The three bison were all big, but one shaggy bull
dusted with snow stood out. Hunter Travis Smith, 14, knelt and rested the
heavy octagon barrel of his buffalo rifle on a shooting stick, then took aim
at a 1,200-pound Alaska buffalo.
A herd of about 400 wild, free-ranging plains bison
roams the countryside near Delta Junction in Interior Alaska. About 16,000
hunters apply each year for the chance to hunt these massive beasts, and
only 130 people received permits last year. Smith was one of the lucky few
to draw a permit, and headed 500 miles north to Delta from his home in Kenai
last November with his father, Roy Smith, and family friend Paul Bell.
Read the rest of the story >>>
--- NEWS & UPDATES ------------------------------------------------
Wood bison in Alaska? It could happen as early as 2007.
Alaska wildlife biologist Bob Stephenson has been studying the
feasibility of this reintroduction project for 10 years.
Reintroduction?? Absolutely. It turns out that there
were wood bison as recently as a few hundred years ago.
Interior Alaska Indians have an oral tradition of hunting the
beasts, and bison bones dated at under 200 years have been
discovered in the state recently. Unlike the plains bison now
roaming various parts of Alaska, the wood bison are a separate
subspecies better adapted to life in the rigors of the boreal
forests of Alaska and northern Canada, where most live today.
The Anchorage Daily News has the story >>>
Speaking of unusual animals in Alaska, there have been persistent
reports of mountain lions in Alaska in recent decades. The
most recent reports come from the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage
Daily News Reports: "Ever since he saw the huge cat two weeks ago
in the alders behind his home, Howard Grevemberg has been carrying a
shotgun. He provides an armed escort in the driveway when his wife
leaves for work before dawn. He won't let his 105-pound dog, Jack,
out the door. Not that Jack seems eager to go these days. Jack has
seen the big cat too. Grevemberg says there's a cougar in the woods
around his home, near the end of a gravel road high on the bluff
behind Homer. He says he's seen it four times -- the last a week
ago, eyes glinting in a flashlight beam by his fuel tank."
Read the complete story >>>
Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has appointed
McKie Campbell Commissioner of Fish and Game. Campbell had
experience working with the Fish and Game agency during the Hickel
administration in the early 1990's.
Hunters could take up to four moose on the Anchorage hillside this
coming fall in a controversial proposal put forward by the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game and approved in March by the Board of
Game. The proposed hunt will not solve the problems of
starvation and moose-car collisions, but state biologists say it
will be an important beginning towards a comprehensive solution.
Read the complete story >>>
The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported in mid month that "Rep.
Mike Kelly thinks the state could better respond to "attacks" from
groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals if its laws
mandated that the top Department of Fish and Game official's job
includes promoting hunting, fishing and trapping."
Read the complete story >>>
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports "The
results for the 2004 Winter Draw (Nov 1-Dec 6, 2004) results for Mt.
Goat, Sheep, Moose and non-resident Brown Bear hunts are now
available. Please
click here
to view the results and see if you won.
Mt. Goat, Sheep and Moose permits awarded in the 2004 Winter Draw
will be printed and mailed in May 2005. If you do not receive your
permit prior to two weeks of your planned departure for your hunt,
call 907-267-2409 to request a duplicate permit."
Maps for
ADF&G hunts are on the website.
Lice have been discovered
on wolves from central Alaska. The ADF&G reports that lice
have been found on wolves for the first time in interior Alaska this
winter. Lice first entered the Alaska wolf population on the
Kenai Peninsula in the 1980's. An aggressive effort to
eliminate lice was nixed at that time by strong public resistance,
mobilized by those opposed to the taking of wolves.
As predicted, the lice spread to other wolf populations: the Mat/Su
area by the mid 1990s, and the Copper River basin by 2004. The
"dog biting louse" causes skin irritation and hair loss.
Read the complete story >>>
ADF&G has published its
report of
Survey & Inventory activities for moose for 1999 - 2001.The report
covers Alaska Game Management Units 19, 21, 24, 25 & 26.
Permits for participating
in the State of Alaska's brown bear control program
in the eastern Interior became available on April 1. The open season
in the area allows people to take up to two bears without a permit.
The permit allows more bears to be taken, and bait to be used.
Bait may not ordinarily be used to take brown bears in Alaska.
Brown bears may be taken only by residents or non-residents
accompanied by a guide or a resident within the second degree of
kindred. The program is designed to help increase chronically
low moose populations.
