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It's here. Moose season in Alaska. Last year I pulled a solo caribou hunt in the mountains and encountered terrible weather for a week. This year I'm going solo again, but for moose. I originally had a hunt scheduled in a totally unfamiliar area, but that got changed. I'm heading to familiar country...terrain wise...but to a location nobody has hunted. It's simply only accessible by plane and there has been no landing strip there until a few weeks ago. The bottom line is that I'll be hunting moose which haven't been affected by previous hunting. Age structure of the bulls should be outstanding. Bulls have been seen in there from the air but nobody has been there to mess with them. Pretty rare to get that chance, and rarer still to have a pilot who will put a solo bowhunter in there first.
Just a couple days ago I received this text:
"Too bad you aren't at your new location hunting right now. I flew by and there's a cow, a medium bull and 2 monsters within 300 yards."
I know from experience that most bulls don't look like monsters when viewed from an airplane hundreds of feet above. Pretty interesting!
The area is a side tributary of a tributary of a small river. It opens into a decent valley a few miles in length and has excellent habitat for resident moose. Good water but no huge ponds or problematic crossings. It almost sounds too good to be true. Maybe it is. I'm about to find out in just a couple days. The weather looks to turn just about perfect on my fly-in day which is a huge relief. No fun establishing camp in a cold Alaska rain...I've done that. I will have 14 days alone to hunt moose in this new area. I'm looking forward to the challenges and starting a new adventure.
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Good luck! What bow setup are you carrying?
Wow , I'm jealous .
But honestly I don't think I could handle it anyway .
Best of luck to you .
Good luck!
Good luck brother... We're awaiting a good story!
What a dream.. Good luck Dill!
Good luck Kevin. I'll be waiting for word to have a 2500 miles of separation toast to your success. Stay safe.
Good luck!
Bisch
Good luck Kevin and hunt safe. We look to see the pics and hear the story. Shoot Straight and Good Hunting.
Tony
Good luck Kevin. Will be waiting for another incredible story when you get back. Best of luck and be safe
Be safe. Good luck!
Best of luck! This looks like an incredible adventure. Thanks for sharing with us!
Wishing you a safe journey and the best of luck!
:campfire:
Good luck Kevin!
Stay safe and post pictures. Good luck!
DO keep us posted. Waiting to hear the story soon.
Dan in KS
:campfire: :coffee:
Stuff dreams are made of, Kevin. Best of luck. I can't wait to hear your stories.
Jake
Now THAT'S something I would LOVE to do. Maybe not by myself though. I wouldn't mind doing it with a guide.
AWESOME!
Be safe , good luck , and have fun .
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
Good luck Kevin. I'll be waiting for word to have a 2500 miles of separation toast to your success. Stay safe.
May I suggest a certain selection of old Kentucky's finest?
Best wishes and good luck! Looking forward to your stories.
Kevin,
As you know, the success is being there....and coming back. That said, I'm looking forward to reading about your adventure.
Knock one down, Dillbilly, best of luck!
Thanks Walt. I can guarantee you I will be thinking of you and Hunter while I'm in camp. I will be wishing for your camp to find success and make a lifetime memory. Break a heart and make it a bull's.
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/dillbilly/2010%20AK%20Moose%20002.jpg) (http://s52.photobucket.com/user/dillbilly/media/2010%20AK%20Moose%20002.jpg.html)
Keith....
Cari-bow Featherhorn I've had several years and know well. Doug fir arrows I built and Abowyer Wapiti heads.
Enjoy your hunt, buddy! That's a dream for sure. I can't wait for the follow up pictures and story.
wow just wow.
Good luck......looking forward to the story..
Best of luck kevin and I wish you the best of luck that's a hunt of a lifetime sounds like a sweet spot your headed into I will be patiently waiting for pics and a story!
could look cant wait to watch this one unfold!
I'll be praying for your safety and enjoyment of this adventure Kevin and impatiently awaiting for you to unfold your tale.
Have fun, hunt safe, and best of luck.
Good luck Kevin! Be safe and Godspeed to you!
Kenny :thumbsup:
That sounds like an awesome hunt. Be safe and good luck!!
Wowser, all the makings of a great adventure. Wish you good fortune.
QuoteOriginally posted by Kevin Dill:
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
Good luck Kevin. I'll be waiting for word to have a 2500 miles of separation toast to your success. Stay safe.
May I suggest a certain selection of old Kentucky's finest? [/b]
I'm assuming this one will do the trick...
