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SPORTING JOURNAL Volume 8 • Issue 5 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 Paul D. Atkins, Danielle Breteau, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Jeff Lund, Bixler McClure, Krystin McClure, Jim Sessions SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Grifﬁn, Steve Joseph, Dave Marshell, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Michelle Hatcher, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines DIGITAL ASSISTANT Samantha Morstan 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 Ryan Littleton had to work hard for this mountain goat, including traversing a rocky and steep incline to reach the animal, but the Petersburg resident was all smiles after his hunt in the Ketchikan area. (JESSE KNOCK) MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 5

GOAT OF A LIFETIME

Three friends traverse the steep and rocky country above Ketchikan in search of a trophy mountain goat. When they ﬁnd that billy, however, it appears impossible to get to. Our Jeff Lund tells the story of how friend Ryan Littleton triumphed.

(JESSE KNOCK)

FEATURES 16

THE NINJA FROM UNALAKLEET The athletic skills of Nick Hanson were on display on NBC’s intense obstacle course reality competition American Ninja Warrior. And Hanson’s backstory was one of the most compelling of all the participants. A half Inupiaq from Unalakleet who has subsistence ﬁshed and hunted since he was little, Hanson has stayed in his predominantly Native village and coaches kids not just in sports but how to avoid the trouble that many youths ﬁnd there.

107 THE GUTLESS APPROACH “Quick, clean and gets the meat cooling fast” is how Scott Haugen describes the gutless method of big game ﬁeld-dressing. He’s got the cut-by-cut details, and wife Tiffany adds a recipe for slow-cooked neck venison.

A BABY AND A BULL You’re eight months pregnant, so how do you pass the time before your due date arrives? If you are as adventurous as our sailboat-skippering, Kenai grouse-trekking Krystin McClure is (and you get a green light from your doctor), you join your husband on a caribou hunt off the Denali Highway. Krystin, whose baby boy is expected to arrive at any time this month, shares the details of one last trip before she and Bixler become Mom and Dad McClure!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 37 Prince of Wales family loves its simple island life 87 Kotzebue muskox hunt 131 A fisherman’s journey to the river 139 Hunters helping hunters: Best in the West rifle system 153 Q&A with firearms innovator Layke Tactical

118 WHEN SILVER TURNS RED Winter’s coming, but Dennis Musgraves still wants to catch coho. Join him on a trip to the Interior’s Delta Clearwater River for frost-bitten, ﬁre-truck silvers!

DEPARTMENTS 13 The Editor’s Note 47 Protecting Wild Alaska: Purchase adds to Tongass NF 47 Outdoor Calendar

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

n chatting with Nick Hanson, an Inupiaq Alaskan Native who became a local celebrity from his TV run on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, I discovered he has two rather different passions: the taste of raw whale blubber and helping kids. In a lot of ways, these two varying perspectives define who Hanson is. As you’ll discover in our piece on Hanson this month, he’s proud of his heritage – he has run with the “Eskimo Ninja” nickname that followed him onto the NBC competition show (Hanson qualified for the final round after completing one of the grueling obstacle courses in Los Angeles). One of the fun events he participates in is the annual World Eskimo-Indian Olympics is the muktuk (frozen bowhead whale skin and blubber) eating contest. “Obviously you can’t just bite it off – it’s too tough with the skin of the whale and blubber. American Ninja Warrior contestant Nick You have to cut it Hanson hopes coaching and teaching in into little chunks his village will inspire other Alaskan Natives to avoid the problems so many kids and then eat it. I’ve encounter there. (NICK HANSON) gotten silver three years in a row,” he says with a laugh about his competitive eating skills. “It’s definitely different than eating a cherry pie or 100 hot dogs.” But Hanson has an appetite not just for what we may consider bizarre foods but also an insatiable hunger for making a positive impact in his community, which is refreshing during a time when tensions are running hot throughout America. He got emotional when sharing the story of his first cousin, a teenage girl who’s had kind of a volatile home life but has leaned on Hanson’s mentoring throughout the years. It moved him that, despite her hardships, the girl has always found a way to crack a smile. Coaching the kids in his village he’s made some breakthroughs, making it all worthwhile. “We were just on the Ninja course (we built) out here because she needed to get away. I said, ‘How about we do some training to be the next American Ninja Warrior?’ She said, ‘OK!’ So we went out there and I started teaching her to do the Salmon Ladder and she was really close to the top of the Warp Wall. She’s 16 years old and she has come a long ways,” he told me. “It’s really hard for me to boast about it, but she’s said that it’s had a real impact on her life. It’s changed her entire outlook on life, and she’s had some really dark moments and it was because of me that she’s come out of that thought process of, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’” We’re hoping Hanson changes even more lives in Unalakleet. –Chris Cocoles

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A NINJA FOR Nick Hanson, who has Inupiaq roots and spends most of his subsistence lifestyle in the village of Unalakleet, has become a statewide celebrity competing on the popular NBC competition series, American Ninja Warrior. (DAVID BECKER/NBC)

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R HIS PEOPLE

ALASKAN NATIVE NICK HANSON DOES SUPERHUMAN THINGS ON NBC’S AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR, BUT HE HOPES TO BE A SUPERHERO TO THE KIDS OF HIS VILLAGE BY CHRIS COCOLES

n Labor Day night last month, it seemed like everyone in Unalakleet (population 688) showed up for a watch party to see this Nome-area village’s favorite son defy the odds.

Nick Hanson, 28, appeared in the final rounds of the NBC hit reality competition show American Ninja Warrior, in which athletes attempt to complete rigorous obstacle courses that feature everything jumping, climbing and swinging. Hanson may be the most unlikely of survivors who’d previously qualified in various cities (Hanson completed his course in Los Angeles). Unalakleet can be a dreary and hopeless place for its mostly Native Alaskan population. But on this night, several of the local kids Hanson coaches in various sports were in the audience and watching their hero attempt to finish the course in Las Vegas in the first of a three-part finale. “A ton of the youth from Unalakleet all came, even without their parents,” Hanson says. “To see it and relive it on my own watching the show, but also to hear everybody’s reaction, that’s when you go, ‘This is really cool,’ because everybody in my village looks up to me. That’s when it really soaks in for me when I know I have so many supporters here.” The ANW courses, both the one he qualified on in Los Angeles and the one he barely missed finishing in the allotted 2 minutes, 20 seconds in the final round in Las Vegas, are a series of tests – mostly physical but also mental. Hanson, like everyone else who participates, is clearly an elite athlete capable of doing the extraordinary with his body. But that doesn’t change what a grind this exercise can be with the lights on and the cameras rolling. “You can’t really (think about) beyond the first obstacle, and if you do, you make a mistake,” Hanson says. “It’s like building a wall, because you’re excited about your (new) house, and then you realize it’s the wrong size wall. You’ve got to measure twice and cut once. That’s the way I approach everything I do. When I’m going up on these obstacles, I kind of have to relate them to stuff that I do in Unalakleet.” And much of what he does in his hometown is help the next generation accomplish his or her own version of American Ninja Warrior. aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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Life in Unalakleet, hard on the shores of Norton Sound in western Alaska, for Hanson includes working out on his own waterfront American Ninja Warrior course and having fun with friends (below). (NICK HANSON)

“OK, let’s go Eskimo,” shouts American Ninja Warrior analyst Akbar Gbaja-Biamila – as you’ll soon discover, Hanson is referred to as the Eskimo Ninja when he competes – as Nick prepares for some of the most grueling two minutes and 20 seconds of his life. He traverses a series of wobbly steps and then a sharp incline, pauses and channels his inner trapeze artist by ﬂinging himself from a trampoline onto the course’s “Propeller Bar” and then a Tarzan swing. He easily scales a few climbing obstacles. Two minutes to go.

HANSON’S NATIVE BLOOD COMES from his mother Davida’s side of the family; she’s an Inupiaq. His dad, Bret, is a non-Native whose mother and Nick’s “Nona” moved to Alaska years ago when she was battling cancer and worked as an artist. Bret graduated from high school in Barrow but has lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories before eventually meeting Davida in Barrow and settling in Unalakleet. Besides a stable family life, Nick had two major inﬂuences in his life: sports and subsistence ﬁshing and hunting. “The subsistence lifestyle is the way I grew up, I guess. Trying to look at it from an outsider’s perspective, I talked to (fellow ANW competitor Kevin Bull, a stock trader from Northern California), and he’s never gone hunting,” Hanson says. “And I’ve known how to treat and handle a gun since I was 5 and 6 years old; that’s when my grandparents were taking me out. I was taught how to handle a gun correctly and how it’s a tool and not a toy. It’s not something 18

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you messed with.” Hanson also learned at an early age to respect the natural environment around his people and how critical the flora and fauna can be to feed the village. There was always a sense of respect and honor to the big game he’d hunt or the salmon he’d catch over the course of the year to fill freezers with meat. “It’s a journey and an adventure to behold,” he says. His grandparents on his mother’s side learned how to hunt with a bow and arrow and spear – the tools of past generations – and it’s Hanson’s intention to do the same for his children and grandchildren. He remembered his first time at sea hunting ugruk, bearded seals that are major component of the Native diet in that far-flung corner of Alaska. These aren’t quite the adorable spotted or harbor seals you can watch frolic around local harbors in Alaska. Ugruk are massive pinnipeds that can grow to 600 or more pounds. Hanson still hasn’t harvested his first moose yet, having been on five different moose hunts but allowing someone else to fill that particular tag. “But I’ve been there to carry out those 250-pound hindquarters,” he says. “But I think the coolest thing we do here is egg hunting. We’ll go out on the 100-foot cliffs, climb up and gather eggs from the nests of seagulls and murres and bring them home. That’s our egg source. We just have to go rock

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He may be playfully smooching this salmon, but subsistence ﬁshing, hunting and gathering food has been a serious part of Nick’s life far before he was running through obstacle courses on NBC. “It’s a journey and an adventure to behold,” he says. (NICK HANSON)

climbing for them.” “It’s like a natural farm. If you think about what a farmer has to do - get up early in the morning and take care of the (crops), feed the horses and the pigs. Farming is a full-time job. Up here, we have certain speciﬁc seasons that we have to follow. Right now (mid-September) it’s the end of berry season, so

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you see a lot of people gathering, gathering, gathering. You go to work, and as soon as you get off work you’re gone until the sun goes down getting berries. Right now it’s moose season, and we’ll even skip work and take a day off. Our administration (at the school where Hanson teaches and coaches) will say, ‘Alright, you’re going moose hunting? Thanks for letting

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us know and we’ll see you when you get back.’” Salmon runs – usually kings, chums and especially coho and pinks – are obviously also a big deal when they come through. But what Hanson gets out of the notion that you can sustain yourself via the outdoors more so than rolling a shopping cart up and down the frozen food aisle is just how his people hunt. Rather than stalking an animal, Hanson says waiting for it to come into shooting range is the proper way to hunt. “We go to a certain spot where we know they’re around, and if it presents itself in the right way, then we’ll take it. When we’re out hunting we’re deﬁnitely going with a purpose. We want to make sure that we provide for our family and bring food home. But we also respect that if a seal isn’t giving itself to us, we can’t change that.” Hanson clutches a cylindrical-shaped log tethered to a rope and glides over the water hazard below, a potential swim no ninja warrior who has survived this far wants to take. “Well, shoot; now he better hold on here,” Gbaja-Biamila, a former NFL defensive lineman, says as Nick swings back and forth on the log, then lands safely on a mat, then stumbles ever so slightly before jogging across a small bridge where he can catch his breath again; 1:34 on the clock.

