Finally hunting season arrived again this year. It seems like it takes way to long to get here each year. Aaron and I planned and plotted for months and hoped this year would be a success. In 2005 we'd gone into our secret moose hunting spot, moose lake as we call it, and saw a number of large bulls, but couldn't figure how to get close to them since they were another 3+ miles and we were already in 5 miles. We'd planned accordingly spending $550 on a plane ticket for Aaron's brother, Adam, to join us as a packer...and a guide...and camp cook. 🙂 We had two areas we'd debated on hunting, and finally narrowed it down to the old standby, moose lake. The hike would be further, but the opportunity greater with more moose to see and have a chance at, we figured. Of course, when you don't have a plane you don't really know what is in store for you, but we had a pretty good idea.
We picked Adam up from Anchorage on September 5th at 7:30pm. We'd driven down from the cabin that morning (five hour drive), ran errands around town, picked him up, ran some more errands, then started on the drive to the cabin again. We made sure we had in-drive entertainment though with our laptop DVD player and some good moose hunting videos for Adam to get up to speed on. We got to the cabin very late, around 2am with the Northern Lights guiding us most of the way.
The next morning we woke around 8:30am and started getting ready. I made fresh blueberry pancakes for a pre-hunt meal while the boys packed and organized. After a good drive we were on the trail at 3pm. We'd warned Adam that the hike was a killer with a 3000+ elevation gain in under two miles, but he didn't seem too concerned. Our packs were relatively heavy with ten days of supplies, but not bad compared to some of our first hunts in Alaska. The hike started really hard for me though. I had some pinched nerve or cramped muscle in my right lower back. We hiked about 1/2 mile then took a break before the big climb. Somehow I got rid of the cramp and the rest of the climb was exhausting but not painful. Frequent breaks with blueberries as snacks were the key to making it to the top alive.

Not sure what our plan of action would be, we took our time getting up the next morning. We planned on going on a drive to do some exploring and maybe a little hiking in moose country for the afternoon and evening. We would start the next chapter of serious hunting in the morning with a 3+ mile hike into our other moose spot.
As luck would have it we hiked to a nice glassing knob that evening. Before we'd even started looking for animals we saw a young bull with a cow about 400 yards from us. Then Aaron and Adam both spotted a bull out ahead of us with their binoculars. I had the hardest time finding it in my spotting scope since I was shaking, but when I did he looked huge. We guessed he had to be 60". He was standing with two cows and they seemed to be slowly feeding along. The sun was barely above the horizon so we knew we had to make our move now, or wait until morning. We decided to go for it. We dropped down out of site of the bull and ran, trying to cover as much ground between us as possible in a hurry. We covered lots of ground and finally got to a spot we could locate him again. He had moved further from where we first saw him, but we'd closed the distance. We were running out of cover, so we started moving single file when he was looking away from us.

We were about 400 yards from him when we tried to do some calling to get him to come to us or at least stop moving away. Brush thrashing did nothing, but a few bull grunts stopped him and he turned toward us. We were hunkered down and sat very still. He stood for a moment looking in our direction, then turned and continued sauntering away. We all looked at each other and continued our stalk. Aaron led, I was in the middle, and Adam brought up the tail. In the dusky light we moved over the uneven ground quickly, staying low, and always watching his antlers. As soon as we started to see white, we all dropped and stayed motionless until he turned again. At one point Aaron belly-flopped out in front of me, tripping on something, but jumped up and the stalk continued. We stopped and ranged him at 260 yards, and continued on. Once we were under 200 yards we stopped and I set up on my pack frame for a rest.
The boys started grunting and the bull stopped and turned slightly. He stood there, and I had him in my crosshairs, but with all the running we'd just done, I could hardly keep him there. I waited for a what seemed like forever for my nerves to calm, deep breaths, and some self talk before I pulled the trigger. The shot was good with him hunching up and dropping to the ground. He stayed down for about thirty seconds, and then was up again, moving away from us. He finally stopped as we got another good solid shot off. We waited for a bit before we went to where he lay. When we got close we could see him still moving from nerves I guess. We stayed clear until all movement was gone. He was a beautiful bull, way more than I ever could have imagined. He had long antlers with lots of nice long points, and three and four brows. He wasn't an old bull, but mature no doubt. It was on the dark side of dusk by the time we left, and the walk back to the truck was no fun since we had no GPS and didn't know the country really well. We heard coyotes howling as we made our way back. We had a little over a mile to go. Then the work begins!