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/2016%20Post%20Pics/6370B4BD-8563-4C88-9044-E8A545C0D009_zps2afbmhst.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/osminski/media/2016%20Post%20Pics/6370B4BD-8563-4C88-9044-E8A545C0D009_zps2afbmhst.jpg.html)
Hopefully your Titanium flask will have enough for a toast or two. I can smell the tenderloins on the stove now. Save some leftovers for "tenderloin and eggs". This winter I am going to see if the magic ingredient for scrambled eggs; cream cheese, can be dehydrated. If so I may go to omelettes for every meal :eek:
Good luck Kevin.Be safe and have fun
Tim
Envious of what you are about to experience. Best of luck with those Douglas fir and the great heads. They will do the job. I too look forward to seeing parts of what you see and reading your words that partially describe what you are doing or did. May He watch over you and give you peace in His Creation.
Best of luck! Quite an experience I'm sure
Eric
Take luck. Looking forward to the outcome.
Good luck, but on a serious note, what kind of firepower are taking with you? Where there are moose, there are griz! We don't need another Bart Schleyer story.
2 weeks is far too long.........to wait for this report.
Good luck and be safe...
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
QUOTE]I'm assuming this one will do the trick...
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/2016%20Post%20Pics/6370B4BD-8563-4C88-9044-E8A545C0D009_zps2afbmhst.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/osminski/media/2016%20Post%20Pics/6370B4BD-8563-4C88-9044-E8A545C0D009_zps2afbmhst.jpg.html)
Hopefully your Titanium flask will have enough for a toast or two. I can smell the tenderloins on the stove now. Save some leftovers for "tenderloin and eggs". This winter I am going to see if the magic ingredient for scrambled eggs; cream cheese, can be dehydrated. If so I may go to omelettes for every meal :eek:
Can you believe it? The Colonel is our mutual friend, lol.
Those eggs you told me about are superb. I can almost hear the rooster crowing at sunrise. I will eat well, but a bit of moose meat on the plate adds so much meaning to the meal.
Enjoy,waiting to read the story.Hope to hear it in person someday.Surewoods was the best arrow wood you could have picked.
Terry
Good luck, Kevin! Dream hunt for many...
Good luck.
Good luck Kevin,I am sure you are ready for the job.
WOW, fantastic. Best of luck and be safe.
What an incredible opportunity! May the good Lord bless and watch over you during this incredible adventure Kevin! Looking forward to the story.
Have an amazing adventure!! I cannot wait for the report.
The higher the challenge the greater the reward - You are no doubt going to return a very rich man.
The load of meat and antlers will be frosting on your cake!
I will be anxiously awaiting this story. This trip is definitely a memory maker that will last a lifetime. Stay safe and shoot straight. Good luck, Kevin.
I really appreciate the kind words from everybody. I sometimes wonder how I ever got to this point.
It seems appropriate looking back in my life. I roamed the Arizona desert as a kid and most of my memories have me exploring alone. As a child I fell into a fast and deep AZ canal but managed to grab some brush and save myself from certain drowning. I hunted with my dad but was so determined to hunt and fish that I did a lot of it alone. I would kill a limit of squirrels and clean them with nobody to notice. I would fish by myself all day, just stopping for lunch. I have spent many days fishing far out on big ice (Great Lakes) with nothing but wind and walleyes for company. I have killed enough deer to...not important...but nobody has ever seen me shoot even one. I remember hiking to a new stand deep in the woods and hunting all afternoon during the rut. The full moon came up at dusk and I couldn't leave. I felt perfectly at home back there where it was just me and the natural world. I sat in the stand until midnight enjoying the cold, watching the moon shadows of rutting deer run beneath me, and knowing I had to be there alone to see it.
But don't misunderstand me: nothing is as valuable as a good hunting partner to me. I enjoy hunting shoulder-to-shoulder sometimes. I would probably have a partner on this hunt, but my pilot-friend actually asked me to hunt it solo the first time and I agreed quickly. Maybe it was just meant to be that way. The access is tight and it hasn't been hunted. This is as much about exploring the hunting in there as anything. It could be a bust after all. That doesn't worry me in the least, as I'm easily capable of going home with just memories and stories. It all starts tomorrow.
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Hi Kevin, you can't say it better then that. Have a great hunt and be safe and I can't wait for the rest of the story and pictures. Take Care.
Burton
Good luck to you... Be safe!
Good luck Kevin. Just the experience will be an adventure for sure...I pray for your safety and success for your hunt...
