HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM TS HUNTING ADVENTURES

TS Hunting Adventures would like to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR with lots of hunting to come.  

As a Christmas Gift from us to you we have decided to take a $1,000 off the your second Caribou if you book a Caribou Hunt for $5,200 with us before the first of the year.  

Contact me at info@tshuntingadventures.com to book your hunt now or visit our site at www.tshuntingadventures.com and take a look around what all we have to offer.  

Washington Elk and Deer Season

The Washington Hunting Season has come to an end and we can honestly say it has been a great one.  Take a look at the story that one of our hunters wrote about his hunt with us.  If you would like to see the photos that go with this story just go to www.tshuntingadventures.com and click on the story link on the Washington page.  
     

Scott Marvin 

Location: Aarchery Outfitters, Washington 

December 1-6, 2010 

December in Washington! 

A thin layer of sweat covered my chest, evidence of the work it took for me to climb 

the 30 feet in the self climber. A new relationship and appreciation with my safety 

harness gave me the confidence to move about and crawl into my heater body suit. 

My bow hanger was in my vision over my left shoulder complimented by my Matthews, 

suspended but locked and loaded. My guide had just left. It was quiet…I mean whisper 

quiet. No wind, no squirrels, no ravens…just my breathing. Here I was, in Washington, 

archery hunting and the game was on!  

This was our archery hunt with Brian Jennen and Aarchery Outfitters. We trekked 

across North Dakota and Montana. Zipped through a sliver of Idaho and navigated 

through the streets of Spokane. Finally turning north after a thousand or so miles of 

heading west, we tackled the last leg of our journey and reached our new home in fine 

fashion. 

After day one, it was obvious that this would not be an easy place to leave. The beauty 

of the country was appreciated every day. The guides, cook, and our new hunting 

partners (Mike and Mike from Mass, Jessie from Maine) made the trip even more 

special. Most of all, it was the excitement of waking up each morning knowing that this 

day was going to be as special as the last one and afford the potential for another great 

hunt or shot opportunity. This was not going to be an easy place to leave. 

 We fine tuned our routines as we became more comfortable with the camp. Our daily 

duties of breakfast, packing our own lunch, gearing up and picking on each other were 

motivated by one fact. It meant that soon we would be driving through snow country 

pointed towards a stand site reinforced by photos of game that had been visiting “our” 

stand in the last few days. Talk about peaking your interest! 

Personally this trip would become one of those memories etched in my mind because 

of the one that got away. In my case, I did the power company lineman trek up the 

tree with my climber. At what seemed like a reasonable height, I looked down to see 

my guide pointing up with his finger telling me to go higher. The weight of my pack 

gave evidence that I had maxed out the tether rope used to raise my gear. My guide 

took care of that as he placed his 6’ frame under the pack, raised my gear above his 

head and gave me the signal to climb further. In time, my guide had left, I was in my 

heater body suit and the woods were as described….whisper quiet. By hour number 

three, some movement at my 12 o’clock gave me a view of a buck and a nice one. A 

shooter buck. As deer tend to do, he took his time in fact, he took forever. I found that 

in the process I was 13 again. My breathing was rapid and interrupted and my hands 

were suddenly sweaty. Crunch, crunch and he was at 40 yards. It took me forever to 

lift my bow off the bow hanger. I cradled the Matthews in my hand and slowly clipped 

my release on the string. Crunch, crunch and now he was behind a tree. “Excellent”, I 

thought as I planned out my next move. “Move straight and I can draw, turn back and I 

can draw…this is good. All I have to do is wait.” And wait I did, for a half hour the buck 

fed and stayed put with me at the ready. Finally, the magic time had come as the buck 

turned 360 degrees. That caught me off guard a bit but I drew and as the buck walked 

another two steps I anchored and squeezed my release. The buck whirled and ran and 

with that, my opportunity for a filled tag as well. I had passed on a very nice light frame 

10 pointer earlier in hopes something bigger would come along. It did and not only 

that, it left. So, unlike Conway (who incidentally made good on his buck at the same 

time of 1:30 and about a mile away), my visions of a Washington trophy buck include 

the disappearing horns and the white tail waving at me as it disappeared in the timber. 

I intend to remedy that next year upon my return. 

Highlights of our trip included the first buck taken by “Quiet Mike” of Mass. The 

excitement in the story, the reenactment of events and the recovery of the trophy 

was enjoyed by all…a number of times! “Other Mike” also connected and somehow 

managed to slay a trophy even bigger than his partner. Conway made good on a 

1:30pm trophy which made the guides super happy and great fodder for happy hour 

stories. Brother Buzz and I were relegated to telling stories about the ones that got 

away as we both squeezed the release on our Matthew bows. Mixed in between all 

these highlights were stories of a bull elk that walked within 5 yards but did not afford 

a shot, of trophy bucks working their way around the stand site within a cast of the 

stand but not presenting shot options. Of an archer reaching his altitude of 30” only to 

drop his bow and have to climb back down and repeat the process. Or…an afternoon 

spent watching deer, and then eventually cows and calves from mid day until dark…all 

without releasing an arrow. Hunt data showed extremely high success for an archery 

hunt. Six of us, three with our deer tags wrapped around antlers, one who made good 

on a doe and two of us who missed but made good on a return commitment next year 

to this fine camp. 

Indeed a great place and an even greater place for the opportunity to collect on that 

trophy buck or a chance to fill your freezer with elk meat. We loved the mountainous 

country that treated us each day to postcard picture perfect country. Trees burdened 

with layers of snow, the quietness of the forest floor, the ever steady movement of 

game as they drifted in and out of bait sites. The numerous “gotcha moments” when 

trophies came out of nowhere and kicked our heart rates into high hear. Fun, friends 

and a chance to pull back to your anchor point as your pin settles on a Washington 

trophy. For sure, a place that is hard to leave. 

