AK float hunt With pics

[Muley Crazy]

Here are a few pics form My Alaska hunt We didn't see alot of bous so we were not able to be to picky but we were still able to harvest some nicer bulls my Dad was able to fill a life long dream of harvesting a Grizzly bear he squared out @ 7 ft 6 inchs (interior grizzly)aged at 15 to 18 years old by fish and game. He missed B&C by less then 3/4 of an inch not that he cared. Over all we harvested 6 bous and 1 grizzly we floated 65 miles in ten days had great time! Saw lots of bull moose but didnt see any over 60 inchs and that was what my dad was holding out for. I had a chance a silver tiped Grizzly the day after my Dad shot his but we had tons of capeing to do and I was the only one with a rifle as we were still packing meat out form or 1st 3 bous
(In the pic of the grizzly you can see a gray knob off to the right of me, that was were I saw the 2nd grizzly) I had him in the scope at 350 yards but after watching my dad shoot his 5 times with a 375 H&H I thought twice about only getting 1 or to rounds in him might not be a wise choice so I passed on him.

 

[elkay]

WoW!! Sweet pics!! elkay

 

[Nut]

I edited the pics so that they were easier to view.


Congrats on the hunts. It looks awesome

 

[mtmiller]

Very nice MC. Look like some nice 'bou to me. Can you tell us more about the adventure?

 

[jabber]

Nice pics. Sounds like a good time. anymore pics or story?

 

[MarvB]

Great animals MCrazy...lets hear some more details! Looks like a great hunt.

 

[justdada]

That's cool MC!
Great bear and those aren't small caribou either!
What were the dates of your trip?
How was your experience with the gear rental and flight in?
Congrats again, it's cool your dad can still do that kind of thing with you.

 

[elk_hunter]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing the pics...now how about some "Ovis-like" narrative?!?!

 

[Dinkshooter]

Details please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Planning the same thing for 2008

 

[Muley Crazy]

Justdada We flew from Fairbanks past the Brooks range (3 hr flight) we got dropped off on a gravel bar on the 30th Of Aug floated 65 miles and got picked up on the 9th

This is my second float trip using Pristine Ventures based out of Fairbanks
We checked on our gear the day before we flew out and found that Wright air service had shipped out our boats with some other crew so we contacted Pristine Ventures and they had 2 more boats at the hanger by 6pm that night !! Once we got the boats inflated we realized that they were not the one that we had asked for but they worked fine. Adapt and over come is the best way to hunt in AK because you cant run to the truck and get something you forgot.

We were over weight with our gear so Wrights air service made 1 extra trip to get us and our gear in and they didn't' know at the time they had messed up the boats so they were just being nice. They had to fly an extra 3 hrs total, so that was way cool of them!! (no extra charge)

My Dad has had several knee surgeries and had a hip replacement in 05 so he cant get around as well as he has in the past. For him to even attempt a trip like this was more then a son could ask for. In 05 we did a 10 day float hunt for moose in AK.My dad had put in for moose here in ID for 13 years and never drew so I put him in the gunners chair the whole trip. When I spotted a 58 1/2 bull standing 100 yds off the bank I told him several times to shot it as we floated by but he wouldn't do it, he told me to take it that was all it took, 3 shots later he was down.

So I was going to do everything I could to get him on a Grizzly. We were 3.5 miles into our 1st day of floating and my buddy was about 20 yards in front of us in his raft with his dad. He turns around and starts waving at us to paddle up to them and as we come up along the side of them he points down river and said BEAR!! I look down river about 700 yards and see a large bear walking right at us on a gravel bar. I tell my dad to get his gun ready (that was totally unecessary) he was cocked and locked! I started paddling as hard as I could.

We get within 400 yds and the bear walks into the brush, we talk about beaching the boats and try calling with a rabbit distress call but the river was moving way to fast and I beach the boat right were we see the bear go into the willows. We look around for his tracks but were not able to find were he entered the 6 foot tall willows (side note, before we flew out we stopped by one of his hunting buddies house and right before we leave he got real serious and said No animal is worth your life be careful !! ) with those words running threw my head I decided not to go after him so we float down stream about 200 yards and beach the rafts on the opposite side of the bear and start making lunch. My Buddy pulls out his video camera and my dad did a quick interview about what we had just witnessed! He was PUMPED UP he had gone Grizzly bear hunting and had a tag in his pocket and got to see a Grizzly !!! He was on cloud 9!!!

I walk up on the bank and grab a metal pot turned around and start walking back down to the river to get some water to boil for lunch and my buddy again yells out BEAR I look up and there he is walking right at us on the other side of the river! I drop the metal pot it bounces of the rocks making a LOUD bang I knew I had just messed up a once in a life time chance for my dad !!! :BLEEP: :BLEEP: :BLEEP: lucky for me the wind is blowing in our face at about 15 mph and the bear never heard it. I run up the bank grab my range finder and gun. run back down the bank telling my dad to get prone !! but with his bad hip he can't so he walks over to the boat and uses it for a rest.
meanwhile my buddy has not even turned the camera off yet so he just turns around starts video taping. I range the bear at 380 yds telling my dad the yardage but the bear keeps coming, and coming right down to the river and starts drinking at 260 yds. MY dad fires his 1st shot from his 375 H&H! The bear stands up on his hind legs and starts swatting the air like he had just stung by swarm of bees in the face! His second shot hits the bear in the back bone and drops him like a sack of potatoes we all start hopping and hollering!!!!! Then the bear gets back up!!! We all start yelling keep shooting the next shot again put him down and again he gets back up Now my dad is on cloud 19 he missies his 4th shot and is out of rounds so I finish him off!

It could of not happen any better if you would of written out on paper !! To top it off we got the whole thing on film!!! I have only watched it 100 times so far and that was just the 1st day we ended up with over 450 pics but I don't have a copy of all of them as soon as I get them I will write more

 

[Bwana]

Now that is WAY too cool. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the great father/son hunt.

 

[smalls]

video...VIDEO...please post.

Great story and aminals.

 

[Big Fin]

Muley:

Great job with you and your dad. What a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

Congrats to both of you!

 

[Tuffbucker]

Great trophies! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

congrats! great pics too!

 

[AZ402]

Missed this one, congrats guys............

 

[AkBearHunter]

We floated by your camp and saw the carcass of your dad's bear lying next to the river, must have been a day or 2 after he killed it as it looked pretty ripe. Glad to see you had great hunt and were succesful. We saw a probably 100 caribou, 5 grizz, a real nice bulll moose, several cows, and a wolverine and had quite the adventure as well.

 

[northwestalaska]

Muley Crazy

Great hunt and that bear is one of the best I have seen! Good job and I hope that you share more of your photos.

The float hunt is the absolute best way to cover lots of country and set you up to take a good animal. This year 100% of my float hunters bagged Caribou and my drop camps were about 70% successful. Keep the info coming because we all can learn from your successful hunt. For you guys that are coming up to Alaska for a 08 hunt it is important that you begin the planning process now and get your flight service booked no later than early December. I turned away 2 or 3 groups who waited until springtime because there was no way to set them up with a pilot.

Good luck this fall guys!

Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet for Rafts, Canoes and Camp rentals
www.northwestalaska.com
907-442-3944
Kotzebue, Alaska

 

[Oak]

Sounds like a fun hunt. Good job...

 

[Muley Crazy]

we saw 2 wolverines also those things are BIG