A few days later we were off again. It was nice to know I was done hunting; but the hunting surely wasn't over. We had three days and thought maybe we could get another moose in that other secret spot of ours. It was very hard to be ambitious, but once we got going we all started getting excited. Blueberry pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup and whip cream got the morning started out right. We planned on camping only two nights since we only had four days until we had to be in Anchorage to drop Adam off. We were hiking by 2pm, and hoped to be glassing by 6pm. The majority of this hike is flat with the exception of a mile uphill, and the inconvenience of a river to deal with. We'd crossed this river once before on foot, but I'd nearly gone down the river when the water reached my upper thighs; so this time we were better prepared with a small dingy raft.
We crossed some small braids before we got the main river channel. We all started crossing; but got to the point where the water was about 5 inches above my knees and moving fast, so we turned back. We sat on the edge of the river and all three took turns blowing up the little raft we had. Then we all three proceeded to get into this little raft on our knees, with our packs on our backs. If only we could have gotten a picture then. Aaron was in front on his knees facing left and forward, I was in the middle facing right, and Adam was behind me facing right and forward. We pushed off into the current and our balance was little off with our packs on our backs. I sat as still as possible while Aaron's Danners hit me in the face swinging off his pack. He wasn't far enough forward we realized as I got a good bit of water over the side of the boat onto my lower back. Somehow we made it across and didn't get any more water in; lucky we all brought a change of clothes and had our dry boots on our backs.
We deflated the raft, changed, and stored our stuff in the trees and continued on our hike. It was an hour later that we started seeing moose sign, and lots of it. Aaron was very excited, picking up the fresh moose poop whenever he crossed it. We made it into open country and started moving slower. We weren't sure where we would camp, but wanted somewhere that was close to good glassing on all sides. We found a great spot, set our packs down and took a quick look at the surrounding area. The wind was definitely not in our favor to the south of us, and we soon realized it was blowing right into a cow that was feeding along. She didn't seem too spooked, but did act like she knew something wasn't right. Aaron and I stopped watching her after she was hidden behind some alders and started looking for a tent spot. I looked up to see what the cow was doing when I saw two other cows and a nice bull trotting away from us. The cow we had been watching continued to feed, but the others were gone. We ranged her at 450 yards. After some discussion with Adam we decided that it would likely be worthless to try and find that bull since the wind was blowing right to them and we had no idea where they'd gone.

We focused on the area we could see, knowing the wind was very much in our favor. It wasn't long before Adam spotted a bull. I couldn't see him as he was just hidden by the ridge of the hill; standing on tiptoe I could just make out the white paddles. We made a quick sneak up to a higher vantage point and glassed down on him. He was a fine bull with nice points, good paddles, and three brows on each side, he was just lacking in the spread of his antlers. We guessed him to be 40+ wide.
Aaron had a big decision to make. We knew we could make a quick sneak on him with the wind on our side. After a short discussion, it was on. We decided to go for it. All the more time we would have to pack out. We found a good moose trail leading along a ridge just out of his sight and started toward him. We didn't have to run which was a nice change. We had plenty of daylight, and he was just meandering around. We realized that he had a cow with him once we got a little closer, but figured she wouldn't be a problem. We snuck to within 160 yards but figured we could still get closer. He was walking directly away from us. We watched him as he made a wallow and urinated in it, and continued to show other rutting behaviors. We finally stopped at 120 yards and Aaron got set up for the shot with the pack frame as a rest. We did a bull grunt and the bull turned perfectly broadside, looking at us. Three consecutive shots in the vitals and the bull didn't move, just stood there for about thirty seconds before dropping. That is the worst part about moose, they take too long to die. I can't watch a moose in his last minute of life, it sure jerks at my heart strings.

A dandy bull for sure. Great points and great brows, and what a long dewlap. He'd be fine meat for the freezer. We hoofed it back to where we left our packs and set up camp a couple hundred yards from the kill site.