Read the ADFG news release >>>
Return to top
---On the CALENDAR
------------------------------------------------------
Well known Alaska author Chris Batin will be presenting his 31st
Advanced
Alaska Hunting Techniques Seminar on April 30 from 9 AM to 4 PM
in Fairbanks. The course is $115.
The
Great Alaska Sportsman’s show will be April 7 – 10 this year at
Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. For more information about the show call 1.907.562-9911.
The Alaska Outdoor Council Annual Meeting will also be April 7 - 10 in
Anchorage. See
the Alaska
Outdoor Council
website for more information.
On the weekend of 15, 16 & 17 April two more
sportsman's shows are on the calendar. The Kenai Peninsula
Sport, Recreation and Trade Show will be at the Soldotna Sports
Center. For more info call 335-9423. Further north the
Mat Su Valley Sportsman's
Show will be at the Wasilla Multi-Use
Sports Complex, on Mack Drive.
One weekend later, April 22-24 comes the Fairbanks Outdoor Show.
This will be at the Carlson Center.
Return to top
--- NEW on OUTDOORSDIRECTORY.COM
--------------------------
DIRECTORY: 7 new listings
NEW
BOOKS:
Top Water
Alaska fishing information in detail and color
Walk Softly With Me
One of Alaska's women guides writes about her experiences
MAGAZINE (hunting and fishing): 3 new stories:
A Man of the Mountains - The
Dave Hinkel story
Sixth Sense
Double Trouble
Seward Saltwater
Boating: Personal Notes of a Beginner
An
Alaska Buffalo Hunt
SPECIAL:
Anchorage's
Great Alaska Sportsman's Show schedule.
AREAS (fishing): Haines
and Skagway,
Cordova, Yakutat
area
Return to top
--- ALASKA HUNTING FORUM THREADS
-------------------------------
Here are some of the more popular threads that appeared in March.
By the end of March there were more than 39,000 total messages
on the forums. You can search them all here:
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/forum_search.php
Return to top
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David M Johnson
Publisher / OutdoorsDirectory.com
PO Box 609
Delta Junction, AK 99737
|
Archives
|
|
Current month |
Current news updated several times weekly in
blog format. |
|
April 2006 |
ADFG advises on Avian Flu. Dick Burley
appointed again to state game board. Predator control programs crimp
wildlife agency budget. |
|
March 2006 |
Proxy hunting narrowed down. Bears...play dead
or fight back. North American Bear Foundation starts a new chapter in
Alaska. |
|
February 2006 |
Finding a reliable air charter. Wolf control
back in operation. Board of game publishes hunting proposals. Su Valley
moose numbers down. |
|
December 2005 |
Getting away from it all. ADFG reprints
publication on upland game birds for hunters. Mat-Su sportsman's show
scheduled. |
|
November 2005 |
Becoming an OutdoorsWoman. Putting the
gear away. What to do if you fall through the ice. Antler growth is
fast.
|
|
October 2005 |
Selecting the right tent for Alaska hunting.
Portable electric fences as bear deterrents. Too many cow moose?
Counting the Nelchina herd. Many new books on the website |
|
September 2005 |
Excellent discussion on survival comm gear in
the Hunting Forum. Beetle kill seen improving Kenai moose habitat. ADF&G
offers first youth day at the shooting range. Another initiative
petition filed to stop wolf management. |
|
August 2005 |
Mule deer in Alaska? ADF&G asks hunters
to leave pack goats at home. Interior hunters uneasy about plans to
harvest 800 antlerless moose. A new book debuts on upland game bird
hunting in Alaska. |
|
July 2005 |
Tier II hunters are concerned about a proposed
transfer of Copper Basin federal lands along the pipeline corridor to
state management. Governor appoints 9 to Big Game Services Board.
Two experienced outdoor travelers killed in apparent predatory grizzly
attack in Arctic Alaska. Delta bison herd numbers down. |
|
June 2005 |
A new feature article on calling Alaska moose
by Wayne Kubat. Experienced Alaska outdoors people killed in what
appears to have been a predatory bear attack. Alaska continues to
work on wood bison introduction. Hunting regulations available online |
|
May 2005 |
Permit applications for 2005 must be
postmarked by May 31. Portions of SW Alaska along a popular river
for float hunting have been closed to caribou hunting by non-residents,
and non-residents must have registration permits to hunt moose. |
|
April 2005 redux |
We are renaming these pages. The
information on this page covers April news and other information.
Key topics: more on wood bison, Chris Batin's bear skinning video
is available again, permit hunt application information is available
online, hunting regulations changes, forum search improvements. |
|
April
2005 |
This was sent in early April 2005 to
subscribers. April 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
|
An
Alaska Buffalo Hunt