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create dry aged steak and cured meats from home
PUBLISHER
James R. Baker
GENERAL MANAGER
John Rusnak
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Andy Walgamott
EDITOR
Chris Cocoles
WRITERS
Landon Albertson, Michael Engelhard, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Brian Watkins
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Paul Yarnold
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Janene Mukai, Tom St. Clair
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ON THE COVER
Austin Crowson joined author Scott Haugen, Donald Trump Jr. and his sons Donnie and Spencer to hunt ptarmigan around Southwest Alaska’s Egegik River. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
CORRESPONDENCE
X @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com
FEATURES CONTENTS
TRAVERSING THE BROOKS
Longtime writer Michael Engelhard calls Fairbanks home, and his latest book project pays homage to the Brooks Range, a jewel that Alaska hunters, anglers and others vow to protect. Engelhard’s book, Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer Of Trekking The Brooks Range, includes his experiences rafting, hiking and interacting with that region’s people. Along with an excerpt from it, we also interviewed the author.
23 A TROLLING WE WILL GO …
Some of the best saltwater trolling in Alaska is available out of the Kenai Peninsula port of Seward, where a trip onto Resurrection Bay will put anglers into myriad species, including silver salmon, halibut and rockfish. Landon Albertson breaks down everything trollers should know ahead of a trip.
53 PTARMIGAN HUNTING WITH DONALD TRUMP JR. AND SONS
Our Scott Haugen wraps up his two-part Alaska cast-and-blast adventure with Donald Trump Jr. and his boys Donnie and Spencer. After targeting salmon and grayling, the son and grandsons of the former president and 2024 Republican nominee turned their attention to upland bird hunting in the Egegik River area. Haugen has the details on the Trumps’ multi-generation ptarmigan hunt.
63 LISTEN TO THIS
More practical info from Scott Haugen in his and wife Tiffany’s From Field to Fire feature. This time it’s a cautionary tale for hunters to help prevent further hearing loss as they age. After a lifetime of shooting, Scott’s ears aren’t what they used to be, but the hearing device he now uses helps block the blast and still allows him to hear wild game. Meanwhile, Tiffany serves up a ptarmigan “ptacos” recipe!
Alaska
and
(MELISSA GUY)
VIENNA, Austria–I recently returned from a European getaway, most of which was spent in Greece for my cousin’s wedding, but also two days in Vienna. Besides admiring the city’s gorgeous architecture, getting a close-up peek at the Spanish Riding School’s regal Lipizzaner horses, geeking out at the World War I exhibits at the city’s military museum and keeping cool in the summer heat with some refreshing Austrian beer, I also enjoyed the scene down by the mighty Danube River (yes, it was pretty blue!), which cuts its way through the heart of the Austrian capital.
Austria marks the third country I’ve visited and crossed paths with the Danube (Romania and Serbia are the others). And as I walked through Vienna’s “beach” area, somewhat jokingly referred to as Copa Beach, and enjoyed a beer in a shady spot, it reinforced the idea of the importance of these long rivers to so many folks. Whether it’s an iconic waterway that flows through Central and Eastern Europe, or one of the critical fisheries and transportation arteries of Alaska such as the Kenai, Yukon, Kuskokwim and Tanana, they are the lifeblood of local residents, and the conduit to the outside world. On the shores of what Austrians know as the Donau, I shared the walking path with rollerbladers, families with their kids, joggers, and corporate types getting some lunchtime fresh air. The Vieneese have embraced that their city is part of the blue Danube’s legacy as one of Europe’s most influential watersheds.
This month, we’re featuring an excerpt from author Michael Engelhard’s new book about exploring the lands and waters of Alaska’s Brooks Range (page 32). In his book, Engelhard writes about the issues some of Europe’s rivers have endured over time.
“Record droughts now also rack central Europe, depleting rivers and exposing ‘hunger stones,’ engraved hydrological markers warning of bad harvests and famines,” he writes. “‘If you see me, cry,’ one from 1616 on the banks of the Elbe reads. ‘When this stone sinks,’ a more optimistic one promises, ‘life will become more colorful again.’ They were bulletins addressed to the future. What words will we carve for the yet unborn?”
“... It is high time we give rivers and mountains their due.”
I couldn’t agree more, as I hope the Danube and I cross paths again someday, along with Alaska’s famed river systems. –Chris Cocoles
The editor’s quick stop in Vienna, Austria, included checking out the Danube River on a warm summer day. The Danube, like many waterways in Alaska, is critical in so many ways. (CHRIS COCOLES)
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BANS BEAR BAITING IN ALASKA NATIONAL PRESERVES
Using food to lure in bears to hunting stations has become a controversial practice in Alaska. The National Park Service announced it is prohibiting bear baiting by sport hunters on national preserve lands effective August 2. (BRIAN WATKINS)
The practice of bear hunters setting up bait stations stocked with food such as dog kibble and donuts to attract bruins is a source of controversy among the hunting and conservation communities. (FYI: Our correspondent Brian Watkins, a defender of bear baiting to hunt, has a story on the process on page 46 this month.)
Among the latest news on this issue is the National Park Service’s announcement last month that it was again banning baiting on national preserve lands in Alaska.
The move stems from NPS’s February 2022 initiation of steps to reverse a 2020 Trump Administration ruling that allowed sport hunters to use bait on those public lands. Later that year, a federal district court ruling remanded the 2020 regulations back to NPS to make a final determination.
Ultimately, it was thought that continuing to allow hunters to set out bait would potentially increase risks for national preserve visitors.
“The new rule addresses the court’s concerns and is more consistent with NPS obligations to manage for natural processes, protect wildlife and promote visitor safety,” a press release stated. “NPS accomplished this by focusing the rule to address urgent public safety dangers posed by bear baiting, which had been authorized by the 2020 rule. Bear baiting encourages bears to become conditioned to human-provided food, increasing the likelihood of negative human-bear interactions.”
The NPS also cited Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act guidelines in making this decision.
“The amended rule will advance wildlife conservation goals and objectives, including a prohibition on bear baiting in our national preserves, as mandated under the NPS Organic Act of 1916,” NPS Alaska Regional Director Sarah Creachbaum said. “We take our responsibilities under ANILCA seriously and the new rule reflects our commitment to providing conscientious service to the American public.”
NOTABLE NUMBER
The number of sockeye counted at the Chilkoot River weir as of July 15. Alaska Department of Fish and Game cited a 20,000-fish average at that date in past years in its rationale for prohibiting the sport retention of any of the salmon in the Chilkoot River and Chilkoot Lake.
AL ASKA BEAT
TWEET OF THE MONTH
University of Alaska Fairbanks rifle team alum Sagen Maddalena, a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit who we profiled in our July issue, won her first Olympic medal with a silver in the 50-meter rifle three-positions event at the Paris Summer Games. At 30, Maddalena was the oldest competitor in the finals. Congratulations!
Outside of UCLA, how many college students in the Lower 48 can say they have to keep an eye out for bruins on campus?
“
CALIFORNIA DREAMING IN ALASKA
“Breakfast was at 6 a.m. sharp; we were on the boat by 6:30 and by 7 we were fishing. And that’s pretty much how it went each day,” Ian Rigler recalls.
Using the maps provided by the lodge, they would make a game plan for the day. Rigler is no stranger to the ways of halibut fishing, having spent many days pursuing California halibut in the waters in and around San Francisco Bay. In fact, he prepared the terminal tackle and leaders prior to the trip.
