As 9 15 web by Media Index Publishing Group

NBA Icon Rick Barry’s

ALASKA FISHING OBSESSION!

DESTINATION:

THE LAST FRONTIER

BOOKING

Brooks Range CARIBOU

LODGE

The Right

Wrangell-St. Elias DALL SHEEP Bristol Bay SALMON Minto Flats PIKE

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Pebble Mine Update Backcountry Camping Keys

TROPHY TIPS HOW TO CATCH

HUGE R RAINBOWS

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Wo Worldclass Outﬁtted Fly-In Fishing Float Trips & Hunting Adventures

Volume 7 • Issue 4 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Reale WRITERS Erica Rose Abdulkareem, Christine Cunningham, Ruth Cusack, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Steve Meyer, Dennis Musgraves SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Sonjia Kells, Sam Rockwell, Sable Talley, Liz Weickum WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTS Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com ON THE COVER The Brooks Range is one of many spectacular Alaska locales, a place where the scenery is just as much a part of the experience as the hunt itself. And for Christine Cunningham, this caribou bull was her first big game animal, making it that much more of a memorable trip. (STEVE MEYER) Inset: Basketball Hall of Fame icon Rick Barry has discovered a new passion: fly fishing in Alaska. (RICK BARRY)

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 4

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 31 35 45 71 99 117

Pebble Mine update Alaska-tough custom vehicles Wrangell-St. Elias Dall sheep hunt Bear baiting tips An epic experience in Bristol Bay Catching the plentiful northern pike of Minto Flats

DEPARTMENTS/COLUMNS 13

The Editor’s Note: A basketball star’s newfound love for ﬁshing 29 Protecting Wild Alaska: Federal court reinstates Tongass roadless designation 29 Outdoor Calendar 83 No Sympathy, with Steve Meyer: A quest to save “secret” hunting spots 107 From Field to Fire with Scott and Tiffany Haugen: Trophy trout tactics and a planking recipe 126 Loose Ends, with Christine Cunningham: Where ducks and seagulls ﬂock

TAnchorage resident (and ASJ associate editor) Tom Reale and his wife, Elaine (above), had a

choice to make when it came to choosing a remote ﬁshing lodge to vacation at. He went with one on the Mulchatna River in the Interior. Reale talks about his experience and handy tips for picking an ideal Last Frontier destination. (TOM REALE)

FEATURES 15

FROM FREE THROWS TO SLAM DUNKING TROUT Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry’s claim to fame was his rarely duplicated style of shooting free throws underhanded, so it’s not so surprising that Barry quickly became skilled at casting ﬂies in Alaska, so much so that it has become one of the 71-year-old’s favorite pastimes. We caught up with Barry just before he headed north and caught and released hundreds of ﬁsh. DISCOVERING BIG GAME Correspondents Steve Meyer and Christine Cunningham have hunted a lot of upland birds and waterfowl together with their beloved dogs, but Christine wanted a taste of stalking big game. So she and Steve went to the majestic ridges and valleys of northern Alaska’s Brooks Range to glass for caribou. When an opportunity arose

to harvest her ﬁrst bull, this bird hunter was ready for the new challenge. 61

BUILDING THE PERFECT CAMP Looking for a prime spot to set up your hunting camp? Instead of learning your ABCs, focus instead on the other end of the alphabet: remember the three Ws. Ruth Cusack explains that weather, wildlife and water should all be considered before hastily setting up your tent and gear. A poorly chosen campsite could mean being blown over by wind, more susceptible to the party being crashed by bears and other critters, and without a convenient water source. Master these three variables and your camp will be the envy of hunters everywhere.

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 $39.95 (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 © 2015 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. 10

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Basketball icon Rick Barry has found excitement and peace in an unlikely place: ﬂy ﬁshing in Alaska. (RICK BARRY)

ick Barry joked to me that he’d never envisioned Alaska, a fly rod and a pair of waders would be three key components of his leisure time. Quite frankly, I too was rather shocked when I found out that Barry, a Basketball Hall of Famer who is the subject of one of this month’s cover stories, was so passionate about fly fishing in the 49th state. My background as a sports reporter and contacts in the business make it a no-brainer for me to pursue stories on athletes with ties to Alaska. But I wouldn’t have guessed Barry as one of those with an addiction to the Last Frontier’s bounty of salmon, trout, Arctic char, grayling and Dolly Varden. As you’ll see, the 71-year-old Barry started fishing as a hobby only a few years back. He was more comfortable playing golf and being a hard-core road and mountain bike rider. I’m a longtime fan of the team – the Golden State Warriors – he’s most known for in a fantastic career, and I envisioned Barry not netting his beloved silver salmon, but building up frequent-flier miles traveling with his wife, Lynn, to beach resorts in exotic locations. But there’s something about Alaska that’s intoxicating. We all envision the wide-open spaces and the pristine lakes and streams, a delicious contrast to so much of our Lower 48 world that can suffocate and torment us with gridlock traffic and dreadful chain restaurants. Barry knows he’s found too much of a good thing with his annual trips to Southeast Alaska and Bristol Bay. “You’re at the point now when you go to places … where you’ve got the bead on and there’s char sitting in behind a sockeye,” he says. “You start making your casts and get the drift and can see the bead going to him. And it’s so stupid because I get angry when another fish goes over and hits it while I was going right toward the one I was after. Hell, I can’t get mad – I just caught a fish.” Welcome to Alaska. –Chris Cocoles

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BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER RICK BARRY’S NEW PASSION IS FISHING IN ALASKA

Rick Barry (with his wife, Lynn), who spent most of his NBA career with the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (inset), caught the Alaska ﬂy ﬁshing bug about eight years ago. (RICK BARRY; WIKIMEDIA)

BY CHRIS COCOLES

asketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry famously – and damn successfully – shot his free throws underhanded. He’s spoken out about the frequent misses of noted NBA stars but dreadful foul shooters such as now retired Shaquille O’Neal and current stars Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan. He’s wondered aloud why those who clank free throws so frequently don’t follow his unconventional form that connected on about 90 percent of his attempts, fourth best in league history. Shooting free throws is nothing, Barry says; he would love to

get those guys to try casting ﬂies on an Alaskan river. “It’s much more difficult,” Barry interrupts when asked to compare the two artforms. One was one of the trademarks in a brilliant basketball career that saw Barry named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players when the league celebrated its silver anniversary in 1996. The other has become a passion for the 71-year-old, who hosts ﬁshing adventures to Alaska through his website, rickbarry24.com. “In basketball, shooting free throws is the same distance every time (15 feet from the foul line to the hoop). It’s the samesized ball, the same-sized rim every time,” Barry says. “And aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

Barry spends a lot of time ﬁshing in Alaska with fellow athletes like World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Raymond Floyd (right). (RICK BARRY)

I don’t have to deal with any freakin’ wind. Casting is much, much more (hard), having to cast in different wind conditions. But it’s fun.” And it’s a pastime Barry has only recently discovered and became smitten with.

DON’T LET THE age fool you: Rick Barry is active and fit, despite being on the north side of 70 years old. His playing career ended in 1980, but he stayed busy with various business ventures, found a successful niche broadcasting and as an opinionated sports talk radio host, and reveled in the role of proud papa watching his children play basketball at both the major college and professional levels. Until eight years ago, he mostly spent his free time on the golf course and as a road and mountain bike rider. The latter passion is one he rarely partakes in these days after suffering a serious injury accident last year near his Colorado home. “I’ll never go fast on a bicycle again,” he says of the crash that fractured his pelvis in five places. But fly fishing keeps him busy enough anyway. A friend’s offer almost a decade ago was a game-changing moment. “Scott Minnich is a good buddy of mine in Colorado Springs (where Barry and his wife, Lynn, now reside); his son and my son (Canyon, who is playing basketball at the College of Charleston) grew up together,” Barry says. “(Minnich’s) been a fly fisherman for 35 years, and one day he asked me if I wanted to 16

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go fishing.” Barry’s previous fishing experiences were minimal and unremarkable, so it wasn’t like he was in a rush to get back out onto the water. Still, he accepted Minnich’s invitation. And something seemed to click; perhaps it was his competitive streak as a former jock still fueled by something actionable. Despite the degree of difficulty casting flies, Barry was hooked. “I realized that there was so much more to it than you realize. It’s not like the fishing where you just sit there and hold the stupid rod in your hands and pray that something bites it; it’s an actual art form, and so I was very impressed with that,” Barry says. “If somebody had told me 10 years ago that my passion in life would be fly fishing, I would have said they were on drugs with my type A personality. But I really loved it.” Minnich proved to be a fine mentor in terms of Barry getting the hang of a fly rod. Over the years, he’s picked the brains of guides who’ve hosted fishing trips. The basketball player in him sees the coaching side of the experts who have fished a lot longer than he has. So whenever he meets a new fisherman, he lets them know to not be bashful when they see him doing something wrong on the river. Pointers are always welcome. “You have to always be welcome to criticism, and it’s all constructive criticism. It’s no coincidence that the better I’ve become with my casting, the more fish I’ve hooked,” he says. “I’m getting better at it, and I’m up to the point now

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BAY AREA BASKETBALL ROYALTY

The San Francisco Bay Area’s pro basketball scene came full circle on June 19. On a sunsplashed morning in Oakland, the city celebrated the Golden State Warriors’ NBA title victory parade. Besides the current team – led by league Rick Barry waves to fans during Most Valuable Player Stephen the Golden State Warriors’ Curry – also involved were 2014-15 NBA championship some of the franchise’s past parade on June 19. Barry was the stars, including arguably its NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1975 when Golden State greatest player, Rick Barry. won its ﬁrst title since moving He was the 1975 NBA Fito California. (COREY CARTER/ nals MVP when the Warriors WIKIMEDIA) won their only other championship since moving west from Philadelphia in 1963. Barry, who now lives in Colorado but has spent a lot of post-NBA time in the Bay Area – including a stint hosting a popular sports radio show – initially was leery about attending the parade when the organization asked him and others from the team’s past to participate. “I told them when they asked me, ‘There’s no reason for me to be at the parade.’ They said they wanted to (bring back) the history and have the guys there,” said Barry, who was joined by several of his former teammates and the team’s 1975 head coach, Al Attles.

“I just didn’t want to take anything away from the team. I didn’t do anything.” Yet Barry and other former players are still revered by Golden State’s fan base, which has been among the most loyal – and perhaps longest suffering – of all the teams in the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose area. Barry received a loud cheer from the estimated crowd of 500,000 when he was announced. “I was just happy for the new ownership and the fans more than anything else,” says Barry, who publicly chastised Golden State fans when he jumped on the microphone in 2012 and defended co-owner Joe Lacob. He was booed loudly by the Oracle Arena crowd during that ceremony to retire the jersey number of former Warriors player Chris Mullin. Admittedly, the team had gone through years of mediocrity and bad basketball, but Barry angrily called out the haters that night. And just three years later Golden State won its ﬁrst championship in 40 years, when Barry led the way. “It was great for the players to experience what it’s like to do that. Forty years is certainly a long time,” Barry says. “It was great for the city (of Oakland) and the Bay Area.” He’ll always have a soft spot for where he had the best days of his fantastic basketball career. “I’m thrilled to have been a part of that,” Barry says. “I’m always happy to go back to be a part of what they’re doing. It will always be a special part of my life.” -CC

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where my casting is good enough I’ll be able to go and do some bonefishing (in the Atlantic), where you have to be really accurate with your casting – otherwise, you’ll never catch any.” Still, Alaska is where this fly fisherman feels most at peace.

BARRY’S FIRST TRIP to Alaska was not for fishing but golf. He played in a charity tournament in the Anchorage area. One day he went fishing and managed to catch a king salmon, but had to be told by the floatplane pilot it was landed out of season. “What the hell did I know? I didn’t know anything,” he recalls. “I said, ‘(Shoot), you didn’t tell me the rules.’” But fishing with his friend Minnich convinced Barry he wanted more and to experience fishing in Alaska more often. He looked around for a lodge that offered what he wanted. He ultimately began regularly visiting Rainbow River Lodge at Bristol Bay’s Lake Iliamna. Barry also set up a salt- and freshwater trip to Boardwalk Lodge on Prince of Wales Island. “I go up there every year and try to put trips together for businesses or individual groups,” Barry says. “I had a guy who wants to go next year with about six people, and he asked me, ‘What kind of salmon should I go for?’ I said, ‘Do you really enjoy catching fish?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ And I told him he wants to get silvers. Of all the fish you’re going to get in the salmon family, the ones that are most fun for me are silvers. Those suckers will jump and fight.” Barry knows he’s in heaven for an angler when he’ll head out with his group to fish and the only other fellow visitors that day is the wildlife sharing the river. He’s seen more bears than other people in all his years fishing Alaska’s rivers. Once, Barry was filming an Alaskan outdoors TV show with his friend, former Major League Baseball pitcher Randy Jones. Between shoots they decided to join in the combat fishing chaos of the Kenai River during a salmon run. It was blatantly obvious which scene Barry preferred. “Holy crap. I looked from one bend to the other on the river and there were 60 aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

freaking (anglers). And another boat pulls up to us and was 10 feet away. This what not my idea of fun ďŹ shing,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank God I got to experience it once because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so happy I never did that on a trip to spend ďŹ ve, six, seven days doing that; I would have hated it.â&#x20AC;? About the only negative he has to say about Alaska is he wishes the Wi-Fi were stronger so he could better enjoy another pastime: watching movies and his favorite TV shows on NetďŹ&#x201A;ix. But then Barry remembers heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;in the middle of nowhere,â&#x20AC;? but also in a place where he can make cast after cast and bring in ďŹ sh after ďŹ sh. Lynn hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t caught the bug, but she did accompany her husband on a three-night trip they bid successfully on during a charity auction. They had to hike for an hour on Alaska tundra before ďŹ nally reaching a stream. They saw all of two other human beings the entire duration of the trip. With so little ďŹ shing pressure, Barry managed to hook 35 rainbow trout and about 20 grayling on dry ďŹ&#x201A;ies. Of the trout he caught and released, about 30 measured 20 or more inches. Even Lynn managed to catch almost two dozen grayling. This was paradise, about a million metaphorical miles away from the congestion on the Kenai â&#x20AC;&#x201C; another reason why Barry keeps returning every chance he gets. Someday, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll catch a 30-inch rainbow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get lucky on my next trip,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see what happens.â&#x20AC;? But heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll enjoy all of the smaller and even too-small ďŹ sh along the way.

