a product that’s similar to the one that we have. But it’s who’s going to get to the market first. It’s tough, because if they hit the market first, they’re getting $2 to $5 more a pound than we are. When you’re catching a couple hundred thousand pounds of crab, that’s a huge difference. And if the (Russians) are getting more of a price, it sucks. We depend on getting that huge price; we’ve always had that big price. So now, we’re competing against them. And there are very talented individuals over there. So are we, but it’s that we really have to kick it into high drive and get out there. Or else you’ll be bankrupt. And a lot of guys folded this year. We had
MAY 2020 | aksportingjournal.com
a total of 47 boats fishing for king crab and snow crab. And a lot of those didn’t hit the market in time and they’re folding. So it’s been a tough time. We had to push our guys extremely hard and it’s serious stuff. Feast or famine, my man.
CC Do the Russians do things any differently than you guys do? JH They used to; not anymore though. Now we both have a superior product coming out. They used to split the market with a lot of illegally caught crab. And now it’s not the case and they’re doing everything to the specs and to the book. And usually we got a crack at the market first because our product was processed properly. It was a higher-grade product. But now, since they’ve cut down everything and really started focusing on their product and by limiting the amount that’s coming in, it’s
With the market price driven up due to Russia’s curbing of illegal fishing, Harris’ crew had its work cut out for them this time around. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
definitely upped the ante. And we’ve got to be on the ball here or else we’re going to be out of business.
CC How did you and Casey react to this news of Russia getting its fleet more opportunities? JH A lot more yelling. [Laughs.] It created a really high-intensity, high-stress situation. We’ve got to go out into weather we normally wouldn't have fished in, because if we don’t do that, there’s not going to be food on our table. And I’ve got to turn my keys into the bank. It’s one of those deals that we’ve got to really (expletive) take it to the limit. We’ll push it as far as we can. It’s a fine line teetering on that. CC How amped up were yours and the other 24
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boats to get out there and do your thing?
JH You’re amped up, but you know you have to do things that are outside your comfort zone. And the guys know that too. So it creates a high-stress situation. It’s huge. You watch the Russian boats going in to deliver and you don’t know when their product is going to market. But when you see them get close, it changes your whole perspective. You can yell at your guys that we’ve got to go, go, go – when they’re tired, the weather’s crap. But we’re fishing still; it’s intimidating.
CC Is there any kind of mystery regarding what the Russians have in their fleets from your perspective? JH I’m sure it goes both ways. We can see where their boats are at and we know when
CHASING LEGENDS IN HAWAII
J
osh Harris followed in his legendary father Phil’s footsteps as a daring Alaska crab fisherman. Phil Harris was a largerthan-life character who appeared on the early seasons of Deadliest Catch before passing away unexpectedly in 2010 at just 53 years old. Josh took over as captain of the Cornelia Marie and carried on the Harris name. But now the younger generation of the family has embarked on a new adventure – about as far away from frigid Alaska as one can get. In going over his dad’s personal belongings, Josh Harris found handwritten charts of Phil’s fishing spots from the coast of Kona, Hawaii, on the Big Island. Phil longed to eventually get back to Hawaii after he spent some of his younger years there in the 1980s, and Josh will get this chance on a spinoff series, Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, which is airing on Tuesday nights after new episodes of Deadliest Catch on Discovery Channel. Josh and Cornelia Marie co-owner Casey McManus purchased a boat, solicited the help of a respected local commercial fisherman and – armed with Phil’s 1980s-era chart – took on the new challenge. “I didn’t know what to expect. It was my third time ever to Hawaii but I had never fished out there. It was intense in following these charts,” Josh Harris says. “My dad had always wanted to catch a big marlin; never did. So that was the premise of what we were focusing on. And getting out there and seeing it could be about business – that’s why my dad went out there – it was more than a sporting event.” Harris admits that – despite his longtime passion for recreational fishing with rods and reels – this was a whole new ballgame for him and McManus compared to their commercial crabbing experience. “I’m a crab fisherman. I fish for things with legs. I don’t fish for things with fins,” he jokes. “I’ve come to find that I’m not really good at that.” CC
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The crew of the Cornelia Marie had to turn it on after the boat suffered an oil pressure problem and returned to Dutch Harbor for repairs. “Even though they didn’t want to be out working for 36 hours straight, they did it,” Harris says. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL) they’re going to town. (But) we don’t know how much they have on board and what’s really going on over there. One thing I do know: We need food on our plates and want a house to live in. So we’ve just got to do it.
CC I have to ask you how frustrating it must have been to have this new and improved Cornelia Marie, and your first time out for the season you develop this oil pressure problem and have to return to Dutch Harbor. What was that like? JH I would tell you what was going through my mind with a lot of those colorful words that I probably shouldn’t have said. But little stuff like that could have just killed it for us. The guys making just a couple grand rather than maybe 30- or 40-grand. It’s a big difference. And it would be on us because we’re driving the boat; we own the boat. CC Is that one of those moments where you and Casey as co-owners have to take
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a deep breath yourselves first and get everyone else back focused again? JH You don’t know what’s going to happen and the guys lose that secured feeling. They definitely don’t want to work for you if you can’t answer that ... So you’ve got to stay on top of your game – two steps ahead.