“I tied the braid from the reel straight to the splitter; in Alaska they call them booms,” Rigler notes. “I used an 8-inch boom and on the bottom I clipped on a cannonball lead weight. Depending on the depth and the current, I used anywhere from 24 to 36 ounces. On the other end of the boom, I attached a 3-foot, 50-pound mono leader with double snelled hooks for the herring and I used bait thread to keep the bait on the hook better.”
Most of the fishing was done on anchor, but on occasion Rigler would allow the boat to drift to cover more ground.
“My first halibut came in an area where we were anchored on the edge of a channel,” he recalls.
“We were fishing there for a couple of hours before I got my first bite. My rod was in the holder and I noticed I was getting a bite. I just let it take it and when it was really jerking, I just wound down on it and it was hooked up. It turned out that the halibut sucked the bait really deep and it wasn’t going to get away. I was really excited and the fish fought pretty well; it ended up being around 20 pounds. I ended up catching one more fish about the same size later in the day, so I had my limit. One other person caught one, so we had three fish in the boat for our first day of fishing.” -Mark Fong
“The tide came up and the fish just started slamming about every other cast. Watching him reel it in and the joy on his face … it’s phenomenal seeing (it), especially as the sea lions pop up and yell at us for taking their fish.”
”
–Fairbanks
resident Devon Snorek, who watched her 6-year-old son Robert catch
fish
during the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon
Derby
that took place on July 20.
California resident Ian Rigler enjoyed some solid halibut action in Southeast Alaska last year. (IAN RIGLER)
The Seward Silver Salmon Derby, set for August 10-18, is one of several late-summer fishing contests. Daily entry to it costs $20, while a full-derby ticket runs $100. (SEWARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)
OUTDOOR CALENDAR
Aug. 1 Deer and goat seasons open in Game Management Unit 1 (Southeast Mainland)
Aug. 1 Deer season opens in GMU 2 (Prince of Wales Island)
Aug. 1 Wolf season opens in GMU 3 (Petersburg/Wrangell)
Aug. 1 Goat season opens in GMU 4 (Baranof Island)
Aug. 1 Deer season opens in GMU 4 (Chichagof Island east of Port Frederick and north of Tenakee Inlet)
Aug. 1 Goat season opens in GMU 5 (Yakutat)
Aug. 1 Caribou season opens in GMU 9D (Alaska Peninsula)
Aug. 9-11 Golden North Salmon Derby, Juneau (goldennorthsalmonderby.com)
Aug. 10 Caribou season opens in GMU 7 (Seward, north of the Sterling Highway and west of the Seward Highway)
Aug. 10 Goat season opens in GMU 7
Aug. 10 Brown bear season opens in GMU 7
Aug. 10 Wolf season opens in GMU 10 (Aleutians)
Aug. 10 Brown bear and goat seasons open in GMUs 14A and 14B (Mat-Su Valley)
Aug. 10 Caribou season opens in GMUs 15B and 15C (Kenai)
Aug. 10 Family Fishing Day on Resurrection Creek facebook.com/events/s/family-fishing-day-onresurrec/496148049490025
Aug. 10 Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby (valdezfishderbies.com/womens-derby)
Aug. 10-18 Seward Silver Salmon Derby (seward.com/ salmon-derby)
Aug. 10-Sept. 1 Valdez Tagged Fish Contest (valdezfishderbies.com/tagged-fish-contest)
Aug. 15 Goat season opens in GMU 1A (Revillagigedo Island South)
Aug. 20 Moose season opens in GMU 7 (Placer River drainages and that portion outside Portage Glacier Closed Area)
Aug. 21-23 Ted Stevens Kenai River Classic, Soldotna (krsa.com/ program/classic)
Aug. 30 Valdez Big Prize Friday (valdezfishderbies.com/ silver-derby/big-prize-fridays)
Sept. 10-15 Kenai Silver Salmon Derby (kenaisilversalmonderby.com)
For more information and season dates for Alaska hunts, go to adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.main.
SEWARD’S SUPERB SILVERS
HOW TO TROLL RESURRECTION BAY FOR COHO, OTHER SPECIES
BY LANDON ALBERTSON
Nestled on the southeastern coast of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, Seward is a picturesque town with a rich history. Named after William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, Seward has long been a gateway to the Last Frontier.
Established in 1903 as the southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad, Seward quickly became an essential hub for transportation and commerce. Today, it is known for its stunning natural beauty, vibrant harbor and excellent fishing opportunities, particularly for silver salmon.
SEWARD’S SILVER PRIZE
Silvers, also known as coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), are a prized catch for anglers in Seward. Known for their acrobatic fights and delicious taste, silvers are a favorite among both sport and commercial fishermen. These salmon typically weigh between 8 to 12 pounds, though larger specimens are not uncommon.
Coho have bright silver sides with a metallic blue or green back and spots on the upper lobe of the tail. They have white gums and a black tongue. This is a quick way to distinguish a silver from a king salmon, which has a completely black mouth and tongue. Silvers’ bodies
are streamlined and more slender compared to other salmon.
Silvers aren’t just a prized catch – they can win you a prize too. The Seward Silver Salmon Derby (seward .com/salmon-derby) is August 10-18 and tickets can be purchased at various locations around town, including local tackle shops and at the derby headquarters, Seward Boat Harbor. A ticket not only makes you eligible for the competition, but means you are also supporting local fishery conservation efforts.
The derby offers an impressive array of prizes. The grand prize typically goes to the angler who catches the
Trollers who fish Resurrection Bay out of Seward can catch many different kinds of fish, but the premier species is delicious-tasting silver salmon, like this one Mark Albertson (right) reeled in. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
Trolling the waters off Seward often produces a potluck harvest – in this case silvers, halibut and several different rockfish species. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
heaviest silver. In 2023, a gentleman from Tennessee won the grand prize of $10,000 cash for his 13.98-pounder!
Daily prizes are also awarded for the top catches of each day, ensuring that even if you don’t land the biggest fish overall, you still have a chance to win. Additionally, there are special prizes for tagged fish – several silvers are tagged before the derby – so catching one of these can earn you significant bonus prizes. The tagged fish add an extra layer of excitement to the competition.
BEST TIME TO TROLL
in August, when these waters teem with silvers.
GEAR ESSENTIALS
To successfully troll for silvers, you’ll need the right gear.
• Rod and reel: A medium-heavyaction rod paired with a sturdy reel capable of holding 200 to 300 yards of 20- to 30-pound-test line is ideal. Baitcasting or trolling reels with linecounters are a good choice.
The prime time for trolling silver salmon in Seward is from late July through September. During this period, silvers return to the waters of Resurrection Bay to spawn, providing anglers with ample opportunities to reel in these feisty fish. The peak of the season usually occurs
• Line: Use a high-quality monofilament or braided line for your main line. Braided line offers better sensitivity and strength, which can be advantageous when dealing with the powerful runs of a silver.
• Rigging: Tie on a large snap swivel at the end of your main line. Clip the snap swivel onto the flasher, ensuring the flasher is facing the correct way to roll in the water in big concentric circles. This imitates other salmon
• Lures: Popular trolling lures for silvers include spoons, spinners and hoochies (squid imitations). For colors, I like to use blues, bright green or chartreuse, and yellow. Flashers or dodgers can be used in conjunction with these lures to attract more fish by creating additional movement and flash in the water. I use 8- to 11-inch chrome or blue flashers.
feeding, attracting fish to your lure. Then, tie on a 50- to 60-inch leader for lures and spoons, and a 30- to 48-inch leader for bait or hoochies. Finally, tie on your desired lure or bait.