Barry is becoming more and conďŹ dent in his ability to cast ďŹ&#x201A;ies, as he shows here on the Iliamna River in the Bristol Bay area. (RICK BARRY)

THE BARRY FAMILY is to basketball what the Barrymores are to acting, the Wallendas to high-wire acrobatics and the Kardashians/Jenners to reality TV stardom. Of Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six kids, only daughter Shannon never got involved in playing basketball. Rick was known for his unique but rarely copied foul shooting technique (son Canyon shoots his free throws underhanded for his current college team). The family patriarchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabulous career included more than 25,000 points scored, a Rookie of the Year award, an NBA Finals MVP award for the 1975 champion Golden State Warriors (see sidebar) and ďŹ ve ďŹ rstteam All-NBA seasons. Lynn, who is Canyonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom, was a star

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basketball player at the College of William and Mary and later remained in the game as a coach and administrator. There are also four older Barry sons: Scooter won an NCAA title at the University of Kansas and spent many years playing abroad in pro leagues. Drew is his college alma mater’s (Georgia Tech) all-time leader in assists and played for four NBA teams. Jon (ESPN) and Brent (TNT) are successful TV analysts who also had lengthy pro careers (Brent Barry also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1996). “I’m hoping to get them up there (in Alaska), and I know Scooter told me he’d really like to go,” Rick says of his sons. “But they have young kids and they’re busy with what they’re doing. One of these summers I’m hoping to convince them to take their boys and go with me.”

BY THE NUMBERS

A numerical look at Rick Barry’s career 1966 NBA Rookie of the Year 1975 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (with Golden State Warriors) 1987 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee 25,279 Points scored in his NBA/ABA career 20.4 Career NBA scoring average over eight seasons 90.0 Career NBA free throw percentage 7 Times led the NBA or ABA in free throw accuracy 5 First-team all-NBA selections

In 1996, the NBA named Barry one of its 50 greatest players during the league’s 50th anniversary celebration. He scored over 25,000 points combined in his career playing in both the NBA and ABA. (WIKIMEDIA)

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And who knows? Rick Barry said events happen in threes; his sons all played basketball at a high level just as he did. At one time or another, Scooter and Brent also dabbled in broadcasting like their dad and brothers have on a full-time basis. “Hell, the third thing can be that they all become fly fishermen,” Rick says. Still, there is no shortage of sports royalty for Rick Barry to head up to Alaska with. There is World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd, who fished with Barry in Alaska earlier this summer. One of Barry’s closest friends, former Warriors teammate Clifford Ray, is a regular fishing partner who went with Barry on a trip to Sitka and to Prince of Wales Island in August. “Clifford’s like a brother to me,” Barry says. Even legendary NBA/ABA star George Gervin, who was known as “The Iceman” during a Hall of Fame career, got in on the action. That spurred a joking twinge of disdain from Barry about these two hoops gunslingers meeting in Alaska. “George is a spincaster. He didn’t have any waders or boots. But he came up with his son (and a couple others) and we did mostly saltwater fishing and we did some freshwater too. We had a good time,” Barry says, recalling that not many old basketball war stories were swapped. But The Iceman did get in a memorable photobomb. “We have a great picture where I’m holding up a nice silver salmon, and George is in the background with his son and they’re both giving me the finger.”

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SO PRODUCTIVE CAN the fishing in the Last Frontier be that Barry sometimes gets spoiled by the constant action. “You catch so many fish and it’s so beautiful. It’s such a special time when you’re up there, get away from everything and get into nature and God’s beauty and be hooking into a lot of fish,” he says. On one river float, the guide pointed out to Barry that a large trout was on the other side below some tree cover. The conundrum? There were roughly 12 inches between the water surface and the branches. While the guide was skeptical there was enough room to get a cast in that space, Barry wanted to give it a shot. “Let me try,” he said. Recalling the moment, Barry says, “I got out of the boat and into the water, got down low and just cast it sideways and level with the water. I tried to make sure that I got my length correct. I threw a couple casts that were a little too long. I shortened it up a little bit, and after a couple of casts I threw it in there. It hit the water and that fish came up and exploded – it just nailed that fly. It was a 23-inch rainbow and I thought, ‘If I don’t catch another fish the rest of the day, this is still awesome.’” Still, catching fish is what the sport is all about. In basketball, the name of the game is ultimately getting the ball through the hoop. Some anglers go to Alaska hoping to catch that once-in-a-generation trophy salmon, trout or Arctic char. But Barry is more about quantity than quality. He’s perfectly fine with a catch-and-release day where he’s constantly landing

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Barry caught this 28-inch Arctic char on a Rainbow River fly-out trip. “If somebody had told me 10 years ago that my passion in life would be fly fishing, I would have told them they were on drugs,” he jokes. (RICK BARRY)

fish, size be damned. “For me it doesn’t matter if it’s 4 inches long or 40 inches long. It’s all about the strike and setting the hook. That’s why I can’t understand why some people get so enamored by going out trolling with the rods in the holder,” Barry says. “All of a sudden, they hand you the rod. That’s not fishing – that’s reeling. Even in the times when I do go out and saltwater fish, I want to hold the rod.” And he’s done so through hours upon hours of casts during annual trips to Alaska (his bike wreck prevented going up in 2014). Barry loves to share stories of an endless cycle of casts,

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bites, and catch-and-release action. A couple years ago, Barry was at his beloved Rainbow River Lodge on a solo trip with a group he wasn’t familiar with. Every day he’d go out and was asked upon the return how he did. He’d caught “about 100” on the first day. “The guy said, ‘That’s unbelievable.’ So I go out the next day and the same guys ask, ‘How did it go?’ ‘Another great day. About 100 or more fish.’ So I go out on the third day and come back and tell them about another 100 and something fish. They said, ‘That’s insane.’ By the fourth day when they asked again I said, ‘You really don’t want to know.’ ‘Come on, tell us what you did.’ I said, ‘Two hundred and twenty-four fish.’” All of the jump shots he’s made, all of the underhand free throws he’s swished in basketball have been replaced by other astonishing percentages. Barry recalls once landing fish on 24 consecutive casts of his fly rod. During his trip with Raymond Floyd in August he texted, “I hooked over 500 in four days!” There are more awaiting him for years to come. “This might be crazy,” he says, “but my goal in life is to be 100 years old and go fly fishing at Rainbow River Lodge.” Don’t bet against him. By then, making a perfect fly cast will probably be as simple a task for Rick Barry as shooting an underhanded free throw was: almost a sure thing. ASJ Editor’s note: More information on Rick Barry’s Alaska fishing trips can be found at rickbarry24.com. Follow him on Twitter (@Rick24Barry).

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PROTECTING

WILD ALASKA

COURT REPROTECTS ROADLESS TONGASS

By a narrow margin, a federal appeals court voted to reaffirm roadless rules designations on Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest, to the chagrin of state politicians and the logging industry, but to the beneﬁt of ﬁsh and wildlife habitat. (FRANCES BILES/USFS)

BY CHRIS COCOLES

t’s America’s largest national forest – 17 million acres strong – and it covers essentially every piece of ecologically critical area of Southeast Alaska. And the Tongass National Forest has the state of Alaska, the logging industry and opponents to timber harvesting and road building at odds. In 2001, the Clinton Administration created the “Roadless Rule,” which prohibited road construction and timber harvesting on U.S. Forest Service-designated areas. But in Alaska, the timber industry is big business, and in 2003 with George W. Bush in office, the massive tree-filled Tongass was excluded from the nationwide roadless list. You just knew someone wouldn’t be happy with such a decision, and when challenged by environmentalists the original decision was upheld and the Tongass stayed untouched. Fast forward to this summer, with both sides dug in for a fight, sending the tug-of-war all the way to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was bound to be a closely contested vote. How close? A 6-5 final margin in favor of overturning the sec-

ond Bush Administration’s decision to keep the Tongass in the Roadless Rule equation. Many Alaska officials are none too pleased with the ruling, with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) leading the way. Murkowski, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the ruling “a disappointment and a severe setback for the economies of Southeast Alaska.” Earlier this year, she introduced a bill proposal that would exclude all USFS land in Alaska from the original ruling, accusing the Forest Service of denying “local communities the opportunity to develop their economies and access more affordable energy.” Murkowski’s office told Fox News that taking the issue to the Supreme Court is a possibility. But for now, environmentalist organizations like EarthJustice are thrilled. “The remaining wild and undeveloped parts of the Tongass are important ﬁsh and wildlife habitat and vital to residents and visitors alike for hunting, ﬁshing, recreation and tourism, the driving forces of the regional economy,” Earthjustice attorney Tom Waldo said. ASJ

OUTDOOR CALENDAR Now-Sept. 7 Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby (homeralaska .org/visit-homer/events-homer/homer-jackpot-halibut-derby) Sept. 1 Brown/grizzly bear season opens in Game Management Unit 5 (Yakutat) Sept. 1 Brown/grizzly bear season opens in GMUs 14A and 14B (Matanuska/Susitna Valley) Sept. 1 Brown/grizzly bear season opens in GMU 15 (Kenai) Sept. 1 Black bear season opens in several GMUs

Sept. 1

Mountain goat season opens in GMU 11 (Wrangell Mountains) Sept. 1 Moose season opens in GMU 15 (Kenai) Sept. 8 Nonresident moose season opens in GMU 12 (Upper Tanana/White River) Sept. 15 Moose season opens in several GMUs Sept. 15 Brown bear season opens in GMU 1 (Southeast Mainland) For complete hunting season regulations, check out the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website at adfg.alaska.gov. aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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PEBBLE MINE INITIATIVE SHOT DOWN BY ALASKA COURTS SOCKEYE RUN IS BEST IN 20 YEARS

he Pebble Mine/Bristol Bay wrestling match hasn’t come close to reaching best-of-three-falls, steel-cage, loserleaves-town proportions yet. That moment could be years away, given the legal complications of the issue and the expected suits, appeals and downright ﬁght-to-the-death mentality both sides will surely have. That’s the narrative that’s been penned ever since one of the world’s richest salmon ecosystems was targeted by com-

development,” Pebble Limited Partnership vice president of public affairs Mike Heatwole told The Alaska Dispatch. “We’re still here.” The Environmental Protection Agency is still here also. The EPA and Pebble Limited are also battling the former’s lengthy assessment released in January 2014 that concluded the project could damage Bristol Bay’s salmon waters, and cited the Clean Water Act to protect the ecosystem.

Opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine will cite pristine salmon ﬁsheries like the Nushagak River. But the company that wants to mine this gold and copper-rich land isn’t backing down. (BECCA ELLINGSWORTH)

panies wanting to get at the area’s rich mineral deposits. In mid-July, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected a “Save Our Salmon” initiative by Lake and Peninsula Borough residents that would have prohibited large-scale mining operations within the borough. The court ruled the proposal as invalid. “Because the initiative purports to give the borough veto power over mining projects on state lands within its borders,” the court ruled, “it seriously impedes the implementation of the Alaska Land Act, which grants the Department of Natural Resources ‘charge of all matters affecting exploration, development, and mining’ of state resources. We therefore affirm.” That decision thrilled Pebble Limited Partnership, which is overseen by a Canadian company, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., and which has moved ahead with plans to mine Bristol Bay’s gold and copper deposits after another company, London-based Anglo American, backed out of the project in 2013. “We’re pleased the court upheld the law of the state and permitting decisions regarding mineral exploration and

“The science is clear that mining the Pebble deposit would cause irreversible damage to one of the world’s last intact salmon ecosystems. Bristol Bay’s exceptional fisheries deserve exceptional protection,” said EPA Region 10 administrator Dennis McLerran. “We are doing this now because we’ve heard from concerned tribes, the fishing industry, Alaskans and many others who have lived and worked for more than a decade under the uncertainty posed by this potentially destructive mine. Simply put, this is a uniquely large mine in a uniquely important place.” In other words, despite this temporary setback, defenders of Bristol Bay’s salmon aren’t going to go down quietly, just like the miners. As for the fish, they don’t appear to be either. As of the end of July, the sockeye run was up to a dorsal fin under 51 million (with about 34.8 million caught), and experts called it the fifth-best run ever. The Pebble Mine debate rages on. ASJ aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

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ALASKA TOUGH

ill Feeley’s company, Roscoe, Montana-based Extreme Hagglunds (406-328-6726; extremehagglunds.com), is an Alaskan’s best friend. Given the brutal winter and watery conditions that The Last Frontier is known for, you need vehicles that can traverse roads that get buried in snow and can slosh through wetlands and swampy marshes on the way to hunting destinations. That’s where the various rebuilt trucks Extreme Hagglunds produces can come in so handy in the unforgiving Alaskan landscape. Feeley himself knows all about how difficult it can be to get around One of Bill Feeley’s rebuilt all-terrain vehicles takes on a tough obstacle. in Alaska. He told the Billings Gazette (EXTREME HAGGLUNDS) that he spent 29 years in Alaska as an equipment operator for oil companies. He’s been buying and rebuilding Hagglunds for more than a decade now, and his vehicles are in high demand, including from hunters who must overcome the Alaskan landscape to ﬁll the freezer with meat. “Just because you’re moose hunting doesn’t mean you have to be miserable,” he told the Billings newspaper. “I learned that a long time ago.” With winter just around in the corner in Alaska, Feeley back of them to help cool them. We put dual batteries in all provided a how-to lesson on the facelift his vehicles get. The our machines for extra cranking power in the Arctic.” ﬁnished product is a transformation from junkyard to a badass “The engine that we put in these units are 3.3 Cummings. piece of all-terrain machinery that can get through Mother These are new motors; they’re not rebuilt. The (dashboards), Nature’s most challenging paths: we rebuild; they’re brand new. They have the fuseboxes on the “When these machines come to us we strip them comside where you can get to them. All the switches for your bilge pletely out; the whole insides are gutted before we start pump, your LED lights and your heaters – all the components putting them back together. They get all new wire harnessare new in these dashes.” es, engines, transmissions. The interiors are completely gone “The front grill guards on our machines are custom-built. through, right down to the last nut and bolt … We take all the They have halogen lights at the top. With the LED lighting, fuel tanks off; we sandblast the outside and put them in the when you’re meeting somebody you have to shut him or her parts washer at 190 degrees and boil everything out.” off because they’re so bright. Our springs we have made are “All the machines have new exhaust systems and all the made of T-1 steel; you won’t break them.” grates are made out of stainless steel. We put rear fans on the Sounds like some Alaska-tough rigs! ASJ aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

