Feels good to finally take down a nice bull Moose with vintage equipment. A great hunt that I shared with my wife and two sons. We ended up taking a brown bear with the smoke bow after the wind shifted and ruined my stalk with the Kodiak.
Its been a while since I have posted any pics but some should be forth coming. (http://http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo10_zpsabb49f33.jpg) (http://http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo22_zpse473eef7.jpg)
That those older bows can still get it done is a tribute to the innovators and builders who made them. While I admire the gear being made today, there's something special about carrying an old Bear through the woods.
Looking forward to seeing those pics!
AJ
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The 1968 Super Kodiak ... one of Freds most beautiful production bows "ever made" in my opinion.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo5_zps8334f477.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/photo5_zps8334f477.jpg.html)
Marveling at this beautiful beast and the job that lies ahead !!! OMG, what a Monarch!
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We ended up taking the cape off this Bull for a friend of ours ... Not an easy task!
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Perfect bow rack for the 1968 Super K
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo16_zps15603232.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/photo16_zps15603232.jpg.html)
Meat to feed two families for the Winter!
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo214_zps2d0f23d4.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/photo214_zps2d0f23d4.jpg.html)
My son and grand kids helping out to put meat up for the Winter. These two generations have not had to buy store bought meat unless they wanted to. I am thankful for that. Moose meat is wonderful with great natural flavor. We use bacon ends for our suet and that just makes the burger that much tastier.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo219_zps095d89fb.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/photo219_zps095d89fb.jpg.html)
Notice the bow in the foreground hanging inside the cab ... love this shot as we are underway navigating the shallow glacial river and adjusting hind quarters to make the boat plane out best.
Great moose! That has to be the best bow rack I've ever seen. Congrats on a great hunt!
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/photo2_zpsd258c133.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/photo2_zpsd258c133.jpg.html)
Cubed meat in the foreground, bacon suet in the middle and the ground product with suet added in the far bin. We grind it twice to make the meat that more palatable as we load it into burger tubes.
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Views of Denali from the river ... one of the worlds greatest mountains.
awesome hunt. Makes me homesick..
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I couldn't help myself, another shot of Denali but this one shows a glacier that feeds this river downstream. The glacier looks like a thin cloud layer located at the base of the mountains on the right. See it?
highlife, Congratulations on a great hunt and awesome pictures. With a Super Kodiak no less.
Good for you my friend.
Shick
Congratulations on a great bull! Pictures bring back memories of my hunting trips to Alaska. Always wanted to come back and do a moose hunt. Maybe some day.
Thanks All ... I just thought this community would appreciate the pics especially since this awesome Bull was taken with not only traditional equipment but vintage Fred Bear gear. This particular bow is a 72 pounder that I narrowed the limbs on to bring the draw weight down to about 65lbs. It actually didnt lose any speed due to the mass weight loss on the limbs offsetting the draw weight. I really like the looks of this bow with the narrower limbs. I also lowered the shelf by 1/2" and gave it a nice radius. Very sexy! lol, only one of us would understand that!!!
Thank you for taking the time to share your hunt, nice bull and congratulations. Thats a hunt to remember and a family to cherish.
That was lucky having the moose expire at water's edge allowing the boat to be pulled right up to it. Saved some back breaking work.
Looks like you have another bow rack. ;o)
That is awesome! I have ONE bow from the year I was born; a 1968 Super Kodiak. I think you have to look a long time to find a better looking 45 year old! It is a low 50s in poundage so it won't ever go moose hunting, but I will have to plan something special for our 50th year. They really don't give much up performance wise to today's bows.
Congratulations on a fine animal with a classic!
Nice moose and great pictures. Thanks.
Congrats! Beautiful Bull! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Steve O .... I was born in 1959 and that is the year Alaska became a State, I have a nice 50 lbs 1959 Kodiak that has taken a black bear and caribou but is too light for Moose that is for sure, maybe one of these days I can find a 60/65 lbs 59 Kodiak to take Moose hunting. The 59 is my favorite of all Bear bows but I agree, the 68 set the standard by which all modern recurves pattern themselves after! A great looking bow indeed.