• Bait: Herring is a go-to offering
for silvers. Cut-plug herring or whole herring rigged on a double-hook setup can be highly effective. The cut-plug method involves cutting the herring in a way that it spins as it is trolled through the water, mimicking the natural
KNOW YOUR SALMON
Here are things to look for when identifying a salmon you’ve caught:
While many Alaska king salmon fisheries have faced closures and limitations, there’s still an opportunity to catch some Chinook here, as Leo Albertson (right) and the author experienced. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
movement of an injured baitfish. This spinning action attracts salmon and triggers their predatory instincts. Place the herring on a cutting board with its head facing left (for righthanded individuals). Hold the herring
• Mouth and gums: Chinook have black gums and a black tongue, while coho have white gums with a black tongue.
• Tail spots: Chinook have spots on both lobes of the tail; coho have spots only on the upper lobe. Pink salmon have large, oval spots on both lobes.
• Color changes: Sockeye turn bright red with a green head during spawning, making them unique. Chum have vertical calico bars when spawning.
• Body shape and size: Kings are large and robust, coho are streamlined, sockeye are slender, pinks are small with humpbacks in males, and chum are intermediate with vertical bars during spawning. -LA
by the body and use a sharp filet knife to make a diagonal cut behind the gill plate. This cut should be made at a 45-degree angle relative to the board, creating a slanted surface that will cause the herring to spin in the water.
• Downriggers: Downriggers are essential for getting your lures to the right depth. Silvers can be found at various depths, depending on the time of day and water conditions, so being able to adjust your trolling depth is crucial. I typically use a 10- to 15-pound downrigger ball to get the line to the correct depth and keep it there.
TIPS AND TACTICS
• Trolling speed: Silvers prefer a trolling speed of 2.5 to 3.5 miles per hour. Adjusting your speed within this range can help you determine the most effective pace for the day.
• Depth control: Use your downriggers
AN UNEXPECTED CATCH
Last year, my parents came up from Oregon to visit us for a week or two in the second half of July. I knew it was the perfect time to get them out on the boat for some silver salmon fishing.
We went trolling on Resurrection Bay near Caines Head, one of my favorite spots. Although the sun was hidden behind the rain clouds, the scenery was stunning – the mountains standing tall like sentinels around us.
We caught quite a few really nice silvers and almost filled our limits. We were fishing in 150 feet of water with our downriggers set at 60 and 80 feet. I was using the zigzag technique, so our lure depth was changing often. Suddenly, I noticed we were coming up on an underwater pinnacle and the depth jumped up to 85 feet. Just then, the rod set at 80 feet bent over. I was sure it was snagged on the bottom.
I worked my way to the back of the boat, grabbed the rod and gave it a few jerks to try to release it from the bottom. Suddenly, the drag started spinning, and the line started pulling! I handed the rod to my mom, and the fight was on! She fought the fish for over 20 minutes, with a lot more give than take. Every time she thought she was making progress, the fish would nosedive back to the bottom.
Finally, I looked over the edge and saw some color – it was a giant, 100-plus-pound halibut. I readied the gaff, sank it deep into the side of the fish’s head and held on as it thrashed around with one last attempt to flee. But it was too late. My mom had successfully fought and landed her biggest halibut of all time, and she did it on a medium-to-heavy-action salmon rod!
The experience was unforgettable, and the look of triumph on my mom’s face was priceless. What started as a day of trolling for silvers turned into a story we’ll be telling for years. The sea has a way of surprising you, and that day it certainly did. -LA
to control the depth of your lures. Early in the morning and late in the evening, silvers may be found closer to the surface (20 to 40 feet). As the day progresses, they often move deeper (60 to 100 feet).
• Zigzag pattern: Trolling in a zigzag pattern can be more effective than a straight line. This technique changes the speed and action of your lures, making them more enticing to silvers.
• Vary your presentation: Experiment with different lures and bait setups. Silvers can be finicky, and what works one day might not work the next. Having a variety of options can help you find the right combination.
• Keep an eye on your line: Watch for any changes in the tension or movement of your line, as silvers can sometimes hit subtly. Quick and consistent line retrieval is crucial once you have a fish on to keep tension and
Tonia Albertson (left) and author Landon Albertson hoist their incidental 100-poundplus halibut that devoured a silver salmon trolling setup. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
Caleb Albertson waits for a bite. On many days the fish will keep anglers busy. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
avoid losing your catch.
MORE THAN JUST A COHO SHOW
Trolling for silvers around Seward and on Resurrection Bay can often result in a mixed bag of catches. While your primary target may be silvers, the diverse marine ecosystem means you have a good chance of hooking other species as well, including several types of Pacific salmon. Here’s a rundown of what you might encounter:
OTHER SALMON
• Kings: The largest salmon species, with some individuals weighing over 50 pounds, kings are prized for their size and fighting ability, as well as their rich, flavorful flesh. Remember to have your king stamp so you can retain a king if you catch one.
• Sockeye: Known for their bright-red flesh and intense flavor, sockeye are highly sought after for the barbeque. They typically weigh between 5 and 10 pounds.
Coho anglers can enter their catches in the upcoming August 10-18 Seward Silver Salmon Derby. Check out seward.com/salmon-derby for more information (LANDON ALBERTSON)
Caleb holds another treasure caught while trolling these fish-filled waters, an incidentally hooked lingcod. The bay is closed to lingcod fishing and the species must be released. (LANDON ALBERTSON)
• Pinks: Also called humpies due to the pronounced hump males develop during spawning, pinks are the most abundant and smallest of the Pacific salmon species, typically weighing 3 to 5 pounds.
• Chum: Chum, or dog, salmon are known for their distinctive calico pattern of vertical bars when they spawn. They are larger than pinks but smaller than kings, usually weighing 8 to 15 pounds.
COD
• Pacific cod: Commonly found in Alaskan waters, these can often be caught while trolling for salmon. They inhabit the continental shelf and its upper slope, often at depths ranging from 100 to 300 feet.
• Lingcod: Despite their name, lingcod are not a true cod but are part of the greenling family. They are characterized by their large mouths, sharp teeth and elongated bodies. Be sure to check and follow the regulations on lingcod, as they are not to be fished for or retained on Resurrection Bay.
ROCKFISH
• Black rockfish: The most common rockfish caught while trolling, they are
usually found in rocky areas or around underwater structures.
• Yelloweye rockfish: Known for their bright orange-red color, these rockfish can be found in deeper waters, usually from 200 to 600 feet.
PACIFIC HALIBUT
These flatfish are highly sought after in Alaska and can be found on the continental shelf at depths ranging from 50 to 1,200 feet, though most are caught between 90 and 900 feet. Halibut are opportunistic feeders and might be attracted to the bait intended for salmon, particularly if it’s trolled near the seabed where halibut reside.
FINAL WORDS
Here are a few quick tidbits to know about fishing waters around Seward:
• Local knowledge: Consider hiring a local guide, especially if you’re new to the area. Local guides or charters have invaluable knowledge of the best fishing spots and techniques specific to Seward.
• Weather conditions: Always check the weather forecast before heading out. The waters around Seward can be unpredictable and safety should always be a priority.
• Regulations: Ensure that you are familiar with the local fishing regulations, including size and bag limits, to help maintain sustainable fishing practices.