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WELCOME CARIBOU

Caribou antlers lay scattered throughout the valleys of the Brooks Range. Headgear on the ground is considered an artifact and can’t be taken or moved from its resting place, but it’s the antlers atop bulls that in part draws hunters to this beautiful country. (STEVE MEYER) 36

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TO COUNTRY A BIRD HUNTER DISCOVERS THE THRILL OF BIG GAME HUNTING IN THE PRISTINE BROOKS RANGE

BY STEVE MEYER

he apparitions ghosting out of the brushline in the early morning haze that blanketed the mountain valley slowly became two caribou bulls some 700 yards away. Surveying the options for cover to make a stalk didn’t take long: There wasn’t any. The stunted blueberry bushes and lichen that comprise most of the vegetation on the northern slopes of the eastern Brooks Range might lend concealment to a snake, but not much else. A prayer to the hunting gods – “Please let them come this way” – may not have helped, but when the pair of bulls turned and started our direction, it seemed worth the small effort. The capricious and unpredictable mountain wind was generally quartering across our right shoulders and would eventually intersect the path of the two handsome animals.

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As they came closer, the binoculars confirmed both bulls to be mature, respectable representatives, all we were looking for. Around 400 yards out, the mountain landscape concealed a draw that took them out of sight, allowing us to move rapidly closer, and when the antlers rose out of the draw, the caribou were at 175 yards, nicely confirmed by Christine Cunningham’s 10x42 Swarovski rangefinding binoculars. The bull on the right appeared slightly larger than his buddy, and Christine settled into a solid sitting position for the shot. On they came on a dead course to intercept our wind. At 125 yards, the larger bull’s head went up and he turned, ran a few paces and stopped broadside to Christine’s position.

The author and his partner took two ﬂights to their eventual hunting spot in the eastern Brooks Range. The second trip, ﬂown in a Super Cub, landed on a makeshift “airstrip” on a gorgeous ridge. (STEVE MEYER)

CHRISTINE CAME TO the hunting arena in 2006, crawling through tidal duck muck with a borrowed shotgun. A hunter wasn’t born that day; she had been a hunter all of her life, but she had never had the opportunity to unleash the passion for nature’s most honest relationship until the moment in time that allowed her two clean misses on a pair of fast flying wigeon. Bird hunting became her immediate passion, and with an extended family of three chocolate Labrador retrievers, two English setters and an Irish setter, hunting time was booked solidly in the bird department. Big game hunting was always in the back of her mind, but time just seemed to pass too quickly to engage in yet another outdoor endeavor. When Christine met Emily Thoft through the rapidly growing community of female hunters, things began to change. Emily and Matt Thoft own and operate Silvertip Aviation, L.L.C. (907-6760421; silvertipaviation.com), an air taxi/ transporter service, and Orvis Outfitters, a big game outfitting and guiding service. The Thofts are registered Alaska big game guides and pilots, and during the late July to August big game season, operate out of their lodge on the Ivishak River, on the northern slopes of the eastern Brooks Range. When asked about hunting big game, Christine had explained the difficulty of 38

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On the two ﬂights across the mountains, the hunters spotted caribou and grizzly bears, so it was no surprise the trip included some ursine guests sharing the terrain. (STEVE MEYER)

giving up time from the bird dogs once upland season began Aug. 10. Emily solved the problem by advising Christine that caribou hunting in their area of operation opened July 1, and that they would be up there around the end of July. A hunt scheduled for 2014 was derailed when a litter of English setter pups entered this world, but there was no problem changing to 2015, and so we scheduled a July 30 ﬂy-out.

LOGISTICALLY, HUNTING IN the Brooks Range – particularly the northern slopes – requires a bit more of a commitment than the typical Alaska resident ﬂy-out with a transporter or guided nonresident hunt. For our hunt we would drive the

SEPTEMBER 2015 | aksportingjournal.com

Dalton Highway, otherwise known as the “haul road,” from Livengood to Happy Valley. It was a trip of some 335 miles of broken pavement, potholed gravel, narrow bridges and lots of semitruck traffic. Traveling the Dalton is a story in itself, and our two-day adventure on it was a great experience. We arrived in Happy Valley, an abandoned pipeline camp with an airstrip that services several air taxi operations. There we were met by Matt in his Cessna 185 wheel plane. Unlike many parts of Alaska, wheel planes are proliﬁc in the far north; the terrain lends itself to these marvelous machines. The aircraft was limited to 60 pounds of gear per person, so loading the 185 was quick and

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This was the view Christine had of her bull before taking two effective shots, the ﬁrst from 125 yards out. (STEVE MEYER)

the view that materialized as we gained elevation was in itself worth the trip. After we landed on the Ivishak River, which serves as an airstrip for the Orvis Outﬁtter Lodge, we unloaded gear for the next stage of the trip, a Super Cub ﬂight into hunting country.

Our destination would take us into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 19 million acres of one of the last truly wild places on the North American continent. Sadly enough, ANWR is in constant political and corporate turmoil over the desire to develop it. Words and photo-

graphs cannot adequately describe the wildness exuded by this magnificent chunk of real estate; being on the ground in it is a life-changing experience for anyone who embraces wilderness. As I made the first flight in with Matt in his highly modified PA 12 Cub, caribou and grizzly bears dotted the landscape below. The “airstrip” where we elected to begin the hunt was a shale-strewn ridge surrounded by mountains and guarded by a gorgeous blonde grizzly bear in a

Christine had been a diehard waterfowl and upland bird hunter, mostly due to her connection with several canine companions that join her regularly. So this moment turned out to be part sentimental and part euphoria. (STEVE MEYER)

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creekbottom some three-quarters of a mile from where camp would be. I set up camp with a backdrop of roaming caribou in the high ridges around the site. They were seeking the high ground where wind keeps insects and heat at bay. When Christine arrived on the second flight, the caribou had started to move down the shale slopes into the surrounding valley. Since we had flown in, hunting could not start until after 3 a.m. the following morning. That was OK, as it allowed us time to soak in the silence and beauty of our playground. The area was flanked on the north by rugged blue-gray shale slopes and jagged rocks. It was more of the same to the south, where the valleys below were blanketed in lichen – a mainstay of caribou diet – blueberry scrubs and salmon berries. Scattered throughout the valley were shed caribou antlers, bleached white by weather and sun, revealing that herds spent time here in the winter. These antlers are considered artifacts and are not to be taken or even moved from their natural resting place. As we sat in front of our tent a young cow caribou came prancing up the slope to the west, displaying the innate curiosity that has a way of ending badly for

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caribou. Christine waved at her and she ran back and forth, coming to around 50 yards from us before she caught a whiff of our scent and trotted down the valley to the east. Later in the evening we scouted the area to the south and spotted a very respectable bull caribou feeding along, oblivious to our presence. We weren’t looking for a record-book bull; a mature representative animal that would provide winter meat was Christine’s goal. This bull filled the bill just fine and Christine was excited and insisted we just go back to camp and find him in the morning. That was OK, except that with caribou, the odds of them being in the same area the next day are not great. Caribou don’t know where they will be tomorrow; they move constantly, and often it is a matter of cutting off their direction of travel to get a shot. Still, the odds were in our favor. The caribou had come to the valley off the surrounding ridges, it was fairly late in the day, and it seemed likely they would bed down in the vicinity. There were numerous calves amongst the cows and young bulls in the valley, and the grizzly that we had seen flying

in was only a quarter-mile away from some of the cows and calves. He could be a game changer.

SLEEP WAS FITFUL. This time of year and this far north it does not get dark – more like dusk – and we tossed and turned, all the while listening to the periodic “click” sound caribou hooves made as they trotted by the tent. We could legally hunt at 3 a.m. but elected to wait until 4:30 for the sake of not getting overanxious. We sought a vantage point overlooking the valley that bottomed out at a brush-choked creek. Dotted around the valley were caribou, most still bedded down, and only their heads and small antlers visible. But there were no bulls. We climbed over a knoll to overlook the area where the bull had been the night before. The valley ﬂoor was such that any caribou bedded down there would be visible; there were none. From that spot we could see caribou cows and calves starting to move southwest towards a pass that would take them up onto a steep shale ridge. We theorized that if the bulls were still in the area, they were probably bedded down along the brush line of the creek and would eventually follow the cows and calves. We moved to another viewing area where we

Christine’s bull will provide many memories of her ﬁrst big game hunt. Filling a freezer with meat is the endgame of such an emotionally satisfying experience. (STEVE MEYER)

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saw the aforementioned bulls. Anxiety, buck fever or whatever one chooses to call it is a very real dilemma, especially for the first-time big game hunter. Many are the stories of disastrous first shots and they are hardly gender specific. But Christine is an accomplished wingshooter and had been practicing shooting from field positions all summer with her .300 Weatherby, reliably hitting vital zone targets out to 300 yards. The sound of her shot blended with the “whack” of a solid hit; heart-shot, the bull staggered and started the typical run. When Christine hit him again, it dropped the animal. We walked up to the gorgeous bull and found the light gone from his eyes. Christine knelt beside him, stroking the soft velvet of his antlers, unable to speak. After several minutes she looked at me, her face breaking out into a familiar smile. It left no doubt that this was the beginning of many more hunting adventures for big game. It is rare to have a first time for anything and have it go perfect; this was one of those times. ASJ Editor’s note: Steve Meyer and Christine Cunningham are regular contributors to Alaska Sporting Journal.

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EARNING HER RAM A GRUELING HIKE, AN APPARENT MISSED SHOT AND THEN REDEMPTION FOR TWO HUNTERS

BY ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM

he “trail” that led from Nabesna Road to Tanada Lake was the worst anyone could ever imagine, I was warned, because it was bumpy and muddy and wet. As we made ﬁnal plans to head to the trailhead, my partner, Josh, told me that nobody ever hunted back there for several reasons, including that only certain people who met certain rural residency requirements could actually pursue game there. But mostly it was that nasty trail. Nonetheless, our hunting/camping trip had been planned for months. It was going to be the ﬁnale of summer, and we couldn’t wait for hunting season to open. Since I had moved out of Barrow, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park had been atop my list of places to visit. And because we lived in Tok, we were allowed a subsistence permit to hunt it. As subsistence hunters, not only are we allowed to hunt in the park, but we have special regulations that others don’t – mainly, an “any male permit” for moose and sheep. Our destination was Tanada Lake, a special place for Josh as it held great memories of previous hunting trips from when he was growing up. We would be hunting with two people on one four-wheeler hauling a trailer loaded down with gear. Anybody who actually attempts the journey was considered crazy and insane; and we would be the only people to attempt it like this. Was I sure I wanted to go? Absolutely!

WE PULLED INTO the Caribou Creek Trailhead (there had been several vehicles parked at the Tanada Lake Trailhead) and up onto some dirt mounds. As we got out of our trucks to set up camp, the headlights revealed moose tracks and a lone wolf track. They were headed out of the woods in front of us towards the road. The weather was great and we were greeted by gorgeous fall colors and a breathtaking sunset, and now that we’d spied game tracks at our chosen campsite, perhaps the trip might turn out OK. We set up our gear in the back of my truck bed and started to unpack and get things ready for dinner. It was cold out now with the sun setting. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the crisp autumn air chilled us. It would be in the low 20s that night. We ate and sat by the fire, sipping hot coffee that cooled too quickly, making small talk like couples do and gazing up at the sky, twinkling in its entirety with vibrant stars. We woke up around 8 and I mentioned that we were both tired and that we had all week out here. I suggested we go fishing and drive Nabesna Road. I thought maybe we should just have an easy day. Josh was hesitant at first, and then he looked at his phone. “It’s Friday the 13th,” he said.

Dall sheep roam the high mountains of Alaska, including those of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, where the author and partner had a subsistence permit to hunt. (TOM REALE)

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I laughed as we stepped out of the truck to prepare for our day. We rode down Nabesna Road for an amazingly beautiful drive. It was a perfect day – crisp, cool air chilled us while the bright rays of the sun shined down. The tundra was splashed with autumn as the plants and trees were painted in fall hues. The large rivers that usually ﬂowed across the road had little water in them and were nothing more than tiny streams, which made passage easy. We drove through the tiny “town” of Nabesna and continued until the road ended near the base of a mountain that had previously been mined. We got out of the truck to gaze up at the majestic peak and spotted a mineshaft about halfway up the mountain, its old wooden beams barely visible in the rocky entrance. There are dozens of trailheads along the road, all leading into the wilderness. I’m not sure what captured Josh about this particular one, but we stopped at one as we headed back to where we’d camped. We read the sign: it was 2.4 miles to the riverbed and looked to offer spectacular views as the trail led up the base of a mountain. Josh asked if I wanted to go for a hike. I looked down at what I was wearing: my leopard-print mukluk fuzzy slipper boots, a sweatshirt, and my running pants underneath my marshmallow winter camo pants. “I’m not really prepared for a hike, but it’s such a gorgeous day; I’ll give it a shot!” We agreed to go a ways and see how the trail was and re-evaluate from there. We grabbed a liter of water, the binos, and he had my riﬂe while I carried the shotgun (the shotgun

Fall colors brighten the mountains of the Wrangell-St. Elias during the author’s hunt. (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM)

was signiﬁcantly lighter, and he failed to bring the slings for both weapons). And up the trail we went.

