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Featured: Rent a Partner

What do you do if your regular hunting partner can't come along on the trip? You turn to Rent-A-Partner, of course. Story and Photos by Jeff Varvil.

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Tap, tap, tap, like a platoon of marching soldiers, the driving Alaskan rain sounds off against my skull. My newly mink oiled cowboy hat is peeled clean by the 3 inches of rain that has fallen in the last couple of hours. As the leather brim finally gives way, the ice-cold water creates a virtual river that runs down my face, neck and into my raincoat. He must have seen the frown. Without missing a beat my hunting partner “Doc” says, “Well, At least there’s no bugs”. “Not unless they have snorkels,” I reply with a big smile not wanting to be outdone. Having a proven hunting or fishing partner is worth its weight in gold. From just an occasional pick me up joke, to a full-blown rescue, I believe hunting and fishing in Alaska is a two-man sport. Looking for a reliable hunting and fishing partner had proven harder than looking for a spouse. Not that I’m knocking the spouse idea. For those of you that have great hunting and fishing spouses, congrats, I have heard rumors of you; this is for the other 99% of us. Remember that you need to rely and trust each other, even while your both holding guns!

About 2 years ago Doc was grounded at home with a pregnant wife so I had to get a “Rent a Partner” for a couple of trips. I hated to do it but it was the opener for moose season and his wife was at 8 ľ Months pregnant. Having 3 kids of my own I was semi sympathetic to his plight, but the wilds of Alaska called and off I went. (Note, technically it is not cheating, as long as your hunting partner knows his or her replacement is only temporary.)

Here are my top 10 tips to help you find your Rent a Partner.

1. I look for the dumbest person I know. Like your neighbor. The one who borrowed your chainsaw and filled it with diesel fuel. Try to find a chubby one. Walk them into the ground. You don’t want them bringing their sorry butt back to your spot with the “buddies”. So make sure they have none.
2. You have to be able to get them lost easy. Just drive around the woods first and see how they do. Keep pointing out water and calling it moose creek and Pike Lake. That will throw them for a loop later when they are giving the buddy’s in the 49th battalion directions to your spot!
3. Bad vision is a plus. One eye would be great. If they cant read the signs they will never find the way back to your stand. Don’t worry about them getting lost, as they will always be walking behind you anyway. With the bad eyes they won’t be able to get lucky and spot game before you either, not that it would matter, since they are only allowed to carry the hatchet or the meat saw.
4. The person must be strong. They may potentially be packing your meat.
5. Look for a recent knee or foot injury. You want to be able to out run them in case that bear hunt goes badly.
6. Now this is strictly for your fun. Try to find a neighbor with one of those new Avalanche Suv/Truck conversion deals. Just keep asking them to pull over and say, “OK, now make it the truck again” “Ok, now the Suv”. You don’t want to scratch your truck while your getting them lost on that 4-wheeler trail do you? They pay for the gas and the speeding tickets.
7. Their father in law must either own a bar, meat-processing company or be a taxidermist. Ok, a bar owning meat cutter who has a taxidermist friend will work here.
8. They have to have access to an all terrain vehicle.
9. They must have the utmost respect for Canis Lupus, the beautiful free roaming Alaskan Wolf, yet still be overcome with the desperate urge to shoot him.
10. They must be female.

Having a partner in the field is great On a serious note, you should know and trust your hunting partner. In 2001 I was on a moose hunt with a fellow who matched about 4 of the 10 rules above. Anyway, we were sitting behind a log and I had just finished a series of cow calls when out of the brush, not 200 yards from us appeared a huge Bull Moose that I estimated to be around 70”. The big bull was closing on us fast and we had not worked out who was going to take this monster. With Doc we rotate every year. But this was different. I set down my bow and pulled out a coin. I tossed it into the air and told the newbie to “Call it”. It landed on Heads. It did not matter. This genius stands up from behind the log and gives the worst bull call in the history of bull calls. Mooooooooooogrrrrrrrrrrr! The moose did a perfect 180 and did mach 60 in the other direction. “I meant call the coin!” It was too late.

A great partner will buy first class gear just like yours. Many times in Alaska one item will break and you will have to rely on a backup. From flashlights to tent poles its serious business up here when all goes bad. Packing moose is a two-person job. Do it once by yourself and you will swear you will never do it again. Just trying to move it around for butchering is a chore. A moose gives plenty of meat for two families and that’s why Doc and I trade up every year.

Then there are those Volkswagen bugs with teeth we call Brown Bears. You just feel a little more secure with another guy. I am a bow hunter and it is also nice to have a rifle over my shoulder if I need it. Take a sheep hunt for instance. The more you can pack between you, the less you have to carry yourself. Well you get my point.