Why we hunt deer

I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.   

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about   20 minutes , my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold.   

The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope .., and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.   

That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no chance.   

That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.   

A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.   

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual.   
Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.   
    
Did you know that deer bite?   

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.   

The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.   

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.   

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.   

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about   head and shoulder level , and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal --like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.   

This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.   

Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.   

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go   deer hunting   they bring a rifle with a scope...... 


to sort of even the odds!!   

All these events are true.. An Educated Farmer 

Sarah Palins Caribou Hunt

This fall the guys were thrilled and excited to take Sarah Palin on a Caribou Hunt for her TV series "Sarah Palins Alaska."  Even though the show just showed a fraction of the days of Bou Hunting we where sure excited to be a part of this as it sure speaks for the quality of hunts we offer as, needless to say, we where not the only guys out the offering Caribou Hunts.  Bottom line, when you have a time limit, and need the best you are simply not going to go wrong with Greg and Striker.  Sarah chose a smaller Caribou as the trophy was no concern to her but take a look at www.tshuntingadventures.com to see some of the trophies the guys have returned home with.  You will not be disappointed.  The first date is already filled up as well as one other so hurry and book your hunts now and do not miss out.  Also if you book them before the first of the year you will get 10% off.  

Brown Bear and Grizzly

Brown Bear

Brown bears (Ursus arctos), also known as grizzlies, occur throughout Alaska except on islands south of Frederick Sound in southeast Alaska, west of Unimak in the Aleutian Chain, and Bering Sea islands. They also occur in Russia, northern China, northern Japan, Europe, western Canada, and in limited portions of the northwestern United States. Brown bears symbolize Alaska as depicted on the back of the state quarter and on the state flag (Ursa Major – The Big Dipper). They are also important to Native Alaskans, local residents, hunters, fishers, photographers, and hikers.

General description: Brown and grizzly bears are classified as the same species even though there are notable differences between them. Kodiak bears (brown bears from the Kodiak Archipelago) are classified as a distinct subspecies (U. a. middendorffi) from those on the mainland (U. a. horribilis) because they have been isolated from other bears since the last ice age about 12,000 years ago. “Brown bears” typically live along the southern coast of the state where they have access to seasonally abundant spawning salmon. The coastal areas also provide a rich array of vegetation they can use as food as well as a milder climate. This allows them to grow larger and live in higher densities than their “grizzly” cousins in the northern and interior parts of the state. To minimize confusion, this report uses the term “brown bear” to refer to all members of Ursus arctos.

The brown bear resembles its close relatives the black bear (U. americanus) and the polar bear (U. maritimus).  Brown bears are usually larger than black bears, have a more prominent shoulder hump, less prominent ears, and longer, straighter claws. Polar bears are similar in size to coastal brown bears, but are more streamlined, lacking the hump. The varying shapes of these bears are adaptations to their particular life styles. Long claws are useful in digging roots or excavating small mammals, but are not efficient for climbing trees. The musculature and bone structure of the hump are adaptations for digging and for attaining bursts of speed necessary for capture of moose or caribou. Color is not a reliable key in differentiating these bears because black and brown bears have many color phases and polar bears may have stained fur. For example, black bear fur may be black, brown, reddish or even shades of grey and white, while brown bear colors range from dark brown through very light blond.

Brown bear weights vary by age, gender, location, and time of year. Bears weigh about one pound (0.5 kg) at birth and attain adult size by age 6. Adult males tend to be 30-50% larger than females. A large male may weigh up to 1,500 lbs (680 kg) in coastal areas or up to 500 lbs (227 kg) in interior areas.  Bears weigh the least when they emerge from their dens in the spring, and can increase their weight by over 50% during late summer and fall. The largest brown bear ever killed had a skull that was 17.9” (46 cm) and 12.8” wide (33 cm). Such a bear, when standing on its hind feet, would be over 10’ (3.0 m) tall.

Brown bears have an exceptionally acute sense of smell, exceeding that of dogs. Contrary to popular belief, bears are not nearsighted. Their eyesight and hearing are comparable to humans. They can run in short bursts up to 40 mph (64 kph) and are excellent swimmers. By all indications, bears are extremely intelligent and most have individual personalities.

Life history: Cubs are born in the den during January and February. Twins are most common, but litter sizes can range from 1 to 4. When the cubs emerge in June, they may weigh up to 15 lbs (7 kg) and they actively explore their world under the constant supervision of their mothers. Mothers can be furiously protective of cubs, however less than half of the cubs survive. Families typically stay together for 2 or 3 years and after separation female cubs tend to stay near where they were raised while males go farther afield. Most brown bears are sexually mature at 5 years old; however females often do not successfully produce a litter until later. The mating season is in the spring (May to July) and they are serial monogamous (have one mate at a time, but several each year). The oldest brown bear in Alaska was a 39 year old female, while the oldest male was 38.

Bear populations in Alaska are healthy and productive. Densities vary depending on the quality of the environment. In areas of low productivity, such as on Alaska’s North Slope, studies have revealed bear densities as low as one bear per 300 mi2 (777 km2). In areas abundant food, such as the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak and Admiralty Island, densities as high as one bear per square mile (2.6 km2) have been found. In central Alaska, both north and south of the Alaska Range, bear densities tend to be intermediate, about one bear per 15-25 mi2 (39-65 km2). These figures do not mean that each bear has this much territory for its exclusive use. The area occupied by any individual bear overlaps those used by many other bears.

Foods: Brown bears are very adaptable and like humans, they consume a wide variety of foods. Common foods include salmon, berries, grasses, sedges, cow parsnip, ground squirrels, carrion, and roots. In many parts of Alaska, brown bears are capable predators of moose and caribou, especially newborns. Bears may also be attracted to human camps and homes by improperly stored food and garbage as well as domestic animals.