ATHLETICS HAS ALWAYS BEEN one of Hanson’s outlets to escape the vices that take down so many in Unalakleet, but it was initially more out of revenge than any kind of competitive juices pushing him. “To be honest, I’m going to get a little deep here, and that’s the only way I can tell the story” he warns. “I’m an Alaskan Native and my mom was born and raised with bloodlines coming from Unalakleet and Barrow. But my dad’s side has Italian in him, so I look white. Only if you look into my eyes and nose and facial hair, that’s where my Native comes out.” Hanson says his culture is rather young in the eyes of Western civilization. “The racism is still strong from both angles, and in my generation it’s only 22

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starting to heal, and that’s why they call us the Healing Generation,” he says. So here was young Nick Hanson, who was every bit the Native to those he grew up with in Unalakleet, but he looked like an outsider from the big city. That created tension and teasing within his tiny community. “A lot of the kids looked at me and they laughed because I was talking Native but was white. The ﬁrst thing I experienced was these two girls – and they’re really close friends now who I love dearly – came up to me and said, ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’ I was getting beaten up, the other kids thought I looked funny and was weird because I did my homework and wore rubber boots to school on a rainy day when all the other kids were so used to rain they just wore their tennis shoes.” The bigoted razzing got to be too cruel one day in third grade when Nick hit rock bottom. He sobbed all the way on his walk home, but for some reason had an epiphany. He was not going to put up with this anymore. “As a third grader that’s a big step to take. So that year, I started to play basketball. All I did was not care about anyone else and turned everyone else off except my coach. I listened to my coach, Steve Ivanoff, and did what he wanted me to do. And I did it.” By seventh grade, his court skills were so advanced he was practicing with the older kids from the high school. By then, Hanson was running cross country and playing volleyball. These days, besides his athletic TV prowess on ANW, Hanson has excelled competing in the Arctic Winter Games – he currently holds the world record in the scissor broad jump and has won multiple medals – and the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. “My competitive drive just grew and grew. And the roots were deep. I was trying to ﬁt in with the other kids, and when they saw how good I was at sports and how athletic I was, that’s when they would start to say, ‘Hey, Nick, how’s it going?’ And I thought, ‘This is my in.’ Then it took over, and that’s been my lifestyle ever since.”

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By the time he’d reach adulthood, Hanson wanted to be on the other end of the spectrum and help others get out of their shells. In Unalakleet – as Hanson painfully discovered – kids there often can’t get the help they desperately need. The course is unrelenting as Nick deﬁes gravity and any semblance of Newtononian logic. Another launch brings him to a narrow space between two walls, known as the “Jumping Spider.” Only the strength in his appendages keeps him from falling into the pool. He must work his way across the walls, all the while climbing higher in the process. Host Matt Iseman: “Not a lot of spiders up in Alaska, but no problem for Nick Hanson.” Again, a chance to exhale, but only as precious seconds tick away before contesting “Sonic Curve,” a set of six angled steps and then right into another swinging rope. The clock is under a minute now and the Eskimo Ninja knows he’s got to pick up the pace a little. It’s becoming clear that all the working

Nick’s skills include competing in the ﬁsh-cutting contest at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. (NICK HANSON)

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out he’s done back in Unalalkeet – not to mention his successful completion of his Los Angeles qualifying course – has served Hanson well. Next is running down a slope and running up a ridiculously steep wall to grab the top of and continue his quest to move on. His upper arm strength is somehow enough at this point to get up and over rather smoothly. The reward? A harrowing journey across “Broken Bridge,” something of a sprint through spread-out steps A few nervous steps later and ﬁnishing in the allotted time is looking feasible. “It seems like a lot of time left,” Iseman theorizes at the 32-second mark.

HANSON STUDIED CIVIL ENGINEERING at the University of Alaska Anchorage, but he knew all along that teaching and coaching other Natives in his hometown was a chance to make a difference through sport. Turning on that lightbulb above someone’s head is not easy – especially in Unalakleet. Kids here are terrorized by the demons of temptation and vice. Drug and alcohol abuse can be chronic issues. Depression is widespread. The Alaska Dispatch News wrote a proﬁle of Hanson and reported that six teammates he played high school basketball with committed suicide. “We had 12 players, so we’ve lost half. It’s tough to think about because I can look at those athletes and I won’t say any names, but some of these guys were the top basketball players in the state,” Hanson says. “One had the potential to be a point guard in college. He was the best player I’ve ever met.

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I played right alongside with him and was excited to be his shooting guard. And I was excited to get an outlet pass from him every time because it was on-point.” “It’s tough to see these guys make the choice to take their own life. It’s just like, ‘Why? You had such potential and you’re so smart. I grew up with you and know how smart you are.’ Why would you make a choice like that? You start thinking about it, ‘What’s going on?’ You look back and try to read between the lines with those guys and what made them make that choice. Obviously alcohol was involved, but, man, it just really sucks.” Of the substance abuse – drugs and especially alcohol – that has affected so many young people in tiny Alaskan villages, Hanson makes a valid point about the Native population. Again, it’s a young culture, one that just can’t handle the effects of being under the inﬂuence (a ﬁtness fanatic, Hanson abstains from alcohol and tobacco). This is not other societies, where taking a few – or more – drinks is almost acceptable behavior and in the DNA of younger generations. But the vices did irreparable damage to Native teenagers. Hanson feels fortunate he had responsible parents – Davida is a recovering alcoholic and hasn’t gone to the bottle in years – and the Hanson residence became something of a halfway house for Nick’s troubled friends. “I’ve had kids coming over to my house all my life – some-

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A young Nick Hanson turned to sports when his white complexion made him the target of bullying. Now besides his accomplishments on American Ninja Warrior, he has competed in the Arctic Winter Games, the World Eskimo Indian Olympics and the Native Youth Olympics. (BRANDON HICKMAN/NBC)

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times three at a time. We’d have kids sleeping over and we’d all just pile into my bed; we’d all just sleep head to toe, even on school nights. They would just come over because their home wasn’t working.” “That’s just kind of a normal thing out here in Unalakleet, where it takes a village to raise a child. That statement really does mean something, because my parents have helped raise quite a few kids. I know plenty of other parents in this community that are really great parents and they’ve helped raise (troubled children). It’s not the kids’ fault and it’s not even the parents’ fault because they got sucked into it and the trauma that they had in their own life.” And now that he’s an adult and coaching every sport that’s offered to the kids in the village, Hanson hopes his brush with American Ninja Warrior fame can make him a built-in mentor for struggling youth. He’s become heavily involved in an Alaska Department of Health Services organization, Play Every Day (dhss.alaska.gov/dph/PlayEveryDay), which encourages kids to get outside move. The ninja course Hanson and his buddies built along the waterfront in Unalakleet – a nephew convinced Nick to build it and pursue the show – is also a safe haven for many in the community. “You deﬁnitely have those moments where there’s one kid that you just say, ‘Come on – work with me here.’ And you get frustrated because that’s the way life is. You’re not going to

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have a perfect day every day. But on the day that they do click and you see that moment of ‘A-ha!’ in their eyes, you know it when it happens more than once that week; you made it click in that moment. And it’s that moment that I live for every day.” When you have to deal with something called the “Flying Squirrel” and time is ticking away, you know the degree of difficulty is ratcheting up. Holding on with both arms, Nick meticulously rolls back and forth, leaping from one set of bars to another, a climbing net waiting on the other side. He makes it, but with less than 15 seconds remaining, Gbaja-Biamila reminds that Nick has “to get high on this cargo net! He’s already staring to get a little tired.” A little tired? When he makes it onto the net, he has just over 11 seconds left to climb up and over and then reach a small catwalk, where a button must be pushed before the ﬁnal buzzer.

THE TERM ESKIMO HAS become a taboo subject for how to describe Native North Americans who settled in Alaska and Canada. To many, especially in Canadian circles, the term is a derogatory one and has been replaced with the term Inuit to describe Natives of the far north. The movement includes the U.S. as well. In May, President Obama went so far as sign HR 4238, legislation that officially replaced Eskimo with the term Native Alaskan. The controversy has not gone unnoticed for Hanson, who embraces his American Ninja Warrior nickname, the Eskimo

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Ninja (two of his cousins came up with the moniker). “But I am an Eskimo. Granted, it can be a derogatory term, but only if you use it in a derogatory way. The derivative of it is eaters of raw meat, and I’m not going to deny that; I’m in the muktuk (bowhead whale blubber) contest of eating raw whale blubber (at the Eskimo-Indian Olympics).” “But being offended by something, that’s all internal. When I’m introducing myself on the show I say I’m the Eskimo Ninja but I’m Inupiaq Eskimo. The term Eskimo Ninja caught on at the show. But (host) Matt (Iseman) did say on the show that I was an Inupiaq from Unalakleet. And we’ll slowly get to the point where we’ll be Inuit people and we won’t be Eskimo anymore. But right now it’s just a slow transition and it’s not going to happen tomorrow. But tomorrow is what Hanson is looking toward. He’ll surely go back to American Ninja Warrior, but he has a higher calling than the bright lights of the obstacle courses and TV land. Besides plans to get a master’s degree in math so he can teach the subject, Hanson is also pursuing a bachelor’s in Native Alaska studies. He can understand the Unalakleet dialect but wants to be able to speak it ﬂuently with the few old-timers who still speak it and then introduce it to the village’s youth. “It’s been an honor to represent my culture, and that’s the biggest wow moment for me,” he says of his celebrity status. “Another thing I wanted to show with my ninja thing is I want (village youths) to see that they can do something positive in

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“It’s been an honor to represent my culture and that’s the biggest wow moment for me,” Hanson says of being a role model to his village and hopefully inﬂuencing Native Alaskan kids. (NICK HANSON)

their lives and do something amazing. All they’ve got to do is set their minds to it. And if I can make that difference in maybe five or six kids per village and they can look up to me and change their ways, that’s going to turn into 10 or 15 in the next generation and then maybe everybody in a few generations.” The final countdown is on. As the Eskimo Ninja climbs up the rickety net the seconds are evaporating … five … four … three … two ... Coming from a place where the statistics don’t favor the locals, when he pulls himself onto the runway he’s just a few feet from achieving what seems like a statistical improbability. But then the buzzer sounds as he’s on his knees trying to get up off the mat one last time. “Noooo!” Gbaja-Biamila screams, his hand on his head in disappointment. Hanson’s agonizingly close to moving on but going home instead. Nick rests his head against the pole. But he smiles. Surrounded by what seems like his entire hometown of supporters (his family, his girlfriend Joanne Semaken, friends) he chats with sideline reporter Kristine Leahy. “I was just like, ‘Ah, frustrating.’ But I was there; I had it,” Nick says calmly. “If you fail, keep working – keep working hard.” Someone is listening to those words back home. Nick is sure of that. ASJ Editor’s note: For more on Nick Hanson, like him at facebook.com/eskimoninjaunk, follow on Instagram (eskimoninjaunk) and watch his videos at youtube.com/channel/UCjRYT67aAC9-dV12dsUBhwQ. 32

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ISLANDERS FOR LIFE FAMILY LIVES SIMPLE LIFE OF FISHING AND HUNTING ON PRINCE OF WALES BY JEFF LUND

ate Yockey takes two dribbles, explodes off two feet, turns in the air and reverse dunks with both hands. It looks easy. His dad Bill used to be able get up, but not like that. “I can still grab (the) rim; that’s good enough for me,” Bill says. “And I can still shoot.” He means “shoot” in every sense of the word. A few days

into August he, Nate, 17, and his youngest, 12-year-old Nevan, were roaming “his” mountain near the Panhandle’s Coffman Cove and came home with three bucks. In fact, on any given day after opening day, he’s out on the mountain with his sons looking for bucks, because Bill knows

being a real dad isn’t just living through his son’s dunks and jumpers.

