Hunting Alaska Newsletter for October 2003

Featured:

To Tok or not to Tok -- A sheep hunter becomes an addict

by Jeff Varvil

To Tok or not to Tok, That was the question.

I had never done this before. I had never even held one in my hand. Would it hurt me? Could I die? Is it as addictive as everyone says it is? Will it make me crave brownies? “Oh come on you sally! It wont be that bad and just think how good you will feel being up that high,” Doc said!

Chip, Chip, Chip, My once icy-stoned will was melting into the sweat that was now rolling down my face. I was slowly caving in to the peer pressure from his constant barrage of comments.

“My friend’s mom even did it!” That was it. I could take no more. I inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly. “To Tok” I said!

The sheep hunter's reward Shame on you readers: No I was not at a frat party. In my hand I held the coveted 2003 DS102 Sheep party permit for Tok, Alaska.

All my questions would get answered. Doc and I would go to Tok. Yes, it did hurt, we could have died more than once, I was real hungry for brownies by the end of the trip and last but not least, Dall sheep hunting is more addictive than any drug on the planet.

A sheep hunting addict is born.....

I could waste a thousand pages talking about techniques, products like spotting scopes and Gore Tex rain suits but I won’t. It’s all been done by the best and it’s not my style. Quite frankly it bores me. What I like to write about is the human element. Because with humans come mistakes and lets face it, mistakes are funny. Especially when they are someone else’s.

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The first call we made after learning of our permits was to my friend Leif at Forty Mile Air located in Tok. They have always run a first class operation and they tend to book up within a week of the permits coming out. The cost of a cub ride to one of Forty Mile’s sheep strips runs around $800 each. For this they will properly lube you and stuff you into the back seat of the little plane and allow you to take 50lbs of your most cherished hunting items. They do give you a helmet, which comes in handy when you hit your head as I did getting in and out of the plane. Ah, it reminded me of the good old days and the little bus I used to take to school. Ok, back to the story.

Let your pilot take you to sheep! They know where the animals are because they see them day in and day out. Pre planning a hunting spot is good idea but the sheep do something different when the planes start flying and the gunshots begin to go off.

I asked Lief for a challenging hunt with a lot of sheep. I did not mind the work if there was a better chance at a payoff. I am a bow hunter so I would need several stalks to get it right. You can do your own research on where to go, but I warn you, getting a great sheep area out of a fellow hunter can be like giving a Polar bear a rectal exam.

Oh, sure it sounds like good clean fun at first and then it always takes a nasty turn. “You just start at the mouth, work your way up and around to the ice covered boulders. Then carefully enter the sheer canyon walls while avoiding the early morning or late afternoon glacier melts. The canyon walls will be moving and shifting as they occasionally release waste rock directly pointed at your skull. You will have to do all this with 50lbs on your back and with only the aid of one hand on the wall as the other will be constantly trying to keep you from falling to your death or from being bit by the north end of the bear.”

Read more >>>>>

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Hunting Tip: Stretching – 7 Points to Remember When Trying to Increase the Longevity of Old Sheep Hunters’ Legs.

We appreciate Tony Russ for this tip. Tony is a lifelong Alaskan, hunting guide, and author of the highly praised "Sheep Hunting in Alaska: The Dall Sheep Hunter's Guide" as well as other books on hunting in Alaska. Tony also produces high quality antler and horn art that will appeal to hunters and others interested in wildlife.

Although the title of this article may be misleading because stretching is important to legs, and other body parts, of any age–not just old ones–the purpose is plain. We need to stretch for several reasons: 1) to prevent injuries 2) to reduce joint pain 3) to increase mobility 4) and to relax and reduce stress.

Whether you are a weekend athlete or a once-a-year sheep hunter, there are 7 important points to remember when stretching. By ALWAYS remembering these 7 points whenever you think of stretching, you can prevent needless injuries. Injuries that may just keep you from pursuing and catching that big ram you have always dreamed of.

•ALWAYS MOVE SLOWLY WHENEVER STRETCHING, QUICK MOVEMENTS ARE INVITATIONS TO MUSCLE, LIGAMENT AND JOINT INJURIES.

•WARM UP BEFORE ANY SERIOUS STRETCHING SESSION.

•YOU CAN INTERSPERSE STRETCHING DURING AN EXERCISE SESSION (LIKE WHEN YOU ARE CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN) OR STRETCH AFTER YOU ARE DONE EXERCISING, BUT BEFORE YOUR MUSCLES AND JOINTS COOL DOWN.