CC You’ve been doing this for a long time and you learned a lot from your dad (the late Capt. Phil Harris), but how do you keep your crew focused? Do you have to serve as a dad – or even a coach out there? JH Oh, their dad; their coach; their psychologist. You have to be all that stuff. Keep everyone sane, because if they’re not thinking about their job, they’re going to tire and maybe kill the guy next to them. CC When you first were able to get back out after the return to Dutch Harbor for the repairs, what was it like for your morale? JH The biggest thing was finding out if
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Not every crew was as lucky as this one with a bounty of crabs to send to a more competitively priced market. “A lot of those didn’t hit the market in time and they’re folding,” Harris admits. “So it’s been a tough time.” (DISCOVERY CHANNEL) we just lost. Are we going to be able to get crab in time? Where’s the market at? Are we going to make the market or be a day short? The guys knew that it was a possibility that we’d get poked over this. But they worked that much harder to ensure us that once we landed a crab, we’d make it as fast as was humanly possible. It was a good motivational thing, but at the same time really scary. You don’t have a reset button. So if I fail, well, my crew fails too.
CC I guess if you’re talking silver linings, motivation wasn’t a factor from that point on? JH One hundred percent. They definitely were more motivated than ever. They understood the stakes, and even though they didn’t want to be out working for 36 hours straight, they did it. And there was minimal bitching, so that was a good thing. CC It looks like one of the breakout stars of the season is going to be your new 28
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deckhand, (Alaska Native) Maria Dosal. What was her impact on the crew? JH It was interesting all the way around. She’s done a good job, so kudos to her. And we’ll see what happens after this season.
happening, they have a lot more respect for the boat they’re on. Some guys killed it, but very few killed it. Ninety percent of the fleet did not. And it’s just a crazy deal and a lot of (owners) are going to lose their boats this year.
CC How much does any new crewmember change the dynamics of your crew in terms of chemistry and being in sync? When you add someone, are there negative and positive variables to consider? JH Every season is different. And every crewmember is different. But it comes down to balancing everything out. And that's the biggest part. If you can balance everything out, you can move mountains, and that’s what you need to do in crab fishing.
CC And that's when it fascinates me about how much pressure you’re under to perform, make your quota and make money and ensure that you don’t go under. How tough is that? JH Right now it’s nonstop with everything that’s going on in the industry. We released 47 boats and now we’re down to like 37 or 38 boats ... Everything is changing in this industry. ASJ
CC I know you can’t give away too much about how it ultimately all played out, but overall how did this season go for you? JH Personally it went fine. But a lot of other guys went out there and they lost their ass. When your (crew) sees that
Editor’s note: New episodes of Deadliest Catch air on Tuesday nights on Discovery Channel (check local listings). Go to discovery.com/shows/deadliest-catch for more. Like the F/V Cornelia Marie at facebook.com/CorneliaMarie.
MAY 2020 | aksportingjournal.com
aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2020
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Spring brown bear hunting opens in GMU 9 (Alaska Peninsula) Start of Valdez Halibut Derby (valdezfishderbies.com)
Last day of brown bear hunting in GMU 6D (Montague Island and remainder of unit) May 31 Last day of spring brown bear hunting in several units June 1-30 Seward Halibut Derby (seward.com/welcome-toseward-alaska/halibut-tournament-june) June 5-6 Homer Halibut Derby (homeralaska.org/homerhalibut-tournament) June 5-14 Valdez Halibut Hullabaloo (valdezfishderbies.com) June 12-21 Slam’n Salm’n Derby, Ship Creek, Anchorage (slamnsalmnderby.com) June 30 Black bear hunting season ends in several units
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THE HUNT FOR ‘KING TUT’
OVER FOUR SPRINGS, A HUNTER MATCHED WITS WITH A MASSIVE GRIZZLY THAT LORDED OVER A KENAI VALLEY BY BRIAN WATKINS
Author Brian Watkins was so obsessed with a big brown bear he referred to as “King Tut,” he just had to have a tattoo of the Kenai Peninsula bruin he and family members hunted. (BRIAN WATKINS)
T
he story of this bear hunt runs four years long. I had just started baiting in a new spot on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. The hunt started off slow, as it does most times with bait. We'd glimpse a straggler bear here and there, but nothing consistent. It was a late spring that year, so the bears popped their dens late and immediately headed for moose calving grounds. I decided to leave the bait alone for a couple weeks and see what was coming in on a trail cam I’d posted. When I came back to check aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2020
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A trail cam proved that this was a bear worth pursuing. “I was in awe – my eyes wide open and jaw down to the tree stand,” was Watkins’ first impression when he first saw King Tut in person. (BRIAN WATKINS)
it, there was a plethora of bears. But one bruin stood out; it was obvious he ran the territory. He was always pushing bears away and claiming a “hot” sow when she arrived. I named this bear King Tut, because he was the ruler. I never laid eyes on him that spring, but I kept tabs on him with the trail camera. He was smart and never showed himself while I was around.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR, KING Tut seemed to be a ghost, only showing up in the middle of the night to eat. I sat countless hours in hopes he’d make a mistake. I patterned him and still couldn’t connect. He was smarter than me. I tried different methods to trick him and failed. His dominance showed throughout the spring, as he ate in the best hours for the bears; the two hours of dark that hold in the Alaskan spring. 36
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I hunted hard, hoping he would chase a sow into the bait, but I still had yet to lay eyes on him. This bear began to occupy my brain year-round. I’ve always sought to kill a giant brown bear, and he was the one I wanted. King Tut was the ruler of my valley and I hadn’t even laid eyes on him. For two years he was all but a figment of my imagination. On the Kenai Peninsula, the brown bear season lasts until May 31, with the black bear season running until June 30. In the third year of trying to meet King Tut, he didn’t even appear on camera until after brown bear season closed. I’m not sure if he had been out killing moose calves or simply had changed valleys to show dominance somewhere else, but in mid-June I finally got a peek at this magnificent animal. I had been sitting for six hours when two sows in heat came in. It was a circus
MAY 2020 | aksportingjournal.com
of bears all night long. Boars chasing sows. Boars fighting and posturing. The woods were alive with massive brown bears circling my stand. They pounded the ground, which shook like an earthquake. They pushed trees over. It was mayhem. After hours of relentless posturing, King Tut showed. Because it was the first time I had laid eyes on him, I was in awe – my eyes wide open and jaw down to the tree stand. He came in, looked directly at me and circled my stand for over half an hour. He was showing that he was, in fact, King Tut. Other bears came in but backed off. It was a wild display of dominance. Not being able to shoot him made it that much more special. To see the culture and social structure of the bears was astounding. Tut had chased a sow into the woods and bred her. The roars and screams fed the imagination of how it all went down. That
The bear that the author and his brother hunted so hard for was finally down, a harvest four years in the making. (BRIAN WATKINS)
was the wildest night I have ever had in the woods. It’s one that I’ll remember until the day I die.