LIVING RURAL To some, a place like Coffman Cove, which has fewer than 200 residents, would epitomize isolation – even though it is on the Prince of Wales Island road system – and foster the type of sheltered upbringing that would stunt the growth of a teenager. It also produces adults who stay after they graduate because they are afraid or are unprepared for the real world, another red flag among skeptics to this way of life. But don’t tell that to the Yockeys. “I definitely don’t feel like I’m missing anything,” says Nate, who plans to go to college and eventually become a teacher and basketball coach in Alaska. “I don’t get to see skyscrapers every day, I don’t get to go to McDonald’s or have fast food, I can’t go on a road trip because I live on an island, but I get to walk outside and breathe perfectly clean air. I can go hike up a mountain and see views that no one else in the world can even imagine. I can go hiking for a couple miles into the woods and stand somewhere that no one else has probably ever stood. So no, I don’t think I’m missing out.” Bill says it’s more a matter of being happy rather than trying to validate a lifestyle to those who have already made up their minds. “I never had much The Yockeys – Bill and Sara and their desire to move to the sons Nate (with Bill) and Nevan – are Lower 48 because of all content with their quiet existence living in tiny Coffman Cove on Prince of the people; I like to hunt and fish and don’t of Wales Island. (THE YOCKEY FAMILY) like sharing my hunting and fishing grounds with a large crowd,” he says. “I come from three generations of loggers and operators, so I had my mind made up what I was going to do by the time I was 20.” If anything, it was the absence of a down-south type of civilization that made Prince of Wales so appealing. Bill and aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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Sara lived in Arizona but chose to go back to Alaska after their youngest (Nevan) was born. “When we moved back to Coffman Cove is when I knew I wanted to stay on the island and raise my boys with the island lifestyle, the way I did when I was growing up,” Bill says. “Coffman Cove is where I was born and raised and I feel safe there. I like the feel of a small town and knowing your neighbors.” But it’s not easy. Most people see Alaska in weeklong stints. If the weather, ﬁshing and hunting are hot, it can misrepresent what it’s like to be a full-time resident. “Three months out of the year this place is heaven. The rest is just the prep for winter and waiting for spring and summer to do it all over again.”

trees and mountains. Nate says his parents allowing he and his brother to choose their high school made a profound impact. “Everything they do for me every day just so I can play ball and go to school teaches me determination,” he says. “With

CHIEFTAINS VS. PANTHERS Since Coffman Cove is on the Prince Nate Yockey (left) is quite an accomplished high school basketball player for the Klawock of Wales road system, Nate and Ne- Chieftains, much to the chagrin of his dad, who once starred for the archrival Craig Panvan were given the choice to attend thers. (THE YOCKEY FAMILY) whatever high school they wanted. However, Prince of Wales is the third largest island in the Unittheir schedule and driving every day to Klawock (52 miles ed States, where the miles between towns are ﬁlled only with from Coffman Cove) to drop us off for school, then going to

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work in Kasaan (63 miles from Coffman Cove, 43 from Klawock), just to keep the lights on teaches me not to give up, and there’s nothing that’s too much to do for someone you love.” Bill says the decision was a no-brainer. “We made the decision to commute over 200 miles a day with our boys to a larger school for social, academic and sport needs that they just can’t get in a extremely small school like Coffman Cove.” Though Bill is happy to provide his kids the choice of schools, part of him is hanging on to the past. “It was their decision to go to Craig or Klawock School; they chose Klawock. It was Bill’s love for the outdoors has rubbed off on Nevan and his older brother. “When we a hard pill for me to swallow, with Klawock moved back to Coffman Cove is when I knew I wanted to stay on the island and raise being my rival school. My wife, not so much, my boys with the island lifestyle, the way I did when I was growing up,” Bill says. (THE YOCKEY FAMILY) since she graduated a Chieftain,” he says. Smart choice, contends Sara. “Seeing them both in Chieftain uniforms for the ﬁrst time in the regional championship game on a last-second lay-up. I almost cried, so beyond proud,” she adds. “I didn’t play ball The author, a freshman at the time, was on the losing end of but was a cheerleader, and the Chieftain pride never dies. that debacle. Craig eventually lost in the state championship. Daddy is still settling into the red and black. I give him a hard LIVING OFF THE LAND time quite often – forever school rivals.” While the Yockeys don’t live off the grid, they certainly do live When Bill was senior, his Craig Panther team beat Klawock

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“(Sara) always tries to utilize all of our local resources,” says Bill. “Whether it’s for food or medicine, she’s always doing something. Berries for jam and wine, fireweed, clover and roses for honey, beach asparagus, putting up everything we can think of from the land and sea; deer, mushrooms, fish, crab, octopus, shrimp, clams, devil’s club, spruce tips, dandelion roots – too many things to name.” Sara says it was a process and took some work to fully make the most out of the local bounty. “I started studying our indigenous plants and their benefits when the boys were four and three months, then started harvesting and teaching my boys, even the biggest boy, Bill, what I was learning. Bill is the hunter and fisher who has taught us everything he can.” Bill never had to worry about being able to share “(Sara) always tries to utilize all of our local resources,” says Bill of his wife. his passion for the outdoors with his kids. They’ve “Whether it’s for food or medicine, she’s always doing something.” taken to it, but each in their own way. (THE YOCKEY FAMILY) “Nate likes hunting up high (in the alpine),” Bill says. “Nevan likes everything all the time.” off the land. Nate says there are lessons there. In addition to the natural garden, Sara tends her own, sup“The special thing about having my dad teach me how to plementing Mother Nature’s bounty with potatoes, cherries, hunt and fish is that first and foremost it’s teaching me how to beans and squash, along with other vegetables, spices and be independent, not only as a fisherman and a hunter, but as a herbs. They smoke fish, can fish and stay away from the groperson.” ASJ cery store as much as possible.

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ADDING 22,000 ACRES TO TONGASS NF BY CHRIS COCOLES ome of Alaska’s most pristine wilderness area is scattered throughout Southeast Alaska, and thanks to the U.S. Forest Service, you can add another 22,000 acres and change that is now public land. The Forest Service and the Shee Atiká Corporation agreed on a purchase agreement that will add to the total of an already 1 million acres that make up the Admiralty Island National Monument, part of the Tongass National Forest. The new land – the acreage will be converted in approximately 20-percent increments – represents what the Forest Service says is its largest transfer in the agency’s history. A U.S. Forest Service press release referred to the Tongass as, “The largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, home to large populations of brown bears and other wildlife and also critical watersheds for salmon and ﬁsh stocks.” “I’m pleased to ﬁnalize the purchase of Cube Cove and see these lands become a part of the Admiralty Island National Monument and Kootznoowoo Wilderness,” said Beth Pendleton, the USFS’s Alaska Regional Forester. The Shee Atiká Corporation is a Native corporation that has long been sought out by the Forest Service to acquire that portion of land, where logging was commonplace for almost 20 years through 2002 before logging infrastructure was

The Kootznoowoo Wilderness part of the Admiralty Island National Monument that makes up part of the Tongass National Forest, will get more land in a purchase between the U.S. Forest Service and a Native corporation. The purchase adds 22,000plus acres to the forest. (DON MACGOUGALL/USFS)

removed. The state’s Congressionally-designated Land and Water Conversation Fund provided the fees to make this landmark purchase. As the Forest Service pointed out, the process of converting the land to its natural, protected state will come over time. But in a region that’s plagued by the threats of Canadian-based mining ventures in nearby British Columbia, the promise is another large portion of forest once known as a timber source will be protected. “The return of the Cube Cove land to the monument has been a team effort by the U.S. Forest Service, Shee Atiká and the Alaska Congressional delegation,” said Kenneth Cameron, Shee Atiká’s president and CEO.

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Goat season opens this month in Southeast Alaska and areas around Prince William Sound for tag holders. (PAUL D. ATKINS) aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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GOAT OF A LIFETIME THREE HUNTING FRIENDS WORK TOGETHER TO FIND A GIANT PANHANDLE BILLY 50

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OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

Jesse Knock (left) and Ryan Littleton take in a Southeast Alaska sunset during a challenging two-day mountain goat hunt near Ketchikan. The Panhandle location’s steep terrain and heavy vegetation made both ﬁnding and getting to a potential shot on a billy quite a challenge. (JESSE KNOCK) aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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Petersburg resident Ryan Littleton glasses down a basin while a group of nannies and kids feed in the distance. Finding that big billy would be more of a challenge. (JESSE KNOCK)

BY JEFF LUND

“T

hat’s your goat right there, bro.” Ryan knew Jesse was right, but it wasn’t simple. There was no way to get to it. Of course, the mountain goat he wanted was halfway up a sheer cliff too steep for vegetation. We could hardly see the path it had taken to get there. Still, the temptation to go for it can be overwhelming when you’re hunting with your buddies and there

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OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

isn’t that guide voice lording over the group. Below it were two smaller billies, one of which was a shooter for a dude like me who has never taken a mountain goat, but Ryan had the tag. “That’s a masher; look how heavy it is.” The signs were there – big horse-like snout, thick bases that almost touched, horns that reached up and swept back in a gentle taper – but it can be difficult to tell a big goat from a trophy, especially from 550 yards. Was it huge because it was

aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAN GEAR ALASKA This pristine lake in the area has a name, but author Jeff Lund, who hunts and ﬁshes these areas regularly, didn’t want to divulge too much information. But let’s just say it’s one of his favorite spots. (JESSE KNOCK)

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bigger than the other two? Was it 9½ or 10 inches?

RYAN HAD SHOT BIG big goats before but was looking for the billy of a lifetime, and we had hiked deep into goat country for it. Sure, it’s about the experience and the meat, but there isn’t anything wrong with spending the tag of a lifetime on the goat of a lifetime. As a goat-hunting neophyte, I absorbed the estimations of girth, length and scores. A four-point blacktail buck (my favorite quarry) has four points on

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

one side. Easy and clear. I wasn’t trained to notice the difference between a billy that would measure 48 and one that would score 52. I did know, and we all knew, that Ryan’s goat wasn’t going to move. It was obvious after the ﬁrst hour, and the second, but the day was clear and the sun warm. There was no physical misery, but plenty of mental torment for Ryan. We crawled back to the packs, ate and rehashed what we already knew. It was too steep. Shoot the goat and it would certainly fall and break a

aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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After downing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;goat of a lifetime,â&#x20AC;? Ryan makes his way up to where his trophy wedged in a mountain chute. (JESSE KNOCK)

horn. If it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to get to its shelf. If we could, packing the meat and cape would be an absurd risk, even for a billy of that size. Continuing down the basin

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The guys, Jesse Knock, author Jeff Lund and Ryan Littleton, worked as a team to get this goat they estimated at 52 inches. Following on German hunters’ tradition of giving Der letzte Biss, or last bite, to their game, Jesse offers Sour Patch Kids (below) to his billy. (JESSE KNOCK)

rolled onto its side and fell asleep. It looked dead, just a fat pile of white lying in the sun. It wasn’t gently resting its head on its hooves either. No, it was sprawled out on the rock in dreamland.