Trolling for silvers (and other species that might bite your lure) in Seward offers an exhilarating experience against the backdrop of some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. With the right gear, techniques and a bit of local knowledge, you’ll be well on your way to a successful and memorable fishing adventure.
Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a newcomer to the sport, the thrill of landing a silver in Seward is an experience not to be missed. ASJ
Editor’s note: Landon Albertson grew up in Lakeview, Oregon, but now chases hunting and fishing adventures as an Alaskan transplant. Check them out at preyonadventure.com and on his YouTube page (search for “Prey On Adventure: Alaska Fishing & Hunting”).
‘LOCUS OF MY DESIRE’
AUTHOR EXPLORES ARCTIC ALASKA’S SPECTACULAR, REMOTE BROOKS RANGE IN NEW BOOK
He’s German-born, but Michael Engelhard is now Alaskan personified after a short college stay turned into a lifelong obsession and love affair with the 49th state. The rugged Brooks Range has become a specific obsession of his, and it’s hard to argue with the logic: These vast mountains offer a bit of everything for adrenaline seekers in search of peaks to climb, rivers to navigate, wildlife to encounter, fish to tempt.
Trained as an anthropologist and having worked for 25 as an outdoor educator and wilderness guide, these days Engelhard lives in a cabin on the outskirts of Fairbanks. He is the author, most recently, of the Grand Canyon essay collection No Walk in the Park, and of a new memoir that pays homage to some of Alaska’s wild side and those who take on the best and most harrowing of the Brooks Range.
“Summoning my life’s longest, most formative journey, I sometimes put the maps of my Arctic traverse end to end,” Engelhard writes.
“When I do, all the wilderness I could ever want spreads across my living room floor, a smorgasbord of possibilities.”
The following chapter about resupplying in Anaktuvuk and titled “The Place of Caribou Droppings” is excerpted with permission from Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer Of Trekking The Brooks Range, by Michael Engelhard and published by Mountaineer Books.
BY MICHAEL ENGELHARD
Sunny. A good day, as the resupply goes smoothly.
In a letter to my girlfriend Melissa composed last night outside my tent that I plan to mail from here, I initially claim to write from the Caribou Café, enjoying an Americano stiff enough to float a horseshoe, and an oven-warm blueberry scone, Ben Harper falsettoing on the stereo. It is a fantasy I indulge in, cravings that surface mostly close to a settlement. I know better from previous visits.
Entering Anaktuvuk where the ATV track splices into dirt roads to the cemetery and dump, I make a beeline to a boarded-up house near the airstrip where the bush
Michael Engelhard overlooks an epic setting in Alaska’s Brooks Range. Born in Germany, Engelhard’s college stop at the University of Alaska Fairbanks turned into a lifelong passion for the state. His new book chronicles trekking through these iconic mountains. (MELISSA GUY)
Author
pilot has stashed a can of white gas for my stove that I could not send through the mail.
I refill my fuel bottles right there. The post office, a clapboard cabin with a satellite dish, comes next. Operating on “village time,” it has just opened, casually late. The Nunamiut share a sense of urgency regarding clocks with the rural Irish. It’s an adaptation to the vagaries of weather and wildlife honed through the generations, not yet corroded by factories. You can die if you rush things out here, and there’s always time to get important work done.
Besides my regular vittles, I pick up a TLC parcel from Melissa. It is heavy with homemade oatmeal cookies, Nutella, hot chocolate, smoked salmon, smoked oysters, salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and three (!) books, enough reading matter, I hope, to last until Kotzebue. I feel like a boy locked in a candy store
overnight and devour the chips and oysters – greasy, greasy, and salty; she intuited my deepest cravings – on the wheelchair-friendly post office access ramp. I fish the oysters from the can and finish by drinking the oil and licking my fingers.
From the PO, I walk to the corporation store seeking a public phone from which to thank Melissa for the goodies. No dice. Apparently, all Nunamiut now have cell phones. My consolation prize is a dinged pint of Ben & Jerry’s Banana Split, a bargain at eight bucks. I would have paid twice as much for this second lunch.
The locals are friendly, with aanas (grandmas) and taatas (grandpas) and kids asking “Where to?” and “Where from?” and wishing me luck. I’m happy tourism hasn’t ruined this Brooks Range village of about 400 yet.
ANAKTUVUK’S GRID SQUEEZES IN among
peaks at the watery crossroads where Contact Creek and the Inukpasugruk River merge with the Anaktuvuk and the John. Thirteen nomadic families gravitated there from the Killik River and Chandler Lake in 1949. They founded the insular village three decades before the park around it was established, hoping that air service, trade goods, a school, and a post office would follow. The new PO in 1951 was a domed caribouskin tent with a stovepipe sticking out, Homer Mekiana’s Contact Creek residence. The settlement, a scatter of sod houses and wall tents first known as Summit, brackets the Continental Divide. Grandfathered and -mothered in, Anaktuvuk’s Nunamiut are still entitled to hunt, fish, trap, and gather plants within the park boundaries, an exception made for Alaska Native communities.
Every fall, not only animals from the
Engelhard guides clients on the Canning River. Life on the water is equally exhilarating as it is on land here. (RICH WILKINS)
TALKING ALASKA ADVENTURE WITH AUTHOR MICHAEL ENGELHARD
Alaska Sporting Journal editor
Chris Cocoles chatted with author Michael Engelhard about his book and zest for Alaskan adventure.
Chris Cocoles Congratulations on a great book, Michael. What inspired this particular project?
Michael Engelhard Thanks. I’d been guiding wilderness trips in the Brooks Range for years and always felt that, with clients’ demands and tight schedules, even on two-week trips there was never enough time to explore places the maps or charter flights in the range temptingly hinted at. I also wanted to experience the Brooks Range in their grand totality to get a true sense of their dimensions. Lastly, I knew that a long trek would hold challenges and rewards that shorter journeys lack.
CC At its heart, does this book pay homage to the adventure that calls on Alas-
kans and those who come to Alaska to seek that adventure?
ME It is the culmination of that “call of the wild” that first brought me to Alaska, in 1989. Originally, I was only to stay for a year as an exchange student at UAF. But I caught the bug bad. As a matter of fact, I had wanted to live up north since my 20s – too much Jack London at a susceptible age, you could say. I was a cheechako, a greenhorn, when I arrived, but had a steep learning curve, mostly learning from my mistakes. Part of the adventure has also been “the culture,” from Fairbanks cabin life to the lifeways of Alaska Native communities, which I experienced early on, through my anthropology fieldwork.
CC It seems like you met some fascinating people along the way in your travels. Can you speak to the uniqueness of these Alaskans and how resilient they can be?
ME The Interior and Arctic Alaska cer-
tainly rank among the most challenging environments one can imagine, and the more I learned about how Native cultures managed to make livelihoods here, the more impressed I became. Their ingenuity, knowledge of the land and sea, as well as their mental and physical toughness perhaps is only trumped by the adaptability they showed in the face of culture change during the Russian and American periods. But even newcomers get plenty of opportunities to prove their mettle. Try using an outhouse at 50-below!
CC Speaking of people, you have an anthropology background. Have you always been interested in human behavior?