YEAR FOUR WAS ONLY 11 months away, and I was ready. Tut knew where I sat and knew my smell. I figured he distinguished me in year three as a nonthreat because I ended up watching him during several nights on the stand. My brother Kevin wanted to hunt my bait with his pregnant wife Samantha and I, so we planned to try for Tut. Memorial Day is usually the best weekend to hunt bears, since they show up more and more the later spring gets. And it’s also usually near the end of brown bear season. I left the bait alone for a few days to rid it of my scent. We came in around 5 p.m. to check the bait and trail cam to 38
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see what was around. Usually the bears start coming in around 7, so it should have given us plenty of time to get set up. I put Kevin and Samantha in the stand and went to check the cameras. Twelve bears were coming in; one of them was the king himself, Tut. He was coming in in the middle of the night again, so I told my brother it would be a long sit. I went back to pick up dog food to restock the bait. As I was coming back into the area, I heard Samantha say, “Bear! He’s right next to you. Don’t move.” It’s really thick where I bait, so I couldn’t see anything. The world seemed to stop spinning and got quiet. I was within 15 yards of a bear and had no clue it was there. I dropped the bag off my shoulder and grabbed my pistol. Boom! Kevin shot. Boom! He shot
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again. I saw the bear through the alders and sent a couple rounds his way. As my heart raced, the bear thrashed through the woods – luckily away from me. The wood grew silent and we waited an hour to see how bad the bear was hit. I didn’t know whether it was Tut or not, just that it was a big bear. We crawled through bear trails and followed blood. We crossed into another finger of the valley and heard a bear. It was breathing heavy and grunting loudly. It was within 50 yards, but we couldn’t see him. He would bluff-charge our direction and back off. The entire time we held guns facing his direction. We backed out slowly and gave him more time. There were bubbles in his lungs, so we figured he had one lung hit. We gave him two more hours and headed back in. My brother carried a .300 Win.
Watkins (far left), his brother Kevin and sister-in-law Samantha share their moment with a king after Kevin was able to successfully connect on the kill. (BRIAN WATKINS)
STATE BRIEFLY CLOSES, THEN REOPENS RESIDENT BEAR HUNTING
I
n early April, with the nation reeling amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game released news that all spring bear hunts (with the exception of subsistence harvest) would be closing. Many state residents scoffed, and one online petition had thousands of signatures within a couple hours of the announcement. But later in the day ADFG Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang released a letter altering the regulations to only apply to non-Alaskans. “Upon further consideration, the Department has decided to rescind the resident portion of this closure. The nonresident hunts remain closed,” Vincent-Lang’s letter stated. “To protect public health, resident hunters participating in spring bear hunts in Alaska are required to abide by all issued health mandates, including social distancing mandates and intrastate travel mandates.” Spring brown bear hunts are currently available in May for residents in several of the state’s game management units. Southeast Alaska’s GMU 1 resident season runs through May 31, which is also the end of the spring season on the Kenai Peninsula (GMU 15). The Kodiak brown bear season ends on May 15. GMU 9 (Alaska Peninsula) spring hunts begin on May 10 and run through May 25 or 31. ASJ
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Mag.; I had a 10mm pistol. It felt like a peashooter, but we went anyway. When we got to where the bear was, he was nowhere to be found. My brother went into the valley bottom looking for blood, while I crested the top. When I came over the mountain, I smelled bear. I found blood and got back on his trail. He was sitting down like you would at a dinner table. I fired three rounds and imagined him charging me. I turned and ran down the mountain, crashing and rolling to get away as fast as I could. Kevin screamed for me. He could only think that an all-out battle between the bear and I was taking place. I tumbled down the mountain to my brother for backup, and as I calmed down I realized the bear was nowhere near me. My heart raced and I felt panic, but all was well. We went back up and the bear was laying on his side. My brother had to finish him off. We realized we had finally outsmarted the king himself. He was the
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biggest animal I had ever seen. To be in his presence was surreal. This bear had battled in this valley for years. It took all our strength together just to roll him on his side. King Tut was laid to rest.