YOU CAN’T PUSH THE tag holder in this situation. I felt my lack of knowledge disqualiﬁed me from having an opinion, so I didn’t offer one. Jesse wouldn’t budge on a deﬁnitive decision, even after Ryan asked him directly, “What would you do?” Jesse would launch into a thorough response that fairly presented both sides, leaving Ryan exactly where he was. Ryan broke and decided to move. Once we backed off the knoll and continued down the basin, we’d be in the open, directly across the face. If we spooked the goat off its perch and up and over the mountain, we’d at least do it now rather than wasting the entire day. 58

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It took two shots, but it was a special moment for Ryan to harvest his big billy, have plenty of delicious meat for the season and bring home his prize. It made the climbing, the hiking and the packing out that much more satisfying. (JESSE KNOCK)

Seconds after we lost our cover, the larger of the lower two moved. By the time we came around the corner and were fully exposed, it was down off the ledge eating. We kept moving.

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Once it deduced we were untrustworthy, it started making its way up the mountain along with the other billy. Oddly enough, spooking those two gave us what we needed. The goats

aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

THE CASE FOR HUNTERS Contemporary society demands a level of apologetic undertone for hunting enthusiasm, as if practicing methods of food gathering that involve weapons are archaic and require shame. But hunters shouldn’t have to explain themselves any more than nonhunters should. Offense and defense shouldn’t exist. They do, but I don’t know why. What I do know is that just as Ryan said his trophy goat hunt was one of the best experiences of his life, it was one of mine too. The pictures show where we were and what went down, but anyone who has hunted knows that explaining the “why” is impossible. You can get some traction when using anecdotes, but it still doesn’t completely work, even though it does help. It’s about the girl, her brother and dad who camped near you, coming down to share their goat experience when you get back to camp. It’s suffering through the hike out with heavy packs knowing your freezer will be filled with free-range mountain goat that grazed on organic plants. Silly that you even have to refer to the terms “free range” and “organic,” isn’t it? It’s watching the sunset from isolation, no roads or evidence of humanity in sight. It’s living what people want to, but never get to. It’s doing it, rather than talking about it. It’s taking beautiful cellphone pictures that make perfect backdrops to motivational memes about living, not existing, but rather than seeing it on your cellphone, your cranial filing cabinet has the full image, not the digital one. It’s about mixing hiking with camping and grocery shopping. And it’s medicinal. Some people go to the woods and bring the misery from their lives and make for miserable hunting or fishing partners. Others bring the enthusiasm of a human seeking to live a great story, and when you’re with those people, you find out that their journey to that mountain is just like yours: littered with tragedy. The outdoors writer and editor Bill Heavey referred to these moments as when life “takes an egg beater to your soul.” Hiking, camping, hunting or general outdoorsing doesn’t fix problems or completely remedy the pain that comes with life, but it’s action. It’s productive, healthy coping – making positive new memories. Why? It doesn’t matter. Hunters and anglers shouldn’t feel obligated to defend their passions. What matters is that they are exercising their freedoms in healthy, fulfilling ways. No one should be ashamed of that. JL

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weren’t leaping as if climbing up a steep grade. They were walking, and as our angle from the face changed, the slope relented. Was it doable after all? Jesse turned wide-eyed to Ryan. The two other goats continued away while the big billy slept. “Let’s make a move. Across the creek.” It was going down. As a volunteer meat packer, I was up for whatever they wanted, and as the hunting buddy with goat experience, Jesse was up for whatever Ryan wanted. I was glad we had decided not to shoot and ﬁgure it out later, but I was even happier that as we got closer, we realized there wasn’t much to ﬁgure out. The slope was steep, but not ridiculous and the goat was still asleep. Everything was heating up quickly, as hunts do. We made our way across the bottom of the basin in clear view of the goats. We felt for footing while we watched the still-sleeping billy. The other two were 50 yards above the sleeper and moving away. We walked straight toward it and disappeared behind a hill just below it. He didn’t see us. We had a play.

“IT’S DEAD, BRO,” JESSE said while encouraging Ryan, who was taking deep here-we-go breaths. He chambered his riﬂe, Jesse pulled out his camera and I dropped my pack. We crawled up the hill. As we peaked over, we saw him – big and awake, eyes ﬁxed

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Ryan was happy to have a heavy load for the hike back. (JESSE KNOCK)

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on us. Ryan crawled up a small depression, then poked up from behind a rock. Jesse held his camera on the goat. I didn’t blink. In my frame Ryan was on the right, the billy up and to the left. Was it worried? Curious? I waited for it to lay back after the shot. Any second … any second. Ryan dropped his rifle and moved closer, taking an extra few seconds to get a good rest for the 220-yard shot. Waiting and then more waiting. The first shot killed the goat, but it didn’t know it. It rose slowly, valiantly, both of its lungs punctured. It was the sheer will and power of the animal that made it stand – what else would you expect from one of the toughest game animals? It’s ideal to have the animal killed on the first shot because no hunter wants an animal to suffer, but sometimes the will to live momentarily overcomes trauma; after all, animals don’t want to die. Some animals die easily, but not goats. It staggered heavily for two steps before Ryan shot. It dropped dead, slid and wedged itself in a small chute. We hiked to it, and Ryan stood above his kill with the euphoric disbelief that comes with taking a beautiful animal. It’s sad on some level because the beautiful creature is dead, but you did just go get meat yourself rather than letting someone else handle the dirty work, your meal wrapped neatly in plastic for you to buy at the grocery store. A couple family branches ago, what we were doing was just the way things were. We dislodged the animal and admired it, confessing our thoughts, shaking hands and taking photos to commemorate the day, one that Ryan ranked as one of the best in his life. We hiked up out of the basin and back to camp, burying the meat bags in a patch of snow. There was plenty of daylight, but we decided to camp another night just because the weather was good. When you’re living those great moments, there’s no need to rush to the end. ASJ

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Our husband-and-wife team of Krystin and Bixler McClure will soon add a new member to their family, a son. But beforehand, Krystin’s doctor gave her the green light to join Bixler on a caribou hunt. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

BABY AND THE ’BOU EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT? KID STUFF FOR THIS ALASKA BIG GAME HUNTER BY KRYSTIN AND BIXLER MCCLURE

“Y

ou should go after them. That caribou herd can’t be more than a few miles away.” “No, I don’t think I’m in a position to do that right now,” I replied to the two hunters who had stopped to ask what I was glassing for with my spotting scope. They kept encouraging me to run off through the tundra and I kept saying that I couldn’t. It was only when I turned and they saw my protruding belly that they realized why.

The McClures’ ATVs proved to be valuable transportation for Krystin and Bixler as the latter searched for caribou bulls to ﬁll his tag, and bring a bull off the tundra. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

HAVING EXPECTATIONS I was eight months pregnant when we decided to fill our Tier 1 caribou tag. This far along, I look like a beach ball with legs but am thankful that my camouflage pants still fit with the help of a BellaBand. I’ve spent my entire pregnancy asking my doctor a slew of odd questions about snowmachining and fishing. Sometime around month seven, I waddled through a group of shocked fishermen to turn in a coho for the Seward Silver Salmon Derby during a particularly difficult fishing year. When aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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The country along the Denali Highway has its fair share of scenic spots and a lot of caribou, but also plenty of competition from fellow hunters. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

I proposed the idea of a low-stress camping and hunting trip to my doctor, his response was, “All you need to worry about at this point is driving the Seward Highway.” Bixler and I loaded up the four-wheelers and a slew of outdoor adventure gear and hit the road around 5 a.m. The Tier 1 caribou hunt can be notoriously stressful, what with jumpy, competitive road hunters. Since I was not in a position to do any sort of competitive hunting, we opted to wait a bit later in the season and make having fun the focus of our last trip north before we become parents to a little boy this month. We hit the Denali Highway early to a bluebird day and with 72

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the tundra robed in fall colors. Friends had pointed us to an unimproved trail at a turnout, which we scanned for as we drove down the road. While they said very few people knew about it, it seemed that everyone else on the highway had discovered the trail. The turnout was full of trucks and campers with trailers when we arrived. Would this become another competitive caribou hunt this late in the season?

SEEKING BULLS It was Bixler’s turn to shoot a caribou since I’d bagged a big cow after last year’s frustrating hunt. He wanted to look for a

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caribou with a nice rack and scout each and every fourwheel drive trail to make sure they were “pregnant wife-approved” before I took off onto the tundra. Since we were early, I told him to go for it, despite the ring of cars in the turnout. Our plan was that he would be back by 3 p.m. unless he found something worth going after, or to call me on the sat phone if there was an emergency. I dropped Bixler off and watched as he fourwheeled across the boggy tundra, listening to him hoot and holler before his cries of joy were lost in the wind. I drove down to the Tangle Lakes BLM campground to gauge the campsite situation and to turn the truck around in case I had to head back towards Paxson to get cell service if Bixler did not return by 3. I returned to the turnout and saw a few four-wheelers and side-by-sides come off the trail empty-handed. Most of the occupants loaded up and left immediately, but the couple I was parked next to stayed to make an early dinner and strike up a conversation. They had met Bixler on the trail and informed me of the same caribou situation I had heard from the Nelchina herd hotline: the caribou were widely scattered and hard to ﬁnd. While they made dinner and we chatted, I set up my spotting scope to glance at the hillside far off the road. Sure enough, there were some 15 caribou, including two large bulls with pronounced racks. I told the other couple about the herd and they said they had been watching them along the ridge all day. I was slightly sad that Bixler wasn’t viewing them from my vantage point. 74

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Krystin takes a break in camp. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

BIXLER’S RACE Meanwhile, the ATV trail ended abruptly and Bixler found himself wheeling over willows and along eskers back along the valley ﬂoor. He spotted three cows and decided to pass on them, as he wanted a bull instead and opted to head back

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This wasn’t the biggest bull, but both Krystin and Bixler got plenty of meat out of this caribou, which also sported a beautifully curved rack. (BIXLER MCCLURE AND KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

to the truck. When he ﬁnally spotted our large white truck in the distance, the hunters who had stopped and were convincing me to climb after the caribou had passed and I was just leaving the turnout. I told the couple enjoying dinner that if Bixler

came back to let him know I was just down the road getting cell service to check my messages. Meanwhile, Bixler was hoping that I would stay in the parking lot because he needed the truck in sight as a means to ﬁnd the trail out. I drove down the road 4 miles with no messages, indicating

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’BOU, BACON AND BLEU Caribou, like most game meat, is naturally lean. Caribou filet mignon, like even beef-based filet mignon, benefits from some fat – in this case bacon and bleu cheese! Preheat your barbecue to a very high heat (high-end steakhouses use very intense heat for this cut of meat). Wrap your filets with bacon and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until barely done, turning once so the bacon doesn’t unwrap (use skewers). Serve with whatever sides you like (we like grilled baked potatoes), and top with bleu cheese crumbles. KM (KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

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an emergency situation. I sped to the turnout on the gravel road and found it full of cars again. All the people had binoculars on the hillside and were engaged in excited conversation. I asked the couple what was going on and they said, “Someone is pursuing that herd you saw earlier.” “What is he wearing?” I asked as I frantically set up the spotting scope to scan the hillside. “Dark green camo,” replied another onlooker. “Wow, does he move fast!” As soon as I heard the “moving fast” part I knew it had to be Bixler. Sure enough, while stopping to locate the actual trail, Bixler had spotted the same herd and, having the wind to his advantage, decided to move on one of the big bulls. I ﬁnally spotted Bixler as he was racing through the willows. He paused and we all heard a single shot ﬁred. The animal went down so quickly that there was speculation about whether he’d dropped one of the big bulls. Most of the onlook-

ers sat and waited as Bixler ran back to his ATV and wheeled back to the truck. “Wow, your husband is a badass,” said the woman of the couple. “If you get too excited, I’m a labor and delivery nurse, by the way!” I laughed and the other nearby onlooker asked what he was doing. I told him that Bixler was coming back to get me to help with the butchering process. He looked at my large size and offered a simple response. “Wow.”