Although generally solitary in nature, brown bears often occur in large groups in concentrated feeding areas such as salmon spawning streams, sedge flats, open garbage dumps or on whale carcasses. Because of this, they have developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and minimize serious fights These feeding concentration areas also provide opportunities for people to watch bears.

Winter dormancy: In the winter when food is unavailable or scarce, most brown bears enter dens and sleep through the winter. Although this is not true hibernation, their body temperatures, heart rate, and other metabolic rates are drastically reduced. While in the den they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. Pregnant females are usually the first to enter dens in the fall. These females, with their newborn cubs, are the last to exit dens. Adult males, on the other hand, enter dens later and emerge earlier than most other bears. In northern areas, bears may spend up to 8 months in dens, while in areas with relatively mild winters, such as Kodiak, some male bears stay active all winter.

Safety: Brown bears and people can co-exist as long as we treat bears with respect and learn as much as possible about their needs and behavior. Basic bear safety rules include: never approach a bear; only observe them from a safe distance; avoid surprising bears; do not run from bears; and, stay away from animal carcasses that have been claimed by bears. In bear country, campers can minimize conflicts with bears if they reduce food odors, secure food and garbage so bears cannot get it, use electric fences, and avoid camping on bear travel routes.

Management: Bear hunting is an important traditional and economic aspect of life in Alaska and with proper management can occur without jeopardizing populations. In most coastal areas brown bear hunting regulations are designed to maintain high bear densities and provide hunters with opportunities to pursue large bears. In many other parts of the state, bear hunting regulations are less stringent as managers strive to balance the numbers of bears with number of moose and caribou available for human hunters.

Bear viewing is another popular activity in Alaska and although it is often considered “non-consumptive”, it can have serious impacts on bear populations if it is not conducted properly. Most viewing occurs at places where bears congregate at concentrated food sources that are critical to their survival. If some bears avoid these areas because people are there, those bears may not get the fat and protein they need to make it through the upcoming winter. Managing human behavior around such areas is as important to the continued health of the bear population as is managing bear hunting.

Research and conservation: Alaska has over 98 percent of the United States population of brown bears, and more than 70 percent of the North American population, so it has a special responsibility to this magnificent animal. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is responsible for managing bears in the state and for ensuring that management is based on the best scientific knowledge possible. Important aspects of this effort include maintaining healthy populations of bears throughout Alaska, conserving bear habitat, preventing overharvest, and conducting studies necessary to understand population requirements and how bears and people can co-exist. As Alaska continues to develop, it is critical that everyone recognize their role as stewards of this important resource and strive to safely share our great state with them.

Text: Sterling Eide and Sterling Miller
Illustration: R.T. Wallen

Find more great stories like this at http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame

Caribou Hunt with Tom Miranda

We where thrilled to take Tom on a Caribou Bow Hunt which was filmed and is scheduled to air on his show in October 2011.   

      - Greg and Striker are top notch and do what it takes to get you in front of the Caribou.

         Barren Ground Caribou are getting tougher and tougher to nail down.. so if your bow
         or rifle hunting....Take a serious look at TS Hunting Adventures.... Tom Miranda

Congratulations

Congratulations to Larry Jones on shooting a super nice Whitetail Buck scoring 150.  He got him on our Washington Hunt a couple of days ago.  Will have photos as soon as the guys get them to me.

The Black Bear

Black Bear

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are the most abundant and widely distributed of the three species of North American bears. They have been recorded in all states except Hawaii. In Alaska, black bears occur over most of the forested areas of the state. They are not found on the Seward Peninsula, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, or north of the Brooks Range. They also are absent from some of the large islands of the Gulf of Alaska, notably Kodiak, Montague, Hinchinbrook and others, and from the Alaska Peninsula beyond the area of Lake Iliamma. In Southeast Alaska, black bears occupy most islands with the exceptions of Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof, and Kruzof. These are inhabited by brown bears. Both species occur on the southeastern mainland. Black bears are most often associated with forests, but depending on the season of the year, they may be found from sea level to alpine areas.

General description: Black bears are the smallest of the North American bears. Adult bears stand about 29 inches (.73 m) at the shoulders and measure about 60 inches (1.5 m) from nose to tail. The tail is about two inches long. Males are larger than females. An average adult male in spring weighs about 180-200 pounds (81.8 to 90.9 kg). They are considerably lighter when they emerge from winter dormancy and may be 20 percent heavier in the fall when they are fat.

The color of this bear over its entire range varies from jet black to white. A very rare white or creamy phase occurs on Kermode Island and vicinity in British Columbia. Three colors are common in Alaska. Black is the most often encountered color, but brown or cinnamon bears are often seen in Southcentral Alaska and the Southeast mainland. The rare blue (glacier) phase may be seen in the Yakutat area and has been reported in other parts of Southeast Alaska. Only the black color phase is seen on the islands of Southeast. Black bears may have a patch of white hair on the fronts of their chests.

Black bears are most easily distinguished from brown bears by their straight facial profile and their claws which are sharply curved and seldom over 1½ inches in length. Positive identification can be made by measuring the upper rear molar which is never more than 1¼ inches long in the black bear and is never less than that in a brown bear. Black bears have adequate senses of sight and hearing. They do have, however, an outstanding sense of smell.

Life history: Mating can take place anytime from June through July. Apart from that time, black bears are usually solitary, except for sows with cubs. The fertilized egg will not implant in the uterus until the fall. The cubs are born in their dens following a gestation period of about seven months. The cubs are born blind, nearly hairless, and weigh under a pound (.4 kg). Upon emerging from the den in May, they may weigh about 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and are covered with fine wooly hair. They are able to follow their mothers quite well. One to four cubs may be born, but two is most common. Cubs apparently remain with their mothers through the first winter following birth. Bears mature sexually at 3 to 6 years of age, depending upon their environment. In their more southern ranges they will breed every other year unless a litter is lost early during the first summer, then the sow will breed again that year. In more marginal environments such as northern Alaska, black bears keep their cubs with them an extra year and will breed every third year.

