Caribou Lance......

[Blue68f100]

That turned out to be a very productive hunt. Alaska the last frontier. I have made it all the way to Produe Bay on business one year, and got to see the area around Achorage. There is a some beautiful country up there, but living off the land is a full time challenge. As far as the cold you can have it, the reason I live in Texas.

I have seen and worked in lower temp than most would ever see. I did testing on the well heads use on the field which got me into -50F to -75F temps. The lowest my environmental box would go was -105F. I went in at -90 just to see what it was like, all I can say is you want last very long at that temp even with proper gear if you don't have some kind of shelter.

The Northern Lights are one beautiful site to see.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Caribou, was just wondering how you're doing and all. What's the word way on up there with you? What are you up to!?

 

[twofifty]

just stumbled on this

Caribou, your lifestyle is inspiring in many many ways.

It is an eloquent reminder that survival & fulfillment of the human species ultimately depends not so much on how much stuff we own, but on the satisfaction that comes from work, ingenuity and self-reliance.

Of course, nature also has to still be there lending a providential hand. Certainly, the work and voices of the hunting community have been and will forever remain essential to habital conservation.

We have much to be proud of, whether we harvest with a rifle, a bow, or a Mosin Nagant Pointy Death Tool.

 

[nathan]

Thats a great hunting spear courtesy of our great Russian friends.

 

[caribou]

I've been filming with the wife and a crew for a show on Natgeo called Life Below Zero. Comes out in May.
Fact is, they first arrived while the freeze up was on, and we were quite well stocked up with those 26 Bulls, and what we gatherd and bought in bulk foods, as well as materials for arts and crafts, but they wanted action in a time we just stay home and let the ice thicken. Took some arguing, but I think it got mucho better, story wise, as we went along. We did great, after the floods went down, and we set ice nets for a great catch ofWhitefish.
Trapping went well, though I caught no Wolverine, I'm happy.
The wife nailed a nice Arctic Grey and quite a few Caribou this trip, and we just finished filming, until a week or so, so who knows what'll come along. We're at our oldest sons house visiting his family and did some great hunting with him, as we have a sledload and off for home in the morning, it's been a long hunt.


We did the work, hopefully the editor is kind and truthfull, as there is Zip for drama in our lives.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I hate to rain on this parade, but I will never shoot another bull caribou again unless it's a B&C rack. Nastiest meat I ever ate.

 

[caribou]

Musta been in Rut, Jim........October and November hunted bulls have THE nastiest meat known to man, bar none. Deer down south have nothin over Rutting Caribou in wretchedness, akin to pissing diesel all over the cooking.

But the rest of the year, it's our bread. We catch these bulls at their prerut peak, and using a boat can determine such by smell, seriously, before pitching them.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Actually it was early Sep. Mulchatna herd in the 90's when there was still a Mulchatna herd to hunt. maybe it was the warm weather, but I got the meat back to ANC pretty quick. No amount of seasoning would help that meat.
Yet every moose I ever shot was a bull in rut, and they were fantastic, not gamey at all.

 

[caribou]

I think the Moose is pretty good, if Caribou can't be had around freeze up.

I hunt the Western Arctic Caribou Herd WACH, most likely a different rut timing.

or the bull was part Reindeer gone wild, as they rut and drop calfs 2-3weeks earlier than
WildCaribou. I've seen this among the Reinderr gone wild when the WACH came through in the mid 90s and took all the Reindeer with them.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Doubt if it was wild reindeer. At that time the Mulchatna herd was booming,5 a day and even same day airborne hunting. I think they numbered over 100,000 Then they more or less vanished. Some think they over grazed and joined the Western arctic herd.

I really don't know if that bull was in rut, but he sure tasted like it. The bulls where running in groups of 2 or 3, if that's a clue.

Saw your TV show thread in Alaska outdoors, wondered if you would mention it here.