These are the kinds of adventures I loved to read about in the hunting magazines of my youth. I envy you, living the dream. Good luck, stay safe and may your arrow fly true.
What an amazing hunt! Stay safe and best of luck. Looking forward to more pics
Best of luck the follow up will be worth the wait, stay safe and shoot straight.
Wow! Keven what a great adventure.I wish you good hunting and a safe trip. How in the world did you find a pilot that would drop you off solo? I have thought of doing the same thing but figured it might be wise to plan such a trip with a hunting partner, for safety sake. Good Luck.
:campfire: :archer:
Good luck Kevin. Will be waiting for another incredible story when you get back. Best of luck and be safe
Good luck to you sir! Watch your top knot! :campfire:
Got to thank Surewood Shafts and Snag for the superbly matched firs which I built into arrows:
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/dillbilly/IMG_4991.jpg) (http://s52.photobucket.com/user/dillbilly/media/IMG_4991.jpg.html)
Kevin,
When you headed out. We leave next Monday.
You going through Tok?
Mike
Good luck Kevin. You have more nerve than I do, I could never do a solo in Griz country, would never get any sleep.
Mike: I fly into and out of Fairbanks. I leave home tomorrow morning early. I fly into my camp the next day...Thursday. Tight schedule.
Danny: Grizzlies are like sharks and other creatures of fear. They can get you, but the statistical odds are greater you'll crash in a bush plane or drown while swimming. Nothing is risk-free, but the odds favor no encounters up close.
Godspeed Kevin!
Look forward to hearing all the details upon your return!
chris <><
"It seems appropriate looking back in my life. I roamed the Arizona desert as a kid and most of my memories have me exploring alone. As a child I fell into a fast and deep AZ canal but managed to grab some brush and save myself from certain drowning. I hunted with my dad but was so determined to hunt and fish that I did a lot of it alone. I would kill a limit of squirrels and clean them with nobody to notice. I would fish by myself all day, just stopping for lunch. I have spent many days fishing far out on big ice (Great Lakes) with nothing but wind and walleyes for company. I have killed enough deer to...not important...but nobody has ever seen me shoot even one. I remember hiking to a new stand deep in the woods and hunting all afternoon during the rut. The full moon came up at dusk and I couldn't leave. I felt perfectly at home back there where it was just me and the natural world. I sat in the stand until midnight enjoying the cold, watching the moon shadows of rutting deer run beneath me, and knowing I had to be there alone to see it." The above is gonna make a good opening to a great book, hopefully...
Good luck Kevin. I hope all your planning is right on the money and you have the time of your life!
Like most bowhunters here I hunt solo most of the time, but....I can crawl to the house if need be (if I need more granola or get thirsty-Ha!).
I lived in CO for 2.5 months after graduating college. I was in the outback counting trees (Stage II inventory) in areas that were too wooly for the Forest Service.
Went almost 3 weeks during one span seeing no other people. Didn't bother me at all. I don't think I could do it these days (I'm sure I won't)...I guess I feel more mortal now than when in my twenties.
Good luck Kevin.Hope you have great weather for it.
Good luck. A hunt like that is beyond me at my age but I hope you have a safe and successful hunt. I do have a couple of questions.
If you shoot a moose early how do you keep the meat that long.
If you get socked in on the day you fly out do you have provisions to last a while.
Best of luck Kevin, enjoy the moment and may your arrow fly true. Looking forward to reading of your adventure.
QuoteOriginally posted by reddogge:
If you shoot a moose early how do you keep the meat that long.
If you get socked in on the day you fly out do you have provisions to last a while.
It's usually cool enough (weather) to preserve meat as long as it is kept shaded during the day. I carry a satellite phone and can call my pilot in for a meat pickup also.
I don't bring extra food, but I try to skimp and conserve some through the trip so I have some extra at the end. With the sat phone I can generally stay abreast of weather issues and plan to get pulled early if really bad weather moves in near the end. I've seen snow in camp many times and lows down to single digits.
Kevin congrats on you soon to come adventure. It will be an amazing trip. Be safe, have fun!
Wishing you a successful adventure and many great memories!
Good hunt Kevin
Good luck Kevin!! It was your thread last year about solo adventures that lit the fire for me. Probably won't ever have the opportunity to do a hunt half as wild as this but I did a few 3-4 day hunts last year on National Forrest land and it was because of your inspiration.
Again, best of luck and stay safe and I cannot wait for the story!!
Best wishes on your hunt and I pray the Father watch over you and give you safety and success in the mighty name of Jesus!