THE FIRST MILE and a half proved easy. A slow incline meandered through wooded hillsides alongside a small river. The mossy ground was cool and the trees provided shade. But dressed as I was, and with temperatures in the mid-50s, I was melting. I stopped and took off my winter pants, instantly feeling signiﬁcantly cooler and 10 pounds lighter, and left them on the trail to pick up on the way back The views were beautiful. We had a perfect perspective of the entire valley many miles below us. We sat down at the beginning of the rocky ravine and debated whether to continue or go back. The trail had been 2.4 miles up to this point but con-

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tinued up the mountainside along the ravine. We decided to at least go to the end of the ravine. It was no easy hike, but the wind coming out of the pass cooled us and I put on my sweatshirt again. As we hiked up, the river eventually disappeared into the mountainside. One minute it was flowing – then nothing. It just disappeared underground. With no more water to maneuver around, we were free to simply scramble up the rocks into the mountains. That didn’t make it any easier, just less wet. The water flowing off the mountain was ice-cold, and the rocks were slippery and treacherous. At over a 50-degree angle, the mountainside was steep and I became more aware of how out of shape I was. I used to be a great hiker, trekking over anything, but now I was huffing and puffing and about ready to pass out. I also became acutely aware of injuries I’ve had over the years that never gave me problems before. A bit depressed at these ideas and with Josh way ahead of me, I still continued up the mountain. We stopped every so often – well, I stopped to catch my breath and he stopped until I caught up – and gazed out over the valley below and searched the surrounding mountainside for any sign of wildlife. We weren’t necessarily prepared to hunt, but we were ready just in case. We did finally make it to the top of the rocky ravine, but the trail continued upward. We finally had the summit in our sights, though, and decided to continue to hike up the steep dirt path along the ridge. As the altitude, steep hike and my out-of-shapeness took its toll – I sounded like Darth Vader by this point – Josh came around

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a curve in the trail that went around the side of the mountain and immediately squatted down in the brush. He motioned at me to do the same and then put his ﬁnger to his lips. I tried my best to quell my breathing as I quickly knelt beside him on the tundra. Not 200 yards away on another hill was a Dall sheep.

FROM OUR ANGLE, we couldn’t tell whether it was a male or female. But it didn’t matter because we didn’t have a good shot: It was headed up the hill, its rump facing us. But because you never ever see a lone Dall sheep, Josh reasoned that the rest of the herd was on the other side. To my dismay, he pointed up the steep mountain – steeper than the one the trail was on – and whispered that to get a good shot, we had to go to the top in order to look out over the hills below. So up we went. He told me that sheep are the hardest animal to hunt. They possess great hearing and eyesight, and they spook easily, making it tough to get very close to them. Then there are the great lengths you have to go to in order to get to where they live. We reached near the top of the mountain and spotted several sheep. The only full-curl ram disappeared. We had no idea where he went exactly, but we did see the other ram again. We just got lucky. We were about 350 yards away in open tundra on a steep slope. The sheep we had ﬁrst seen was grazing but watching us. After our ﬁnal movement, it put its head up and never again took its eyes off us. It did the most unbelievable act I could imagine: it bedded down, right there.

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Josh handed me the rifle and asked if I could make the shot. There was nothing other than my left hand to steady the rifle. A partial mound blocked the back half of the sheep. We were a good distance away, but closer than most sheep hunters get. He also suggested we wait for the full curl to come by. After discussing it, I would have loved to have the full curl, but I hated to pass up the opportunity we had after all the work Josh twists around ready for action after a Dall sheep was spotwe had gone through. ted with the promise of a bigger This one was legal for me, herd of animals that were nearby. and I decided I wanted to (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM) just shoot this ram and not wait. Yet I did not feel confident enough to make the shot from that spot. So like ninjas, we literally crawled up the mountainside slowly – on all fours, stopping every few yards so as not to spook the bedded sheep. We finally reached a mound that not only offered a perfect resting point for my rifle, but a better

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view of the animal. The sheep was bedded down broadside to me – the most ideal position for a perfect shot. It was watching us with ears flicking as it listened to us sneak up the hill and whisper quietly to each other. There was minimal wind, and while I was 320 yards away, the farthest I had ever shot was 100 yards. At 320 yards, my bullet would drop 10 inches, and since I was shooting uphill, it would drop even more. Josh told me where to aim to factor in the distance and uphill angle. He told me if I missed and was able to fire off a second shot, to go ahead. But it was really to just focus on making a perfect first shot, because I was most likely not going to get a second attempt. “Take your time, and go for it when you’re ready,” he said. I put the crosshairs on my sheep but told him I needed to take a few minutes to calm myself before taking the shot. My heart was racing, my breathing shallow and quick, and if it had not been for the tundra mound to steady my rifle, adrenaline pumping through my veins would have caused me to shake in anticipation. Thirty seconds of trying to calm myself was only making things worse. “I’m taking it,” I whispered to Josh. I made one final alignment of the crosshairs on the sheep’s heart and exhaled. At the end of my breath, I pulled the trigger. The rifle cracked as the bullet shot out of the barrel, echoing through every mountainside and canyon wall in the pass. The sheep instantly stood up, turned 180 degrees and trotted to a

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

Erica is a happy hunter after she realized her shot was the fatal one for her ﬁrst Dall sheep. (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM)

hillside where it had bedded down, about 350 yards away. With its tail facing us, I could not see if there was a bullet wound. I assumed I missed because it had seemed to trot away just ﬁne. I was brieﬂy perplexed why it didn’t take off running (neither did the rest of the herd). But I was too busy cussing, beating myself up and holding back tears.

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I WAS STANDING on my knees and just staring at the sheep. It felt like forever, but I know it was only a few seconds, if that. “I can’t believe I missed that shot!” I said loudly. Josh grabbed the rifle out of my hands, and in less than two seconds, aimed and fired. “You got him,” I said, somewhat enthusiastically, as I watched the sheep go rolling down the hill, head over heels. It was obviously a kill shot; there were no doubts the way the sheep had tumbled down and disappeared. I complimented Josh on his excellent shooting as we hiked up the rest of the mountain to get to the knoll behind where the sheep had fallen. We reached the knoll and headed down the other side to where it lay to make sure if was indeed dead. Josh said we should see what had happened to the rest of the herd since they hadn’t run off, and maybe try to get that full curl. We headed to the top of the knoll again, down the other side, and up the hill behind it. Josh, a Marine, of course was much further ahead of me. He reached the top as Darth Vader once again transformed me. Suddenly, I saw him drop to the ground and wave for me to get up there quickly. I stopped and tried to catch my breath so I wouldn’t scare what I knew was the herd on the other side of the hill. I finally made my way to the top, and there must have been 10 other sheep grazing on the backside of that hill. All were lambs or ewes, though. The full curl was nowhere to be seen.

We waited a few minutes and hoped he would show up, but he never did. Josh did not want to shoot an ewe, even one without lambs. With darkness quickly approaching and 5 miles to hike down, we made our way back down to the sheep to gut it. There was a shot straight through the back of the neck, near the base of the skull. That was Josh’s shot, which had killed him instantly, sending him tumbling down the knoll. I was still trying to ﬁght back tears as I took his picture next to his kill. I was so disappointed in myself. Josh had only ever hunted sheep once before, and while he was happy, he was more upset that I hadn’t been able to get my ﬁrst kill. We rolled the sheep over to gut him and noticed something else: another bullet hole behind the shoulder blade and straight into the chest cavity and lungs. I actually had made my shot, and a perfect kill shot to boot! The sheep didn’t run away because he couldn’t; his lungs and heart were destroyed. But having turned away from us, we couldn’t see the 212 Seal Face Housing

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blood and so assumed I had missed. But it just hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t died yet. Joshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot spared us from having to track a wounded sheep until it died. Now I was ecstatic considering this was my ďŹ rst kill, and it was a sheep, which we thought was the hardest animal to hunt. We gutted the sheep quickly, as it was getting dark fast and the temperature had dropped. We were not exactly prepared for a kill, however. We did not have game bags, meaning we could not cut up the sheep. We had no way to carry it the 5 miles down the mountain. Being the Marine that he is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the wonderful man that he is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Josh lifted that sheep onto his shoulders and around his neck and started hiking down the ravine. I grabbed the riďŹ&#x201A;e and the shotgun. It was a long hike for me, as those weapons got very heavy after a while. But I looked at the person ahead of me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Dall sheep slung over his shoulders â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and reminded myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could be carrying that sheep.â&#x20AC;? I continued on without complaint. Finally, we made it back to the truck about an hour before darkness hit.

WHEN IT WAS time to say farewell to this memorable trip, most of our stuff was already packed, but we gathered what few things were still out and headed home. It was another beautiful evening, and we sat for a little while at a lake during sunset and hoped to see a moose. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. The wind picked up and it became quite cold, so we opted to head back to Glenallen in hopes that we could get a good meal at the Caribou Lodge before they closed. Well, they closed before we got there, so we ate some gas station food. We ďŹ nished the rest of the journey without incident and spent the rest of our Monday de-tundra-izing all our gear. Honestly, I think we brought back half the tundra with us. We hosed off trucks, rinsed out gear and with screwdrivers and our hands, literally peeled away tundra plants and mud from the four-wheeler. It was at that moment we realized what an adventure we had had. Oh, and for dinner that night I made a delicious Dall sheep roast served with potatoes and veggies. ASJ

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1 7 17

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o matter what time of year you decide to travel to Alaska, the Last Frontier tantalizes you with a unique seasonal experience. Want to experience a bitterly cold winter? Bring layers of clothing, a fishing rod and catch giant trout and northern pike from a lake’s ice hole. Do you prefer warmer weather and almost around-the-clock daylight? Summer’s bounty of trout-filled streams await anglers. What about the summer-to-fall transition? That’s going on right now in Alaska. The final salmon runs are still in play, but the big attraction in fall is hunting season. Whether you want to glass for Sitka blacktails on the Panhandle or stalk bulls (moose and caribou) in the Interior, after a hot summer – at least by Alaska’s standards – an autumn hunt in crisp conditions is one way to cross off your bucket list. ASJ

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HUNT CAMP SET-UP: REMEMBER THESE 3 W’S

Protected against the weather by a bank of alders, from bears by electric fencing, and out of the path of running water, this Alaskan hunting camp is good to go. (RUTH CUSACK)

WEATHER, WILDLIFE AND WATER SHOULD BE YOUR THREE BIGGEST CONSIDERATIONS WHEN DECIDING WHERE TO STRIKE A TENT WHILE HUNTING THE BACKCOUNTRY BY RUTH CUSACK

n the spring of 2014, we headed to the coast of the Alaska Peninsula to hunt coastal brown bear. It was a fairly bumpy ride across the Shelikof Strait from Kodiak Island, but our pilot did a great job of managing the turbulence and successfully landing into a 35 mph headwind. Once landed it was all we could do to anchor the plane and unload, but we jumped out, grabbed gear, off-loaded and stacked our stuff as quickly as possible. We then waved goodbye to our good friend and pilot Roland for the next 15 days. It was about then that I remembered where we were: the Alaska Peninsula, hailed by some as the land of the smoking giants and well known for its rugged beauty, long list of active volcanoes and home to some of the largest salmon runs and brown bear in the world. The Peninsula, which is well known for its coastal winds and frequent storms, makes picking the right base camp location as important as remembering to bring ammo. This could mean the difference between having a great

hunt and chasing your base camp down the beach. I usually do my best to find a flat location with some sort of a windbreak to protect our camp from the predominant wind directions, usually a bluff, mountainside or clump of alders. We find our spot and after a few branch trims, and tent and bear fence set-ups, we are home sweet home and ready to begin searching the area for signs of bruins. Later that night while we were having dinner, our hunting partner, Andrew, asked why we had picked this particular spot to camp and what we looked for in a good site? It’s a really good question, and for us the answer is what we refer to as the 3 Ws: weather, wildlife and water, in that order.

WEATHER When hunting and picking a campsite on the Alaska Peninsula, where the same 40-foot waves seen crashing across the bows of the boats on TV series The Deadliest Catch slam against the shoreline, you have to consider prevailing winds and storm patterns. aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

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Not all hunting areas in Alaska require protection from extreme weather. This camp on open ground is well north of the Arctic Circle, where severe wind and rainstorms are not common during big game seasons. (RUTH CUSACK)

In a place like this protection from the elements is a key part of picking a good location. You have to remember that if the weather turns and a storm rolls in, you will have to be prepared to ride it out, and unless you are in a life-threatening predicament, help is not going to come your way. A great tent by itself will not withstand these types of conditions. You have to have a great tent in an ideal location. On this hunt we spotted a location which was ﬂat and just along the edge of some alders with large overhanging limb. We always carry a saw with us, and by cutting these limbs, we created a ﬂat opening which was protected by the alders on either side of our site and we were able to stack the limbs as a windbreak for additional protection.

Another weather pattern we have to consider on a coastal hunt is the tide. Alaska has huge tide patterns and some areas have swings of up to 30 feet. A tide book or a GPS with tidal information can come in pretty handy. Just because your camp is dry today doesn’t mean it won’t be soaking wet a couple days down the line if there’s a big high tide. Our mountain goat hunt was another example where weather must be considered when selecting a camping location. We hunt on Kodiak Island in late October, when big wet storm patterns are a frequent occurrence. These storms have a tendency to blow in from the east, and our dropoff is on an alpine lake on top of a big valley, which is laid out east to west. It riﬂes in those easterly storms like a bullet through a gun barrel. Unfortunately, this location does not have any trees and few resources for building a break, but we have been able to ﬁnd and set up behind a little knoll, which gives us shelter from the brunt of those big easterly winds. Without this barrier we would have been in a heck of a bind in 2009. A big easterly front blew in with 45 mph sustained winds, gusts up to 65 mph and the most rainfall ever recorded in a 24-hour period. Great camping weather (youtube.com/watch?v=PylrnSDprIM).