A HERO’S WELCOME Bixler arrived back at the turnout and gave a thumbs-up. The crowd cheered as he rode over to unload my four-wheel drive. Inspired by Bixler’s hunting prowess and his active pregnant wife, a few of the onlookers started loading up to pursue the same herd, which had moved to the other side of the ridge. I hopped on my four-wheeler and followed Bixler along the muddy trail. He stopped at a difficult stream crossing and rode my four-wheel drive across so I wouldn’t hurt myself. I followed him over willows and tussocks and opted to park my vehicle in line with caribou – about a mile away – to avoid bouncing over the tundra. Bixler continued to ride, getting within a few hundred yards of the caribou while I walked. Thankfully, there was only one slight uphill section. “Wow,” I said as I spotted Bixler’s downed bull. Compared

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to our past caribou, it was huge. While it didn’t have the arm-span antlers of a trophy bull, it did have probably one of the most beautifully curved racks I’ve ever seen. The hide was thick and spotless. Bixler’s shot made the field-dressing much easier. We skinned and butchered the caribou. I took a few breaks here and there (Bixler was forcing me to hydrate frequently), but pulled my weight to finish cutting up the caribou. We kept the head and hide for a European mount and baby blanket, respectively. Bixler managed to carry that, along with all the meat, in two loads down to his four-wheel drive. Carefully, we ratcheted the entire animal onto his vehicle. I walked ahead to find his trail through the boggy parts, carrying the clean gear, but soon Bixler found his trail and was wheeling excitedly to my parked four-wheel drive. With a load on my back and a big baby inside, my hips started to hurt, so Bixler parked his four-wheel drive and grabbed my pack. I followed him out just as the sky turned to dusk. One of the previous onlookers had been watching us, making sure we made it out. “I was going to ride in and help you if you didn’t make it out before dark,” he said as we unloaded our meat. He and the other couple in the turnout had tried to jump the herd from the other side of the ridge unsuccessfully. The tough tundra terrain had bogged down their four-wheeler and none of them particularly wanted to continue on foot that late in the day. The other couple stopped in to congratulate us as we started to peel out of our bloody camouflage clothes. When the sky turned pitch black, we said goodbye to everyone and headed to the campground, which had a nice table to hang our meat. That night in the tent before we crashed from exhaustion, Bixler turned to me and said, “Honey, you are one tough cookie.” “Thanks. Our poor kid has no idea what he is getting himself into!” ASJ

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WHEN YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE LOOKING FOR BIG GAME, A SERIES OF DECISIONS COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE What began as a moose and bear scouting trip up the river for Kotzebue hunter Paul Atkins and a friend turned into a chance to hunt muskox in the fall. But when to loose his arrow at a big bull proved challenging for the author. (LEW PAGEL)

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

The author will not take anything but a broadside shot on a muskox bull. They’re extremely tough and getting an arrow or maybe even a bullet into the vitals is the key and helps prevent lost animals. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

he tundra was wet and slick like a demon minefield – you know, the old soggy type with deep tussocks and sinkholes that are unforgiving to anybody trying to get close enough for a final shot. Choosing where to step and not step was difficult, to say the least, but I finally 88

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

made it to a place where I could make a stand. With the release of the string, the arrow found its mark and the muskox dropped where he stood. Then it began to rain – pour, more speciﬁcally – with thunder and lightning like I had never seen, especially here in the Arctic!

WHEN I HEAD BACK to my Alaska home each summer I have to make choices,

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

lots of them. Spending a year in the Arctic is expensive, and relying completely on the local store can cost more than you would ever imagine. So each July before we leave a ritual takes place, one where we’ll ask, “Which clothes? What food? Should we buy a case of toothpaste or order it? Should we take six bags or should we mail it all?” I’ve been doing this for 20 years and still haven’t

When Paul and Lew Pagel rounded a bend in the river, they thought they’d spied a pair of moose, but their binoculars showed muskox – and Paul had a tag in his pocket! (LEW PAGEL)

gotten it down yet. For me, however, my biggest decisions revolve around my hunting gear and other outdoor necessities that will hopefully give me an edge in the vastness of the Arctic backcountry. These gear choices will either make me or

break me and are essential for the upcoming year. I just hope I choose wisely. Not unlike packing for a hunt, it does get exciting, and I guess that’s really what I’m doing in retrospect. The only difference is that this hunt lasts about 11 months.

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I usually start by choosing a bow from my overpopulated stock, making sure that it’s up to the challenge. With a wide assortment of BowTechs, I know that will not be a problem. Then it’s arrows, usually a dozen or so new Gold Tips, plus a dozen Wasp broadheads

aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

and some ﬁeld tips. Two releases, binoculars and, just in case, 50 rounds of 7mm Mags for the old Sako. That’s it. Now I’m ready to head back home to the Arctic.

OUR FIRST OUTING THIS year found good friend Lew Pagel and I heading upriver to scout for moose and bear. If we were lucky we’d also ﬁll the coveted muskox tag I had in my pocket. Compared to winter, the taking of an ox in the fall can be tough, as I knew it would be. The barren tundra goes on forever; without snow it can prove to be very difficult to traverse. Finding a shootable bull is the easy part; it’s getting within range on foot – using spot-and-stalk methods – that is the killer, literally. Not long into our journey, we were fortunate enough to spot a bull and a cow cruising the river’s banks. I grabbed my binoculars and got a good look at a great bull that was worthy of my tag. It was then that I had to make a choice, much like having to choose the right gear or certain bow to take on a particular hunt.

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

I knew I had close to a year to fill the tag, and with winter coming on it would be a heck of a lot easier to bowhunt muskox in February or March than August. But I also knew that a chance like this was rare, and when you’re bowhunting you have to act on an opportunity when it presents itself. I had confidence in my equipment, for sure, plus the wind was right and the low-lying willow lining the bank provided perfect cover for an easy stalk. Lew and I talked it over and we made the choice to go for it. Strapping on my release, I grabbed the BowTech Prodigy from its case and shoved my five-arrow quiver into my pack minus one. The Gold Tip arrow looked deadly on my bow, especially the new 100-grain Wasp “Drone” broadhead that I was using for the first time. We eased out of the boat and begin our trek up the bank, weaving in and out of the willows and hoping the bull and cow would take little notice of the two strange figures coming at them. We made it about 100 yards when a strange thing happened: The muskox

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

turned and started coming towards us. This was unexpected and a little unnerving, especially when they got to within 5 yards from where we were standing. Muskox are very protective when they feel threatened or cornered and will charge if they need too. I took three steps back, putting a dead uprooted tree between us just in case. We concealed ourselves behind the tree and a clump of willows, stood perfectly still and watched. At 3 yards the cow saw us and decided to change directions, heading into a wall of willows that was so dense you couldn’t see through them, let alone walk through. But the bull stayed back and watched, never realizing the threat from just a few yards away. He stood at attention, and when quartering towards me offered only a fair shot opportunity at best. I drew twice but had to let down both times because I didn’t want to risk a bad shot. Muskox can be difficult to kill with their thick hides, plus all that dense hair can soak up blood, closing wounds and leaving little to no blood trail. I made the choice to only release

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Getting a shot on a muskox isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as difficult as other big game, but waiting for a clean kill shot is the tough part, especially when they stand head on and offer little to no target. Patience is the key. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

if I had a clear broadside shot.

THE BULL WATCHED ME and I watched

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him; it was a standoff. He ďŹ nally had enough and turned, offering me the opportunity I was looking for. At 26 yards

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

I drew my bow back and aimed, placing my 20-yard pin a bit high and behind the shoulder.

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Once you get your bull, it comes down to ﬁeld dressing and transporting your meat, and once you accomplish all these steps your reward is ﬁlling your freezer with some of the best-tasting big game in Alaska. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

The Wasp broadhead entered and the Bohning 2-inch ﬂetch disappeared into his shaggy brown hide. The bull bucked and bolted down the bank and

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into the willows. I sat and looked back at Lew, who was ﬁlming the whole episode. I usually sit and wait after I pull the trigger or hit the release, but this time

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

I did not. I knew as soon as the bull entered the willow jungle that getting a second shot, if needed, would be extremely tough, if not impossible.

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The workhorse of Alaska's river systems, a ﬂatbottom sled helped carry the author's load of muskox meat home for processing and refrigeration. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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I eased down the bank and picked up specks of blood on the sand and driftwood that was scattered along the trail. I heard a crash and relief came over me thinking that my muskox was down. Still I was very cautious entering the thicket because I knew if he wasn’t down, he was probably waiting for me when I came into view. I thought about a full-on charge. It’s weird how you go back to events in your life, but I instantly thought about Africa and my recent trip to bowhunt Cape buffalo. Good shots are great, but you better make sure your animal is down before you go wading in after it. Like the saying goes, it’s the dead ones that will get up and kill you, or at least rearrange you a bit. As I entered the entanglement, I could see blood mixed with water and mud, but my bull was nowhere to be found. Luckily, the willows thinned and tundra took over, ascending up a small incline into small group of spruce trees. I was devastated and worried that maybe the shot wasn’t as good as I thought. I immediately sat down, waited and

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played the shot over again in my mind – something I probably should have done to start with. I waited for Lew to show up. He did and I told him to stay behind me and wait while I continued onward on foot with the intention of hopefully ﬁnding the bull over the rise. I pushed up the hill and began to glass, and it didn’t take long: My bull was bedded a 100 yards ahead but still wasn’t down for the count. I nocked another arrow and waited. Twenty minutes later I eased up the hill, careful not push my luck. Muskox are tough and even with the best shots they can take a lot of punishment and not succumb to a wellplaced arrow or bullet. I came in from behind and the bull stood up and began to walk away. He already wasn’t moving very well when the second shot found its mark; he fell where he stood. Muskox down! I was ecstatic. I have taken a lot of muskox during the winter, but there was something truly special about taking my ﬁrst in the fall! Lew and I stared at our prize, amazed at the sheer toughness and magic these animals hold. We dug the cameras out of the backpacks just as it began to rain.It wasn’t just any

Sometimes luck is all you need. But along with happening to be in the right place at the right time, preparation is the key to hunting success. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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rain either. It poured, raining harder than any I have ever experienced in the Arctic. Then it did something else I hadn’t experienced up here: a lot of lightning and thunder – big booms with sheets of rain coming down harder and harder! We had no choice but to just sit and wait. We crawled under a small spruce tree that did little to keep us dry. Needless to say, raingear is a must during an Alaskan fall hunt. If it isn’t raining, you can bet it will be before long, and this downpour was coming down on us in buckets. I had a raincoat on but not rain-resistant pants. My boots were full of water, creating a miserable feeling, but I was happy. It ﬁnally slowed to drizzle and darkness started to set in, even though it never really gets totally dark in August in the Arctic. The extra daylight would be welcomed, but I knew the remainder of this adventure was going to take some time, meaning it would be a long night for the three of us.