Thanks for giving us the heads-up about this sweet adventure...
Good luck and stay safe!
QuoteOriginally posted by Kevin Dill:
Got to thank Surewood Shafts and Snag for the superbly matched firs which I built into arrows:
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/dillbilly/IMG_4991.jpg) (http://s52.photobucket.com/user/dillbilly/media/IMG_4991.jpg.html)
Looking real nice Mr.Dill
Final thanks before departure in a couple hours. Couple long days ahead of me before I finally zip into my sleeping bag. I'm curious about what this adventure holds. I know it's likely to be about way more than just hunting. See you all on the back side.
My mountain camp a year ago...
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Go get em Kevin! We can swap stories when we get back.
Be safe!
Mike
That is real hunting
Best of luck :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Awesome! Would love to hunt in that fashion one day. All the best, look forward to hearing how it went!
I am wishing you good weather, great encounters and all of what only an adventure like this can bring! :wavey:
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
This is what dreams are made of .I've done a few solo hunts in my time,absolutely loved em.
To Danny LOL.I have hunted for years in Grizzly country and I've honestly have never seen one,in British Columbia.My cousin ,hunting in the same area has had some real close calls.
a few years back he got drawn for Moose so I sent him my Moose call.Two weeks later he sent it back to me with a small note containing some very nasty language.It seams the first day of calling in trots about a 700# boar grizzly. LOL I thought it quite funny ,he didn't see the humour.
Should be a great hunt in a new area.
Anyone heard from Kevin yet?
This is a great intro to a grand story. No one comes back from a solo hunt in Alaska unchanged? Mike
Can't let this sit on page two.
QuoteOriginally posted by 4runr:
Can't let this sit on page two.
X2. I'm looking forward to the stories. :coffee:
I'm with you guys, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the story.
G O O D L U C K KEVIN and be safe! Sounds like a great experience. Like Mike M. (Herd Bull ) said good prologue to the story to come. Looking forward to it! :)
Joe
My bet is on Kevin and against Moose. It will be a grand story to come.
Great!!!!
Awesome! I love threads like this one. Can't wait to read the memories of the conclusion of this one!
Very cool!! Good luck!
:campfire: :goldtooth:
Any word from Kevin yet?
Chatted with him this morning. He's alive and worn out from 15 days in the bush. He's one hell of a story teller so I'm sure this will be good once he gets a chance.
:campfire:
Wow, just finished reading Jay Massey's "Bowhunting Alaska's Wild Rivers" then came upon this thread. Great timing. The book should be a great prologue to Kevin's story that's about to come.
Hello all. I'm doing okay. Currently in Sea-Tac and waiting on my next flight. 12 hours until home. I am beaten down from the rigors of the hunt. I want to say that I appreciate everyone's encouragement and following this thread. I absolutely promise you I will get back on here and do a worthy story as soon as I can get my life organized and some things taken care of. It will be a number of days before that happens. I know everybody wants to know the juicy details so hopefully the story will make your wait worth enduring. A very tired and sincere thank you!
Glad to hear you're back in one piece Kevin! Looking forward to the story!
Glad to hear you made it out safely and okay...
Looking forward to this one.. Safe travels home Kevin. The Red Oaks are dropping here in Buckeye country! :coffee:
:campfire:
looking forward to the story.... :coffee:
:campfire:
Should be good...
Be safe and enjoy!
:campfire: :coffee:
Rats! I just took a look at the thread Kevin; I could have met you at Sea-tac for a beer! Glad you're out safe & sound, and we're all looking forward to the full story!
Can't wait to read this....
In for the story!!
Welcome back Kevin. Glad you made it back safe and sound. And now the wait begins. Thanks in advance for sharing.
Tony
How was trip?
Welcome Back to the Lower 48. I am happy to hear you made it safe and sound. I am patiently but also eagerly waiting for your tale.
Me too :campfire: :coffee:
Update: Working my way through about 500 pictures to select ones for a story. Will try to get something going fairly soon. My body/brain are still in recovery mode.
Glad your back safe and sound, .... :campfire:
Welcome back Kevin! I'm looking forward to the story to come.
I leave today for my moose hunt and fly out tomorrow.
Abe
Welcome back! Glad you are safe and tired. I am sure the story will be worth the wait!
Can't wait, Kevin!
Last note (I think) from me on this thread. I'm planning to start a new thread for the actual story. No sense making people bypass 9 pages of content to find the actual story of the hunt. So watch for it very soon. You'll know it's the right one when you see the title. thanks
good idea