WILDLIFE The second biggest factor that we consider when selecting a campsite is mostly in consideration of bears. A good friend and a local bear knowledge expert on Kodiak Island participated in the investigation following the 2003 Timothy Treadwell fa-

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tal bear attack. He once told us that campsite location played a big factor in the attack; bears literally had to walk through Treadwell’s camp and around his tent when traveling to and from their feeding area. It’s never a good idea to set up a camp that will interfere with wildlife movements. One well-known fact is that bears have a tendency to walk the exact same trail you do. There are places on Kodiak Island where bears have worn individual step holes in the side of a mountain from centuries of placing their feet in the very same spot. We always look for a spot that is well away from any game trails. We usually try to set up with the front of the tent facing a good view of game trails, and glassing areas with the back and sides if possible. We try to get backed up to some sort of blockage or cover where any animal coming into camp will make a lot of noise before they reach our site. It’s just a precaution that has always served us well. On the peninsula we had a big bear walk right by camp while we slept; we could see where he just moseyed on by without even one step in our direction. In the fall of 2014 we had a bear encounter during our blacktail deer hunt on Kodiak Island. The bruin entered camp from behind our campsite, but we knew he’d been coming in a long time before we actually saw him. We were prepared well before he reached our camp and we successfully ran him off, but to say there were a few excited folks in camp would be a serious understatement (youtube.com/watch?v=FfqTrP-Rhcw).

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Usually hunters seek out game trails, but well-worn bear paths in the area are one sign of potential problems when trying to pick a spot to set up your hunting camp. (RUTH CUSACK)

WATER Last but not least of the things we look for is a good source of fresh water. Our least favorite camp chore is to pack water any

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Picking a campsite near a good water source is another example of where weather can become a big factor, especially when hunting near a river system or during the late fall. A couple days of steady rain can ﬂood river drainage or turn a small mountain stream into a raging river. (RUTH CUSACK)

A happy camp after a successful blacktail hunt on Kodiak Island. (RUTH CUSACK)

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distance. Life is good if we can find all of the abovementioned weather and wind advantages near a ready source of H20. Since most of our water sources tend to be mountain streams or river drainages where wildlife has a tendency to travel, we will generally try to find a location which is close, but not next to a water source. Picking a campsite near a good water source is another example of where weather can become a big factor, especially when hunting near a river system or during the late fall. A couple days of steady rain can flood a river drainage or turn a small mountain stream into a raging river. In 2009 and again in 2011 – when our tent became closer to a waterbed than a tent site – placing our camp played a big factor. In both of these cases, we had to deal with a lot more water than anyone would reasonably want to sign up for. But had we set up in any other location instead of the one that merely offered water running under the tent and mud pies in the vestibule, we would have had a much more severe problem. We would have had water in the tent. These are the variables that we take into consideration when picking a camp site. When you decide to do an Alaskan remote wilderness hunt, it’s usually going to be 10 to 15 days in a land that’s beautiful yet unforgiving. It’s in the land where, if you don’t bring it, you don’t have it, and if something goes wrong, it’s all on you. Taking the three Ws into consideration could help you enjoy an adventure of a lifetime without the added adventure of an emergency rescue. ASJ

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Some hunters like to glass mountain meadows for bruins, while others prefer the selectivity that a bait station offers. (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM)

WAITING FOR A DINER BEAR BAITING STATIONS CAN ATTRACT HUNGRY BRUINS BY ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM

e set up a bear baiting station about 2 miles up our trapline outside Tok, Alaska, this past spring. My dad was visiting from California and helped us put in the station, and even sat and watched for a black bear with us multiple times. It would have been awesome to get a bear while he was here, but naturally, it didn’t happen. A few weeks later, we hoped our luck would change.

MY HUNTING PARTNER, Josh, and I were sitting at the station at about 7 a.m. I was in the single-person tree stand

about 25 feet from the bait barrel, while Josh sat hidden in a clump of trees below me and slightly to the right. The signs were good. The site had been very active; according to our game camera, six different black bears were frequenting it. The trails coming into the station were heavily traveled. We had been watching for a few hours when I spotted a black bear behind where the game camera was set up. I could not believe an animal that big could walk so silently through the forest. I never hear a bear coming in; I always see it ﬁrst. After a few minutes of cautious sniffing, it approached the barrel ﬁlled

with popcorn, dog food, blueberry syrup and molasses, plus fish carcasses. I aimed for the heart with my rifle, the crosshairs of my scope shaking in anticipation. The bear put its two front feet on the sideways barrel as I took a deep breath. My hand was now steady. Boom! The sound of my shot echoed through the trees. I was startled when my bear suddenly went crazy instead of dropping dead. It was biting towards its back end, flopping over backwards as it ran below my tree stand. Josh ran up the ladder to get out of its path as it thrashed through the trees behind us. We waited about 45 minutes from the time the crashing stopped before we went to look for the bear. We followed the small blood trail to a clear-

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Bear hunters prepare a bait station. Wildlife managers require that stations be registered with the state. (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM)

ing in the woods where it pooled and abruptly disappeared. No blood, no bear. We combed the entire radius, even

looking up into the trees, but to no avail. I was in tears at the thought that my bear was hurt badly and suffering. I am a good shot, and at

that range I know I hit it in the chest, although I was shocked it was not dead. After a few hours of searching, we gave up. The bear was nowhere to be found.

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BACK AT THE station, we examined the barrel and found where the bullet had grazed it, meaning my shot had been very low and off-target. My scope had been jarred at some point on the rough trail to the station, causing my aim to be signiﬁcantly off. I was still distraught as I climbed back up the tree stand. I had my shotgun rather than my riﬂe this time. It wasn’t long before we had another visitor. Just over an hour had gone by when I spotted a large black bear that came up over the ridge behind the station. He stopped and stood, then turned around and disappeared in the trees, following a game trail that led along the ridgeline. I saw him again meandering down a second trail towards the station. He stopped and sniffed around, and then he turned and went back to the top. I saw him reappear along a third game trail behind Josh across from the main trapline trail. The bear stood and watched. The wind was blowing, causing the

ABOUT BEAR BAITING Alaska’s spring bear baiting season runs through either June 15 or the end of the month in most of the state’s game management units. Any bear bait station must be registered with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and, of course, the owner of the site must have a valid hunting license, certificate of completion for the ADFG bear bait class and required bear tags. At the station, signs must clearly be posted that the site is an active black or grizzly bait station, along with permit number and hunting licenses. An active bait station is a dangerous area to be around, and although we were hunting in a very remote area of GMU 12 (Tok), there is always a possibility someone may stumble upon the site. The regulations state that the site must be 1 mile away from houses and a quarter of a mile away from any maintained road; we were in the middle of nowhere and had no problem there! In GMU 12, our limit was three black bears each, and grizzly bears were legal to take at a bait site in that unit. There are several units in Alaska where grizzly bears can be taken at a black bear site, but not all (check ADFG’s hunting rules booklet for details). With all of our bases covered, we researched and asked around for tips from experienced bear hunters. Everyone we asked had their own “no-fail bait,” and we chose a concoction of popcorn and dog food smothered in molasses and blueberry syrup with an odd fish carcass from when the fishing was good thrown in. The season opened April 15, but we were not able to set up the site until midMay due to the amount of snow on the ground. Once the snow was almost gone, we set up a game camera in a nearby tree, smearing blueberry syrup in the area, waiting for bears to appear. When we saw bears on the camera, we knew winter hibernation was over and we were ready to set up the site. - EA

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BEAR SPRAY 101 No doubt that Alaskan anglers and hunters share their outdoor paradise with bears. So there’s a decent chance you’ll spy a bruin and very likely nothing will happen but a magniﬁcent view of wildlife. But bear encounters sometimes lead to bear attacks. Why, when and how should you use bear spray? The folks at Counter Assault (800-695-3394), which produces spray specifically to help repel a possible bear threat, provided these tips: * If you see a bear and it has not seen you, stay calm and quietly leave the area. If on a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly leave the area. If the bear has seen you, identify yourself – let the bear know you are human. Talk in a soft-to-normal voice; do not yell. * If the bear cannot tell what you are, it may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is curious, not threatening, but this is a good time for a ﬁrst short (one-second) burst of spray, which may send the bear on its way. * Bears often “bluff charge.” Since it’s impossible to tell a bluff charge from the real thing, a short, one- to three-second spray blast should interrupt the charge. Do not run – including to the nearest tree, unless you are sure you can climb at least 10 feet before the bear reaches you. * Any scent may attract bears, but there is no conclusive evidence by bear experts that bear spray does or does not attract bears. This issue came to light due to the improper use of bear pepper sprays. Bear experts all agree that bear pepper spray, when used correctly, is the best defense against an aggressive bear. It must be airborne to work. * Only a small amount of spray is usually needed to resist aggressive behavior. We recommend using short bursts (a half to two seconds) as opposed to a long, continuous spray. * The sound made by the atomized fogger blast of spray will frequently startle the animal, as it is not a familiar noise. Sometimes this is enough to chase it away. For more detailed info about Counter Assault, check out the company’s website, counterassault.com. ASJ

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The author perches in her tree stand while awaiting a bear. (ERICA ROSE ABDULKAREEM)

trees to sway, and with every gust my tree stand creaked. The bear was overly cautious and I knew Josh had no view of it, but I had no way of warning him without spooking the already nervous creature. I would wait and see. What I did not know was that there

was a second bear behind me, out of my view due to the trees. Another game trail led out of the woods directly below and behind my station, directly behind Josh. This second bear was here, coming out of the woods. It had a gash in its fur along its side. It was the bear I had

shot earlier, apparently wanting to ﬁnish its breakfast. The bear approached the clump of trees, testing the air, stretching his nose towards Josh. It was 4 feet away from him as he moved, readying his gun. This movement spooked both bears. I watched the one I had spotted

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turn tail and run into the forest, and Josh watched as my bear did the same. Not even a half-hour went by before a smaller bear decided to check out the menu at the barrel. Not as cautious, he sauntered right up to the ﬁsh carcasses thrown behind the barrel. One very important lesson we learned is to pay more attention where we threw bait. The tree that the barrel was tied to and a dead tree trunk were blocking my view. I never had a good shot at this bear. All that we ever saw was either its small head or its rump, never-kill zones. For 45 minutes we watched the massive critter daintily pick at the ﬁsh carcasses, lick its paws clean, relieve itself and saunter up the trail the same way it came. Talk about frustrating!

A LITTLE WHILE later, a fifth bear poked its head out of the woods and walked down the trail where the last bear had lain down and eaten the fish. It plopped itself down with a fish between its huge

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paws and started eating. This bear was much smaller, however, and as I had my shotgun’s bead sight aimed at its heart, I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bear didn’t ﬂee as the other one did. It rolled over, instantly dead, never once feeling pain. My shot, deadly accurate, went through its spine, severing it instantly, and going straight into the heart. This is how hunting should be, and the perfection of this made up for the trauma of my ﬁrst shot earlier that day. Josh and I both knew it was dead immediately, but we waited about 10 minutes to make sure. We gingerly approached the bear, keeping a watchful eye in the woods surrounding us for more bruins. They sneak up out of nowhere, no matter how watchful you are.

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station, we had to move fast. I quickly snapped a picture, although I regret not taking a few extra seconds to get a better image. Had another bear emerged, however, I probably would have been grateful I had not. Josh took my picture as I posed with my bear and then we began gutting it as fast as we could, always watchful and fearful another would sneak up on us. My bruin was average: most Interior black bears average 5 to 6 feet long. He was a young male, about 2 years old, and exactly 5 feet in length. He was thin since hibernation had just ended and food was scarce. Regardless, I had ﬁnally killed my bear. Being such a young one, the meat was tender and absolutely delicious, as we would discover later. Oddly, we never saw another bear after that. Our game camera had been eaten by a bear a few weeks prior, but although we frequented the station, the bait was never touched again. We learned some valuable lessons and had so many stories to tell, plus meat in our freezer and a beautiful fur hanging on the wall. ASJ