ME In my youth [in Germany], I traveled quite a bit, and if you’re open-minded about it, you can’t help but be affected by that. I first visited the U.S. in 1982, hitchhiking through the Southwest and ending up in Guatemala. I spent time with a Hopi family in Arizona and with Mayan fish-
“I’d been guiding wilderness trips in the Brooks Range for years and always felt that, with clients’ demands and tight schedules, even on two-week trips there was never enough time to explore places the maps or charter flights in the range temptingly hinted at,” says author Michael Engelhard, who was born in Germany but now calls Alaska home. (TUTI MINONDO)
ermen on an uninhabited island off the coast of Yucatan, which stoked my interest. When I started to attend university in Munich, I specialized on hunting and gathering societies from the very start. And UAF had one of the best northern anthropology programs.
CC So many writers, outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen who I’ve corresponded with have spoken with so much reverence about the ruggedness, beauty and mystique of the Brooks Range and other wilderness areas in the state. What did you discover about those mountains in your travels?
ME Well, it would take a book to answer that question. And I’m not even sure that that is enough. If you could fully explain it, it wouldn’t really be “mystique,” right? But there’s just something about the landscape up there, the openness and the quality of the light that I find unique – though it quite reminds me of the Colorado Plateau’s desert, my other spiritual home.
Another part of what keeps bringing me back is that life processes up there still largely play out as they did at the end of the Pleistocene, the climate crisis notwithstanding. You have a full deck of carnivores, unlike anywhere else in the states, which makes you feel truly alive, immersed in your surroundings, feeling a part of it all, and not the most significant one.
CC There was so much pushback about the Ambler Road potentially threatening fish and wildlife in and around the Brooks Range. How important is it to protect those areas and others in the state?
ME I think you have to draw a line somewhere and say “no more.” With each compromise between development and conservation goals you give up some ground, ground that in most cases can never be fully redeemed. And “the ask” will always be more, because that’s the nature of our economic system: growth for the sake of growth, benefitting the few over the many. The forester and conservationist Aldo Leopold – the first westerner to realize the importance of predators for healthy ecosystems – wrote that one sign of “intelligent tinkering” is to keep all the parts. We don’t even know the full blueprint of the thing that we’re tinkering with and certainly
are doing a poor job of keeping the parts.
CC Do you have a favorite species of Alaska fish or wildlife that you’ll always have respect or admiration for?
ME Bears are high up on that list. In no other wild animal have I detected personality so clearly. Faced with bears, you can see them thinking and making individual decisions. And no two are alike, which may not come as a surprise to Native peoples or wildlife biologists. I am also inordinately fond of some birds, like redpolls and chickadees – what grit to survive as they do in the dead of Interior winters. Ravens are another favorite, tricksters that in some ways mirror ourselves. And the Arctic caribou, for their epic migrations.
CC You traveled by both foot and raft during this journey. Did you have “white knuckle moments” in both modes of travel that you can share?
ME Sometimes the most harrowing moments weren’t “white knuckle,” like when I developed an Achilles tendon problem and thought that I could not finish the trip. Or when I slipped and fell in an icy ravine and could easily have dislocated a shoulder. The true white knuckle moments were usually due to bears; they’d be prowling near me in pea-soup fog or show up in camp unannounced or chase after me in the river.
CC Tell me about what triggered your love for the outdoors.
ME My parents took me and my brother on vacations to the mountains and coast when we were kids. Then I did a stint in the army, during which I spent a lot of time traipsing around and sleeping in the woods. But I think it’s mostly innate, a part of our evolutionary makeup. Like walking as our primal form of locomotion. I believe that some people are just more in touch with this nature aspect of our heritage than others are.
CC In some of your early adventure experiences there, can you recall a “welcome to Alaska” moment?
ME Yes, as a sort of reality check, one stands out. In my first summer, I foolishly tried to walk from Ambler to Anaktuvuk Pass. A few hours into the woods, I
stumbled upon my first live grizzly ever. He was either pissed off or grubbing, I couldn’t tell which, but dirt clods and branches were flying. That so intimidated me that I aborted my hike. A mellower welcome was my first view of Denali from the West Ridge of UAF. A photo from that vantage, which I’d seen in Germany, had sealed my decision to attend UAF rather than the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
CC You’ve really experienced quite a trip in writing this book. But Alaska is such a massive place, is there another Last Frontier adventure you still want to experience?
ME I’m not a huge fan of the “Last Frontier” metaphor – people assume, as they did on the frontier, that you can do pretty much whatever you want to. No rules or regulations, right? In general, I decided long ago that I’d rather keep going back to a few select places – the Brooks Range among them – getting to know them well rather than spreading myself too thin. “To climb the same mountain a thousand times rather than to climb a thousand different mountains,” in a manner of speaking.
CC Your Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon chronicles the polar bear. Are you concerned about that species’ longterm sustainability, given effects from climate change and other factors?
ME I am worried about all creatures that we are losing on a daily basis from such root causes. Polar bears are more visible, “sexier” charismatic megafauna, perhaps, but not more important, per se, than pikas in the grand theater of evolution. We’re in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, causing it, and keep sleepwalking through it.
CC What advice would you give to a Lower 48er who wants a true – if not safe –Alaska experience and fish or hunt there for his or her first time there?
ME Take a guided trip with a respected outfit or join up with outdoorsy Alaskan friends. Or do what I did when I hiked out of Ambler, as long as you’re ready for consequences. And try to leave your preconceived notions of what Alaska is, or what you want it to be, at home. Truly open yourself to this place. You may catch the bug as I did and move here. ASJ
Caribou trails along the Brooks Range aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were. “Tens of thousands surged through these valleys,” the author writes. “Nowadays, there are fewer caribou near Anaktuvuk,” a pass through the mountains whose Inupiaq name translates to “the place of caribou droppings.” (LISA HUPP/US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)
Central Arctic but also the Western Arctic and Teshekpuk Lake herds graced the Place of Caribou Droppings with their presence. Tens of thousands surged through these valleys. Major Charlie Hugo remembers in his youth joining his father to camp for a month and returning with dog teams and up to 60 caribou, enough meat for a year.
Nowadays, there are fewer caribou near Anaktuvuk. Biologists explain the herds’ declines with erratic weather and cyclical population dynamics. The Nunamiut blame sport hunters north of the park for disrupting the fall migration and thereby harming a unique way of life. Aircraft noise could be a contributing factor. A healthy caribou running in panic, overheating, is earmarked for death after only 2 or 3 miles. A pregnant cow stampeded close to her due date dies even faster.
Unfortunately, I can’t take in the local museum’s treasures presently. Must mosey.
TODAY, I AM TAKING shank’s mare on
Like many wild places in Alaska, you may find yourself sharing the terrain with these four-legged icons of the backcountry. (RICH WILKINS)
In an interview, Englehard joked that it would take another book to explain what his attraction is to these mountains. “There’s just something about the landscape up there, the openness and the quality of the light that I find unique,” he says. (MICHAEL ENGELHARD)
Packing everything you need on your back has a way of cutting down on luxuries, but a care package from his girlfriend Melissa offered some tasty treats to help get through the trek. (MICHAEL ENGELHARD)
the ATV track out of Anaktuvuk. My pack weighs a ton. (Really only half of a moose’s hindquarter.) In addition to a small library and Melissa’s sweets, I carry 12 days of food and fuel, thereby avoiding another expensive charter drop between here and the Noatak River. I’ll haul every ounce of this load, even if it kills me.