Food habits: Black bears are creatures of opportunity when it comes to food. There are, however, certain patterns of food-seeking which they follow. Upon emergence in the spring, freshly sprouted green vegetation is their main food item, but they will eat nearly anything they encounter. Winter-killed animals are readily eaten, and in some areas black bears have been found to be effective predators on newborn moose calves. As summer progresses, feeding shifts to salmon if they are available. In areas without salmon, bears rely primarily on vegetation throughout the year. Berries, especially blueberries, are an important late summer-fall food item. Ants, grubs, and other insects help to round out the black bear's diet. Male bears may occasionally prey on their own young.

Winter dormancy: As with brown bears, black bears spend the winter months in a state of hibernation. Their body temperatures drop, their metabolic rate is reduced, and they sleep for long periods. Bears enter this dormancy period in the fall, after most food items become hard to find. They emerge in the spring when food is again available. Occasionally, in the more southern ranges, bears will emerge from their dens during winter. In the northern part of their range, bears may be dormant for as long as seven to eight months. Females with cubs usually emerge later than lone bears. Dens may be found from sea level to alpine areas. They may be located in rock cavities, hollow trees, self-made excavations, even on the ground.

Human use: At one time black bears were classified as furbearers and were heavily used as such. Now there is a growing appreciation for them as a meat and trophy animal. Black bears are so common and widely distributed that they often cause damage at homesteads, construction camps, or even in towns and are destroyed as nuisance animals. These depredation kills can be minimized or eliminated if garbage and other food items which attract bears to camps or residences are eliminated. In some areas of Alaska, black bears are a traditional subsistence food. In the community of Huslia, for instance, hibernating bears are killed, cooked, and eaten by the men and boys of the community in a traditional dinner.

The best bear hunting areas are probably from the tidal areas in Prince William Sound southward through the panhandle of Alaska. In these areas, bears are spotted from boats as they forage on the beach. Early May through early June is usually the best time for such hunting. The pelts of spring black bears make beautiful trophies if taken before they start to rub.

If bear flesh is used for human food, it must be well-cooked as Alaska bears have been known to have trichinosis. This disease is transmitted by eating infected meat that is not cooked thoroughly.

Danger to humans: Bears are extremely powerful animals and potentially dangerous to humans. They are usually highly cautious and secretive, but if they have a food supply, they may defend it against all intruders. Every year, bears are found in Alaska’s biggest cities — in downtown Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. Encounters with humans, especially near garbage dumps and fish drying racks, frequently occur. Sows with cubs must always be respected. A rule of thumb is never to come between or near a mother bear and her young.

Normally, these bears snort in a characteristic way and move off. They have, however, attacked without apparent provocation. Several persons have been victims of these unprovoked attacks. In general, all bears should be considered as potentially dangerous and should be treated with respect. Black bears that appear unafraid of humans and will allow people to approach closely should be treated with utmost caution.

Text: Loyal Johnson
Illustration: Andrews

Find more great stories like this one at http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/

5% DISCOUNT on ALL HUNTS

We have decided to offer all of our hunters a 5% discount on ANY of our hunts if they book them by the first of the year.  This will apply to ALL of them:

Alaskan Grizzly Hunts

Alaskan Brown Bear Hunts

Alaskan Black Bear Hunts

Alaskan Mountain Goat

Alaskan Dall Sheep

Alaskan Caribou

Washington Deer or Elk

Washington Deer/Elk Combo

Please take a look at our site at www.tshuntingadventures.com to see details on every hunt offered as well as photos of past harvested animals and prices.  Feel free to call me at (719) 468-8732 or email me at info@tshuntingadventures.com   I look forward to hearing from you.

HUNTING SPECIAL in Washington

To all my Elk and Whitetail Hunters,

     I have a GREAT deal on 7 whitetail deer hunts and 2 combo Elk/Deer hunts.  Take a look, you really need to jump on this as you are not going to find an AMAZING hunt at a price like this.  Nothing like a last minute trip to Washington.

    LOCATION -- Colville National Forest (we are the only outfitter permitted to hunt in the 1.9 million acres       of forest)

    DATES  -- November 17th-22nd, 2010 (three whitetail deer hunts)

                     December 9th-14th, 2010 (four whitetail deer hunts)

                     November 25th-30th, 2010 (2 Elk/Deer Combinations hunts)

   PRICES -- $1,500 per whitetail hunt

                   $2,000 per Elk/Deer Combination Hunt

Email me ASAP.  These are TOP OF THE LINE hunts that normally run $2,995 per deer hunt and $4,549 for the combination hunt.  Please check out our site at www.tshuntingadventures.com to see some of the trail cam pics as well as past harvested animals.  Chance of a lifetime here.  You can also call me at (719) 468-8732

Sarah Palin's Alaska

Sunday the new show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" was viewed by 4.96 million people.  How exciting is that.  I am sure pumped.  Keep watching the show as you just never know what you will see.

Check out the links below to read more.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/11/15/sarah-palins-alaska-draws-496-million-viewers/
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/sarah-palin-alaska/

Washington Whitetail Season

Just a few more days away. Yeahhhhhh!!!   Our first hunters are due to arrive tuesday so hope to have lots of pics up soon.  Hope everybody out there is having a great fall hunt.  I would love to hear all about it.  Drop me a post on here and brag a little about your kill.  

Alaska's Largest Caribou Herd

This has to be exciting to all you hunters out there as this is one of the four herds that we are permitted to hunt.  

