Boys first Hunting trip
I drew a tag for the Nelchina Caribou herd. This hunt was by drawing permit only, and I was very excited to have this chance. My son, Kyle, each year tells me “I want to go hunting please”. He had been doing this since two years old. “I’ll be really quite” he would say. I’d tell him, “when you get older, I’ll take you hunting”. He was now age seven, and I felt ready, to experience a hunting trip. Leaving the driveway, he waved goodbye to his mother. “By Mom, I’m going hunting!” I had my old beater cab over camper that I bought for $400. Vintage 60’s model. Old but fully functional. Pulling a trailer, with my ATV, a Suzuki quad runner, I drove north, to the Denali highway. The area offers beautiful panoramic views of mountains, glaciers, valleys, with chances of spotting wildlife, very good. The Denali is a dirt road, with many pullouts and trails. It was late August. Fall starts earlier here in higher country, and the leaves were turning color. After leveling up the camper, and unloading the 4 wheeler, Kyle and I were off to scout nearby trails.
The afternoon air was cool and sky overcast. Kyle sat behind me on the Suzuki. We rode several miles of trail and discovered what appeared to be old mining operations. Along the way, we saw a cow moose, a porcupine and several Caribou. The Caribou were skittish, and would not allow a close approach. It would be dark soon, so we rode back to camp, spotting more cow moose along the way. Back in the camper, I fired up the propane heater, and made burritos for dinner. We settled in for the night.
Early morning it was drizzling rain. We put on rain gear to prepare for the day. Kyle had borrowed gear, but was water tight! To fit, his Halley Hanson bib overalls were rolled at the feet and run up to his neck!
The search began. Riding up the muddy trail, I would spot groups of Caribou. They were always running and moving up hill, disappearing over the top. Observing this same pattern a number of times, I realized that if I’m to get in range, I need to park the 4 wheeler and start hiking. All the Caribou seemed to be heading high up the hills. So Kyle and I started our hike up a hillside. It took us along time, with numerous stops to catch our breath. I had to keep pushing the little guy. The bush got smaller as we hiked higher. Finally the terrain leveled out, and we found ourselves on a tundra covered plateau. The sky was cloudy, but the rain had stopped. A group Caribou were feeding nearby, and we slowly crept closer. Within range, I whispered to Kyle “I’m going shoot one”. He sat down and put his fingers in his ears. That was good thinking! I advanced closer, then took aim. One shot with the 30-06 and down went the bou! This was awesome! I looked around and thought “I hope I can get the wheeler up here”. It was a long steep climb, and the Suzuki would not be able make it the way we came. We hiked back down to our ride. I had everything needed to field dress the animal strapped to the wheeler rack. Getting the 4 wheeler up there was the problem. Yesterday I noticed a rock slide on the hill, further up the trail. It seemed the best chance to access the top. Kyle and I riding double again, started the climb. There was no trail. Spots on the hill were steep, and I leaned far over the handle bars to help keep the front end down. The tires kicking shale rock down the hill. It became too steep to ride up. I had Kyle walk and I stood next to the wheeler, holding the handle bars and working the gas. Heart pounding, taking extreme care not flip the machine. I was able to walk it to the top. We remounted and rode to claim our Caribou. Weather was cool, with grey sky. The mountains toward the south had very dark skies. After a few pictures, the work began.
Being Kyle’s first field dress experience, he was very interested in everything I was doing. The wind picked up and dark sky moved in very quickly. It began to snow! Heavy wet snow! By the time I finished my work, there was two inches accumulation, and still snowing!
Love that Alaska weather! Someone once told me “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear!” I’ve found truth in that statement.
Once again riding double, and packing Caribou, I rode toward the edge of the hill. The bulk of the weight was on the rear and the Suzuki was much more stable. We both leaned way back, and crawled the machine very slowly, down the steep slope. About half way down the snow turned to rain. It felt great getting back on the muddy trail. Almost like pavement. It was raining harder now. We both were cold and wet. Back at the camper, I fired up the heater first thing. The Caribou quarters I hung and covered with a blue tarp to protect from the rain. What a great day! A wonderful adventure and my boy’s first hunting trip! Business all taken care of, it was now again, burrito time!