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NO SYMPATHY FIND YOUR OWN

DANG SPOT BY STEVE MEYER

here are so many social media and websites with hunting-related forums and the like that there is a segment of Internet users out there who express displeasure that hunters generally don’t reveal their “secret spots.” Along with this group are ones vehemently in opposition of those who, on rare occasions, do reveal their special hunting places. Never mind that the secret information is probably a ﬁgment of the author’s mind. Most hunters who have been around for a decade or two have probably, in trying to help young or beginning hunters out, seen places they shared turn into the equivalent of the crowded mall parking lot once the recipient of the information spewed it out to everyone they knew. Not always, but more often than not. It’s just human nature – the ability to actually keep a secret is damn near as scarce as the passenger pigeon. When was the last time someone said to you, “So and so told me not to tell anyone, but I am sure they didn’t mean you,” and then told you the secret? So it goes, and so go many places that once were quiet and free of the constant buzz of human activity assaulting the landscape. I ﬁnd it funny that there are not that many more hunters in many places, and even less hunters in some places than there ever were. Yet every accessible spot is inundated with people during hunting season. That, in a nutshell, is

why experienced hunters are reluctant to provide specifics beyond vague descriptions such as a lake, river or mountain when talking about where they hunt. Here’s the thing about hunting spots: finding great places where experienced, hard-working hunters take game year after year is, it seems, easy on the surface. Finding a spot is one thing – you can follow hunters around and figure out where they hunt – but it isn’t about just knowing where. It’s knowing the country. It’s taking the time to build a relationship with the area, figure out the topography with boots on the ground and learn the habits of the wildlife that lives there. It’s finding areas that have the critical elements for wildlife survival – food, water and shelter – and getting to know how animals use them. Most of the time it does not require long distances of travel. Over the years, the folks who spend a lot of time hunting close to where they live and who are able to be in the country a lot have great success. A significant part of guide and outfitter success can be attributed to the fact that they spend so much time in and pay attention to the areas they hunt. Alaskans are blessed with an astonishing amount of public land open to hunt. Millions of acres of federal and state land beckon to those willing to get on the ground and figure it out. Of course, there are some regulations determined by the various management agencies responsible for public lands, and one needs to check before assuming anything. Some areas allow motorized access and some do not; some have different regulations for how meat is tended or utilization of antlers is regulated, etc. Plenty of areas are now limited to drawing permits or registration permits for various species. When exploring new ground to find “your spot,” plan on at least one scouting year getting to know the country. Certainly one can be successful the

first year, but if not and all the signs suggest the area is good, you’ll be ahead of the game the next season. Keep in mind that public land is just that – public. That means everyone has the same right to access and utilize it. Having your own hunting “spot” on public land is not really possible. Other hunters can hunt the area you “found” and there isn’t much you can do about it. Hunters accessing areas used by guides and outfitters are sometimes subject to intimidation by those who like to think it belongs to them. It doesn’t. Again, public land is open to everyone; generally speaking, the way it works is first come, first served. If another hunter or hunters are already in the area you planned to hunt, then common courtesy suggests you move on. A downside to chartering a fly-in trip to a specific spot can be company you didn’t plan on. Either have a backup plan to go to another spot (usually costing more money) or try to figure a way for both parties to hunt the area without being in each other’s way. It isn’t anyone’s fault, just a reality of public land hunting. Fortunately, we have so much public land that having an area to yourself is not that difficult to come by. With Google Earth in reach of most everyone these days, it is easy to look at country from a bird’s-eye view and have a reasonable idea of what new country you are considering actually looks like. It doesn’t take the place of scouting – looks from the air can be very deceiving – but it does give you a place to start. Most of us have a GPS unit nowadays, which will help keep us out of trouble in new country as well. How about doing yourself and everyone else a favor and forget about finding someone else’s spot and get out there and find your own? Not only will you likely be more successful in the end, you’ll feel better about the effort, which is such a critical aspect of hunting. Circumventing it suggests that perhaps another vocation would be better for those who do. ASJ

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FINDING

THE BEST RESORT LONGING FOR A LAST FRONTIER FISHING LODGE ADVENTURE? DON’T RUSH INTO YOUR DECISION

There are myriad choices of destinations for your Alaska ﬁshing lodge vacation. The author and his wife, Elaine Reale, caught plenty of Dolly Varden and rainbows at the Kautumn Lodge on the Mulchatna River. (TOM REALE)

BY TOM REALE

t’s an Alaska truism that to get to the really good fishing (or hunting or backpacking or camping, etc.), you need to get away from the road system. While knowledgeable and well-prepared sportsmen and -women can find some very good fishing spots near our highways, to get to the places that merit the “amazing” tag, you almost always need to fly in. The state is blessed with an abundance of backcountry fishing lodges in every corner of our outback. However, they are not by any means all created equal, not in their locations, their levels of comfort, their degrees of remoteness, nor their price tags.

Some lodges are more luxurious than others, but a middle-ofthe-road location like the Kautumn Lodge can be a perfect option for those who want less fancy digs but still great service and hospitality. (TOM REALE)

A COSTLY PROPOSITION The first principle of backcountry lodges is the expense. If you have to fly in, everything else at the lodge has to be flown in also, from staff to food to fuel to building materials, and flying is expensive. Av gas in the bush can run upwards of eight bucks a gallon, and airplanes, even small ones, use a lot of it. My wife and I flew into Kautumn Lodge (800-669-3474) on aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

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Just one of the perks of going to Alaska is the abundance of majestic wildlife, like bald eagles, and the potential to spot not just tracks (above), but an actual bear. (TOM REALE)

the Mulchatna River in July. This remote spot deep in the Alaska Interior was in some ways very representative of your “typical” wilderness lodge; in other ways, not so much. But our experiences here and in other remote locations can provide some insight if you’re thinking of burning

some Benjamins on a fishing trip. For example, our flight from Anchorage to the lodge – a 2½-hour trip each way – ran us just shy of $2,200. By comparison, that’s almost exactly what it cost us to fly to Europe last December. When comparing costs for your prospective trip, make sure what, if any, transportation costs are included. Some

places include your flight from Anchorage to the lodge, while others will only include the floatplane shuttle from the nearest hub such as Iliamna, King Salmon or Kotzebue – your flight to the hub is your responsibility. Pay attention to the fine print. Another factor to consider is the range of services, accommodations and levels of comfort available. Next to transportation costs, this will be the biggest variable in the equation. You can find wilderness camps with wall tents, outhouses and outboard-powered jonboats, where you guide yourself for under $4,000 per week. At the opposite end of the spectrum you can opt for a luxury joint, which features gourmet meals, cushy rooms, full-service bars, professional guides and floatplanes ready to ferry you to whatever nearby streams or lakes are hot on any particular day. These will run you a lot more – think upwards of nine to 10 grand per week, plus extras. And there are always extras.

A MIDDLE GROUND OPTION Kautumn is definitely in the middle of that spectrum. There’s a cabin with four guest rooms for the sports, and a main lodge building with the kitchen, dining room and a couple of sitting rooms. The guest rooms are smallish but very clean and comfortable, and each has its own bathroom with on-demand hot water, a definite touch of luxury this far from civilization. Meals are hearty and you won’t leave the table hungry. A definite selling point of the place is its location. For starters, the flight to 86

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As with many ﬂy-in lodges, expect that you might be overwhelmed from the view during your ﬂight, like this panaroma of Mount Redoubt on the way to Lake Clark Pass. (TOM REALE)

the lodge takes you through Lake Clark Pass, a stunning flightseeing experience in its own right. Just to get to the pass from Anchorage you fly over Cook Inlet and in between the Redoubt and Mt. Spurr volcanoes. Going through the pass you fly between sharp peaks and

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ridgelines and past glacier after glacier before you reach Lake Clark National Park. On the flight from Lake Clark to the lodge, you fly over vast tracts of wilderness, and I’m always fascinated by the patterns made by the winding creeks and rivers in this flat country. In

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steep terrain, the streams tend to plunge downhill at breakneck speed, cutting ever deeper into the ground. Here, though, every stream forms a unique pattern of twists and turns as it meanders through the tundra and taiga forests, dropping a mere 300 feet in more than 100 miles on its way to the tidewater. You can see in the vegetation patterns where the rivers have flowed in the past; how they’ve formed oxbow lakes where the main current has changed course; and how they’re reforming the landscape. When you’re on the river, you can see this process happening almost in front of your eyes. On the outside curve of river bends, the water is scouring away the soil and undermining the riverbanks. At every turn, spruce trees are toppling into the river in an extremely slow-motion process, and you can see trees at every conceivable angle as they slowly bow down and eventually fall into the water. Logs, stumps and all manner of woody debris are scattered throughout the river, making boat navigation a bit of a challenge. You can also see on the inside of the curve how the river is depositing the soil and gravel from upstream and building up the bank on that side. If you can look through the scrum of greenery, you can observe how the pioneer plant species are revegetating the land and progressing from grasses and flowers at the river edge to willows to more spruce trees farther back from the water. Maybe it’s just me, but I find this living hydrology lab to be vastly entertaining to watch.

GET AWAY FROM THE CROWDS This part of the Mulchatna River is very lightly traveled, and in our four days on the water we probably saw five other boats. This degree of isolation is not the norm on some rivers, especially in the Bristol Bay area. Some places have a constant buzz of activity on the water and overhead – everything from outboard skiffs and jet boats to barges and tugs on the river and enough air traffic to warrant a control tower. In addition, there are two other rivers, the Stuyahok and the Koktuli, within range of the lodge’s boats. This can be a real asset, especially when water conditions in the Mulchatna get nasty; the Stuyahok tends to remain clear and fishable even when the other rivers are the color of your morning latte. Our trip was a tad unusual in that we were between the major salmon runs in the area – too late for keeping kings and just a bit too early for the silvers. However, this timing was just fine with us. We already had our winter supply of fish in our freezers, so we could avoid “salmon tunnel vision,” relax and appreciate the surroundings while we fished for all the other species available. According to lodge owner Chet Benson, this is just the sort of experience he hopes to foster in more clients. “For someone who just likes to fish, not just catch chromebright silvers or kings, this is a great time in the season,” Benson said. “You’ll have great numbers and a variety of species to target, including sockeye, kings (catch-and-release after July

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The author caught this pretty rainbow trout during his trip to the Mulchatna River area in the Alaska Interior. A remote location like this means you might just have the river to yourself. (TOM REALE)

much benefit from their experience as possible. In addition to the nuts and bolts of fishing tactics and gear, we got plenty of information to pass along to other prospective visitors. Dan Holybee is in his second year guiding at Kautumn, and has definite ideas on how to make the most of your trip. “Don’t argue with your guide and outfitter. Get the gear they suggest, and assume they know what they’re talking about,” he says. “Some people figure since it’s warm in the summer where they’re from, it’ll be warm at the lodge. Big mistake. Little things like having the right clothing, hats and gloves can make a big difference in your comfort.”

PLAN WISELY

24), chums, Dollies, rainbows, pike and grayling.” We caught mostly Dollies and rainbows, with a couple of chums and grayling thrown in, and we even landed a wayward pink salmon, so variety was definitely the order of the day. No luck with sockeye, although we certainly saw scads of them. Our hopes of intercepting a precocious silver were never fulfilled, but it was hard to feel disappointed considering the numbers of fish we caught. Since we were the only clients in camp, we got to spend quite a bit of quality time with all three guides and to get as

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Another problem is making your airline reservations too close to your flights in and out of the lodge. Local weather is notoriously fickle, especially when flying through the Alaska Range, and delays of a day or even two or three aren’t uncommon. If your flight out of the bush is delayed and you miss your flight reservation home, it’ll add substantially to the cost of your vacation. Ross Wilkerson has been a full-time fishing guide for almost 20 years, and has guided extensively in Northern California and in South America’s Patagonia. He first came to Kautumn as an employee of The Fly Shop in Redding, Calif., to investigate the lodge as a possible site for the shop to represent as a booking agent. “After my first visit, I told them an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’” he said,

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

adding that his biggest challenge is to get people to understand that, yes, the fishing in Alaska is amazing – but at certain times. “Some people come up with the expectation to catch fish by the truckload all the time, and that’s just not realistic,” he said. “People see the pictures of huge fish and come up expecting to have to beat them off with a stick.” However, most people understand that nature has a way of stepping in and messing things up from time to time, and that there are absolutely no guarantees when it comes to catching fish, even in Alaska. On the positive side, some of Wilkerson’s most rewarding experiences as a guide have come from helping people to catch their first fish on a fly rod. “It’s a very different experience than using spinning tackle,” he said, “and helping someone to catch a 16-inch rainbow or a 10-pound silver, to get the cast just right and land a fish with fly tackle is just great.” Wilkerson suggests people look around liberally for lodges to visit, especially first-timers. “Ask lots and lots of questions, talk to people who have been there, the booking agent, the outfitter, and the guides if possible. Don’t assume anything – the better prepared you are, the better your trip will be,” he said. “If they don’t answer your questions to your satisfaction, try another lodge. And if you’re looking into a fly-out lodge where you’re shuttled to the fishing grounds by plane, make sure they have a good home water to

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 2015 | aksportingjournal.com

Elaine Reale poses with a Dolly Varden, the primary ﬁsh caught this trip since it was between salmon runs. If you’re not concerned about bringing home a king or silver, scheduling around peak salmon runs can still provide great ﬁshing. (TOM REALE)

fish. You don’t want to spend your time hanging around the lodge on days the planes are grounded by weather.” Finding and booking the perfect fit for your fishing style, expectations and budget requires a lot more than just Googling “Alaska fishing lodges” and sending in a deposit. Start your search at least a year in advance of your planned trip – you’re not the only one looking for the ultimate backcountry fishing experience. Look at lots of places, ask lots of questions, and keep your expectations within reasonable bounds and chances are you’ll have the trip of a lifetime. Spending time deep in the Alaska wilderness is an opportunity not to be taken lightly, but if you make the leap, chances are you’ll have stories to tell for years to come. ASJ

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Friends Jim Baker (left), Jeff Boulet and Derrick Focht enjoy a moment together riverside at Bristol Bay, where they spent a week enjoying great food, fantastic ﬁshing and a quintessential Last Frontier experience. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

This is Alaska, so you’re sure to see bears in your favorite ﬁshing spot.