I may have to budget a layover day or two because of that trail-less country, and my flimsy footwear and recent parcel pickup. It’s ironic. Just when the going has gotten easier, I’m going lame. My jokes always have been, but this sort of physical failure is new to me. Ninety-three miles separate me from
the Noatak cache, number six: my last. If bears haven’t figured out acetylene torches, it will hold my blow-up canoe and three weeks of food. On the river, I’ll be doing a lot of sitting, resting my feet. Time to buff up the upper torso and arms, not just the legs!
Dinner tonight is polenta with dried mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan. Yum. You’d think I would tire of the same six meals and my snacks. Not so. Each is a feast looked forward to during the day, especially a dreary one. I read Melissa’s letter after dinner; glad to have her in my life. And not just for her Cowboy Cookies, which rock. I sit
on a knoll above the John River. It’s as far as my dogs would carry me today. My water source is a hollow that pools tundra seepage brown as tea from the tannins. Home sweet interim home.
After dinner, a rainbow clasp crisp enough to touch, one of the most awesome ever, points out the gold on the southwestern horizon. It of course comes with rain. ASJ
Editor’s note: Order the book at mountaineers.org/books/books/arctictraverse-a-thousand-mile-summer-oftrekking-the-brooks-range
Late summer on the Noatak River, one of the locales that make this region so popular with adventure junkies like the author. “Now residing roughly 100 miles from the Arctic Circle, in the state’s center, its Golden Heart City, Fairbanks, I keep feeling close to the Brooks Range, locus of my desire,” Engelhard writes in his book. “In this world, I realize once again, there are no topographic margins.” (PENNY KNUCKLES/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)
“Baiting gives an advantage to a hunter,” author Brian Watkins writes about setting up bait stations to attract bears. Watkins, who avoids shooting sows with cubs, sticks up for the tactic amid criticism and works to dispel the myth that it’s too easy a way to harvest a bruin. (BRIAN WATKINS)
BEAR BAITING 101
BY BRIAN WATKINS
ITIPS FOR DRAWING IN A BRUIN WORTH HARVESTING
have written about baiting bears multiple times in Alaska Sporting Journal. I get messages throughout the year claiming “baiting is cheating” and “hunting over bait isn’t hunting.” I can tell you that both are far from true.
Baiting gives an advantage to a hunter, but there’s a reason certain people are successful in taking bruins year after year. Hunters who shoot mature bears yearly are few and far between. I had a discussion with a friend who is typically successful, and he says it’s the easiest hunting there is. I had to point out the fact that he hunts six hours outside of any major metropolis and uses a jet boat to get to his spots.
“Throw some food on the ground and kill a bear,” he says.
Well, sure, when you’re in the bear mecca of the world, that’s true.
CHALLENGES ABOUND
But for those of us hunting close to a major population center and facing strong competition, it’s a lot more challenging. In Alaska, a bait must be 1 mile from any dwelling, a quarter-mile from any trail and a quarter-mile from the highway. If you’re hunting off the road system, just finding a legal spot is difficult. Couple that with competition from other hunters and the bears are very educated to baiting.
I will agree that black bears are more tolerant of baiting mistakes. You can
have a black bear that knows you’re on your site and still come back in multiple times. Mature black bears are warier, but still commit more often. Harvesting a brown bear is where things change.
WHAT’S THAT SMELL?
It’s a game of decisions if you want to successfully harvest mature brown bears yearly. Three things that I always practice are scent, noise and movement control.
If I am aware of a brown bear coming in, I don’t go near the bait. I have a route built where I can walk in and not cross a path used by typical bears. I pay attention to their normal routes and avoid crossing them at all costs. Brown bears will smell an hour-old boot print and leave.
If the wind is wrong, I avoid sitting. I use the Windy app to see the forecasted wind direction through the night and plan based on that. If I need to bait, I will do so around midday but leave if the winds aren’t perfect. If a brown bear is downwind, he will not come into your bait.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE
I keep my noise level to a minimum while trimming my walking path into the stand. I keep the trail thick enough to avoid unwanted attention from other hunters, but thin enough that I don’t make noise when approaching or accidentally rub any foliage and leave scent behind. I also set baits along streams or creeks so that any noise I make while sitting is masked.
“A lot of people I talk to will bring in too little food, and then the bears eat it in a night or two,” the author says. “I know it’s expensive to keep a bait plentiful, but it’s important.” (BRIAN WATKINS)
When the woods are silent, those bears hear all the better.
I add a burlap sack around the front of my stand. Bears’ eyesight is their weakest sense, but I still don’t want to have them see me. I also ensure I have a good backdrop of thick trees behind me so that they don’t catch my movement.
ALL YOU CAN EAT
This season started relatively slow for brown bears. I had a few black bears coming in, but the only brown bears I saw were a sow and two first-year cubs. They were around my bait site daily and draining my bank account, as I had to keep food supplied. These bears were hungry!
One thing I never let happen is allow the food supply to become depleted. A lot
Watkins and his 27 12/16-inch grizzly, which he says is currently the No. 23-ranked one taken with a bow. (BRIAN WATKINS)
“I was able to soak the moment in. I enjoyed the sound of the river by me, the birds singing and a giant bear laying 45 feet from me,” Watkins muses about his success. (BRIAN WATKINS)
of people I talk to will bring in too little food, and then the bears eat it in a night or two. I know it’s expensive to keep a bait plentiful, but it’s important. This past season, I put out over 1,000 pounds of food. There are ways to keep it cheaper – pop your own popcorn or find a connection to scraps from a restaurant or bakery – but always keep food out.
CONDITIONS ALIGN
As the season matured, I knew bears would start moving. The bear rut kicks off in midMay and intensifies through the end of June. I had hunted for black bears early in the season, but by late spring it was strictly brown bear time. On June 10, the weather forecast called for perfect conditions to sit on the bait.
One thing to know is that bears don’t
move much with intense winds or a lot of rain. This particular night was partly cloudy with a nice breeze that blew from bait to stand, which was upwind of where the bears would be. I went into the bait and checked the cameras. No brown bears. Disheartened, I decided to hunt anyway because the conditions were perfect and I knew anything could happen this time of year. An inReach message to a couple close friends shows my confidence: “No brown bears in, but I think I am going to kill one tonight anyway. Conditions are perfect.”
PUTTING A PLAN TOGETHER
Less than 15 minutes later, a brown bear came in. As I stated, these bears are wary of humans and don’t like to stick
around. This one came into the bait and went directly into my camera feed. Prior to its arrival and wearing rubber boots, I had walked directly to the camera without setting any bait out, knelt down by the device, flicked open two clips and hit the review button. That brown bear walked directly to where I had flipped the latches. She smelled where I had touched and took off into the thick woods. I was astonished at how quickly she had sensed me and left.
As I hung my head, I caught movement of a darker and bigger bear following her tracks. I assume he was scent-checking to see if she was in heat. I was ready to draw back as soon as he came in, as I didn’t want him to follow her footsteps and smell the camera as well. As he came in, I went to full draw.
He stopped for a bite to eat, but the shot angle was off for me as he laid down. He was broadside but an elbow covered his vitals, blocking a shot. I stayed at full draw and as he stood to stretch, I let an arrow fly. The bear spun around looking for what hit him. He bit at the arrow and spun in circles, ready to kill whatever had hurt him. I kept my composure and sent another arrow into him. He was furious and continued spinning and biting at the arrows. Astonished, I was able to get a third arrow in him and he lay to rest only 15 yards from me. My heart pounded; I had successfully harvested a giant brown bear.