TO HONOR THIS MAGNIFICENT animal, I got a tattoo of him on my arm. Half of his body fades into pine trees, as I picture him being one with the mountain. He will forever be a part of my hunting career. ASJ
“We realized we had finally outsmarted the king himself. He was the biggest animal I had ever seen,” Watkins writes. “To be in his presence was surreal.” (BRIAN WATKINS)
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SOUTHEAST ALASKA’S ‘UNIQUE’ HUNTING PARADISE Editor’s note: From the Alaska Panhandle to the “top of the world” in Barrow/Utqiagvik, Alaska contains 26 game management units that feature land for hunting and other outdoor activities. Our Arctic adventurer Paul Atkins is breaking down some of the units he’s hunted in the past in this ongoing feature. This issue: GMU 1.
GMU PrOFILE
BY PAUL D. ATKINS
E
ven though my makeshift head net was pulled tight around my collar, the bugs were still eating me alive. I was annoyed, especially after spending all night in a tree with nothing but a sleeping bag and a couple of pee bottles.
The tree stand was comfortable, but I had had enough and was ready to get back to camp. As I contemplated all this and wondered if my guide, who was perched above me, was thinking the same, it happened.
Not only is Game Management Unit 1 a hunter’s paradise – including for the elusive mountain goat – the Panhandle is worth the price of admission. It is truly one of Alaska’s gems. (PAUL D. ATKINS) aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2020
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Southeast Alaska is a mecca for black bears and bear hunting. Some of the biggest and most colorful bruins can be found there. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
KEY OPENERS FOR GMU 1 Aug. 1: Blacktail deer Aug. 1: Wolf Sept. 1: Black bear Sept. 15: Brown bear Sept. 15: Moose
(PAUL D. ATKINS)
Like most bruins on any bear hunt, one appeared where only moments before there hadn’t been one. A nice 6-footer with what looked to be an awesome hide just materialized in front of us.
UNIQUE TO ALASKA Southeast Alaska is, in my opinion, one of the most unique places in Alaska. It comprises a great swath of land that encompasses the legendary Tongass National Forest. The coastal mainland and islands there are daunting and unforgiving, but also beautiful and generous. Comprised of dense rainforests, alpine high country and endless stretches of rugged, undeveloped coastline, much 46
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Another very popular target to hunt in GMU 1 is deer. Sitka blacktails are numerous and bag limits are pretty generous. If you want to fill the freezer with meat, then this is the place to go.
MAY 2020 | aksportingjournal.com
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of Southeast Alaska’s hunting area is extremely remote. But unlike much of Interior Alaska, this area is relatively easy to reach by hunters from just about everywhere. Commonly referred to as the Panhandle, Southeast Alaska is dotted with a number of large islands and a strip of coastline that borders British Columbia to the east. The area is long and narrow, but also up to 100 miles wide in places, and is considered the coastal rainforest of Alaska. Because the unit is so large and encompasses some areas that are
not easily accessed, state managers separate GMU 1 into north and south subregions, with the unit broken up into 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D. The overall unit stretches roughly from Haines and Juneau in the north to Ketchikan in the south. There are some areas that hunters and anglers can drive to, via maintained roads, but a lot of the area is only accessible by boat or floatplane.
HOW TO DO IT If you’re a do-it-yourself hunter, there are many access points to start from, with several communities providing good
Author Paul Atkins, who lives far away in Kotzebue, in Arctic Alaska, writes of the Panhandle: “The coastal mainland and islands there are daunting and unforgiving, but also beautiful and generous.” (PAUL D. ATKINS)
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staging points to begin your adventure. In addition, there are many remote U.S. Forest Service cabins that can be used to base your excursion out of as well. See fs.usda.gov/main/tongass/home. As far as species go, there are numerous animals to pursue in the unit. Black and brown bears are numerous. Black bear hunting, which I have participated in around Haines, is some of the best in the world. Bears are typically seen daily – even more often if you build a bait site. Goats are also available, but it can be one of the toughest hunts you’ll ever endure
can be fickle at times, with temperatures mild to warm in the early season to gradually colder as the calendar moves into October and November. Skies are typically overcast – though there are some sunny days – and rain and drizzle are normal. But as you move later in the year, unexpected snowstorms or blizzards can arrive at any moment.
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GMU 1 is split into four subunits, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D, which are spread across many islands and the mainland bordering British Columbia. “There are some areas where hunters and anglers can drive to, with maintained roads,” Atkins writes. “But a lot of the area is only accessible by boat or floatplane.” (ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME)
The bear that came in on us that morning moved slowly into position, and I was able to take him with my bow. I was elated and the bugs that had been chewing on me became an afterthought. Southeast Alaska and GMU 1 are beautiful and in my opinion one of the best-kept secrets we have here in the state. If you haven’t looked into going, you should. ASJ
due to the region’s sharp mountains and tough climbs. Numerous Sitka blacktail deer also roam the area, and there are liberal bag limits on them. This year, for example,
Editor’s note: For a detailed map and more season dates for GMU 1, go to adfg.alaska .gov and look under the Hunting tab for a link to maps by game management unit. Follow Paul Atkins on Twitter (@aktrophyhunter).