I started gathering wood, while Aaron and Adam sharpened their knives. A little later I had a good fire going, and a tasty meal of Mountain House was enjoyed by all. Adam's headlight was a big help to him as the darkness came over us. Aaron had a little LED headlight and an ear light but still didn't have brightness Adam's light sported. They skinned and boned out one whole side of the moose, then flipped it over and skinned the other side before we decided to call it a night.
We left all our bloody clothes at the kill site and walked to tent in what was left....Aaron won the prize for best dressed of course, just his silk weight shirt and his birthday suit.

We only brought our tent on this hunt to save weight. Adam fit just fine in the vestibule. Sleep found us all quickly that night, but the wind started up early the next morning waking me with the pounding the tent was taking. We were up at 7:00 and cutting moose again. They finished the rest of the job quickly considering the windstorm we found ourselves in. At 9:30 we all crawled back in the tent for a hearty breakfast of granola bars, and discussed what was in store for the rest of the day. Camp went down in a hurry and packed up tight in my pack. I carried all the camp/clothes/etc. The boys carried meat. We didn't have a trail to follow so we just headed in the general direction our raft was. A fun hike through alders, over downed spruce, and boggy pits. I'm sure we all said a few swear words. It was nice though to be out of the wind.
We reached the bottom in the worst sandstorm I'd ever seen. I couldn't even see 100 yards around me; dust was in our eyes, mouth, and the wind was so strong I could hardly walk into it. We unloaded our packs and settled in the timber for a much needed break from the gusts and dust. Wind will definitely drive a person mad. We fixed ourselves some lunch and savored a cup of coffee before hiking up for the next load. All I could think about while sitting there was the stupid river. I was very nervous about trying to cross it with all the gear and meat in the wind.
The hike back up to the moose was nice with no weight, and we found a more reasonable route. We loaded our packs super heavy with the boned out meat, and gave Adam the chore of packing the antlers. He's taller than us, and we thought he needed to experience hiking through alders and the timber with a moose rack on his back. The antlers were like sails though, catching the gusts and throwing him off balance.

We took lots of breaks on the hike to rest our backs and knees; and took advantage of some small creeks to purify water. The route back proved to be much easier than our first trip out, but there still was a lot of brush bashing involved. I know Adam said a few swear words, though I never heard a peep out of him.
When we reached the bottom, it looked like maybe the wind had died down a bit; at least I was hopeful since I could now see the river through a lighter dust cloud. We started moving loads of gear and meat to the edge of the first braid. Out on the river bottom, we realized the wind was still just as strong and made walking a challenge. Once we had all the gear to the first braid we started the tedious process of blowing up our little raft again. It didn't matter what direction we faced, sand was in our eyes and mouth.
I felt pretty sick about what we were about to do. I consider myself to be a great swimmer, and I usually don't have a fear of water, but this was different. The water is very cold, the wind was blowing fast in the same direction the current was flowing, the current was strong, and we had a lot of gear to deal with. Adam and I were wearing hip boots to cross, and I knew if they filled it would be difficult for me to kick them off. If anyone of us went in, I knew we'd get out okay, but with gear lost, and then the issue of hypothermia would have to be dealt with. Of course Adam and Aaron weren't as concerned as I was. Adam has had lots of experience with rivers in Montana as a whitewater guide.