Alaska’s Largest Caribou Herd Is Stable
Western Arctic Herd Numbers About 401,000

By Jim Dau

A look at the Western Arctic herd. Caribou in the Western Arctic Herd are photographed from the air using a large format camera (not this image) and then counted off the photographs. Photo by Geoff Carroll.

Alaska’s largest caribou herd, the Western Arctic Herd, numbered about 401,000 animals as of July 2009 according to a census recently completed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Although this is a slight increase from 2007 when the herd was estimated to number 377,000 caribou, department biologists interpret the 2009 estimate as evidence that the herd has been stable during this time. The difference of 24,000 caribou between these censuses is probably within the department’s ability to accurately count a caribou herd of this size in such a remote portion of the state.


The Western Arctic Herd last peaked around 2003 when it numbered 490,000 caribou.

The Western Arctic Herd ranges over a 140,000 square-mile area bounded by the Arctic Ocean, the lower Yukon River and the trans-Alaska pipeline. About 40 communities and 13,000 people live within its range. For the indigenous people of these communities, the herd is both a vital link to their cultural heritage and a staple source of food. The Western Arctic Herd is also important to visiting resident and nonresident hunters, and is an important source of income for commercial operators that provide services to them. Because of its tremendous size, the ecological importance of the Western Arctic Herd to Northwest Alaska is incalculable. Although they are important prey for wolves and bears, Western Arctic caribou directly and indirectly impact the entire food web through nutrient cycling - affecting organisms from bacteria to vegetation to moose.

The 2009 census, combined with annual estimates of adult mortality and calf survival, suggest that the 2007 population estimate may have been conservative. In 2007 department biologists found 99 percent of the collared caribou in the aggregations that were photographed so were confident that no large segment of the herd went undetected. However, some photos had long shadows in them that could have hidden caribou on the prints. Also, some small groups of caribou that lacked radio collared individuals near the main aggregations may have been missed.

Caribou are counted in summer when they form large aggregations. Photo by Geoff Carroll.

In 2009 the caribou were aggregated to a far greater degree than usual, and no living, collared caribou were found during months of radio tracking after the photography was completed. Additionally, the prints were very clear. All of these factors contribute to the accuracy of the count.

Biologists classify factors that limit the size of caribou herds into two categories: density dependent factors and density independent factors. Density dependent factors are those that exert a greater negative force on the caribou population as it grows. Examples of density dependent factors are range condition, predation and disease. Density independent factors are those whose effects are not related to caribou herd size, such as weather or resource development. Both types of factors can affect caribou herds simultaneously, and predators can shift from a prey species that becomes scarce to one that is more abundant. This web of interactions makes it difficult to understand what causes caribou numbers to change.

Although the Western Arctic Herd has numbered over or around 400,000 caribou since 1990, the body condition of caribou from this herd has generally been good throughout this time. Additionally, the department has found no evidence that disease has become a problem for this herd. So far, it appears that the WAH is not being limited by density dependent factors. Instead, the decline of this herd from 2003 to 2007 may have been largely attributable to severe icing during one or two winters during that time.

At this point, population stability or even a slow decline is probably preferable to continued growth. In 1970, the Western Arctic Herd numbered 242,000 caribou but then declined to roughly 75,000 individuals by 1976 – an 18% annual rate of decline (many residents of northwest Alaska still question the 1976 estimate). The department recently intensified its monitoring program so that when this herd next declines it won’t catch anyone by surprise.

The next census is scheduled for 2011.

Jim Dau is a state wildlife biologist based in Kotzebue.

Check out more great articles at http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov

Black Bear Hunt in Alaska

This is an article that was wrote by maxhunt.eu after he was on one of our hunts last year.  I hope you enjoy it.  Make sure you check out more of his articles at www.maxhunt.eu


Black Bear in Alaska

 

This time the trip went to Alaska, where we wanted to hunt big bears at the coast of Alaska.

I have wanted to hunt bears for a long time already, but the thought of hunting on bait after this beautiful animal, kept me from actually doing it so far. After having seen a hunting movie of high quality where people were hunting bears at the coast on boat, I researched some more and arranged myself a deal in Alaska. A boys dream...

After having come home from a bear hunt in Rumania, I quickly got ready to head east with huge excitement about how the big bear hunt would be like, in comparison to the “decency hunting” on the European brown bear.

Already at the landing on the airport in Anchorage, I began to get butterflies swirling in my stomach. What a nature. The snow was covered by a thin layer of ash after an eruption on Mount Redoubt, which is an active volcano 160 km southwest from Anchorage. It is daily active and erupts with massive explosions. The last one was about a month ago and it sent ash clouds to a height of 15 km in the air. You feel so small if you look down on these wides.

Alaska is rough nature and very practicing for every hunter.

The wild awaits. And after an overnight stay in a hotel, I continued with a smaller airplane to Valdez, where I would have to meet my outfitter the next day at the harbor. I spent the day at the airport where there was the annual plane-show. Everybody has a plane here and they come with them to this event.


The annual plane-show on Valdez airport.

I spent the night down at the harbor where local fishermen got ready for salmon-fishing. The sun was shining and the time flied because there was so much to see. On my way up to the town a big American pick-up stopped at my side. After the window was rolled down, a guy in my age asked me if I'm Max. Either they all know each other around here or I must have looked like a confused tourist. My question got answered quickly because the outfitter had been on my site www.maxhunt.eu and had recognized me from the pictures.

Greg (the name of the outfitter) took me up to shop for some last things before we were leaving the next day, and then drove me back to the hotel. Really nice guy, so now I could go to bed with my mind at rest.

I got up early next morning to pack the last of my stuff and enjoy a nice American breakfast with everything included. In retrospect I might understand now why they have a little larger weight average over there than in little Denmark. I really miss the coarse rye bread now...

