If you’re planning on doing any serious hunting in Alaska, you’ll be spending quite a few nights in a tent. In most of Alaska you can count on having at least some nasty weather, and the rule of thumb for hunting the Alaska Peninsula is that you’re going to have more nasty days than good ones.
The biggest factor down there and in many places in AK is the wind. At some points, we saw gusts of 60 mph or more, and most days there was a steady wind of 20 to 30 mph. Selecting the right tent and knowing where and how to set it up properly are crucial if you hope to survive, let alone have a successful hunt. [ Read Full Post ]
We’ve all been there: shivering in our sleeping bags for what seems like hours before we finally drift off to sleep. I’d put up with it for a long time, as I’m always trying to find a balance between weight, packability, and warmth in a sleeping bag. Even with a well insulated bag, it’s difficult to warm up and stay warm after being battered to near hypothermia by the elements.
My biggest problem in that respect is my feet, which are usually freezing when I crawl into the bag. It wasn’t uncommon for me to wake up several times during the night with numb toes. I have to credit my hunting partner Steve for the solution to my problem; a while back he told me this extremely simple but effective tip. [ Read Full Post ]
When hunting in Alaska, It’s hard to rate equipment on the basis of importance. It takes an assortment of several absolute must-haves, but one thing that is as important as any is a good binocular. Any serious hunting in these parts, especially for brown bears, moose, and sheep requires a lot of glassing.
There is no substitute for putting in the effort of painstakingly glassing over every nook and cranny of the landscape over and over again. Without it, you’re better off staying home. And in order to be successful, the better the optics the easier it is to get the job done. [ Read Full Post ]
Whether black or brown/grizzly, bears can be one of the trickiest animals to size up in the field. The tough thing is that there isn’t really anything on their body that you can consistently use as a reference. Animals like moose, caribou, and sheep are much easier, as their antlers and horns can be fairly accurately judged.
Bears, however, often appear bigger than they really are, and it’s also tougher to distinguish males and females. There are several things to look for, though, and with some practice anyone can get the hang of it. [ Read Full Post ]
After taking two great bears in two days, we sure thought we were on a roll. However, as is often the case, we weren’t going to get off without having to pay our dues. As our focus went toward getting Steve’s bear, things slowed down for the next couple days. Gary and I spent the days fleshing our hides, then we would head out in the early evening. [ Read Full Post ]
The nice thing about brown bear hunting on the Alaska Peninsula is that the bears don’t really get moving until late in the evening. After making it back to camp with my bear hide and skull just after midnight, I was more than happy to be able to sleep in till noon the next day.
Surprisingly, the weather seemed to be holding for the second day in a row, so I spent the early afternoon beginning the overwhelming task of fleshing my bear hide. However with two uncut tags left, we once again headed out to glass later in the afternoon. [ Read Full Post ]
After spending all but a few hours of the first three days on the Alaska Peninsula stuck in the tent hiding from terrible weather, we finally had a sunny afternoon on opening day of the season. After all of the anticipation, we prepped our gear and headed down the beach to glass for bears that we could finally chase. [ Read Full Post ]
I'm Tyler Freel and I'm the luckiest hunter in the country. As an outdoorsman living in the Last Frontier, I spend my fall hunting Dall sheep, mountain goats, caribou, moose, and sea ducks. All winter and spring I trap wolves, lynx and marten and then turn my attention to bear hunting. I dedicate my summers to fishing for salmon, grayling, and halibut. On Live Hunt I'll take you along on my adventures with blogs, photos and video. You'll get a taste of what it's like to hunt, fish and trap in Alaska and you'll also get to meet the unique individuals who make AK interesting. Then I'll give you insider information so you can get up here and do it yourself.
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
|
Outdoorlife.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2013 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