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you can tag four deer. There’s also moose if you have the proper tag, plus wolves and wolverines. Please check the game regulations for more details. The weather in this part of Alaska
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YA GOTTA HAVE HOPE
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WITH AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE, AN ALASKA SPORTSMAN REMINISCES ABOUT PAST HUNTS AND LOOKS FORWARD TO NEW ONES
BY PAUL D. ATKINS
A
With the world so uncertain right now, it’s human nature to think back on fond memories, which for author Paul Atkins includes his first moose hunt and the joy of filling his freezer with meat. Now more than ever, we need hope that great moments like this will come again. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
s I sit here writing this, social distancing myself from the world, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for all of us. Bad news seems to be rolling in each day, with changes that affect all of us in and out of Alaska. For example, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy canceled spring bear season – later that day the state backtracked and announced that residents could hunt for spring bruins again – and I wonder if fishing seasons will be closed by the time you read this. Hopefully by that time, life will be somewhat “more normal” for us, if there is such a thing. If not, I understand. We may be stuck at home still, doing our best to stay sane and not fret, but hopefully we’re all safe. Hope. That’s a word we have all been hanging on to. With the world in crisis the way it is right now, we’ve had a lot of time to think. For some of us, it has been a moment to reflect on the good times, the memories we’ve cherished with family and friends over the years, people who have made our lives special and hopefully will continue to do so as we move forward. I know that’s what I’ve been doing: remembering and thinking back to days spent afield, whether it was hunting, fishing or just hanging out in the great outdoors. Or maybe it’s making new plans for upcoming adventures like fall hunts or something this summer. Either way, both are necessary during these times.
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I THINK BACK TO my first hunt in Alaska. It was many years ago on a river way north of the Arctic Circle … I was sitting on a small hill overlooking a willow patch as rain poured down my back. It wasn’t much fun. I was soaked to the bone, but at least it was September and I was in Alaska on my first moose and caribou hunt. Looking back, I realize that hunting in the vast space of the Alaskan tundra is hard enough, even when you are prepared. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. I had every bit of the wrong gear to start with – from cotton shirts to a tent that wasn’t even remotely suitable for the conditions we were in. My sleeping bag was worthless and the leather boots I had on became a miserable experience. Extra socks? Yes, you need to bring extra socks, plus the idea of gathering firewood became a whole new experience. To say I didn’t shoot anything during those five days is an understatement. Heck, I didn’t even see an animal, but as a novice I learned more about myself and what it takes to succeed, or at least stay alive, in the Alaskan outdoors. I left wet, tired and with a case of lower back pain, but more importantly Iearned valuable lessons that made me a better hunter and prepared me for the next 20 years. I cherish that trip more than any other and truly believe if I was on one of those reality shows about staying alive, I could actually survive the required 21 days.
THERE ARE MANY MORE adventures that
“You can tell by the way I’m dressed that I wasn’t prepared,” Atkins admits about his first hunt. “The cotton sweatshirt and the leather boots are a dead giveaway. We had fun, but there were many lessons learned.” (PAUL D. ATKINS) 54
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come to mind. Some stick out more than others. Like three years later, when my good friend Garrett came up from Arizona to hunt moose. In those days acquiring a moose tag was pretty easy. There were more moose then and most nonresidents drew one their first time applying. Garrett did, so we planned a trip for the Wulik River region, a small area about the size of Rhode Island and which is way north and close to Red Dog Mine. It was a hunting mecca in those days and one of the few places where you could actually – with the proper tags, of course – take five of Alaska’s big game animals. On any day you would not only see moose but also caribou, grizzly, sheep and even a muskox or two. I know we did on that trip.
Along with Garrett and I was another good friend who was just along for the ride. Looking back, I’m so glad Justin was with us. Without his help at camp and the ensuing events that transpired, it would have made things much tougher. We had a great tent this time, plus plenty of firewood and a new blue raft that we planned to use. Except for the pouring rain that hit the first day and snow the second, we were having a great time. Moose were there, but no shooters. Early-morning jaunts to the hill behind camp proved that we were in the right place, and even though all we saw were small bulls and cows maneuvering through the willows down
below, it was a special time. During the day we brought out the rod and reels and fished the narrow river that was so clear and clean, you could drink right from it. We caught grayling and Arctic char, which we enjoyed each night around the fire, and had a snifter of bourbon each afterwards. We were content; even though we hadn’t found a 60-plus-inch giant, it felt like we were on the greatest adventure of our lives.
IF YOU’VE EVER HUNTED Alaska – or anywhere, for that matter – you know things can change in a matter of minutes. Our change came on day four. We were still making runs to the hill each morning,
Atkins doesn’t know how many hills he’s climbed during his time in Alaska, but if you want to see the country and what’s in it, it’s a must. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
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with each trip proving fruitless, so we decided to try at midday to see if we were missing something. As we peered through binoculars, we noticed two bull caribou feeding along the tundra flats beyond the willows. At 500 yards we watched them feed before they eventually bedded for the afternoon. I looked at my friends and said, “The wind is right, and we don’t have anything else to do. Let’s go.” We did and got within 200 yards. We only had one rifle, but both Garrett and I had tags. We decided he would shoot first and then hand me the rifle and I would take the second. It worked like clockwork and both bulls stayed put.