Before I even finished my breakfast, Greg already showed up, even if he first was supposed to come at 9 am. The pick-up got packed quickly and the hotel was being informed when we would return. Thereafter we drive to the harbor where the Best Western Hotel lied, where we were supposed to fetch  2 more hunters from California who were going with me on this trip. I said hello to X and Y, two gentlemen in their best ages if you ask them. I've never had the doubt that everything in fact is bigger in America, but it just got confirmed when I saw the two mens luggage. Greg quickly gave up at trying to fit everything of the luggage in the pickup and choose to drive me to the harbor first and then to pick up the other two later.

Valdez is not a very big town and there are only 4353 citizens who mainly live off the oil industry. Valdez is the town where the pipeline from the northern Alaska is being filled into huge tanks, after they have crossed 1300 km of the country over  3 mountain chains and 800 creeks and rivers. Since the establishment in 1977, where it had cost over 8 billion dollars to fabricate it, about 20000 super tanks have been filled with oil in the town of Valdez.

 

The town lies on the end of the Prince William sound. Most people probably know the place because of the oil-catastrophe back in 1989 on the 2^nd of march, where a EXXON VALDEZ (300m x50m) pierced 27 m into the depth and sunk so 42 million liters leaked into the ocean. This oil release is the biggest in the history of the United States and one of the biggest ecological catastrophes. An oil-catastrophe which I couldn't see anything of anymore and the locals also say that the fish and otter population never has been bigger than it is today. And then one shouldn't forget what tourism has done for this city after the catastrophe. From the one day to the other the town of Valdez got known on the world map and everyone wanted to see what had happened. Now the nature had healed again.

A super-tank on its way into Valdez.

I met the chef, Bob on the boat and Greg’s right hand man Randy. Two guys who are completely down to earth. So I got my gear down to the cabin of the 50 feet long CUTTER. There is an incredible calm mood on the boat and the three of us started talking. Randy is Greg’s childhood friend and is now a independent carpenter by trade. He chooses to come up here with Greg each year to help him with the hunt. Probably mostly to satisfy his passion for hunting and to spend some days with his friends. Bob is Greg’s dad's best friend and a Vietnam veteran. A nice feller who reminds me of a mixture between the Swedish chef and the two old men who are always commenting in the end of The Muppet Show.


Valdez harbor at low tide..

The sun was shining and the sky was without any clouds, which was very unusual for this time of year. Back home I had been informed that I should bring warm clothing, also for rain and a poncho, because there sometimes could come big amounts of water down from the sky. But I don't want to complain about the weather, now that it's better than expected.

Jimmy and me got to the boat with all the luggage and then we were ready to leave the harbor. We had six hours of sailing ahead of us. The three crew members  all knew what their jobs were on the boat so we could leave the harbor. Randy and I took the aluminum jolly-boats and sailed them, out of  the harbor. Meanwhile Bob released the moorings and up from the fly-bridge, Greg was steering the boat out through the harbor. The jolly-boats were now being secured on the backside of the boat again and we headed to the place where Greg and Randy believed there were some black bears.

The Navigation to the hunting area takes place with the aluminum jolly-boats on a tow.

The big bears are coming down from their stands after their hibernation in the spring time. It's on the beach where the first grass starts to show after the snow is melted. The bears eat a lot of grass in the beginning of spring to get their bowel systems going again. In the fall they eat berries, grass and carrion. The black bears in Alaska are of the same species as those you find longer south in America. But you never find the brighter or even brown ones, or the black bear who has a dot on its chest.

The navigation was going well and in the mean time Bob told lively about what was to be seen on starboard and the portside. But also how Greg and Randy were when they were little. I used the last cell phone reception to say goodbye to my family before we disappeared over the horizon and were getting to the hunting locations. With the joy of anticipation, we all stood in the steering cabin to see who could spot the first bear.

I saw numerous eagles sitting in the trees on stake-out along the coast. So when I jumped up and went running to get my camera to take a picture of the first eagle I had seen, I felt very much like a tourist. But Greg and Randy were just looking at each other smiling, which meant that it was supposedly pretty normal for foreign hunters to act that way. But as Bob also pulled out his camera, I reckoned that there must even for the locals be something worth taking a picture of. We went on the deck and Bob was pointing to the coast and explained that what I was seeing actually is a huge sea lion colony. And yes it was, already at a distance of one kilometer; we could hear and even smell them! A smell, that reminded me of a good summer day where the sand eel shipping’s come into the harbor of Esbjerg. But it was really impressive to see these huge animals lying on the rocks sun bathing.

Sea lions sunbathing on the rocks.

Now we started entrancing the fjord Greg choose for us to hunt in. The binoculars were put up to the eyes to see which one of us could spot the first bear. The longer we were getting inside, the water got calmer and since we were not on open sea anymore, we saw one otter after another passing our boat. They were lying on their backs with stones on their stomachs. Quickly Greg found a little protected bay where we could moor the boat.

My home under the whole trip.

We gathered our equipment and were firing test shots for the hunt which would be on the next morning.

Because everything is a bit bigger over here, Greg’s liked to see whether one also can shoot for bigger distances. So he sailed some 2½ liter canisters to the other side of the shore. After having shot the rifle into the cal. 300 Remington ultra Mag. to a hundred meters, I had to try my best on the cans that were now 380 meter far away from me. I was pretty glad over my lessons at the shooting range. I managed to hit two out of the three and Greg was quite satisfied with my presentation. I even think he was a bit surprised. We packed the gear together and headed back to the boat, where Bob was ready with the dinner: chili-cheese burger. A normal burger bun with a beef, some slices of cheese, then chili con carne which is being topped with grated cheese and some peas on the side. Probably the weirdest burger I ever had in my life, but also the best so far. A cold beer and I had given Bob a Michelin star. But to my surprise, there wasn't a single beer on board, so Bob had to be satisfied with 5 stars.

