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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: chinook907 on November 15, 2016, 07:27:00 PM
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It was basically a day trip.
I drove most of the night, then got a few hours sleep at a friend's place.
Walked into a small lake in the dark, and made a little hide near a caribou trail that came down a frozen stream to the lake.
Waited most of an hour before the sun came up.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1805_zps5qcteegf.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1805_zps5qcteegf.jpg.html)
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:campfire:
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This time of year, with the lakes frozen, the caribou use them to get from A to B more easily, rather than weedling thru the stunted spruce.
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My friend had sent me to a good lake. Fresh caribou tracks practically covered it.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1813_zpsqemctcqv.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1813_zpsqemctcqv.jpg.html)
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Don't get to hear many caribou hunting stories. This should be good. :campfire:
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Damn this is good.. I was hard pressed for some reading material tonight.. this should hit the spot nicely.
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Waiting for the rest of the story.. :campfire:
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You guys are great.
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30-some years looking at caribou tracks and I still get a kick of their shape.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1816_zps35z8y7oh.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1816_zps35z8y7oh.jpg.html)
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And I don't have a blue filter on my camera, that's just how the light is quite a bit of the time, this time of year.
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:campfire:
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I don't really like sitting a trail much, but the crunchy snow made sneaking to stick bow range pretty much impossible.
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But the snow did make spotting a trail easy-peesey, and also gave direction of travel.
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Trouble is, as you might expect, there's more than 1 trail headed onto the lake.
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So I sat a good one, and of course when I stood up for a better view a bit after first light I see this:
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1809_zpsgazvijjc.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1809_zpsgazvijjc.jpg.html)
A couple dozen caribou 150 yards or so away on a different trail. I could barely see them with the flat terrain and brush.
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:) keep it coming!
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Watched them for about 20 minutes, after which they melted into the trees and were gone.
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Plenty of time for me to re-think my choice of trails. :rolleyes:
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Ohhh... this is good! I just put in for caribou last week!! Keep it coming!!
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Alaskan caribou are pretty good at making a bowhunter feel silly, and I was getting that feeling again.
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Great seeing animals though.
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After a bit I snuck back in where I'd seen them, and found a bottleneck of trails with a copse of small spruce adjacent that was makings for a great hide.
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I sat there for a part of the short day we have, then got impatient and hiked into another lake altogether.
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:campfire:
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A pic from the new hide.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1823_zpsylyrl2wb.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1823_zpsylyrl2wb.jpg.html)
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Thanks for the story Tim. Caribou are on my short list of "To-Hunt" animals, and this just gets the thoughts flowing.
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Great pic's and story so far!!! Now get on with the rest lol!!!
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And here's a pic @ the other lake.
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1832_zpsrb3qxznd.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1832_zpsrb3qxznd.jpg.html)
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Stayed only a few minutes as the sign on the lake was pretty scarce.
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So back I went to the first lake, and rebuilt my hide at the inland spot.
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I would love to kill a caribou one day!
In for the rest of the story!
Bisch
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Awesome area... Best of luck...
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Wow this is already great. Us lower 48ers long for these stories and Caribou is a dream hunt of mine. Thanks for sharing!!!
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:campfire:
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Like others, caribou are my dream quarry. Get on with it!!
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:thumbsup: :campfire: Cool stuff.
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Great pics. I too have a Caribou on my bucket list. Best of luck to ya.
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I had to put on a hat and gloves just by looking at the pictures. Brrr
:campfire:
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I had to put on a hat and gloves just by looking at the pictures. Brrr
:campfire:
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Thanks guys.
So somehow I'm taking 2 days to tell a story that happened in 1...
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So I'm at the first lake, back in the brush around 75 yards, sitting in a depression at the back of my hide.
And a little lone caribou is suddenly trotting past me ! I had no time and maybe 2 seconds after I saw it me first arrow was gone. It was good East-West but well under it. Second arrow same (the caribou had stopped). Third arrow went in the snow also. And off the caribou ran, not a nick on him. Ugh.
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Turns out it was about twice as far as I might have guessed, if I had had the time and state of mind to think about it.
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It gets pretty silly now.
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After a bit it was very late in the day so I thought I should look for my arrows. Never found them. But while I was shuffling in the snow for them, out on the lake I see this ( you can't make this stuff up !).
. (http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1843_zpszmmpkeoc.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1843_zpszmmpkeoc.jpg.html)
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Maybe 15 caribou or so, you can't see them all in the pic.