A MOMENT TO SAVOR
It was early in the night with beautiful weather. Typically, whenever a bear is shot, it is immediate work. You track, skin and leave. It’s usually midnight or later and it’s an all-night affair. This time, it was just past 7 and the bear lay in sight.
I was able to soak the moment in. I enjoyed the sound of the river by me, the birds singing and a giant bear laying 45 feet from me. I sat for two hours with a smile from ear to ear, reminiscing about what had just happened to me.
Skinning the bear solo was no easy feat, but it was all worth it. This bear is currently scored as number 23 all time with a bow. His skull measured 27 12/16 inches, which is the length and width added together.
It was a memorable moment and hunt over bait. ASJ
FOR THE BIRDS
PTARMIGAN THE MAIN EVENT AS TRUMPS’ EGEGIK TRIP CONCLUDES (SECOND OF TWO PARTS)
BY SCOTT HAUGEN
As we peeked over alders swaying in the wind, we watched as ptarmigan flitted about the tundra. They were willow ptarmigan –Alaska’s state bird – and there were lots of them. Four of us spread out across the open tundra, hunkering down as if it would somehow conceal us in the sparse cover. When they saw us, some of the mottled birds scurried into nearby willows. Others
stood on alert, not sure what we were and likely never before having seen a human. Some young birds even fed closer to us, but they were still out of range.
Slowly we inched closer; we were in no hurry. Minutes later the birds were in range.
“Spencer, keep walking right at that bird and when it lifts its head or flies, shoot it,” whispered Spencer’s dad. This was Spencer’s first time in Alaska.
The birds on my end of the flock grew nervous and sauntered out of range. That’s when I put down my gun and pulled out the camera. Tracking Spencer through my telephoto lens, I could feel the tension in his body. Though he was 9 years old, it was obvious Spencer had handled a gun since an early age. He also knew how to read the birds’ body language and anticipate their moves.
Donald Trump Jr. and his youngest son, Spencer, enjoy a special moment during their father-sons trip around the Egegik River’s Becharof Lodge. Spencer was particularly excited to hunt these upland birds. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
When a ptarmigan on the edge of the flock stood upright, Spencer shouldered the 20-gauge and shot. Donnie, Spencer’s 14-year-old brother, emptied both of his barrels. Their dad dropped a brace too.
I snapped photos as the three hunters gathered birds (we had no dog), then just watched. Smiles widened and anticipation mounted as the trio came together and held their birds. I could tell they were reliving stories of what had just happened. I gave them space. I had the best seat in the house on this August day a year ago.
The father and his sons looked at the birds, chatted some more, then simultaneously looked at me, as if on command. Cameras are a part of their life back home, or wherever they go in the world. I captured this moment, and though posed, the smiles were sincere. They stuffed the birds in their vests and kept going.
Rather than join them, I stayed back. They relished their time together, something I could appreciate having raised two boys of my own in the public eye.
We covered 8.5 miles over the course of the next two hours. The boys were happy; they’d both just shot their limit of ptarmigan. Their dad, Donald Trump Jr., was proud. He was smiling. He’s always in a good mood when outdoors, no matter the situation.
Our coming together wasn’t by chance. Our relationship goes back to my days hosting TV shows. We’ve been on other adventures together. Don had been wanting to get the boys to Becharof Lodge on Alaska’s Egegik River, a place I’ve been going to for 16 years. Finally the timing was right.
“That was one of the funnest things I’ve ever done; can we do it again tomorrow, and the next day?” a smiling Spencer asked while we huddled on the tundra and cleaned the ptarmigan. I assured him we’d hunt birds again between fishing trips. It was the most ptarmigan I’d ever encountered on this part of the upper Alaska Peninsula. Seeing 500 birds a day was common, and if you were willing to walk, securing a 10-bird limit was easy.
“How about if we do a flyout tomorrow, then hunt ptarmigan the next day?” Don Jr. suggested. Spencer fired back, “How about you go on the flyout and I’ll stay back and hunt ptarmigan with Scott.” We all laughed. Spencer was serious.
The next morning we awaited the floatplane’s arrival. We’d planned a flyout for Arctic grayling and char. After four hours of waiting and communicating with the bush pilot in King Salmon, we finally called it off. The
weather was either too foggy at Becharof Lodge or in King Salmon to fly. It was too dangerous a chance.
“Why don’t you guys go ptarmigan hunting?” chimed in Mark Korpi, co-owner of Becharof Lodge (becharoflodgefishing .com). “All our boats are out, but you can just walk from here.” Spencer was out the door before the rest of us even stood up.
BECHAROF LODGE IS SITUATED on Native land near Becharof National Wildlife Refuge. No hunting is allowed on private land or within 2 miles of the river or Becharof Lake, Alaska’s second biggest. This is a do-it-yourself bird hunt, as there are no licensed hunting guides at the lodge. It’s easy. The ground is rolling tundra, simple to walk on and flat.
“Let’s go, you guys; what’s taking so long?” hollered Spencer, who was already dressed for the hike. The rest of us were still downing coffee and snacks.
Spencer’s enthusiasm was contagious. The sandy, rocky soil made for easy walking. Soon we were where we could pull the trigger. Ptarmigan were everywhere. It was windy, which kept birds in big flocks and close to alder patches. It made the stalking and jump shooting fun and exciting.
Along the way we encountered both red foxes and brown bears. A sow and two
Willow ptarmigan, Alaska’s state bird, make for great eating, and the daily limit is a robust 10 on the Alaska Peninsula. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
Remote, Comfortable & Affordable
Our remote Alaskan fishing lodge is situated on the upper stretches of the beautiful Egegik River. You’ll watch some of Alaska’s most stunning sunrises, complete with a distant, active volcano. We are a fishing camp specializing in coho fishing, brown bear viewing, and flyout fishing adventures to even more remote destinations in the Last Frontier.
Coho Fishing The Egegik River
The Egegik River is touted by many experienced anglers as the best silver salmon stream in all of Alaska. Becharof Lodge On The Egegik River was the first fishing lodge to become established on the breathtaking Egegik River, and is less than a 5 minute boat ride from some of the best fishing holes on the entire river.
Included in your fishing trip:
• 6 days fishing/5 nights stay in camp
• Experienced, fully guided fishing.
$4,850per person Includes round trip charter from King Salmon. Call for more
• Comfortable cabins furnished with beds, cozy comforters & bedding.
• Home cooked meals, snacks, and nonalcoholic beverages.
• Transportation from the lodge to prime fishing holes on the Egegik River.
• Freezing and vacuum sealing of your fish, up to 50 lbs., per angler.
cubs skirted us all afternoon. The grinding calls of sandhill cranes could be heard in the distance. Fresh wolf and moose tracks pocked sandy stretches of soil. We found caribou sheds but left them. I shared stories of how the very spot we stood was once home to hundreds of thousands of caribou. We saw one bull that day.
We covered just shy of 6 miles. The ptarmigan were concentrated. The shooting was fast with few misses.
A day later, Don Jr. and his boys went with George Joy, the other co-owner of Becharof Lodge, to visit the village of Egegik. The tiny community of less than 30 residents sits at the mouth of the Egegik River, 30 miles downstream of the lodge. They saw pods of beluga whales hunting salmon and got a taste of what commercial fishing was like. They met some of the elders, including Scovi, the mayor of Egegik. I love Scovi and her family. I love the village of Egegik. I could live there.