Bobs specialty, Chili Cheese Burger with some green on the side.

When I woke up early the next morning, I was totally restless to finally go out hunting. But as the hunt on big bears not only depends on wind, weather and the suns uprisings and sundown’s, but also on the tide, I had to wait until there was low tide. The tide varies up to 8 meters and where we were up to 5. When the water is lowest, the bears come to the coast to try and find some crabbes or clams in the now waterless areas. They often get attracted to the scent of clams, alga or other things. The actual hunt takes place on the brought aluminum jolly-boats with a 40 hp four stroke engine along the coast to spot a bear. When the bear is spotted, you go on land to find out whether it’s a shootable male bear.

After a couple hours of waiting we could finally begin. Jimmy and Y were sailing with Randy and I with Greg. We sailed to the end of the fjord, where we checked the coast and are kept an eye on the shore. It didn't take long until we spotted the first bear on the other side of the fjord. We stopped at the shore to be able to hold the spotting scope more calmly. It was so fascinating to see the first bear which we met, just walking on the beach, eating some fresh grass and enjoying the sun. The distance was more than 800 meter and after we observed the bear for a while, we decided to sail over to the other side to have a closer look at the bear, who was clearly a male.

Greg Jennen, outfitter and owner of Glacier Mountain Outfitters.

In the meanwhile the bear went back into the forest again, without having gotten the trace of us, so we waited if it would come back to the shore again. Not much time passes and I see some movements in the peeling about 30 meters out. Without a sound I signaled Greg to be aware of the movements and in fact, it was the bear! It was coming closer. I was ready with the rifle, I already turned down the enlarger and was now waiting for the bear to be absolutely clear and Greg giving me a sign that I could shoot. The bear calmly sticked it's head out of the bushes and from where I was lying, I almost had a clear shot. I carefully turned my head to Greg, who didn't have the same angle to the bear as me. He nodded and so I knew that I could shoot the bear now if would come out far enough. But it was like he knew something was up. He stood there, sniffing a couple of times, where after he turned and disappeared in the peeling again where he came from. What a kick! To have a bear in 30 meters of range, to have given the permission shoot, to have found it in the binoculars and to have released the rifle, until he disappeared where he came from. How much closer can you get?

The evening was about to come close so we sailed up the estuary of the river, which ran into a river delta at the end of the fjord, to look for bears there. We moored the jolly-boat and continued with brought kayaks on the low watered area. Here we found a little heightening of the delta where we could observe everything around us. But typical when you’re out hunting, the animal isn't where you expect it to be. So we went to the mother ship again after a few hours, where Bob had already made dinner.

Jimmy and Y were also already on the boat without having shot anything, even if they also had seen a bear. The evening passed with stories from this and foreign countries where there were stories about bears with the size of skyscrapers, so the evening was definitely not boring with these funny lads on board.

Next morning we again woke up to a cloud free sky. The bags were packed quickly. Bobs survival pack, which existed of turkey sandwiches (which would make it into the history books), chocolate for a whole kindergarten and some cherry cokes, also made it into the boats and we headed off. Today we wanted to try our luck a bit longer up the glacier. On the way we sailed through large fields of icebergs with a speed of 30 knots. It's just so beautiful when the otters are sunbathing and the sea eagle is circling over its nest at the coast.

We already spotted a bear after half an hour of navigation, which was walking down at the beach. There’s a small group of islands about 200 meters from the beach where the bear was walking, so we found cover there to get a closer glimpse of him. It was a younger male, shootable but Greg said, that there are good possibilities to find a bigger one. It's nice to see that Greg isn't just all about getting the hunt over and done with. I really feel, that he gets caught up in hunting, just the way I do.

Black bear.

Without disturbing the bear, we retreated quietly back to the island and sailed longer into the fjord. We spent the day in here and were sailing around for a bit while we were waiting for the tide to come again and the bears would be heading to the beaches again. In the early afternoon, we again spotted a bear that seemed to be rather big. We checked the wind and were heading further to the coast. There were much more small cliffs than we were used to. Soon it showed that the bear was a she. So we just enjoyed the sight of this fantastic animal for a bit while Greg shared his knowledge about bears and how you can tell the sex of a bear, ”Little head and a big ass, female for sure!” A sentence you will always remember.

The time flied and it definitely didn't feel like having been out for over ten hours. The sun was beginning to sink behind the mountains while we spotted another bear. Greg said it was a female, even if it was more than 1000 meters away. We sail closer to the bear to be sure and tried to get closer to him. We got so close, that we could finally see the bear. There was no doubt anymore. It was a beautiful male who was biting rue of the stones. We were at a distance of about 90 meters but unfortunately it wasn't possible to shoot from here because of a cliff a little further along. I decided to try and come in a shooting position whereas Greg stayed at his place. It's not quite the easiest task to be sneaking soundless ahead to a bear that is lying 90 meter away from you, if you have waders on. But I succeeded in getting to a distance of 80 meters of the bear, who still lied there, biting rues off the stones. It was impossible to shoot a sound shot in this position, so I patiently waited until the bear would move.

The bear we sneaked in on to a distance of about 90 meters.

It lifted its head and was sniffing around numerous times. A situation which reminded me a bit too much of the last bear I released my safe on. Minutes were feeling like hours now.. Suddenly the bear rose without hesitation down to the water and stopped at the shore. I quickly released the safe on my rifle, took a deep breath and sent the bullet on its way. The bear got shot right in the back thigh, so he fell because of the shot, where after he turns around and then died.