•BREATHE DEEPLY AND SLOWLY DURING THE STRETCH TO GET THE MOST OUT OF EACH MOVEMENT.

•AS YOU MOVE INTO A STRETCH, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MUSCLE(S) INVOLVED; WHEN YOU FEEL A SLIGHT PULL, STOP, AND WAIT FOR THE MUSCLE TO RELAX BEFORE TRYING TO GO FURTHER.

•YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL REAL PAIN DURING A STRETCH.

•AN EFFECTIVE STRETCH CAN BE TO THE COUNT OF BETWEEN 2 AND 100, IT DEPENDS ON YOUR PURPOSE AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME AVAILABLE. EVEN TWO SECONDS CAN HELP, ALTHOUGH 6 SECONDS IS A PRACTICAL MINIMUM FOR MOST PEOPLE USING STANDARD STRETCHING METHODS.

We compensate writers 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.

Recent Alaska hunting news and stories on the web

Alaska Smoked Fish

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People, bears can learn to coexist More people at river might scare bears away. Anchorage Daily News 3 August 2003

Alaska Resident's Attitudes towards Predator Management Statewide and in Unit 13. Alaska Dept Fish and Game July 2003
Emergency Order: Fortymile Caribou Season Closed in Unit 20(B) and Unit 25(C) Press release Alaska Dept Fish and Game September 19, 2003
Alaska's Take a Young Person Hunting Week Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife News September 2003
Hair Snares and Detective Work: DNA Offers Police and Biologists Valuable Insights Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife News September 2003
Guide brought Alaska Outside Fairbanks Daily News Miner September 19, 2003
Critter Cam Reveals Bear's Eye View Alaska Dept Fish and Game Oct 2003

NEW Alaska books in our store

Out of Season: The Johnny Luster Story Alaska's Last Great Mountainman Johnny's life took him from guiding on the Wyoming frontier, to making movies with John Wayne, and then on to Alaska for fifty years of trapping and guiding. See Alaska through the eyes of Alaska's Last Great Mountainman.

Adventures of An Alaskan You Can Do How to be rich and broaden your world with hunting and fishing adventures you can do all with a modest income. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, author Dennis Confer says. Be an adventurer. Don’t delay – do it now!

Alaska Bear Tales Author Larry Kaniut helps answer the question of many Alaska outdoors people: how to live outdoors around bears. With stories of what worked and what didn't and advice distilled from dozens of discussions with people who had closer experiences with bears than they wanted, Kaniut helps us understand more about these large inhabitants of Alaska.

Track of the Kodiak Marvin Clark follows the trail of the Kodiak brown bear as seen by legendary Alaska bear guides Pinnell and Talifson.

NEW IN THE FISHING DEPARTMENT

Alaska Fishing on A Budget: A First-Timer's Guide to Organizing and Planning an Economy Salmon Fishing Trip to the Last Frontier

More Alaska hunting books and videos >>>

A sampling of significant recent threads on the Alaska Hunting Forum

Important: some messages may not show on the default forum view. You may select a different view at the bottom of the forum messages (e.g. July) That will show all of them.

Subsistence thoughts from a bush dweller bushrat Sep 30 2003
Shot placement on Moose barleydog Sep 25 2003
Boat choice for river and PWS use. SENTINEL Sep 22 2003
MRE's? Larch Sep 21 2003
Lone moose hunt Terry Sep 20 2003
hip boots / peninsula bear hunt AKMarmot Sep 19 2003
Mulchatna herd and transporter Q & A...... PhilG Sep 19 2003
kodiak bullets juneauhunter Sep 16 2003
Kifaru Pack disaster update... Tony Dingess Sep 16 2003 (note response from Kifaru -- ed.)
Bear Defense Matthew Sep 12 2003
Alaska Airlines changes free baggage wt. Max caribouman Aug 28 2003 moose meat ageing time bwake Aug 28 2003
Camping Alone!? Jerry Lancaster Aug 25 2003
moon phase & impact on moose gutpile Aug 19 2003
Binos Pelican Aug 12 2003
Satellite Phone Rental Cathy LaFave Aug 08 2003
M. Strahan post about insulations wiggy Aug 07 2003 (another response from a supplier -- ed.)
Harris Bipods Bork Aug 05 2003
Record book caribou measurements test1328 Aug 04 2003
30-06 for brownies Z - MAN Aug 03 2003

See also the Alaska Hunting Forum Archives for other topics of interest. There are now almost 300 pages in the archives section.

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

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