While the Trumps toured the tiny town,
Long, spot-and-stalk approaches are the norm when ptarmigan hunting on Alaska’s vast tundra, and the Trumps never missed a beat. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
Author Scott Haugen (left) and his buddy Austin Crowson with a limit of ptarmigan taken on a beautiful day on the tundra. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
“Everyone thinks just because you’re in Alaska that everything will come easy,” Don Jr. (left, with Spencer) says. “That you’ll catch fish on every cast and see moose around every corner. That’s not the reality … That’s what Alaska teaches you, to work. This was a great experience!”
(SCOTT HAUGEN)
me and Austin Crowson, my buddy from back home and with whom I hunt a lot, stayed back to hunt ptarmigan. We hiked in a different direction than the prior two days. We covered over 11 miles but got our birds. It was a beautiful day on the tundra. We took home lots of ptarmigan, my favorite eating of all upland birds.
“Dad, can we go ptarmigan hunting in the morning,” Spencer asked during dinner that night. It was obvious what Spencer’s first love was. He was a good little angler. He worked hard and caught coho. But the kid loves bird hunting.
I STAYED BACK THE next morning. It was our final day at the lodge and I wanted the Trumps to enjoy their family time, a rarity with their lifestyle.
As I stated in last month’s first part of our trip together, Don Jr. and I never talk
Family time is something we all want but can’t get enough of, and it’s especially challenging if your last name is Trump. But Don Jr., Spencer and Donnie were able to share some special moments in the field. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
“We don’t discuss the world’s problems,” Haugen (left) says about trips with the son of the former president. “We focus on the now. All conversations are about hunting, fishing and family.” (SCOTT HAUGEN)
politics. We don’t discuss the world’s problems. We focus on the now. All conversations are about hunting, fishing and family.
“You know, everyone thinks just because you’re in Alaska that everything will come easy,” shared Don Jr. “That you’ll catch fish on every cast and see moose around every corner. That’s not the reality, and the fact the boys had to work at the fishing this week was the best thing for them. That’s what Alaska teaches you, to work. This was a great experience!”
There’s always something to do at Becharof Lodge, be it fishing, ptarmigan hunting, wildlife watching, berry picking, beach combing or sitting inside with a hot cup of cocoa, eating Goni’s fine food. It’s a magical place, one I keep going back to and one that I was honored to share with Donald Trump Jr. and his two sons. ASJ
Editor’s note: To book your cast-and-blast adventure at Becharof Lodge on the Egegik River, email Scott Haugen at sthaugen@ yahoo.com. Learn more about this trip at scotthaugen.com.
HEAR ME OUT
A LONGTIME OUTDOORSMAN PREACHES THE IMPORTANCE OF EAR PROTECTION IN THE FIELD
BY SCOTT HAUGEN
Like many of you, I began shooting guns and hunting at a young age. I also listened to loud music in my teenage years. OK, I still do.
I ran power saws and other equipment, and like many of you, I didn’t wear ear protection like I should have. Back in the late 1960s and ’70s few outdoorsmen did, and now we’re paying for it.
My biggest regret in hunting is
neglecting my hearing. As I age, I struggle to hear the basic things in life: my wife talking to me; the kids calling my name; birds singing in the yard; heck, even ducks chattering as they circle the decoys and bull elk bugling in the forest.
I get frustrated with it. My family is annoyed by my hearing loss and my friends tolerate it. There’s no excuse; I just flat out didn’t think the inconvenience
of wearing ear protection was worth it. I thought I was invincible, that hearing loss wouldn’t happen to me. Oh, if I had to do it all over again ...
Youngsters, listen up. Take care of your ears now, because when you’re older and have a family, there’s no getting back this great gift. And as a hunter, interpreting sound is one of our most important senses. As for the rest of
A Tetra Hearing Devices unit will make a big difference when it comes to protecting your hearing while allowing you to clearly hear all that’s happening around you. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
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SAVOR PTARMIGAN FLAVORS IN ‘PTACOS’
BY TIFFANY HAUGEN
When we lived a semisubsistence lifestyle in Point Lay and then Anaktuvuk Pass in the 1990s, early-season ptarmigan was among our favorite wild meat.
The funny thing is, of all the upland birds we’ve since hunted and cooked around the country, ptarmigan is still our favorite. Though we don’t live in Alaska now, when we go on hunting and fishing trips there, we’re always looking for a way to bring home ptarmigan to eat.
While this recipe is great with ptarmigan, it’s also a sure win with any game bird or big game animal. The key is to slice the meat thinly across the grain and cook it hot and fast. Be sure to clean all meat of any bloodshot prior to cooking.
PTARMIGAN ‘PTACOS’
1 pound ptarmigan breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
One medium tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil for frying
Corn or flour tortillas
Slice ptarmigan breasts into thin strips. In a medium bowl, mix olive oil, granulated onion and garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Then add sliced ptarmigan and marinate at room
temperature for 30 minutes.
In another medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Heat olive or coconut oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add all meat and marinade to the pan. Pan fry for five to seven minutes, stirring constantly. Serve on a warmed tortilla with the tomato and onion mix, or your favorite taco toppings.
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular Cooking Game
Birds, featuring over 150 recipes, visit scotthaugen.com.
Upland birds
ptarmigan make great table fare. Even after being frozen, the meat should continue to hold its flavor, as this Tiffany Haugen recipe reflects. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
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you: If it’s too late to regain lost hearing, you can save what’s left.
LISTEN TO AN EXPERT’S ADVICE
At the suggestion of fellow hunters who swore by Tetra Hearing Devices, I got in touch with the founder, Dr. Bill Dickinson. We talked for a long time. I learned a lot.
The next day I received an email from Tetra’s brand manager. I followed some simple instructions, took an online hearing test, and by the end of the week had a new set of AlphaShields. The custom-designed units fit great and changed my quality of life.
Protecting your hearing is one of the most important steps a hunter can take to improve quality of life down the road.
(SCOTT HAUGEN)
New to the Tetra lineup this year is their Bluetooth CustomShield devices, which are built for hunters with hearing loss. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
Before wearing Tetra devices, my ears rang every night during bird hunting season, all season long. But with them, there was no ringing, no headaches and no muffled sounds while on the hunt. My mood changed, my outlook was more positive and my quality of life improved, all because I could hear better.
DON’T FORGET THIS ITEM
On a midseason duck hunt I forgot my Tetras. Two buddies were with me, and after the first round of shots my ears were ringing like they hadn’t done all season. I kept shooting. Three days after that hunt I
still had a headache and struggled to hear basic sounds at home. That was the last time I forgot my Tetras. Now I wear them all the time, no matter what guns I’m shooting. I even wear them when running chainsaws and other noisy equipment around home and in the woods.
New to the Tetra lineup this year is their Bluetooth CustomShield ($1,649, tetrahearing.com). The 90-level devices are built for hunters with hearing loss, so listen up and simply take their quick online hearing test; they’ll develop a custom prescription geared specifically for your hearing profile in each ear.
Whether you’re hunting ptarmigan or waterfowl, shooting on the range or firing one shot from a rifle with a ported barrel, Tetra Hearing Devices will make a big difference when it comes to protecting your hearing while allowing you to clearly hear all that’s happening around you. Just get them and use them. Don’t whine about dealing with tiny batteries or struggling to put them in when it’s dark or raining. Simply commit to it and make it work. It’s a small price to pay to protect one of our most valued senses. ASJ
Editor’s note: To order signed copies of Scott’s best-selling adventure book, Hunting The Alaskan High Arctic, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