After hunting with the same guy for years you know what to expect during times of despair. If there is one thing the Alaska weather can give you in a hurry, it’s despair. Can you rely on him to get you out of a jam if you are unable to help your self? Kids are great hunting partners. They are little human sponges that can be taught your way of doing things. They also look up to older hunters and the ethic lessons handed down will last them a lifetime. Take your son or daughter with you.

My grandfather told me years ago that true friendships are like corn. They were both grown in the field. He was trying to tell me something back then. It just made me hungry at the age of 8. I loved corn. He hunted with his partner of 69 years, my grandmother. God rest his soul.

Take care and enjoy what this great state offers you.

Editor's note: Alaskan guide Jeff Varvil had hunters guffawing all over the `net with "The Goat Hunt From Hell" published earlier on OutdoorsDirectory.com Jeff manages Alaska Raft and Kayak in Anchorage.

We pay for items published in this space. If you have an item that would be of interest to Alaska hunters, please contact us with your ideas.

Hunting Alaska Tip for July: Hunting Information plentiful on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website

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The Alaska Department of Fish and Game / Division of Wildlife Conservation website contains a wealth of information for hunters and it's just a few clicks away.

One of the most common questions asked of the agency is "when does the hunting season open." Turns out that this information is available on the web in the Alaska Hunting Regulations. Registration and drawing permit supplements are also available. The regulations are normally available on the web weeks before they are available in stores (usually around the first of July) or by mail. Emergency orders, waterfowl regulations, and other important details are available at the same link. Other common questions are answered on the FAQ page.

If you are planning an Alaska hunt, some of the best general information around is in Hunt Alaska. Originally designed to be mailed to the thousands of people who wrote to the agency asking for Alaska hunting information, this package is now available on the website.

Many hunters want to talk to an ADF&G staff member about hunting conditions and regulations. Contact information for all regional and statewide offices can be found here as well.

The Alaska Hunting Bulletin was published for several years in the late 1990's. It was designed to provide useful hunting news to Alaska hunters. The publication is no longer current, but the material is useful and archived on the website.

Good general information about Alaska's wildlife can be found in the Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series. These are also available as single sheets. There are other pages with details about various species.

Many hunters enjoy watching wildlife when hunting seasons are not open. Among other details posted on the website is a calendar of wildlife watching possibilities in Alaska.

This is just a sampling. There is quite a bit more information of value. You can easily spend several hours here.

We pay for content we publish in this space. If you have a hunting tip that you think would be suitable here, please send it to us and we will consider it.

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Alaska hunting news and stories on the web

State issues tularemia alert FAIRBANKS State officials have issued a tularemia alert after a snowshoe hare found dead in Fairbanks was diagnosed with the disease, which can be fatal to humans. Fairbanks Daily News Miner 28 June 2003
Interior (Alaska) hunter shoots rare glacier bear. Recessive gene causes the bruin's silver-blue coloring. Fairbanks Daily News Miner 22 June 2003
State sealer knows his bear necessities ADF&G bear sealer Tony Hollis studies bear hides and skulls brought in by local hunters. Fairbanks Daily News Miner 22 June 2003
Antis Start Initiative Petition to ban Alaska bear baiting The anti-hunters have started a petition drive to ban baiting of bears in Alaska. Read the text of their proposed amendment to Alaska law here. If they are successful in gathering enough signatures, this initiative will be placed on the ballot for Alaskans to vote on.
Bear Spray Stops Charging Sow "In the blink of an eye, a defensive grizzly bear sow was rolling like a freight train through the willows along Peters Creek." Anchorage Daily News 8 June 2003
Motorized Alaskans wreaking havoc in Bush "From here south, atop the bluffs along the Susitna River to Trapper Lake, the muskegs and wetland tundra are a mess. The broad, open expanses that filter the water that drains into one of the most important salmon streams in Alaska are ripped and torn with the black, muddy tracks of four-wheelers and off-road, tracked vehicles." Anchorage Daily News 8 June 2003
Wildlife officers change their brown shirts for blue Alaska's Fish and Wildlife Protection officers are exchanging their brown uniforms for blue. Fairbanks Daily News Miner 6 June 2003
McGrath Experimental Field Work Concluded "Department of Fish and Game biologists wrapped up efforts to move bears out of an Experimental Micro-Management Area (EMMA) surrounding McGrath on Saturday. Efforts now will concentrate on learning how many moose calves survive and on whether any of the displaced bears return to the EMMA this summer. These efforts are being done to help restore moose harvest opportunities near McGrath." ADFG News Release 6 June 2003
Concerns Expressed About Low Moose Populations in Central Kuskokwim "A group charged with developing ideas to solve the problem of low moose numbers in the Central Kuskokwim area is turning to the public for reactions to their preliminary ideas. Despite the attention focused on the McGrath area of Unit 19D, members of the Central Kuskokwim Moose Planning Committee have agreed that the situation further downriver in Units 19A & B is just as bad or worse, and there are more people who depend on moose for subsistence and other uses. Observations of local residents and hunters and available data indicate declining populations and very low percentages of bulls and calves in the moose population. " ADFG News Release 20 May 2003
ADFG Region III announces Hunter Education course summer schedule