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Even though we knew the haul out was going to be a long one, we were excited. After the photo taking was done, the work began. Knowing that darkness was approaching, we cut and field dressed as fast as we could. We for sure didn’t want to get caught in the dark – covered in blood – and pack our way back to camp in bear country like that. We continued to work furiously – and then it happened. Like a surreal dream I looked up and there he was: A moose, a big moose, was walking straight at us, swinging his head back and forth. He
was pissed off at the world. I grabbed Garrett and pointed. He couldn’t believe it either. Garrett had his bow, but it was too late for that, so being the good friend that I am, I handed him my rifle and boom! The bull fell where he stood, not 30 yards from where the caribou lay. It was one of the weirdest events I’ve ever experienced up here. Two exhausting days later we packed out the last load in the rain. My association with moose has always been like that. It’s been an
Many of Atkins’ (left) adventures have been shared with friends. “These are people I have known for years, who have always wanted to come to Alaska,” he says. “I’ve invited plenty of these guys up. When they leave, they depart with memories that last a lifetime.” (PAUL D. ATKINS)
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exceptional, or I should say, weird experience. With bears sometimes and caribou not so much, but moose are always different. I don’t know if it has something to do with the immensity of one when you see it. Or maybe it is like bears and you only see a big one every now and then. But whatever the situation, it’s usually in the weirdest of circumstances. Like the time when my pal Lew and I were sleeping ...
THE COMMOTION OUTSIDE SEEMED to shake the entire tent. It was early morning and
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There are so many sloughs and hidden lakes that bleed off the mainstems of Alaskan rivers, so many in fact you can actually get lost in them. Some are secret to all but those who know, and some are just dead ends. But some are legendary for the moose Atkins has found there. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
I was fast asleep in my mummy bag, dreaming about the day to come. Sitting up, I could feel the ground shake below me. If we hadn’t been so far north, it could have been an earthquake. I kept thinking, “What the hell is making all that noise outside?” Like so many times before, I knew it could only be one thing: bears.
“It’s a bear; it had to be a bear and he’s probably tearing up Lew’s boat or found our food cache,” I thought. I carefully unzipped the tent and peered outside to see what was going on. The sight was amazing. But the noise wasn’t a bear or even a group of bears. It wasn’t a herd of caribou that I had been dreaming about in my
mummy bag either. No; it was moose – two of them standing right outside the tent and fighting like a couple of boxers giving it their all. Standing there in my long underwear watching the event unfold was surreal, to say the least. The early-morning light combined with the fog rolling off the river made it feel like a dream. The big bulls
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Big bulls are exciting to see, but it helps if you see them before they see you. “This young guy disappeared before we could even get close with the bow,” the author admits. “I think back on the chance we had. I wonder now if he’s still out there.” (PAUL D. ATKINS)
were close to the same size. And with each charge the clash of their antlers echoed up and down the delta. I did not really know what to do next. I finally came to the conclusion that I should try and take one of these bulls. Barefoot and freaked out, I headed back to the tent to grab my rifle when I noticed my bow case laying on the front of the boat not 30 yards away. I knew this would be over soon, so I decided it would take too much time to get the bow and get back in time for a shot. I wanted to get this on film too, but my camera bag was buried in my pack and would take forever to dig out. I stuck my head in the tent just as my good friend and hunting partner Lew was 62
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Sometimes it’s about camp and what it brought to the experience. Maybe it was the place or that bend in the river. Or just maybe it was a simple cup of coffee shared around the fire. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
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It’s a rare thing to take a big bull. Many moose are harvested each year, and Atkins has taken several over the years, but nothing like this one. “I just hope that we can do it again, when things in the world get back to normal.” (PAUL D. ATKINS)
starting to stir from all the commotion I was making. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked. “There are a couple of monster bulls fighting behind the tent, man. Get up quick; you’ve got to see this,” I told him. Grabbing my rifle, I jacked a shell and headed to the back of the tent. Lew followed – both of us without shoes and wearing nothing but long underwear and T-shirts. The bulls had begun to back off and the smaller of the two broke and made for the willows across a shallow pond. He was big himself and, given the chance, would have been a shooter on anyone’s list. The victor stood there in all his glory and offered me the perfect quarteringaway shot. All I could see was the right 64
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side of his antler, which was crowned with six brow points to form what appeared to be a “soup bowl.” I looked at Lew; he looked back at me in disbelief. While I wished I had my bow, I raised the rifle and found the bull in the scope. The loud boom vibrated through camp and the big bull swirled and fell. To say the least, it felt unbelievable. Here we were on the first morning of our hunt and we had a big bull down right behind our tent – not 40 yards from the boat. How lucky could a couple guys get? The second bull didn’t go far. We could hear him a short distance away, crashing and thrashing the dense willow and mad at the world. Lew made a couple of calls with the thought that he might make a reappearance, but he
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never showed himself. Lew and I decided that that was probably OK; one bull was enough, especially considering the vicious lake we had to cross to get back home. Even though it wasn’t in the classic hunting style of grinding it out for days, I finally had my moose, the big boy that I have searched for these many years. Measuring at 61 inches and weighing upwards of 1,500 pounds, the big boy was an easy pack to the boat, but only after Lew and I put on some clothes, had our coffee and breakfast. Blueberry PopTarts have always been my favorite.
I ALSO THINK ABOUT the future. The bear hunt I had planned for this month had to be canceled due to the virus. My need to
get back to Oklahoma and loved ones takes precedence. The same goes for the turkey hunt I planned with friends in Kansas. I do, however, think about next fall and what it will bring. Late-summer fishing and bear camp; oh, how I love bear camp! Will we find a big moose this year, and will the caribou come through when it counts? I know all of these are just questions right now. I just hope we’re all back to doing the things we enjoy – with full camps, heavy meat poles and the joy of spending time with family and friends. It’s true that we all have memories, special times or events that make us look back and go, “Wow!” Or maybe it’s looking forward and going, “Wow! I can’t wait!” And believe me, it’s times like these that we need moments like these. We can always look into the past and ask ourselves, “Did we really do that?” These are but a few such stories; like many, they are shared by Alaskans across the state and depict our way of life. I hope there’s more to come, and there will be. We just have to wait a bit and plan for what’s next. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska. He’s written hundreds of articles published on big game hunting throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. Paul is a regular contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal.