Loading up for another ﬂy-out trip. (ALASKA

(ALASKA SPORTMAN’S LODGE)

SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

n July, I finally took the fishing trip of a lifetime to Alaska. Our host on this adventure was Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge owner Brian Kraft (see sidebar). My two friends, Jeff Boulet and Derrick Focht, joined me as we left Seattle and flew to Anchorage. Then it was 240 air miles in a twin-engine Beech over spectacular mountains, landing at the village of Igiugig on Lake Iliamna. And finally we arrived by boat to our destination, the posh Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge. This was luxury along the banks of the Kvichak (kwee-JACK) River in Bristol Bay’s fishing paradise. When you first see the lodge, you’re drawn to the docks, where

Jeff Boulet shows off a freshly caught Dolly Varden. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

a small fleet of floatplanes and river craft greet you. Above that are a half-dozen cabins and the beautiful main lodge. The lodge chef provided hungry visitors exotic appetizers before we enjoyed an all-you-can-eat dinner of New York strips, prime rib, crab legs, fresh salmon, halibut, shrimp, chicken and pork. Our fishing excursions included day trips by bush plane or boat to Bristol Bay-area rivers, lakes and streams. We hiked across tundra, caught our limits of king salmon along the Nushagak, and boatfished with fly and reel within – it seemed – reach of moose, bear and golden eagles. Because it’s Alaska, of course the weather was unpredictable. We aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

www arrived with a beautiful sky’s greeting, but the sun would eventually relent to a wet, cooler and windy atmosphere by midweek. Then we saw the climate rebound to where we started: warm and sunny summer days in Alaska. Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge provided quality waders and boots. Our guides, lodge workers and pilots were experienced, friendly and helpful. It was tough to leave that behind as we loaded our bags – complete with our limits of salmon – and trekked back to Seattle. -JIM BAKER

Sunset in one of the many watersheds making up the salmonand trout-ﬁlled Bristol Bay area. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE) Derrick Focht caught a lot of ﬁsh on this weeklong adventure. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

FROM HOCKEY TO HOSPITALITY Lower 48 transplant Brian Kraft came to Alaska to pursue his dream of being a hockey star, having played in college and at the minor-league professional level. But he stayed in the Last Frontier and eventually got into the lodge business, which is thriving today. Kraft he owns and operates several Bristol Bay properties: the Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge on the Kvichak River, Alaska Sportsman’s Bear Trail Lodge on the Naknek River and Bristol Bay Lodge on Lake Alegnakik (1888-826-7376; fishasl.com). We caught up with Kraft and he gave us a peek at some of the highlights of a Bristol Bay fishing experience. ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL How did you get involved in the lodge business? BRIAN KRAFT I am from the Chicago area. I came to Alaska to play hockey for the University of Alaska Anchorage. I stayed in Alaska in the summers and worked on the North Slope as a roughneck (oil rigs), and we worked two weeks on and two weeks off. I started fishing with my friends (I never fished before coming to Alaska, really) and fell in love with it and Alaska. My senior year I wanted to take my teammates for an overnight float trip on the upper Kenai River. There were no raft rental companies that would let us rent the equipment. So the following summer, I started a raft rental company. It grew rapidly and then people asked me to guide them on overnight trips. This developed into a float trip guiding company called Kraft Adventures. We would take people on three-to-10-day trips on remote rivers in the Upper Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay drainages. Two years later I heard about a lodge owner who got in trouble with the law. His lodge was seized and I cut a deal with the U.S. government to run the lodge for two summers while they figured things out. I was informed that the drug dealer’s attorney was taking over the lodge after the second summer, and thus during the second summer of operating that lodge, I asked every client I had through there what was important to them with regards to a fishing lodge. I tried, unsuccessfully and fortunately, to purchase three different lodges in the Bristol Bay area. I eventually found a piece of property that was strategically located on the Kvichak River. I partnered up with David Sandlin, who was a client of mine at the lodge I ran for the U.S. government. We began construction of Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge on June 23 1997, and had clients at the lodge on August 17 of that summer. ASJ Can you give us a quick description of what each one offers? BK Actually, I am involved in four lodges’ total. All four are run by quality people whom without we would not be successful. The lodges and the businesses have been built by

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After a successful day of catching kings, the next step is ﬁlleting them for a salmon feast. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

tremendous people over the years. They have genuinely cared and have done a fantastic job and continue to do so. The three lodges in Bristol Bay – Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge, Alaska Sportsman’s Bear Trail Lodge and Bristol Bay Lodge – offer anglers the opportunity to fish gin-clear rivers for all five species of salmon, as well as resident species such as rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden and Arctic char. The lodges offer deluxe accommodations, superb cuisine, a professional guide staff and an attention detail that is unmatched anywhere in the industry. Kodiak Sportsman’s Lodge (866-744-8777; kodiaksportsmanslodge.com) is located in Old Harbor on Kodiak Island and offers superb saltwater fishing opportunities for salmon, halibut, and lingcod. ASJ What’s the best time of year for someone from the Lower 48 to take an Alaska fishing trip at your lodges? The sockeye run? BK We are open from June 8 through October 7 at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge. All dates are very good with salmon runs at various times of the summer season. Anytime of the season is good. ASJ You always hear about these lodge experiences and eating well seems to be one of the best perks for guests. What can your customers expect for their meals? BK I call them 5-star, restaurant-quality meals. Filet mignon, crab, salmon, halibut, prime rib, game hen and duck (are on the menu). The food is very good and something you would find at any high-quality restaurant in a big city. It is amazing when you remember we are 240 miles from the nearest city and only accessible by air!

Enjoying some down time at salmon camp. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

ASJ Alaska has its share of environmental concerns with the Pebble Mine in your backyard, the Southeast Alaska controversy with British Columbia mines and oil drilling debates. But are you conﬁdent Alaska will never lose its charm as “The Last Frontier” destination, where visitors can get a truly wild experience? BK Yes, as long as there are people around who speak up and do not allow the politicians to make decisions based upon hypothetical best-case scenarios. We need to protect sensitive habitat such as Bristol Bay, and not allow development that does not allow for the preservation of that habitat. ASJ You also played some professional hockey with the Anchorage Aces and have hosted a lot of NHL players for ﬁshing trips. Is there a memorable moment with hockey players that you enjoyed. BK None that you can print!

It was a memorable week at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge for the guys. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE) 102

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ASJ How often do you get to enjoy the outdoor paradise around you? BK I fish quite a bit, especially in June on the Kvichak for big rainbows, then kings at our king camp and again in the fall for the rainbows. My favorite days on the river are guiding my wife, who loves to fly fish. We’ll go on the Kvichak and chase rainbows. ASJ

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The author battles a late October rainbow on the Kenai. Knowing salmon spawn timing for the rivers you trout fish is important for determining whether to use beads or flesh flies. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

BELIEVE IN BEADS FALL SALMON SPAWNING MEANS A RETURN TO TRIED AND TRUE TROUT METHOD BY SCOTT HAUGEN

eptember trout fishing in Alaska is unmatched. Now is the time when serious anglers travel here from around the globe, eager to grasp and release a hefty rainbow that’s measured in pounds and not inches. For nearly 20 years, fishing beads for trophy trout has continued to grow in popularity. It’s obvious that bead fishing revolves around the salmon spawn, and with five salmonid species – not including steelhead – that annually hit the gravel, there are plenty of egg-eating op-

portunities awaiting hungry trout.

CHECK FOR SPAWNERS The key to successful bead fishing comes in knowing when the salmon are spawning in the waters you’ll be fishing. If wanting to bead fish for trout in June, you’ll be hard pressed to find consistent success simply because few, if any, salmon are spawning in many Alaskan rivers at that time. But as July and August roll around, it’s time to break out the beads and get to fishing. Another key is making sure to match your beads with the eggs rolling around

on the river bottom. Because salmon eggs vary greatly in size and color, so too should the bead selection you plan to ﬁsh with. Sockeye eggs are smaller than king eggs, and pink salmon eggs are colored differently than coho eggs. Eggs that have been in cold water a while take on coloration that changes dramatically from when they’re ﬁrst deposited. Even penetrating sunlight will dictate egg color on any given day, as will silting factors in respective waters. To cope with this, it’s best to equip yourself with beads in multiple sizes and colors.

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PLANKING NOT JUST FOR SALMON BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

hen you mention plank cooking, most people think of cedar-planked salmon. Although it is one of the easiest, moistest, tastiest and cleanest methods of cooking salmon, don’t limit plank cooking to only salmon. Most fish and many other foods benefit from plank cooking, trout in particular. These fish take on an amazing smoke flavor when grilled on a plank over direct heat. Placing the trout, whole and slightly butterflied, skin side up, cooks them in a way that makes bone removal simple and effective. Whole trout can be marinated or seasoned with a dry rub prior to planking. When seasoning fish, just sprinkle with salt and pepper and use what you have on hand. Placing trout atop a bed of fresh lemon balm, chives, parsley, oregano, rosemary, etc., offers fresh taste. Or simply rub with your favorite barbecue seasoning. 108

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Plank cooking can be done on a grill, by an open ﬁre or even indoors in the oven (plank will not ﬂame or smoke if

kept under 400 degrees). Planked trout (whole) 1 cleaned trout Herbs and/or spices of choice 1 alder or cedar plank, soaked two hours in water or other liquid If using herbs, place them in a bunch down the center of the plank. Salt, pepper and season fish as desired. Open fish and place it skin side up on the plank. Push fish down so it balances “open” on the plank. Slice down one side of the backbone from the inside, if needed; try not to pierce skin. Place plank in a preheated 400-degree grill. Close lid and wait for plank to begin smoking or ignite on the edges – 10 to 12 minutes. Extinguish any flames on the board with water from a spray bottle. Reduce grill heat to medium-high and cook until fish reaches desired doneness (135 to 140 degrees). Continue to control smoke/flames with spray bottle as needed. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Plank Cooking, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or visit tiffanyhaugen.com. Tiffany Haugen is a full-time author and part of the new online series, Cook With Cabela’s. Also, watch for her on The Sporting Chef, on the Sportsman Channel. Trout can absorb a delectable smoke flavor when grilled on a plank over the direct heat of the grill. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

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Once eggs are dropped and milt deposited, the salmon die. As they die their bodies decompose; that’s when trout and Dolly Varden will switch from an egg diet to one consisting of high-protein ﬂesh. Flesh ﬂies are used for this, and again they come in an array of sizes and color variations in order to match what’s found in the river.

BACK TO BEADS

First, they feed on the abundance of salmon eggs, and then afterwards, trout key on deteriorating carcasses – like this sockeye’s – making ﬂesh ﬂies the go-to presentation, replacing beads.

As fall progresses, many of Alaska’s rivers receive an extended run of coho. They enter from September through much of October and even into November. This means they’re spawning later than other salmon, bringing the bite full-circle and back to the bead. “Bead fishing for trout can be every bit as good late in the fall as it is in summer and early fall,” shares fishing buddy, Mike Fenton, a guide and co-owner of Soldotna-based Fenton Brothers Guided Sportfishing (907-262-2502; fentonbrosfishing.com). Late last October, Mike and I hooked

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

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up for a day of fishing the Kenai. While I was intent on targeting the late coho that were stacked in the river, Mike was eager to get me on some big rainbows by fishing beads. “A few days ago we released rainbows measuring 29 and 30 inches, and a few others in the mid-20-inch class, right over there,” Fenton said as we fished beads through a prime riffle. A 30-inch rainbow this time of year on the Kenai will go 15 or more pounds, depending on how much food is in its belly. “A couple weeks ago flesh flies were the go-to method for trout,” Fenton explained. “But once the spawned-out pinks were left high and dry and this big push of coho entered the river, the bite slowly switched back to the bead.”

LOW-WATER FISHING The Kenai was at record low levels when we ﬁshed it, making it a challenge to navigate at times. But we caught trout every time we put our lines out, and double hookups were common. Most ﬁsh,

For specific rivers in certain situations, late-spawning salmon can turn the trout bite back onto the bead. Being ready to match the bead, or flesh, is important to fooling finicky, wise rainbows. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

both rainbows and Dollies, ran in the 15to 20-inch range, but it was the big trout we were after. I’d heard of 12- to 15-pounders, trout even bigger too, being caught with regularity over the previous two weeks, and that’s what we had our sights set on. I’d been fortunate to land a few big trout on the Kenai, but had never broken the

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15-pound mark on this river. Though I landed and released many fish, including one rainbow pushing 5 pounds, the big one eluded me. Not to say I didn’t have a chance; I did. The fish hit hard and immediately ran upstream. Drag screaming, I dared not force the fish. Then it surfaced, rolled and shook the hook. The hefty fish was all of 12

SEPTEMBER 2015 | aksportingjournal.com

pounds, likely more, according to Fenton. I had my chance, but missed. Nonetheless it was a great day, one that wouldn’t have been so productive were it not for the lack of flesh in the river and an influx of spawning coho that offered yet another bait option in the form of eggs. No matter where your trout fishing adventures take you in Alaska over the next few months, don’t overlook the value of beads and flesh flies, then beads again. Late-spawning salmon can open a whole new opportunity for trout fans; the key is knowing when it’s happening and having the right gear to fool the trout. ASJ Editor’s note: Signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, A Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, can be obtained by sending $38 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. The 455-page work is one of the most complete travel guides ever written for anglers heading to Alaska. It can also be ordered at scotthaugen.com.

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Paul Ferreira shows off one of many toothy northern pike that swim the waters of Minto Flats, a lessthan-an-hour plane ﬂight from Fairbanks. Catching a monster (40 inches or more) pike was the goal.

BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES

atching a trophy-caliber pike in Alaska is an angling goal I had yet to accomplish. But not for a lack of effort. I have spent many rod hours fishing in various top-notch northern fisheries in the Interior trying to hook a fish 40 inches or bigger. So I was motivated when a friend in Fairbanks, Ray Cebulski, extended an invitation to go fishing for a monster predator at his private retreat on the edge of Minto Flats. He also included travel plans by floatplane to reach the destination and told me I could even bring a friend. I was ecstatic! Pike fishing at Minto Flats was nothing new to me; the location had been on my radar before, having previously fished the waters multiple times. My firsthand experiences at Minto always yielded good results, including one banner day literally catching and releasing about 100 fish. The prolific body of water is certainly a well-known location for catching toothy critters by anglers all over Alaska, including my longtime fishing friend Paul Ferreira. Paul was more than ready to fish when I shared the news and invite for the trip. He had never ventured to Minto Flats, and just like me, felt intrigued by the notion of fishing new water. His only

(DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

THEY LIKE

BIG PIKE

TWO ANGLERS’ QUEST FOR TROPHY NORTHERNS BECOMES A REALITY IN A FLASH aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2015

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A Cessna 170G sits on the water at Minto Flats, a 500,000-acre wetland designated by the State of Alaska as a game refuge. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

reservation was about flying in a small plane on floats. The chance to bag a big northern pike (or maybe seeing photos of me with a big fish without him on the trip) encouraged him enough to overlook his uneasiness about the traveling arrangements. The hunt for Mr. Toothy was on!