Reddogge ... yes, very lucky to have such a short pack however I have had many back breaking packs over the years. This bull actually swam across the river after he had been shot with the arrow and luckily he didn't die mid stream. Thats what we were lucky on!!! Although, he did die in the only puddle on the sand bar which made for tedious butchering to ensure the meat didn't get covered in river silt. That stuff is like glue and so fine that its hard to remove.
Great bull and beautiful bow. Nice job with the pics too.
And hey some of us like to call that mountain McKinley lol.
I've been looking for a heavier 63 dogleg to drag around but nothing so far, harder as I shoot lefty.
Congrats again, way to make it happen.
Highlife...I believe old Fred Bear is smiling from ear to ear right now....that's an awesome hunt with great pics.......thanx for sharing.....!!!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :notworthy: Outstanding!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :notworthy: Outstanding!
Wow, sweet bow, sweet bull, beautiful scenery and awesome pics. Thanks for bringing us along.
Congrats on the moose ! Love all those pics, looks like you had a great adventure along with successful hunt. Those old Kodiak's still get the job done !
fantastic Bull and Bow! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics,
Congrats on a fine trophy.Beautiful pics,Thanks for sharing.
Excellent and well done! Thanks for sharing and with pics.
Awesome pics and great bow...I have a 64# 67 superkodiak LH...took a nice whitetail with it and a turkey...lets hear the story of the hunt....congratz....I am hunting moose this week myself in Alberta
trubltrubl ...I wish we had turkeys in Alaska, they would be so much fun to hunt with traditional equipment. Good luck on your moose hunt and if you get one please post a pic of it on this thread. What bow will you be using?
You asked about my hunt story ... truth is, the two illegal bulls we called in along with a cow that was hanging around them was the highlight of our hunt. We used one of those moose pop up decoys and let me tell you, they work very well. We could hear the bulls grunting and saw the willows being plowed over so we set up the decoy 10 feet in front of us. Seeing the silhouette of a cow decoy, they let there guard down and came slowly into our call. The three moose stood in front of the decoy and the two bulls gently kissed the cow and she started to softly moan (non-stop. Then the bulls took turns rubbing there necks on the cow and then sniffed her (you know what area. Very interesting to watch at such close range. After this, they fought each other for a bit and then the one bigger one tried to mount her ... wow, what a show, all from about 18 yds away. They were too small to shoot legally as they were both about 48" spread with a 2x2 browtine configuration. In this hunting area, its 50" minimum with at least 4 browtines on one side so we had to let these two walk away with the cow. We felt blessed to be see into this wild bedroom for a bit.
Several days later we located this bull that was on the move. He actually came into a clearing before we even started to do any calling so we kind of lucked into him which doesnt happen very often. Once we saw him we set up the decoy (they fold and pop up like a kids tent) 10 feet in front of us in the opening and began to cow call just behind the decoy hidden in the brush.
He turned and twisted his ears and zoned in on our location and slowly made his way to the decoy stopping to scrape brush along the way. Moving his head back and forth showing off his antlers in there typical head bobbing motion. Exciting to watch as he made his glumped/glumped sound with each step, the whole way in ... we watched him come in for at least 400 yds. Lots of fun. I knew he was legal as soon as I spotted him and that added to the fun/pressure of it all. At about 16 yards he stopped coming in and just stood there glumpping at the decoy and with eye balls popping out of his head. Very intimidating, lol. I waited for the right angle to take my shot from in the brush and once he turned, I let loose. He bolted back to where he came from and went out of sight. I thought I had a good shot, I felt good about it but he took off effortlessly so I was concerned. I knew he was headed back to the river and was worried he would die before he got to the other side. I ran after him and could hear him crossing the fast moving but shallow river. As I got to the edge, I could see he had made it to the other side and I could tell he was going to go down. You can see by the pics that he didnt make it far. A sad sight to see an animal like that go down but at the same time overwhelming. A true mixed emotion for me but one that makes sense once you finish the job by processing all the meat that he bestowed to my family. Taking any animal with traditional equipment is so rewarding because its so darned tough to connect and when you do its a cherished memory for the rest of your life!