I turned my look to Greg who was just as excited as I was. Together we were going to the place where the bear lied. It was so beautiful! Because the bear was lying partially in the water and it was rising now, we moves the bear a little further up the beach. Here we took pictures and started to skin the bear. Greg put a little red badge with a license number on the bear, which got me the permission to shoot a black bear in the first place. There are many rules about this sort of stuff and they are being kept very strictly.  It didn't take very long to skin the bear, where after we parted the animal and put it into bags and then down to the boat. There was nothing that was being left behind and back at the boat, the meat was going to be put in the freezer.

Jimmy and Y didn't succeed in shooting a bear, but that didn't keep them from sharing the joy over my bear. Even though I sensed a bit of jealousy from Y, who missed a shot on a bear today. So it was only the anger of having missed which shone through the felt emotion. If we had heard hunting stories the previous day, they definitely got topped today during dinner, where some of the men forgot to eat from being too euphoric. When I finally got to bed, I came to think of the absence of beer during dinner and after a hunt. Smiling at this, because it was so typical Scandinavian, I fell asleep to the waves hitting the side of the boat.

You sleep really well after a hunt like that. The next morning I had a hard time getting up. When I finally got up I saw, that it was pouring outside. So I was glad having shot my bear the day before. And for all of you who say, that there is no such thing as bad weather but only bad clothing, you should take a trip to Alaska and rethink that sentence. So I stayed on the boat with Bob and enjoyed his company and not to forget his really interesting reports about Vietnam and his wild life. Lovely feller..

Bob in his element.

At midday Jimmy and Y came home to the boat again and Y had succeeded in shooting a bear now. A beautiful male, which was a little bit smaller than mine, but still over 16 inches, measured by the skull. During lunch I asked Jimmy carefully if I could join him and Greg to see if they would manage to find a right bear for him. Jimmy was even almost honored over the fact that I asked, so I packed my video camera and followed them for the rest of the day. We spotted a few bears but didn't find the right one. Again Greg said that we should wait to find the right bear because we had the time on our side.

Y with his black bear.

Even if all the previous nights had passed with conversations about hunting, it wasn't hard to find a subject today because we now had gotten two bears. Jimmy also went to sleep trustingly that night because Greg had the amazing ability to please his customers, without being fake. This gives the hunters trust in him, as the well experienced hunter that he is. Greg is 37 now and he grew up with hunting since he was a little child. Not only does he live from hunting, but also with it. He doesn't just use it for its resources, but merely also cares about all the things and animals who are involved with it.

The night passes quickly if one gets rocked to sleep on the lovely yacht. After a quick breakfast we set out to hunt the last bear we had a license for. It isn't possible to buy more licenses in Alaska as it is in some of the other US-states. So you got to think about the order before you get to the location because the outfitter usually books all of his licenses away, not to have some left over in the end. Bobs lunch-boxes were ready and we headed off. This time we sailed into another sound we haven't been in before and placed ourselves on a small island, so we could observe everything around us. While we spent a couple of hours on the island without anything moving, Jimmy was napping a little. It must be tough for a 60 year old man from California to be hunting here.  In the mean time Greg tells me about the snow goats, which were standing on the vertical cliffs down to the sound, and how you hunt them. It was really amazing when they stand 700 meter above us!

On the way to one of the many fjords.

It got close to the afternoon and we sailed further into the sound where we then spotted a bear on the shore. “There it is!” It’s so awesome to see how the pulses of 3 passionate hunters rise in a little aluminum jolly-boat. We sailed the jolly-boat to the coast with the routine of being cautious of wind and weather, where after we started to sneak on the bear who sat and ate 200 meter away from us without having a clue about what was about to happen. Jimmy and Greg now had crawled to an acceptable shooting distance. Greg looked at me to see, if I had the camera ready and I nodded. Everything was up to Jimmy now. He placed a bullet in the bears lung area with his 7 mm. Rem. Mag., where after is died. 

So now it finally also succeeded for Jimmy to shoot a bear and the joy was great amongst everybody.  While I carefully approached the lifeless bear, Greg and Jimmy were getting the jolly-boat. I kept a safe distance to the bear and waited until the two hunters catched up. It showed that it really had passed away. Even if it was the third bear I saw, the fascination wasn't lesser than the previous times.

We got over with the obligatory pictures quickly, parted the animal to get in on the boat and sailed home to the boat again. The joy was big about the third killed bear and now it was finally Jimmy’s turn to tell about his experience about having shot a bear.

Jimmy with his black bear.

The next morning we packed everything into the jolly-boats and got ready for the long journey back to Valdez City, where Jimmy, Y and I were being set off. Bob, Randy and Greg would continue south, where they would meet some hunters who wanted to hunt brown bears on an island where there hasn't been hunted on for decades. The journey home was long and the weather got worse, so we had to live through wind and waves. When we got to the glacier, we had to turn around and sail into the open sea because there was too much ice coming out of the fjord. It would take us a few more hours but that didn't worry me in this company. Greg and I got to talk again and he knew that I wasn't in a hurry getting back to tiny Denmark again, so he suggested that I could come with them to the next hunting location to do some filming. An offer I couldn't turn down and definitely when Bob told me that I could buy his license to shoot a brown bear. Bob made a quick deal with me, that if he ever gets to Europe, I had to give him a tour through Hamburg or Amsterdam, so I hit the jackpot! God only knows why he exactly chose those two cities...

After our arrival at the Valdez harbor, we said goodbye to Jimmy and Y and started to make the boat ready to leave for the next morning. We had to get some fuel, shop for groceries and also drink a bear with the lads in the local pub, where I got served the biggest T-bone steak of North America. A steak which quickly got me the nickname T-Bone from my friends “over there”... 

Randy and Bob where we have the trips first bear.

I was so exited! Not only because I got the opportunity to shoot a brown bear, but also to spend a few more days with these enjoyable fellers. More about that later...

   THANK YOU SO MUCH TO WWW.MAXHUNT.EU FOR THE GREAT WRITE UP ON ONE OF OUR HUNTS.