IN ORDER TO FIND a place for the easiest and shortest pack-out route, I sent

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Lew back to the boat so he could move it from where we originally beached it. His choice would be critical to our time frame and greatly affect how long it would take to finish the job. I was just glad the pack-out would be all downhill! Eventually I could see Lew making his way up the hill. He had chosen wisely, and even though the trail up was pocked with deep tundra and thick spruce, we were a lot closer to the boat than before. Field dressing and then packing out an animal – whether it’s a moose, caribou or, in this case, a muskox – can be tough no matter the location. Having the right tools is critical, and hunters here in Alaska must make sure they carefully pack those instruments long before they think about taking big game. We had ours and pulled knives and game bags from our packs to begin disassembling the mountain of meat before us. We took our time and before long had the muskox quartered and packed for the first trip down.

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It was easier than I thought; soon we had him on the bow of the boat and ready for the ride home. I have to give credit to Lew and his incredible stamina in packing out the heaviest of loads. Two trips and we were done. It was almost daylight when we finished. We were exhausted, but luckily we had a change of clothes, and before long the big Mercury motor had us on our way. Sometimes the choices we make dictate the outcome, whether it’s luck finding a bull on the banks of a river or a hard-fought battle that takes days to accomplish. One thing I’ve learned in my time here in the Arctic is that you always need to be prepared no matter the circumstance or adventure. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue. He has written hundreds of articles on big game hunting and ﬁshing throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. Paul is a monthly contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal.

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A simple 4-inch blade and a little steel is all that’s needed to break down, skin and cape any of Alaska’s big game. Once you know the connective tissues and joints, the rest is easy, even on a big brown bear like this one taken by the author. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

FIELD

IT’S OK TO BE GUTLESS

FIELD DRESSING METHOD IS QUICK, CLEAN AND GETS YOUR MEAT COOLING FAST BY SCOTT HAUGEN

o matter what big game you’re chasing in Alaska this fall, ﬁeld dressing is an essential part of the hunt. Over the years, I’ve butchered and caped everything from Dall sheep to moose, brown bears, caribou and more with a 4-inch-blade Kershaw knife. I’ll have a Kershaw Ultra-Tek Blade Sharpener on hand, and besides game bags, a pack frame and some LoopRopes, that’s all I use when breaking down an animal in the ﬁeld. If needed, a folding saw is

handy to remove the skullcap and antlers of moose and elk.

THE STEPS There are many ways to ﬁeld dress big game, but my favorite is the gutless method. I’ve skinned and butchered hundreds of big game animals around the world using multiple methods, but the gutless approach is my favorite because it’s quick, clean and gets the meat cooling fast. There are a few ways to perform the gutless method, but my favorite is to start with the animal on its back. This aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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approach leaves the guts inside the body cavity, so take care not to puncture the abdominal wall. The first cut starts at the genitals and runs up the stomach to the brisket. If not keeping the cape for mounting, continue cutting under the hide to the base of the neck. Next, grab a foot and insert the knife inside the knee joint. Lift and slide the blade down the inside of the leg all the way to the center of the body, meeting the initial cut up the midsection. Repeat the same cut on the other three legs. Keep the blade on the skin side (not the hair side) and cut around the hide at each knee joint. I like leaving the lower legs attached for leverage while breaking down the rest of the animal. Grab a hindquarter and remove the skin along one side of the carcass. As you cut around the hindquarters and near the tail, the skin will be firmly attached. Keep cutting at the points of most resistance, which will free up the hide. Skin one side, then the other. When done skinning, the entire hide will lay flat on the ground and provide a clean work area. As you continue removing the skin, you’ll end up under the spine. Skin all

the way to the spine on both sides of the animal, which will in turn free up the entire hide all the way to the neck.

QUARTERING YOUR HARVEST Now it’s time to remove the four quarters. Start with the hindquarter, as that’s the biggest section of meat that needs to get cooling the fastest. Cut across the inside of the leg, keeping the knife blade tight to the pelvic bone in order to retain all the meat. The only blood released in this method happens now when the femoral artery is severed. Keep cutting through the muscle until contacting the ball and socket joint. Cut the cartilage, then sever the ball from the socket. Continue cutting against the pelvis to the backbone, which will remove one hindquarter. Repeat the same cuts on the other hindquarter. The front shoulder is easy to remove since there are no bone-to-bone connections. Simply lift the leg and cut from the underside, separating it from the ribs. As you reach the scapula, be careful not to cut too deep, as that could ruin the meat. With both front legs removed, it’s time to take out the backstrap. I like re-

Knowing how to properly break down an animal in the ﬁeld is key to optimizing meat quality. Using the gutless method, the hide creates a clean workstation and the meat is kept free of dirt. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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FIELD

A DISH THAT’S NO PAIN IN THE NECK

Using a slow cooker is the best way to tenderize tough neck meat. Doing so gives Tiffany Haugen options to pull the cooked venison apart for burritos, lasagna and stroganoff. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

eck meat is some of the tastiest there is on big game. After years of butchering big game and wrestling with the separation of neck meat from all the fibrous tissues so it could be ground for burger, I found a better way to enjoy this meat. Neck meat is very tender and has a higher fat content than most other cuts of venison. Slow cooking brings out the moist richness of this flavorful cut. After removing the neck from the bone, cut to desired size (think of the size of your slow cooker or roasting pan). Season, sear and slow-cook for best results. There is still work to be done after the meat has cooked, but pulling meat from the cooked neck fibers is much easier than when raw. Use the “pulled” neck meat for

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burritos, tacos, meat pie, lasagna and stroganoff, or chop ﬁnely for gravy, ﬁllings, soup or dip.

SLOW-COOKED VENISON NECK 7- to 9-pound venison neck 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups beef broth ½ cup cream sherry or red wine 1 / 3 cup minced garlic 1 onion, quartered Two to three carrots, chopped Two to three celery stalks, chopped Four bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste Clean neck portion, rinse and pat dry. Salt and pepper generously. Let meat sit until it reaches room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat olive oil in a large skillet.

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Brown neck on all sides and place meat and pan scrapings in a slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Slow-cook on high heat four to six hours or until meat is tender and falling away from ﬁbrous tissues. Some of the meat can be sliced and served right away, but the rest needs to be cooled and pulled from the ﬁbrous tissues. ASJ Editor’s note: For 100-plus more big game recipes, signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular book, Cooking Big Game, can be ordered by sending a check for $20 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, PO Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or ordered online at scotthaugen.com.

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moving the legs before the backstrap because it actually runs all the way from the upper portion of the neck under the scapula to the pelvis. Cut down each side of the spine, cutting the backstrap away from the backbone. Peel the silver skin away from the area toward the ribs. Once the silver skin reaches the ribs, it won’t peel any further. Go to the hip joint and crosscut the end of the area at the H-joint. Grab the end of the severed backstrap, lifting and cutting all the way to the neck until the entire area is free. Next, fillet the neck meat off the bone. Start by cutting down the spine at the neck and filleting one side at a time, just as you’d fillet a salmon. As for the tenderloins, they can be removed with the guts still in the cavity. There’s a fused section of spine that’s thin and sharp and located right behind the last lower rib. Slip the tip of your knife under the thin stomach muscle, right behind the last rib, and run it along the bony shelf tight to the inside of the spine. Reach your hand inside the incision and run it along the tenderloin. You can lift most of the tenderloin away from the spine without cutting. On the tight connections at the ends, grab the knife, push the stomach away with the back of your hand and cut the tenderloin free. All that’s left is to fillet the meat off the ribs and remove all meat from between the ribs. If you’re saving the ribs, simply cut the stomach muscles, pull out the internal organs (keep heart and liver if desired), and then cut away the ribs. Ribs can be separated from the sternum with a knife, cutting where bone meets cartilage. To break the ribs away from the spine on deer-sized game, score them several times with your blade about 1 inch from the spine. Give a hefty push with both hands and the ribs will break away. By cutting the tissues with the knife, you’ll have half a ribcage that’s ready to cook. For elk and larger game, disarticulate ribs at the joints.

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The author pauses for a breather while packing out a whole caribou on Adak Island. A knife, sharpener, game bags, pack frame and a pair of LoopRopes are all the author needs when breaking down big game in the ﬁeld. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Before the hunt, know the meat salvage regulations for the species and area you’ll be hunting. The gutless method is fast, easy and it’s what I use on 90 percent of my game animals. With a sharp knife and reliable steel,

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you’re ready to break down any big game animal in Alaska. ASJ Editor’s note: To see the gutless method in action, order Scott Haugen’s popular DVD, Field Dressing, Skinning & Cap-

OCTOBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

ing Big Game, by sending a check for $20 (free S&H), to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. This two-hour DVD includes six ﬁeld dressing and three caping methods.

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Winter is approaching faster than Alaskan Interior residents would prefer, but if you bundle up to combat the dipping temperatures, fall is an ideal team to ﬁght Delta Clearwater River coho. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

LAST DANCE WITH COHO

BEFORE THE USUAL BRUTAL WINTER RETURNS TO THE INTERIOR, THE FAIRBANKS AREA’S DELTA CLEARWATER RIVER OFFERS EXCELLENT OPS TO CATCH SILVERS 118

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BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES

he two pairs of wool socks under my stocking-foot waders did little to relieve my painfully numb toes as I shuffled along waist-deep in the icy river. I’d been eager to tread into the water some 20 minutes earlier, but my throbbing feet were desperately trying to convince me I had made a mistake. The brisk morning air wasn’t helping much either, as my fingertips were starting to yap about feeling frosted. Ignoring all of my aching digits was not easy, but I pressed forward against the current. A favorite section of the waterway was just around the bend, a deep hole where I knew the salmon would be holding. Anticipating the strike of a feisty fish and imagining my rod bending over helped persuade me to continue. No, my final outing of the year for salmon wasn’t going to be interrupted by temporary discomfort from chilly conditions. aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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Up to 50,000 coho annually migrate up the Delta Clearwater to spawn. The salmon ﬁrst traverse the larger Yukon and Tanana Rivers. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

Suffering through the elements wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew from past experience that the bitter cold would soon fade with each ﬁsh I caught.

WHILE THE SALMON FISHING deep inside Alaska’s Interior doesn’t compare to the iconic fisheries found elsewhere in the state, angling addicts north of the Alaska Range need not despair: there are still opportunities to find your fix. But you’re going to have to wait until summer is gone, and you’re going to need to embrace the cold. October is the perfect month for Interior fishermen to pick up a rod and reel, as the largest return of coho found anywhere in the Yukon River drainage begins to peak. The annual congregation of salmon happens not far from the end of the Alas120

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kan Highway near the small community of Delta Junction. Diehard anglers willing to travel the distance and tolerate the precursor to the impending winter freeze will be rewarded with plenty of action from bold-colored coho swimming in this spring-fed waterway. The Delta Clearwater River is literally the gem of Interior Alaska when it comes to coho ﬁshing. Recent years have seen returns over 50,000, and as you might imagine, that many ﬁsh makes it difficult for my friends and I to ignore such a productive location. The 1,000-mile journey of these salmon begins at the western edge of the state, where the Yukon drains into the Bering Sea. Their swim takes them up the powerful river deep into the heart of the state, and then they turn into the silt-lad-

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Chris Cox with a Delta Clearwater coho. Long gone is the salmon’s silver saltwater coat, replaced by red sides and, as with every buck, a hooked nose. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

Ice in the eyelets is just another fact of life when ﬁshing this late in the season. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

en currents of the Tanana River before arriving in the Delta Clearwater beginning in September. The salmon are no longer the dime-bright silver they were in saltwater. Their sides are now colored a vibrant brick red, and males display large pronounced black kypes. Even so, the fish are often harvested by locals. Since the flesh is firm and acceptable for consumption, it’s not uncommon to see limits on stringers near the campground.