Heading home heavy is always a good thing. “I remember how elated we were at this moment and the success we had,” the author says. “You can’t put a price on that.” (PAUL D. ATKINS)
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THE DOG DAYS OF ISOLATION
FIELD
WITH HOME CONFINEMENT BRINGING PUPPY ADOPTIONS, HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR TRAINING YOUR NEW GUN DOG BY SCOTT HAUGEN
W
ith social isolation measures sweeping across the state due to the pandemic, dog sales are reaching high levels. If you’re the owner of a new puppy, don’t wait to start training it, especially if it’s a hunting dog. Devoting 10 to 15 minutes a day to training your dog will pay big dividends, and you don’t have to go outside to find success. There are a lot of training drills that can be done inside the house, in a small area, and hand signals top the list of importance.
HANDS UP Teaching your pup hand signals is one of the most important things you can do. Start by teaching the pup to sit. While getting it to look at you – usually by holding a treat close to your eye – say “sit” and once it sits, say “look” to get it to look into your eyes. Repeat “sit” while patting the pup’s hind end down with the other hand. When the pup sits, give it the treat. As the sitting becomes consistent, refrain from giving a treat until the pup looks at you. Keep at this until the pup sits on command. Some pups pick this up surprisingly fast – within a day or two. Others may not be ready to do this for a couple weeks or more. Once the pup sits, instead of giving it
Patience and consistent training are key to getting a puppy to maintain its composure and obey your commands, as this 9-week-old pup demonstrates by sitting and staying in response to both verbal and hand commands. (SCOTT HAUGEN) aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2020
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Tiffany Haugen says scrumptious fish cakes make for a great way to present your home-canned fish like salmon, trout or tuna. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
HAVE YOUR FISH CAKE AND EAT IT TOO BY TIFFANY HAUGEN
W
ith an abundance of homecanned fish from salmon to trout – even tuna from trips down south – we are always looking for interesting creations to use up this pantry staple. Adding color with various vegetables not only adds a pleasing look, it gives a nutritional boost to every bite. With any type of fish cake, ingredients can be varied to include special diets like keto, paleo, gluten-free or dairy-free. Eggs are a key ingredient in keeping cakes
2/3
any skin or bones from fish. To the bowl, add eggs, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, and black and cayenne pepper. Mix until mixture is combined but do not over mix. Divide fish mixture into four medium bowls. Mix grated carrot into one bowl, grated bell pepper into another bowl, beets into a third and the herbs into the last bowl. Gently fold added ingredients into fish mixtures. In a large skillet, heat ¼ inch of oil on medium-high heat. On a large plate, spread panko for coating fish cakes. Form fish mixture into balls, press into panko mixture to make a patty of your desired size. Place cakes in hot oil and fry until golden brown for two to three minutes per side. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
In a large bowl, break drained, canned or cooked fish into small chunks. Remove
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other titles, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.
together and moist. The panko coating can be changed to crushed tortilla chips, nuts or a gluten-free breadcrumb. Most of the flavor comes from added vegetables or spices, so feel free to experiment. A recent family favorite tweak to this recipe was to add diced ham and baked potatoes. There were no leftovers! BASE MIX 4 cups canned fish (trout, salmon, northern pike or tuna) Two eggs 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons granulated onion 2 teaspoons granulated garlic 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 1 cup panko Olive or coconut oil for pan-frying ADDED INGREDIENTS cup grated carrot 2/3 cup grated bell pepper 1/2 cup grated beets or ¼ cup beet powder 1/2 cup minced herbs or greens (dandelion, cilantro, basil, parsley, spinach or kale)
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FIELD
Playing with your new pup is one of the best ways to build bonds and develop clear communication. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
a treat, place a little bit of kibble about 1 foot to the right of it. Do this on carpet so the puppy doesn’t slip when it moves. Say “sit” so the pup knows not to move. If the pup moves before you say “get it” (or whatever your command will be), reach out and stop it, while quickly saying “nah!” in a loud, nasal tone. This quick response will startle the pup and your simultaneously grabbing it will help it learn the desired behavior. Remember, you’re not scolding the dog; rather, you’re patiently teaching it. Clear, consistent communication is key. Sit the pup down again a foot from the food, and then give the command to get it. Verbally praise the pup, as this, along with the food, is the reward. Next, have the pup sit where it is, then place food a foot to the left of it. Repeat the same verbal and physical commands
MOVING DAY After a few days, the pup will begin to learn when it’s supposed to move both left and right. At this time, you can guide it with an open hand to the right – while giving your verbal command – then do the same thing to the left. This 72
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open-hand signal will be what the dog keys in on when in the field, up to a couple hundred yards or more away. Should you cripple a bird or have multiple birds down, or if you’ve located a shed antler you want your dog to retrieve, hand signals are invaluable. Once the pup is comfortable moving left and right, have it sit and put a few pieces of kibble on both the left and right side of it. This teaches the pup restraint, and it should not get either pile of kibble until you give the command.