RAY GAVE US instructions to meet his friend Lucas Altepeter at Fairbanks East

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Airport float pond. Lucas would be flying us in his plane to Minto, where Ray, who ran his jet boat there a day prior, was already waiting for us at the cabins. Besides being a pilot friend of Ray, he is also a joint owner of the Minto Flats property. I was eager and thrilled when I climbed aboard the Cessna 170G at water’s edge of the float pond. Although the tight space of the rear seat was nothing like a spacious G-6 private jet, I

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still felt like a high-flying rock star. I happily strapped myself into a seat harness, adjusted my headset for a microphone check and waited for Lucas to finish his preflight checklist. Paul had a bit more leg room sitting in the front seat, right next to Lucas’ pilot seat. But standing over 6 feet tall, he probably felt just as restricted as I did. The confined space of the small plane quickly vanished when Lucas suddenly shouted, “Contact!” Our flight time was short, just about 45 minutes in the air. Lucas flew us over the summits northwest of the Golden Heart City, announcing landmarks and points of interest along the route. Breathtaking overhead views of the wild landscape were out every window. Cresting the final summits revealed Minto Flats; we easily recognized the large bodies of water in the huge valley. A series of interconnecting lake sloughs and water channels covering over 500,000 acres, the wetland is formed and fed by several rivers and creeks. Lucas gave us a bird’s-eye view of flats by circling the perimeter of the refuge, then made a quick loop over the cabins where we would be staying. His final turn had us descending out of the sky, taking an approach slope to stick a good water landing. I couldn’t help myself as the plane made contact with the water, shouting out an energetic “Woohoo!” in celebration of our arrival. The flight was much faster than towing a boat up the Elliot Highway and along the bumpy Minto Spur Road (which is how I normally travel to fish there). Admittedly, flying in from the water was also fun and gave me a fresh perspective of the vast game refuge. Taking an aerial ride into Minto was a great way to kick off an adventure-filled fishing trip. Ray was waiting to greet us at the shoreline as we pulled in to anchor the floatplane next to his inboard jet boat, a sleek 22-foot-long shallow-running SeaArk Predator. Our host did not take long to get us unloaded from the plane and oriented with a tour of the remote property. Three dry cabins were spaced a short distance apart, with each con-

structed to provide a postcard view through windows facing the nearby water and mountains on the far horizon. The largest cabin had a front porch with several lounge chairs, creating a central gathering point for socializing. It was the perfect location to enjoy sunsets over the wildlife refuge. Paul and I were stoked at not having to tent camp or sleep on a cold boat for this ﬁshing trip. After seeing the entire set-up at Minto, I understood why Ray had snickered at my question when we ﬁrst discussed plans for a visit: “Do we need to bring sleeping bags with us?”

SHORTLY AFTER PAUL and I got settled in our guest cabin, our focus turned towards fishing. Ray seemed just as pumped as we were to get out in his boat and start casting for fish, so we assembled our fishing rods, grabbed the lures and loaded up in his jet boat to catch some toothy northern pike. I carried an assortment of bright-colored Kodiak Custom skirted spinners in large sizes. The shiny hardware flashed under the water when cranked on a retrieve, a proven choice for a hungry pike to bite. Getting a northern to strike would not be difficult, but catching one that went 40 inches or longer was still in question. Our first day out fishing gave us an indicator of how challenging it would be to find big pike. We tried several locations in the open-area sloughs and channels, but with a brisk breeze blowing, getting the fish to bite seemed very limited. However, everyone managed to catch and release more than a dozen pike apiece, all of which were under 36 inches long. Although no one brought in a super-sized pike, we did have a surprise guest show up. It was a first for me to have an Alaska State Trooper appear overhead in an airplane, make a water landing and pull aside the boat to conduct a sportfishing license check. It was a good thing everyone brought their fishing license; you just never know when you may be inspected while fishing in Alaska. Officer Hildebrandt and I actually recognized each other from a

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TROPHY PIKE AT MINTO FLATS

Large spinners were the lure of choice for Minto Flats pike. They’re best paired with 8-plus-foot, medium-heavy ﬁshing rods for better casting distances. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

sportfishing license check he conducted the previous winter while I was ice fishing. Go figure. The last location we fished seemed to be the most productive; it was a confluence area where a single silt-stained side channel drained into a clear-run-

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Minto Flats is a large wetland area designated by the state of Alaska as a game refuge. Located in the Interior region about 60 miles northwest of Fairbanks, the refuge sprawls out over 500,000 acres between the villages of Minto and Nenena. The habitat is rich with wildlife, including assorted waterfowl, big game, furbearers and a healthy population of northern pike. Visitors have a few choices for getting to Minto Flats from Fairbanks. Access by vehicle includes traveling north from Fairbanks to the Elliot Highway, and taking the Minto Spur Road to Minto Village (towing a boat and then launching at the shores of the small village). Avoiding the unimproved pothole-ridden road can be done by jet boat or floatplane. Jet boats with big enough fuel tanks can reach Minto Flats by navigating the Chatinika River, a tributary of the Tanana River. Flying is certainly the quickest and my preferred method of travel. The flight is only about 30 minutes out of Fairbanks and you can land right where the fishing is best. Our three-day experience fishing for trophy-sized northern pike could not have been possible without a gracious host, Ray Cebulski. Even if you don’t know a local landowner with a cabin, outfitters and small plane pilots in Fairbanks can be contacted for fly-in services for guided recreational activities. For those looking to make an overnight trip, there are even a few private cabin rentals available in the game refuge area, and some include a bonus flat-bottom boat for exploring and fishing. -DM ning portion of the Chatanika River. A deep hole formed at the confluence and the tall spruce and hardwood trees along the banks provided protection

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from the wind. We decided to make it a starting point for the next day.

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On my second cast, I plopped my spinner just past a thick silt line from the converging waters. I allowed the lure to sink a bit before I started reeling it towards me. Almost instantly I had an aggressive hit, so I quickly lifted the rod tip to set the hook and beltThe author (front) and longtime fishing partner in crime ed out a loud “Fish on!” Paul Ferreira work the waters for northern pike. After while feeling my line go catching several smaller fish, their time to wage a battle taut and drag start to with a monster fish neared. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) give. The fish was pulling hard, and the resisof events, gearing up and streaking tance was heavier than any of the fish I across the flats in Ray’s SeaArk to the had caught the previous day. I thought confluence. The promise of a new day to myself that this might be the one. felt good. Ray cut the engine prior to The pike stayed low and deep in the reaching the confluence in an attempt water, unlike most others we’d caught on to glide over the deep hole without disthe trip. Head shakes were huge, and my turbing any hovering fish in the water. sensitive fishing rod shook all the way I threw the anchor out on Ray’s comdown the spine to the cork handle, which mand, stabilizing the boat in a spot we I held with both hands. Everything kept could toss lures to the strike zone. telling me it was a big pike.

Ray grabbed a large net in preparation for the fish to breach the surface. I reeled down on the fat-bodied pike, encouraging him to the top of the water, but he wasn’t ready. The fish took one more run, taking line and doubling over my rod as he swam under the boat. He would try to escape, but there would be no getaway. I had waited a long time to catch a large pike in Alaska and was determined to bring him to the net. I reeled down and carefully played him to the surface, getting my first glimpse of this massive fish. I knew it would surely meet my goal. Without a sound, Ray instinctively scooped the net under the trophy fish and captured my prize. Paul and Ray helped me get an estimated length, snap off a few photos, and release the pike. At that point, anything else for me on the trip would be butter. Taping out the fish wasn’t an exact science, but I was happy with a personal-best northern pike at somewhere more than 40 inches. Paul started cast-

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Paul Ferreira outdid everyone with a 43-inch northern pike, which fought considerably before landing in the net. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

The author was ﬁred up about this big pike, which measured about 40 inches in length, his goal for the trip. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

ing again while I relished my moment. Celebrating my big catch was shortlived. “Fish on!” Paul said before Ray could even rinse out the landing net. Paul’s lure got slammed and his rod doubled over in an almost mirror image of how mine had looked just moments before. After catching several pike from the previous day, Paul had a good idea what the fight of a larger fish would feel like. “I think this one is a bigger size,” he

confidently announced while looking right at me. The pike stayed deep in the water and Paul’s reel ripped off several feet of line as he played the fish. Paul was locked in a battle with a big boy. He continued to pump his fishing rod and reel down between several short bursts until he was able to raise the fish alongside the boat for his first sneak peek. Here was visual evidence that the fish was indeed another fatty. When Paul reeled it close to the boat a second time, Ray went to work again with the net. A quick hoist under the fish with the hoop by Ray secured Paul’s jumbo pike. It seemed too easy; each of us had caught a trophy-sized northern

TACKLE BOX Targeting northern pike at Minto Flats can be accomplished with both fly fishing and conventional methods. Longer fishing rods allow for better casting distance and necessary leverage for larger fish. I recommend a rod length of 8 feet or greater, with medium-heavy action. Fishing reel considerations should take in account the need for large line capacity and proper gearing ratio for an effective retrieve. I fished an Abu Garcia 6500 Series casting unit exclusively during my outing and never had any issues. Large spinners were my preferred choice for lures. Bright colors in size 5 and 6 worked great on a 6-inch-long wire leader. The metal leader prevents the toothy pike from incidentally cutting your monofilament mainline. The lures allowed me to cover large sections of water horizontally and increased the odds of passing my offering near a hungry pike. Below is a short list of proven, trusted favorites I personally used on the trip: Temple Fork Outfitters Signature Series two-piece MH casting rod P-Line CXX Xtra-tough 20-pound-test fishing line Kodiak Custom Fishing Tackle GI Skirted Spinners in assorted sizes and colors -DM 124

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pike – one right after the other. It deﬁnitely was a case of being at the right place at the right time. We had a huge dose of luck. I helped Paul estimate the monster’s measurement. We clicked off victory photos and watched Paul revive the large beast just under the water. Paul’s thicker pike measured 43 inches. And we were both elated in scoring back-toback trophies.

FISHING STAYED PRODUCTIVE the rest of the trip. We caught many nice and healthy northern pike, although no other trophy-class fish were landed. We certainly made a good decision about fishing the confluence when we did. Fishing sometimes is about a chance encounter and everything falling into place at the most opportune time. Minto Flats is certainly no exception. My visit to Ray’s Interior paradise at Minto Flats was filled with lots of memorable Alaska adventure. Appreciation runs deep for his hospitality and generosity. Rewarding fishing trips inside Alaska hold a common denominator: In order to fly like an eagle and catch a big fish, it normally requires a little help from a big-hearted friend. ASJ Editor’s note: For more information on the fishing adventures of author Dennis Musgraves, Paul Ferreira and their friends, check out their website, alaskansalmonslayers.com.

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WHERE DUCKS &

GULLS FLOCK

BY CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM

was standing at the ruins of a duck blind that had been abandoned for the past few seasons. It would take some work, but the frame was there, and it could be made workable in a few afternoons. The thing about blinds is that they’re much like backyard tree forts – a place that is both an escape and a refuge. Coming into a blind after a haul through the marsh muck with a sled of decoys is as much a part of waterfowling as taking ducks. Add a retriever, a lanyard of duck calls, a bag of carefully groomed decoys, a thermos of coffee and your best friend, and it’s easy to see why the Kenai River Flats are loved by so many hunters, despite the fact that the birds aren’t exactly ﬂooding the area. It’s one of those niche places, a wetland between two cities at the mouth of a world-famous river that manages to sustain the smallest amount of its original capacity. There are still many species of ducks that stop over on the ﬂats. Teal, mallards, wigeon, pintails, shovelers,

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Canadas, snows, cranes and snipe can all be found in small numbers. The largest number of birds, however, is the only species that cannot be legally hunted: seagulls. I was reluctant to touch the grass my hunting partner had cut for the blind. I’d gotten over my initial squeamishness at crawling through marsh muck in pursuit of ducks, and I’d gotten over field-dressing birds. But this was the last straw – literally: a pile of last straws, covered in white seagull poo. Hundreds of thousands of gulls swarmed overhead, flying in every direction and into each other. There were also many gulls that couldn’t fly, and the ones in the air were frantically squawking and screaming over their young. The near-grown seagulls on the ground reached their necks out of the grass as creepy alien-looking birds. They stared blankly with prehistoric eyes and poo-covered bills. One of them vomited nearby. This is hell, I thought. Poo splattered down from the sky intermittently. Some hit my back. I could handle the rain, but when the weather forecast calls for scattered showers of seagull excrement, I’d rather stay under a roof. I braided some of the grass through the old blind’s chicken wire. The last time I was this disgusted I was in a real chicken coop. My grandmother was ill and asked my sister and I to gather eggs. At first I gently nudged the chickens from their nests. But after being pecked at five times for every poo-covered egg, I went and got a broom to defend myself. Looking at the sky filled with crying gulls I wondered at what point a locust storm could do more damage than this 100-acre chicken coop gone wild.

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Seagulls are said to have appeared like angels to cure an eighth plague of locusts that threatened the first harvest of Latter-day Saints, who were pioneering Utah in 1848. My inkling was that their presence adversely affected the duck population. I checked with a friend who works as a biologist specializing in birds. She identified the seagulls as glaucous gulls and confirmed that they are known to eat ducklings. Gulls are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, although their increased populations have resulted in property damage in the form of droppings, which can destroy polyurethane roofing materials. They’ve also been known to negatively affect nesting populations of shorebirds by direct predation on adults, chicks and eggs and by disturbing nest establishment, feeding and resting behaviors. It’s somewhat ironic that firing off pyrotechnic noise-making devices is a method for controlling seagull populations, especially since noise-making was the exact method they were using on me to keep me from hunting ducks. Even if it were someday deemed necessary to load my shotgun with cracker shells, the method by which pyrotechnics are discharged into the control area, it wouldn’t be the same as the art of waterfowling. When the blind was fixed up, it blended in well with the white-washed landscape. Some 20 yards away a pintail flushed. It stood out distinctly from the gulls – its wings beating faster and its neck outstretched gracefully. I’ve never seen a duck at a landfill or waiting for handouts in a fast food parking lot. They still visit the flats, however, despite the seagull populations, proving that they must love the place as much as I do. ASJ

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