FISHING THE CLEARWATER for coho is normally a catch-and-release event for me, although I have harvested fish in the past for a meal on the grill or so I can put them on the smoker. Current fishing regulations allow anglers to retain three coho per day from the river. Some anglers may thumb their nose at the outward appearance of the bright-red fish, but I am no salmon snob. I find that Clearwater coho taste just fine and actually hold a certain majestic look in their spawning colors.

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IF YOU GO LOCATION Centrally located in the heart of Alaska, the Delta Clearwater River offers a unique opportunity during the fall to fish for coho. Fish begin arriving in the waterway during September, the run peaks in October and salmon are present in fishable numbers into November. The abundant return to the natural spring tributary is among the largest congregations of coho found anywhere in the Interior region. Public access to the popular river is found at Clearwater State Recreational Site and Campground (dnr.alaska.gov/ parks/units/deltajct/clearwtr.htm), near Delta Junction. The scenic area features plenty of bank access for wading anglers and a launch for fishermen wanting to fish out of a boat. While having a jet boat will greatly enhance your coho fishing trip, a craft is not required to hook into fish. Traveling either the Richardson or Alaska Highways can get you to the river; you just need to follow the clearly marked road signs. Turn on Clearwater Road at Milepost 1415 of the Alaska Highway and drive 8½ miles, or head onto Jack Warren Road at Milepost 268 of the Richardson Highway and drive 11 miles. EQUIPMENT CHECK Both conventional and fly fishing methods can prove successful for anglers. Casting large spinners or spoons is a popular choice, and a medium-action rod of at least 6 feet long will be more than adequate. Fly fishermen can be rewarded by drifting, swinging or stripping bright-colored streamers and leech patterns off a 6- or 7-weight fly rod and a matching-sized reel loaded with sinking line. Insulated waders and wader boots with warm clothing are highly recommended for those getting in the icy cold water to locate fish. Consider a stocking cap and gloves on colder days. Other essentials to consider are a landing net and hand warmers. –DM

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The fishery provides excellent action for anglers of all skill levels. Fishing is neither technical nor difficult. Catching coho has an almost consistent predictable conclusion, with terrific fishing lasting as late as November. As you might imagine, locating schools of these red-coatAuthor Dennis Musgraves doesn’t miss out on some last-chance salmon fishing, which on the Delta Clearwater can last into November. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

ed salmon in the clear-running river isn’t too difficult. During peak timing of the run, catching and releasing a dozen fish within an hour is commonplace for most anglers. A boat will enable you to ﬁnd deep holes that hold large groups of salmon, but you don’t need one in order to be suc-

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cessful. Casting from the riverbank or wading in the current near the state campground will also produce hook-ups with passing fish. Bitterly cold air temperatures on some days make it cold enough to lock up fishing reels and smother rod eyelets with ice. Moisture dripping off the fly or fishing line from repeated casting accumulates quickly and hardens like cement. You’ll need to constantly chip it away if you want to cast. Indeed, cold-weather coho fishing isn’t for everyone.

THE DELTA CLEARWATER IS a special place for me since it’s where I caught my very first Alaskan coho. I also cherish the many great memories of camping on the river’s banks with family and friends and spending time together fishing the late season just before the snow arrives. The strong numbers of salmon present and terrific access to the river provides Interior anglers like myself one last chance to fish for open-water salmon. Just make sure to double up your clothing if you head to the river and you’re good to go. ASJ Editor’s note: For more of author Dennis Musgraves’ fishing adventures in the Great Land, go to alaskansalmonslayers.com.

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THIS IS HOW I GOT HERE

AN ADDICTED ANGLER REMINISCES ABOUT THE ROOTS OF HIS OBSESSION

BY JEFF LUND

iven enough time and few enough distractions – or something of monotonous importance – the mind tends to wander with such vigor that it renders the wonderer almost incapacitated. Sitting in the middle seat of a long flight does this. You can’t get comfortable enough to sleep, so you stare ahead, silently negotiate visitation rights to the armrest and ponder. The fish you will catch a couple hours after the plane lands, the purpose of life, and how often, if ever, the armrests of airplanes are disinfected. Mowing the lawn does this too. What else are you supposed to think about? The mower does all the work and the lowest level of attention allows for rows that are straight enough, so there is no need to be meticulous and ruin a quality daydream. You’re not doing a logo in center field of Yankee Stadium. So you think.

YOU HAVEN’T ALWAYS BEEN a fly fisherman. You’ve been a fisherman since catching catfish on a muddy lake in Kansas at age 5, but you’re not one of those dudes who have been fly fishing

The big ﬁsh he hasn’t caught yet and memories of the ones he landed with his late father push Jeff Lund back to the water time after time. (JEFF LUND)

since he was an embryo. You remember when it took you an hour to figure out the necessary knots in the starter kit for fly anglers that you got for $65 at the local outdoor emporium. You remember almost breaking the rod in frustration because of those knots, then almost broke the rod because you couldn’t cast 10 feet of line out of the 9½-foot rod. The first time you saw trout rising, you were excited, so you tied on one of the flies that came with the starter kit and promptly caught the tree behind you. The next one you tied on aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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meets the water and slowly starts to disintegrate. So the next time, you buy flies from a real shop, your casting is better and you catch your first fish, so you are in. Your life is changed. You buy a truck. Not because you fly fish, but because the four-cylinder car with manual locks, manual windows and manual transmission isn’t cutting it. Plus, the Blue Book value is less than the engine work that needs done. You take it to the dealer and hope for a trade-in toward a used truck. “Yeah, you can take your car too.” That’s a nice way of saying, “It’s a piece of junk, but feel like a baller because you will own two vehicles until you get rid of that thing.” You buy the truck, sell the car and begin doing road trips. Sometimes with friends, sometimes without. You drive three hours to fish for six, then drive home. The club cab fills with the detritus of the traveling angler. At one point you have cups from Starbucks, Dutch Bros. and Tim Hortons. That’s proof of something, you decide. You feel a long way from those days as a neophyte, fighting the cheap fly line and your terrible knots.

Lund has a theory why he’s still single: he’s constantly ﬁshing, usually somewhere near his Southeast Alaska home. (JEFF LUND)

YOU WONDER IF MAYBE the reason you’re single is because you fish every chance you get. Then you reread The River Why and fish even more, looking for Eddy. You think about what it means to have a career and that you’ve cut a considerable chunk into the years required until you reach that 20-year mark. That’s a lot. It doesn’t seem like too long ago that you were 20 years old. But since then you’ve picked up an entirely new method of fishing, got rid of that old car, bought a new truck, and started to grow roots. Your

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existence is starting to be fortified with time. You drive a lot after your dad loses his fight with cancer. You look through the water, hoping for meaning in the rocks. You catch fish and figure it’s a better way to cope than other methods. More fish equals more driving; more time floats by – around the next bend and out of sight. At no point do you reach absolute satisfaction that will last more than a fleeting moment. But you’re not in the living room watching other lives while yours becomes a deeper impression on the couch. Every one of your life episodes out on the water is new. There’s no fabricated plot. You can’t “see where this is going.” You have no clue. You were looking at your watch when that 33-inch steelhead hit. You dropped your line in the water after tying on an Elk Hair Caddis and before you could get organized to cast it to where the fish were, a rainbow took. But there are times when you read the water, read the hatch, measure the distance and unravel a cast so pure, you know what’s about to happen. When it does and the fish pulls, you know there’s nothing else you’d rather be doing and you’re glad all those events fell as they did so that the moment could exist as it does. As the moment ends and you lose the thread of memory that lasts almost the entire lawn, stack of wood or flight, you can’t help but smile. Your now is close to the next edition. The next fish is what you want, but the story that goes with it is what you crave. ASJ

“You know there’s nothing else you’d rather be doing and you’re glad all those events fell as they did so that the moment could exist as it does,” the author writes about why catching a trout means so much after all these years. (JEFF LUND)

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HUNTERS HELPING HUNTERS

Author Jim Sessions (right) and Tim Thompson pose beside the moose Jim took in western Wyoming. (JIM SESSIONS)

THE BEST IN THE WEST TEAM KNOWS THAT HUNTING IS MORE THAN SIMPLY PUTTING ANOTHER HEAD ON THE WALL BY JIM SESSIONS

ike all good hunting stories, this one features some interesting characters and a great ending. And although it is mostly about a bighorn sheep hunt, it begins and ends with a couple of Wyoming moose hunts. A few years back, Tim Thompson was helping to ﬁnd a nice bull for Mike Schmid and the Intrepid Outdoors team. Mike and Tim are friends from Big Piney and LaBarge, Wyo., and both are avid outdoorsmen. On this occasion, Mike killed a great Shiras moose with his bow. But sometime during the trip, Tim mentioned that he was building preference points for sheep, and would be looking me up when he drew. Fast forward seven years. While viewing the list of successful applicants for Wyoming sheep, I saw Tim Thompson listed as “successful” for

Area 5. I knew my phone would be ringing soon, and around the middle of August, it did. Tim was on the other end of the line asking, “You ready to go sheep hunting?” Unfortunately, my September was slammed with a moose hunt in Alaska and bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunts in Colorado. To complicate matters, we were ﬁlming each hunt for The Best of the West show, so Tim’s once-in-a-lifetime bighorn hunt was put on hold until early October.

I ACTUALLY PREFER HUNTING at this time of the season. There is less pressure, and the mature rams have darker, fuller capes later in the year. I’d hoped to explore some country that I’d been on the fringe of, but not in its core, but the ridgeline trail accessing this area quickly becomes impassable with a few aksportingjournal.com | OCTOBER 2016

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inches of snow and a good wind. The weather held, so we drove to the trailhead, and in about an hour had the horses and mules loaded and began the steep ascent into uncharted country. We arrived at an excellent location for glassing a lot of country, and quickly set up camp and began peering into the rocky ridgelines, alpine basins and the timbered pockets that rams seek for protection. Out first evening was filled with several elk sightings, including some mature bulls. The next morning, we began the same ritual that all sheep hunters know: glass, glass and glass some more. Again, we spotted elk in most drainages and ridges, but shortly after his second cup of coffee, Tim exclaimed, “I think I got rams.” This band of bighorns consisted of two half-curls, a young three-quarter curl and two old mountain monarchs. The two old boys looked to be about the same age (“ancient”), but had completely different horn configurations. One looked very massive, with a close tight curl, and the other had great mass throughout his length, with a much more open curl. Both were simply magnificent as they grazed on the south-facing ridge. I felt we should watch the rams and let them dictate our next move. There was just one small problem; the rams had made it into a steep timbered drainage before our intercept. I found the tracks of both big rams crossing a windblown cornice directly below our ridgeline lookout. We continued glassing into the timbered pocket below and across from us. I didn’t

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have much faith in our present location. We headed back to our spike camp, stopping periodically to let our stock eat snow. We got back to camp and continued glassing. Way up high and a four-hour ride by horseback, I spotted two rams feeding on an easterly facing cirque. One of the rams was fully mature, with broomed full curls. We now had a backup plan if our first group of rams had left the country. We continued watching the weather and glassing until darkness enveloped the mountain basins. The next morning brought high expectations as the weather held, and soon we spotted the band of five rams to the north of camp. We quickly saddled up and were picking our way to their location as the sun began to rise. Our final approach was from the north, over a barren slope which dropped directly into their primary bedding area of steep slopes and dense evergreen pockets. We crawled into position and began scanning the slope for rams. I spotted two on the edge of a timber finger protruding from the volcanic outcrops prevalent in the area. We had the three-quarter curl and the tight full curl feeding broadside at 450 yards!

