People have a variety of ways of getting guns, in fact one of my favorite passages in a diary of a Califorian in among the Inupiaq at Cape Wales in the late 1870's said he had "left his whiskey and his Whinchester back in California due to the ban of such in 'indian country' but had found that from his neighbors the Eskimo, he could get as much as he could afford or carry....."
No many lever actions, they are tough to ride a snowmachine with, you see them mostly in summer boating, but still a few around. I chose the rifles I bought as either something I could try out and shoot, if it was a Mosin Nagant, if it was an Antique. those were my critera for interest. I was an avid collector of shootable antiques, and all performance must equal accuracy, cause placement is everything. My favorite was my 1876 Sestroyesks Bedan II Carbine......
No lube on the moving parts below Zero. The rifles are mostly kept frozen with use and storage outside in the houses storm shed, or brought in, cleaned, warmed and oiled down. Apon leaving the house, a guy will have wiped his bolt or action down with a rag to get rid of any lube that would bind the action in the cold. Carefull attention keeps the rust away, and oiled after cleaning for the warm moist storage in the house.
As to folks just getting what and when they want, Id reply that theres usually a method to their madness. We have a low population up this way, a bit over 9,000 people in an area larger than Indiana with a local Caribou herd at 325,000 animals right now. Our Caribou Season starts July first, ends June 30 and we can get 5 caribou a day. Brid season for local birds, Ptarmigan and Spruce hens, Snowy Owls and migratpory Birds from Mat till Sept, when they are here, but theres specific times the eggs are taken and in Spring, Ducks and eggs are a favorite food that hasnt been around since the August before. Also, there specific times when the male ducks gather in colonys of flightless "issas' and catching them dosent rock the growning or breeding stock. and So forth. People gather what they can whan they can. Caribou pass her in large numbers and getting 20 to pass 6 mnths till they pass again is practical, as like Salmon and other fish, you make a large catch and then stop while you process it and carry on again, its not commercial hunting with a gang doing individual tasks, its a person or family divving up, so often large numbers are taken, but at the appropriate time of year. Ive written a calander of the events before.
Folks here love to watch Wolves in the summer, as we encounter them along the rivers and creeks, but come winter, they will shoot each and every one they can.
We gather seaGull eggs because we dont eat seagulls and we leave the geese alone, so we can later hunt them. we gather the eggs in quantity, three days inna row and preserve them for winter, and stilll the gulls all have babies, birds will keep laying clutches.
Then of course, it go's without saying that there are abuser, idiots and poachers who spoil it for everyone. We try and educate, show and take along kids to get them to Know exactly what they are hunting and how to identify it as such, as well as all the other skills it takes to get them to that point, but stupidity and excitment had had many a young man with "too much". Scolding , cop calling, praising, shareing around aand other village ways usually corrects that. Most guys want to do it right.