Congratulations on a beautiful animal. I've been very fascinated with the old Bear bows of late. I have a 1957 Kodiak I just restored, a 1962 Kodiak Magnum and a 1971 Super Kodiak that was restored. Lot's of fun history and great shooting bows.
Thanks for the story and great pictures. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good job, Vinnie!! What a treat to have the family in on that one. Along with all that, you have The Great One beside you without any clouds.
Love it.
Great post! Thanks for sharing. A magnificent animal and a beautiful area. That's a lot of meat!
I love the old Bears and a 67-69 LH Super K is on my wish list. I missed out on a 68# '68 on the big auction site last year, and have been kicking myself over it ever since.
Your post here isn't helping any. :)
QuoteOriginally posted by NIGEL01:
Wow, sweet bow, sweet bull, beautiful scenery and awesome pics. Thanks for bringing us along.
2x
WOW! that is truly the high life!
QuoteOriginally posted by ceme24:
QuoteOriginally posted by NIGEL01:
Wow, sweet bow, sweet bull, beautiful scenery and awesome pics. Thanks for bringing us along.
2x
WOW! that is truly the high life! [/b]
Ceme24 .... You got it, thats the meaning of the handle .... Living the Highlife!!!
awesome!
Congrats what a accomplishment to take a so nice bull with an old SK.
I have a 67-68 and a 71. I regret of having sold 2 68 and a 70.
I'll agree that the '68 SK was, or maybe is, the nicest looking bow ever made. Thanks for sharing the pics too, outstanding story.
Very nice, congrats
Congrats :thumbsup: Thank you for taking the time to share your hunt, great pics.
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story with us.
Congrats on a great hunt. You have fulfilled a dream of mine. I have been coming up there once or twice a year since 2000. Thank you for sharing, and to let you know, I have seen wild turkey up there. So hope they are allowed to populate. I have seen them in Girdwood, in fact one was hit infront of my brothers shop and he called to ask how to clean it. Then down on the peninsula near Nikiski. I am hoping to be back up in the Brooks Range this September and will have my bow with me also. Just hope to have a oppertunity to use it.
Thank you again.
nice trip, I would love to get up on some of those rivers.
Chuck the turkeys here are not considered wild but you are right there are a few around, ive poked two in the last few years. the only rule with them is shoot on sight
During this hunt and a previous years hunt I totally trashed this bow so I sanded it all down and started over. I had some issues with Helmsman spar varnish not sticking to the rose wood in one particular spot and got frustrated with it. So I let it sit for a few months and then ended up sending it to Jim Neaves from Centaur archery and he stippled the grip and coated it with his two part epoxy flat finish and now its completely sealed and looks like a mean hunting weapon. Still a beautiful bow.
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Here is another shot of the 68 Super K. I am still working on the 1982 B-handle Take down, its going to look really nice when I get it done. Waltham compass will replace the cheesy plastic medallion. The shelf has already been lowered and a nice radius put on it.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/highlife6/bow3_zps6ddde3f1.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/highlife6/media/bow3_zps6ddde3f1.jpg.html)
This pic shows the lowered shelf with a nice radius added. Very sweet shooter.
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Green striper almost done ... what a sweet shooting bow.
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Highlife, you are really doing the Super K and green striper justice. Excellent work. Thanks
Shick
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Sooo much fun redoing the older Bears and restoring them as the effective tools they are and were built to be.
Finally finished this beautiful bow ... what a shooter!
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Living the good life!! Thanks for sharing this.
That looks great...!!!! Glad to see them put to the test.....well done..!!!
Fantastic, love my 1969.