NO CRYING IN BASEBALL When the pup has shown patience and consistency, place a few pieces of kibble behind it. Imagine a baseball field: You’re the batter and the pup is in the pitcher’s position; the right pile of kibble is first base; the left pile of kibble is third base. Now, with the pup facing you, put some kibble behind it on second base; there should be no food on first or second base. While extending your arm straight over your head and saying “back,” the pup will learn to release to the food, straight back. As the pup masters sitting and getting the kibble from all three bases, increase
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the distance between them. You’ll go from a foot, to 10 feet, to several yards. Once you start bumper training outside, you can place them several yards from the pup and help guide them to the bumpers via hand signals and verbal commands.
HEADING OUTSIDE As we’re able to get outdoors, your training sessions will expand, both in time and area. By getting a pup to be disciplined and learn your language at an early age – in a restricted area like the house where it can focus – it will be much easier to train in the field. The more the pup learns, the more eager it will also be to please you. When training a pup, have fun. Play with your pup, get on the ground, roll around with it and enjoy these days together. This is extremely valuable in developing that relationship, which will lead to respect. And when a pup respects you, it will do anything in the world to please you. ASJ Editor’s note: To see an extensive library of Scott Haugen’s puppy training video tips, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.
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FINDING PEACE IN A PANDEMIC AMID THE CORONAVIRUS SCARE, GETTING OUTDOORS PROVIDES SOLACE, HOPE BY MARY CATHARINE MARTIN
S
o many Alaskans have been in a crisis these last two months: villages closed to outside travel. Restaurants and “nonessential” businesses shut down. People have lost their jobs, and can’t find work. The growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. And one of the most difficult things about this time of necessary social distancing is that if we, or our loved ones, are suffering, it’s harder if not impossible to be with them and support them – except at a distance. One of the biggest helps for me, in all of this, is the vast outdoors and clean air, water and land we have all around us in Alaska. I’ve spent too much time recently staring at my computer, reading news articles and worrying about people I love. So in late March, during an incredibly welcome blue sky day in Southeast Alaska, my partner, our baby, our dog and I set out on a walk into some sunlit, snowy alpine meadows in the Tongass National Forest. With the world at a virtual standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity to get outside – all while practicing social distancing – provides some comfort in a time of uncertainty. (MARY CATHARINE MARTIN)
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Sometimes it’s important to remember that there is still life out there. “Each year, millions upon millions of salmon will return to Alaska’s rivers and streams, feeding all of us,” author Mary Catharine Martin writes, “from people to bears to wolves.” (BJORN DIHLE/MARY
CATHARINE MARTIN)
GETTING AWAY The area we chose to hike isn’t the most pristine in the Tongass. It was heavily logged and mined more than 100 years ago, and lower down many trees are small and sickly looking. But the trail leads up into vast, open, snowy meadows. For that reason, it’s a favorite of cross country skiers, snow machiners, and us – walkers who carry snowshoes. To the right are views of Grandchild Ridge, a line of mountains where we camped on one of my recent birthdays. To the left is Lynn Canal and the perpeptual view of islands and water that any Southeast Alaska hiker knows. As we walked, I thought about a few things, but foremost among them was how lucky we are to live in Alaska, where
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this kind of outdoors experience is even a possibility. Down south and in some more crowded locations, people are being advised to avoid trails – so many people are flocking to them that it’s the opposite of social distancing.
SIGNS OF LIFE The calendar may say it’s spring, but here in Southeast Alaska, we’re only just starting to see and hear the signs of it. Crocuses emerging from frozen soil. Flocks of pine siskins twittering overhead. The call of the varied thrush, which a Juneau poet I know once referred to as “the rusty gates of spring reopening,” is something that fills me with contentment to hear. I keep waiting for the hooting of a
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sooty grouse. Each year, I look forward to walking up into the forest in search of them and making grouse soup and grouse stock – a wilder and healthier version of chicken soup. We Alaskans – not to mention Americans and the rest of the world – face uncharted waters in the months ahead. Hardworking Alaskans whose businesses and jobs are suddenly uncertain. Fishermen who might not be able to find essential workers for canneries and processors, and who face challenges trying to sell their fish once they catch it. Tourism-focused businesses that might not have clients. And that’s thinking only of the economic consequences of the pandemic – not the health consequences,
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For Martin, her partner and their daughter, being in nature provided some sense of peace. “Even if we are quarantined and we can only see spring arrive from our window, how lucky we are to live here in this place,” she writes. (MARY
CATHARINE MARTIN)
which are very real and are growing. I’m worried for the elderly people I love. I’m worried for the many incredibly selfless and brave family members and friends who work in Alaska hospitals.
FAMILIAR VIBES Some things, though, are constant as long as we allow them to be. Each spring, spruce tips will emerge from the trees. Sooty grouse will soon begin hooting in the Tongass again. And each year, millions upon millions of salmon will return to Alaska’s rivers and streams, feeding all of us – from people to bears to wolves. Even the trees are fed by the nutrients they bring back. There’s something healing in this thought: No matter what is happening in the world of humans, as long as we take care of and respect salmon and what they need to live, they will return to us. They will feed us. They will nourish us in so many ways, just as they always have. Even if we are quarantined and we can only see spring arrive from our window, how lucky we are to live here in this place, where we can breathe fresh air, drink clean water, hear the croaking of sandhill cranes as they return. And it’s where, year after year, salmon swim up thousands of rivers and streams and feed us all. ASJ Editor’s note: Mary Catharine Martin is the communications director of SalmonState, an organization that works to keep Alaska a place where wild salmon thrive. Go to salmonstate.org for more information.
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