TIM QUICKLY MANEUVERED into a stable prone position, and I had the video camera positioned and set to capture the moment. We continued glassing the tree line for the big opencurl ram. He was very distinct in that he had recently knocked a chunk of horn out of his left curl at the ﬁrst quarter.

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Tim Thompson proudly shows off his bighorn ram. (JIM SESSIONS)

In short order, our ram ﬁltered out of the trees and was feeding, unaware of our presence. The downhill angle was accounted for with a “shoot to” distance of 425 yards. Tim dialed the Huskemaw turret to 425 on his The Best of the West Signature Series riﬂe and prepared to break the shot.

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At the report, our ram dropped to the turf and rolled 6 feet and settled against a fallen pine. The other rams were momentarily confused, but soon followed the old tight-curl ram over the spine and down into the jumbled canyon. I finished the video shots needed for a future episode, and we hiked to where our stock were tied securely on the other side of the ridge, and then slowly picked our way down the rotten volcanic spine directly above the fallen ram. We bailed off our mules and followed an elk/sheep trail down the final distance. Tim was fully enjoying the moment, and floated around the steep hillside like he was 20-something again! The moment Tim swung the ram’s head around, I stated, “I think you shot a Booner.” This ram was one of those rare trophies that continued to get bigger the more we looked at him. Many hunters know exactly what I’m talking about, and I hope many others will experience this in their hunting careers.

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We had gone into this hunt totally unguided, explored country neither of us had ever been in, and came out with an exceptional animal – 177 4/8 Boone and Crockett points and 14 years old, for those of you who like the stats. Fortunately, Tim was using the complete Best of the West Shooting System, which made taking a difficult shot look easy. But the bottom line was this: We thoroughly enjoyed the hunt on public land, and in addition to using the proper equipment, we were successful in taking the animal because of our combined years of knowledge and hard work. But the story doesn’t end there. In 2015, I had the needed preference points to draw a Shiras moose tag near the area Mike had killed his bull. Since Tim’s ranch is located in the same general area, one phone call to my friend was all that was needed to plan an October hunt. By chance, Jon Bloom, another good friend, called and informed me his daughter had drawn the same moose tag. Brennae Bloom currently serves in the United States Army as a human resources specialist, and had only a brief window to hunt. One more phone call to Tim and his wife Jody, and Brennae was also teed up for a memorable hunt.

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, Brennae was up ﬁrst, and Tim had a speciﬁc bull moose in mind for her. I’d explained to Tim that Jon had been in a terrible accident resulting in extensive neck surgery, and Tim and Jody were all

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in, along with their son RJ and daughter Amanda. On opening morning, the Bloom family trio of Jon, Brennae and her brother Skyler were ready to go. Brennae was long range-capable with her dad’s rifle topped with a 5-20X50 Huskemaw. This scope was critical, because their established lookout point provided a great view of a willow bottom, with distances ranging from 200 to more than 1,000 yards, all from an elevated position. About midmorning, the giant made his appearance. Brennae was ready, having already established a very stable prone position. The bull was ranged at 550 yards, and was in eminent danger. The shot broke the morning stillness, and soon, Brennae was kneeling next to a magnificent Shiras sporting a 57-inch spread. The bull was field dressed in short order and hauled to the barn, courtesy of the Thompson Ranch frontend loader. Later that October, I hunted with Tim and his family, and harvested a very nice 40-inch bull of my own at 680 yards, although I did fire a “warning shot” before settling down and placing a bullet through his heart. To top it off, my wife Lynn also had a moose tag in another unit, and she made a great one-shot kill on her moose at 350 yards. Our family and friends have enjoyed many meals with moose being served as the main course. And along the way, I was able to enjoy the fall season with good friends in spectacular western Wyoming. From a moose hunt to a sheep hunt, then back for three

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Skyler, Jon and Brennae Bloom pose with Brennaeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magniďŹ cent Shiras bull moose. (JIM SESSIONS)

more moose hunts, our story had ďŹ nally come full circle.

TRUE HUNTERS UNDERSTAND that hunting is much more than just killing an animal. For many of us, it is our escape from the pressures of everyday life, and is an integral part of who we

are. But it is far more rewarding, in my eyes at least, to make sure that we are always giving back to the sport we love. Of course, I always advocate for hunters to become more educated and proďŹ cient in their choice and use of weapons, but there is more we can do beyond ourselves.

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Packing a bighorn out on horseback is hard work for both man and beast. (JIM SESSIONS)

To me, the act of helping other hunters is much more satisfying than simply (and selﬁshly) putting another head on the wall. Find a way to use your knowledge and resources to make another hunter’s dream come true. Become a mentor for a youth, invite a senior for a day in the ﬁeld, or make yourself available to a new acquaintance. The experience will reward you with great memo-

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ries that last a lifetime. And if you take the time to mentor another hunter and bask in their success, it will become your success as well. ASJ For more information about The Best of the West and Huskemaw Optics, visit thebestofthewest.net.

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LAYKE TACTICAL REACHES FOR THE STARS WITH AR INNOVATION BY DANIELLE BRETEAU

rnest Apodaca is the owner of Layke Tactical, manufacturer of precise and high-end AR-platform riﬂes. Having come from an aerospace background, he and his team have focused their expertise on making a diverse array of ARs that are unique in look and feel to any shooter.

Alaska Sporting Journal How did Layke Tactical get started? Ernest Apodaca A group of people and I expressed a desire to make our own ﬁrearm brand. An opportunity arose to buy out a small and local AR-platform business, so we did. We

The company uses a Haas machine to create upper and lower receivers, grips and ﬂash suppressors. (COURTESY KELLY ENTREKIN)

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This 6-pound titanium .308 AR is setting the stage for what can be accomplished with aerospace knowledge and technology. (COURTESY KELLY ENTREKIN)

Transitioning from flight engineering to firearms was not as much of a hurdle as you might think. According to the folks at Layke, finding product liability insurance and credit card processing programs for firearmsrelated industries were their biggest challenge. (COURTESY KELLY ENTREKIN)

applied our aerospace machining and inspection principals and started making a top-quality gun that we could offer with a lifetime warranty. ASJ Where did the name Layke come from? EA Layke Tool was originally established in Meadville, Pa., back in 1953. The name “Layke” was the middle name of one of the original owners. Layke Incorporated, started in 1955 in Phoenix, Ariz., manufacturing aerospace components. Layke Tactical started in February 2013 as a separate division manufacturing firearms components and finished assemblies. Layke Tactical is made up of just three people; however, Layke Incorporated, a much larger organization, supports Layke Tactical with the use of our engineering, quality control, programming and personnel. ASJ What was the inspiration to start manufacturing firearms? 154

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EA The idea came at a time when the aerospace manufacturing industry was down, which is common in that field. ASJ What was the most difficult aspect of starting Layke Tactical? EA Finding product liability insurance for firearms, credit card processing for firearms and getting name recognition in the firearms industry. ASJ What makes the effort all worthwhile? EA The response we have received from our customers about the accuracy and quality of our firearms. ASJ What is Layke’s next milestone? EA Innovations with new components and designing and producing AR platforms in 9mm and other calibers. ASJ Do you support any charities or organizations? EA Organizations? Yes! The National Rifle Associa-

Meet a Family with a Battery-Powered Landscape

“We like to do yard work. We like to maintain our property.” SCOTT CENGIA

STIHL BATTERY-POWERED PRODUCT HOMEOWNER

It’s hard to maintain a home with four children. It’s even harder when that home sits on four acres of property dotted with trees and landscaping. But Scott and Kelly Cengia manage it all with the help of STIHL Lithium-Ion blowers, trimmers and hedge trimmers. “We’ve got practices for swimming, soccer and basketball all the time,” said Scott. “Our four-acre property also requires a lot of maintenance. STIHL Lithium-Ion products really help with that.” To find a Dealer: STIHLdealers.com For product information: STIHLusa.com

JUNEAU Tyler Rental Inc 5295 Glacier Hwy (907) 780-2210 www.tylerrentaljuneau.com

KETCHIKAN Timber & Marine Supply, Inc. 2547 Tongass Ave (907) 225-6644 www.timberandmarine.com

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PALMER Alaska Paciﬁc Rental 1111 Glenn Hwy (907) 746-1144 www.alaskapaciﬁcrental.com

PETERSBURG Rocky’s Marine Inc 245 Mitkof Hwy (907) 772-3949 www.rockysmarine.com

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There is no end to the possibilities Layke Tactical can achieve, and we should soon see an expansion of their work with different caliber AR-platform options. (COURTESY KELLY ENTREKIN)

tion, Arizona Elk Society, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, Society Of Manufacturing Engineering, National Tool And Machine Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

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ASJ What is your personal motto or creed? EA Quality in all the products we produce! I also believe that keeping jobs in America, especially in Phoenix, using skilled men and woman is contributing to the health and well being of our country. ASJ

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TIMBERLINE RANGE CAMPS At Timberline, we specialize in the design, manufacturing and sales of the highest-quality range camps, sheep camps/sheep wagons and commissaries. Timberline Range Camps was founded by men who are actively involved in the agricultural and transportation industries. Founders Dan and Matt Mickel are active sheep and cattle ranchers who graze their livestock in the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the desert of western Utah. Along with owner Dale Lewis, they ranch around central Utah’s Sanpete Valley. At Timberline, not only do we build state-of-the-art range camps, we also repair and restore old sheep camps and wagons, as well as modern recreational vehicles. We have worked on a wide variety of camps, we have seen what does and doesn’t work, and we apply it to produce a great camp. Unlike some of our competitors, we are not going to claim or try to leave you with the impression that we invented sheep camps, sheep wagons or range camps; the fact is that these trailers have been in existence for well over 100 years. The Mickel Brothers have a camp that was built in 1951 and is still being used every day in their sheep operation. Here at Timberline, what we will claim is that we have taken this 100-plus years of research and development and made the safest and most reliable camps out there. Our camps are built by men who are not only the finest craftsmen in the business but also trained and certified RV technicians who understand the need for function and safety. At Timberline, we use only top-quality material in the construction of the most modern, reliable and innovative camps on the market and back them with the best warranty in the industry. In fact, we are confident enough in our camps that we dare you to compare. It’s not hard to see the advantage with Timberline. Contact us at (435) 462-5300 or survivalistcamps.com/camp-models/camps-in-action.

Celebrating 100 years of Best in Boating

29’ SS Offshore Pilothouse

www.wooldridgeboats.com

+DSS\ FXVWRPHU RQ KLV ÀUVW ÀVKLQJ trip with his new 17’ Alaskan.

1303 South 96th St. Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 722-8998 158

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