Featured Alaska hunting books and video

Imagine flying into the remote wilderness of the Alaskan Arctic, landing on an unmarked gravel bar, and then standing alone as your bush pilot flies away, knowing that you will be completely on your own for many weeks. The next morning you shoulder your pack and begin your hunt, climbing the mountains and crossing the divides in search of a trophy Dall Sheep. It's all here in the video "Alaska Hunting Adventure" by Buck Publishing.

Tony Russ' 2nd edition (at right) brings almost an additional 100 pages of information to this Alaska sheep hunting classic. Sheep Hunting in Alaska covers everything you need to know about pursuing Alaska's wild mountain sheep.

Terrain Navigator (at left) replaces a whole file cabinet of Alaska topographic maps. With this you can print a map for the area you need, even if it is shown at the edge of four maps. GPS users will appreciate the ability of this system to link. You can even carry this around in a Pocket PC, or at least the portion you need. 3D views of areas you are investigating are also possible….and many more features as well.

Newsletter Archives
April 2005	This is the month for outdoor shows in Alaska. Wood bison coming to Alaska? It could happen by 2007. Lice continue to spread from their original Kenai Peninsula infestation.
March 2005	In the news this month, several shows upcoming in Alaska. Also, the state is considering big changes in the popular Nelchina caribou hunt. In the magazine, a quite interesting article about Kuiu Island black bears.
February 2005	This month we launched a new newsletter format that we hope will make it more user friendly. You can see how it went out in email here. In this issue, Near Death on Beaver Creek, feds implement new regulations making carrying certain fire starters on board airliners illegal, new features on OutdoorsDirectory.com, hot threads on the Alaska Hunting forum.
January 2005	New features on OutdoorsDirectory.com including a cookbook and a new section on Alaska boating, what Alaska hunting gear to buy for $600, what about ethics, and more.
December 2004	Becoming an OutdoorsWoman workshop announcement, AK Outdoor Council annual meeting, internet "hunting"??, point systems for permits and more.
November 2004	Some interesting forum threads to look at this month, and some worthwhile updates and news in this month's edition.
October 2004	The newsletter is back. We bit off more than we could chew, so we will try a less ambitious approach. In this issue: news and updates about Alaska hunting; new information on OutdoorsDirectory.com, forum threads of interest.
October 2003	Featured: To Tok or not to Tok -- An Alaskan becomes a sheep hunting addict \| Hunting Tip: Stretching for older hunters \| Recent Alaska hunting news and stories on the web \| NEW Alaska books in our store \| Events \| A sampling of significant recent threads on the Alaska Hunting Forum \| Newsletter archives \| Subscription information
August 2003	Featured: "Breathless, Under the Weight Of a Hunter's Moment" \| Recent Alaska hunting news and stories on the web \| Featured Alaska hunting & fishing books and videos \| Events \| Some significant Threads on the Alaska Hunting Forum during July, 2003 \| Newsletter archives \| Subscription and Advertising Information
July 2003	Featured: Rent-A-Partner \| Alaskan Jeff Varvil writes humorously about what happens when your regular pard can't make it \| Hunting tip \| Information about Alaska hunting from the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation \| Alaska news and stories on the web \| Featured Alaska hunting books and video \| Events \| Significant Threads on the Alaska Hunting Forum \| Newsletter Archives \| Subscription and Advertising Information
June 2003	Feature \| King of the Mountain: A high adrenaline Alaska brown bear hunt \| Alaska Hunting tip for June \| Getting into Sheep Shape \| News on the web \| Alaska hunting stories on the web \| Featured Alaska hunting books and video \| Events \| Significant \| Threads on the Alaska Hunting Forum \| Subscription and Advertising Information
May 2003	Featured: New Alaska State Hunting Regulations Announced \| Bonus Feature: Wolf Control Works \| Hunting Tip for May: Meat Care \| Upcoming Events \| Recent Threads of Interest on the Alaska Hunting Forum \| Recent Hunting Oriented Additions