We filled the raft with what meat wasn't on the boys' backs and some other miscellaneous stuff; I had camp on my back. We all started in the first braid, Adam upstream from the raft, and Aaron and I downstream. The water was much deeper than we'd remembered, filling both Adam's and my hip boots. The raft helped balance us as we crossed though. On the other side, we emptied the freezing water from our boots and carried our packs to the next braid. We left our packs near the water and went back to carry loads from in the raft to our packs. The wind was relentless. We crossed the next braid with no problem, the water just above our knees.
We used the same system to move all our gear to the main channel of the river. I was a bit chilly at this point, shivering from nerves and cold I'm sure. I was a bit worried about Aaron since he was in his very high-tech river crossing gear: his long-johns and tennis shoes. 🙂 I knew he had to be cold and his legs numb.
Once at the main channel the plan was for Adam to ferry me across in the raft with camp on my back, then back to get the meat, then back to get Aaron and their packs. Adam and I moved the raft upstream a good bit before putting in. I was at the front on my knees with the instructions to keep paddling on the right side, and Adam was in the back paddling on the left. Once we met the current, it was like the wind didn't even touch us, we moved downstream with ease, and once we reached a shallow section close to shore, jumped out of the raft. I left my pack there, and helped Adam carry the raft back upstream to float back to where Aaron was. It was a real pain trying to carry that little dingy into the wind, but we made it. I watched Adam put in, then hurried back down to my pack. When I looked over again, Adam was across and standing on a gravel bar, holding onto the rope on the boat for dear life as it flipped way above his head and back down in the wind. Aaron started sprinting for him and dove on the flying raft. It was then that I realized we could have been in a real pickle had they lost the raft; we could have been separated on the river bottom, and I had two big channels of water surrounding me.
Adam and Aaron loaded the raft with remaining loose meat bags, and Adam floated back down to where I was. I helped him pull the meat to the shore, and then carry the raft back up the river to his launch spot. I ran back to the packs and curled up with my back to my pack, trying for moment to stop the biting wind from chilling me. Adam made it easily over to get Aaron, and I watched as the two of them put their packs on and get in the little raft. They had very heavy packs on, and Adam was wearing the moose antlers as well. The raft didn't move at all. They appeared to be stuck on the gravel, so they paddled and pushed with their oars. They were too heavy for that little raft. Finally they made it into the main channel, and started flowing toward me. I could tell they weren't going to make it past the main current to the little channel I was on; and knew they'd be way downstream from me in moments. I hollered at them when they were about twenty yards, something about how they weren't going to make it. Aaron decided differently though; as the raft passed by the spot I was standing, Aaron dove out of the boat for the shore. He was mostly in the water, including his rifle and pistol, but his right arm was on shore, and he held the raft with his left. I grabbed his rifle and the top of his pack frame and pulled him up. Poor Adam, was trying to stay balanced in the boat with the moose antler sail on his back. We grabbed the boat, and helped Adam out. He'd expected they would float down to the next shallow spot, and was startled when Aaron jumped for it. Aaron was soaked, and I knew he'd be freezing shortly with the wind chill. I made him change his upper layers as fast as he could. All we'd lost in the confusion was Aaron's oar.
We had one more significant channel to cross though. We left the meat and raft, and carried our packs to the braid. The first section was shallow, but the last not so. Halfway across my boots were filling with water, and I could feel my legs fighting the current. Adam grabbed my right arm, and I grabbed Aaron with my left, steadying myself. When we reached the shore I had tears in my eyes and laughed with relief that the worst was over. Adam and I drained our boots, and the boys unloaded their packs near me.
They were going back for the remainder of the meat and the raft. I stayed with the gear and meat. I don't think I've ever prayed so much in my life. I talked to God for that whole hour and a half that they were gone. They were going to try and find an easier crossing upstream. I watched as Aaron unsuccessfully tried to cross two places, the water reaching up high on his thighs. I knew physically they had to be near the end of their endurance and strength, and I knew Aaron had to be cold. Finally they found a shallower crossing, and I watched as they made their way to the raft. It was eerie seeing them leaning into the wind while standing still at the raft, while a constant whip of sand and dust flew past them.
It took me awhile to figure out what they were doing since they weren't moving much. They deflated the raft, and I watched as they loaded the remaining three loads of meat on the two of them, plus the deflated raft. Their packs were huge, and their steps slow and labored walking into the wind. When they reached the river, they sat and took a break on bank. I prayed so hard for just a little more strength for them, and for sure footing, and warmth. I'd given up on praying for the wind to stop, since it definitely hadn't even let up even after praying all afternoon 🙂 They stood and started crossing the first of three braids. It looked like they were well balanced and the water was just knee high.
When they finally reached the shore I was standing on, I ran as fast as I could into the wind to them so happy. I hugged and kissed Aaron, and gave Adam a big hug. I was so thankful for our safety. I helped Adam unload his huge pack, and then Aaron's. I was so elated, I was ready to carry everyone's weight the rest of the way. Of course once I loaded my share of the weight, I decided that was quite enough. We walked the remaining mile and half to the truck with the load, and went back for the next. It was dark by the time we reached the truck with the last load; and it was heaven to sit in a closed area out of the wind.