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They had me spotted of course. It was close enough to sunset I tried sneaking on them but got only to 100 yards and they took off.
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I turn the corner on the way back to my hide, and here are 10 or so caribou staring at me, they had just walked past my hide apparently, and ran back past it as they spooked...
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1847_zpsycrgglyf.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1847_zpsycrgglyf.jpg.html)
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So it occurred to me to just sit until dark.
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I was standing for a better view not long before sunset when I see 4-5-6 I'm not sure how many mature Bulls ghosting thru the trees coming down the creek trail towards me. No antlers, the rut was over weeks,ago and most bulls had shed their antlers. Didn't matter, it was an any caribou hunt. I was here for fun and meat, probably in that order.
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I quickly crouched down on my knees, bow up, just downstream of the hide. There would be no rising up to shoot, I would shoot as the first bull came into view downstream of my hide. Bow was darn near horizontal. About all I would need to do was draw.
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When I'd seen them briefly, they were single file, head down, had that heading to the barn look about them.
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I was ready, with my last arrow on the string. And if I need to say it I was determined to make that arrow count.
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I felt cool as a cucumber but it was hard not to risk a peek over the blind.
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The bull appeared from my right. My last arrow hit him with a load whack, just a little high but with the upward angle he went down. I ran over and finished things.
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Where he was when I shot. And yes that's a blue folding camp chair.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1849_zps8sbzqwzg.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1849_zps8sbzqwzg.jpg.html)
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Sorry about the mess, it's tough with the snow, and I get in a hurry to get things cut up and packed out.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1855cropped_zpsx6sg8elh.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1855cropped_zpsx6sg8elh.jpg.html)
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awesome job what a gift
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So I took a few pics and then it was dark.
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Took me awhile to get him all processed and in my sled. It was well into the evening when I was done, and heading out with the sled.
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Thats it guys.
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Goodnight lake.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1826_zpspgaghoib.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1826_zpspgaghoib.jpg.html)
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Goodnight caribou.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1820_zpsnorpy6nw.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1820_zpsnorpy6nw.jpg.html)
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Goodnight moon.
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(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/IMG_1864_zpsbtoodltk.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/IMG_1864_zpsbtoodltk.jpg.html)
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Great story and hunt. Thanks for taking me along. I enjoyed it.
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You are a good storyteller! Thanks!!
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Atta'boy!! Great story thanks!
Tim
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Congrats, that's awesome! That was a great read. How far was the shot? Maybe the picture makes it look further than it is.
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Good job Tim!! Nice Bow!
God Bless!
Denny
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Quite a hunt- congrats!
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Excellent tale! I can't even imagine being in such an exotic (to me) location this time of the year!
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Awesome, thanks for taking us along!!! As others have already said, Alaska is a dream hunt for me.
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Thanks again guys,it was great fun.
Trenton G, it was a 25 yard shot.
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Very very nice, congrats on the meat...
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That's great! Very nice story and super pictures. I felt like I was there right with you. Congratulations!
Bernie
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Great thread. Congrats!
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Awesome!
Congrats on the bou!
Bisch
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Congrats that's awesome
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Awesome. Thanks for sharing the story and pics
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Very nice photos and thank you for the story. Appreciate it.
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Awesome!! Congrats.
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:thumbsup:
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Great ending and congrats :clapper:
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LOL, sounds like a pretty typical caribou hunt!
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great !
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Sounds like a great day hunting!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Awesome story, how cold was it?
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:thumbsup: :coffee:
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Reminds me of fishing- you have to have a line in the water to catch anything. Here it is obviously cold, dark, and perfect fireplace weather, yet you were out there. Cpngratulations.
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Roger- downright balmy for Interior Alaska in November. In the 20s during the day.
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Originally posted by chinook907:
Roger- downright balmy for Interior Alaska in November. In the 20s during the day.
What an awesome adventure, I wish I was there!
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Awesome!
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Living in Alaska must be nice, great story and pics.
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Very nice! What month do the bulls drop their antlers?
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Congrats... I think I posted this same idea earlier, but I've been starving for some stories about not whitetails (although I do love reading these too!).
Thanks for sharing!
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Awesome job sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Broken Arrows - real late October and November for the bigger bulls. Younger bulls sometimes hold them for several more months.
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What a great adventure and thanks for taking me along. Love it.