hoopscoach
Active Member
- Messages
- 309
I just returned from my DIY solo caribou hunt on the Dalton highway. I arrived early Saturday morning at Toolik which is where the reports claimed a lot of caribou were scattered. Sure enough, they were there... and so were a bunch of other hunters. I prefer to hunt in a less crowded setting, plus, I had a raft that would take me across the sag to a more secluded area away from the crowds. Yes, there were fewer caribou further north, but because there were fewer caribou, there were no hunters other than the occasional cruiser. Besides, how many caribou do I need, I only have one tag
Right off the bat, I see four bulls (two of which are smokers and the other two very respectable) headed for the river. It would have been very good to have been able to get across the river at this point but the river was very high and I was concerned about making it across in my 8 foot (borrowed) catamaraft (2 pontoons strapped to a metal frame with a seat that you row like a rowboat.) I had nobody to help me if I got into trouble as I was hunting solo. Anyway, I just observed as they ran around for a while and then headed back into the hills. I decided to stay put for a few days and see what happened. That afternoon I spotted a bedded bull not too far from the river on the tundra and so I observed his movements throughout the afternoon. I believed he was one of the smaller of the four bulls I had seen the previous day. He was hanging close to the river but it didn't look like he had any intention of crossing. He would bed for a couple of hours and then trot around for a while checking any cows that had wandered in and to "patrol" his area. The next morning the river was at a manageable level so I glassed for a long time but couldn't find any bulls. At about 10 o'clock I finally spotted the bull I had watched the day before (a little weak on the tops but strong bottom end) on the move headed toward the river. He bedded within bow range of the river so I packed my gear onto the raft and crossed. As expected, by the time I got there, he was gone but I knew from watching him the day before, he would probably bed in the general area and I had all day. I just had to find him. After about a half hour I spotted him on the move headed for the river again, He settled right on the rivers edge in a perfect position for a stalk. I covered the half mile quickly and moved to his down wind side. When I was 40 yards from the river, I could see antler tips above the bank and crept forward until I had closed to within 15 yards! I was hoping to shoot him in his bed but the river bank was blocking his vitals and he was facing the wrong direction. I knew if I moved any closer, he would see me before I could get a good angle. I decided to wait for him to stand on his own. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. Within 5 minutes he stood up to change positions and I could see the top half of his body. Because of the downhill angle, I wanted to aim a little high in his chest and with only 15 yards separating us, the shot was not too difficult. As he exploded from the riverbank he ran parallel to me for about 30 yards but turned his head and looked at me as if to say " where in the heck did that thing come from". He immediately changed course 90 degrees to run in the opposite direction as me. It made me feel good to know I stalked that close to him, undetected, and that even after I made the shot, it took him a while to finally notice me standing there. Anyway, I had an awesome hunt and my only regret is that it ended so quickly, I didn't get to try out the grayling fishing in the sag. Maybe next year...
Hoopscoach
"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud"
Right off the bat, I see four bulls (two of which are smokers and the other two very respectable) headed for the river. It would have been very good to have been able to get across the river at this point but the river was very high and I was concerned about making it across in my 8 foot (borrowed) catamaraft (2 pontoons strapped to a metal frame with a seat that you row like a rowboat.) I had nobody to help me if I got into trouble as I was hunting solo. Anyway, I just observed as they ran around for a while and then headed back into the hills. I decided to stay put for a few days and see what happened. That afternoon I spotted a bedded bull not too far from the river on the tundra and so I observed his movements throughout the afternoon. I believed he was one of the smaller of the four bulls I had seen the previous day. He was hanging close to the river but it didn't look like he had any intention of crossing. He would bed for a couple of hours and then trot around for a while checking any cows that had wandered in and to "patrol" his area. The next morning the river was at a manageable level so I glassed for a long time but couldn't find any bulls. At about 10 o'clock I finally spotted the bull I had watched the day before (a little weak on the tops but strong bottom end) on the move headed toward the river. He bedded within bow range of the river so I packed my gear onto the raft and crossed. As expected, by the time I got there, he was gone but I knew from watching him the day before, he would probably bed in the general area and I had all day. I just had to find him. After about a half hour I spotted him on the move headed for the river again, He settled right on the rivers edge in a perfect position for a stalk. I covered the half mile quickly and moved to his down wind side. When I was 40 yards from the river, I could see antler tips above the bank and crept forward until I had closed to within 15 yards! I was hoping to shoot him in his bed but the river bank was blocking his vitals and he was facing the wrong direction. I knew if I moved any closer, he would see me before I could get a good angle. I decided to wait for him to stand on his own. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. Within 5 minutes he stood up to change positions and I could see the top half of his body. Because of the downhill angle, I wanted to aim a little high in his chest and with only 15 yards separating us, the shot was not too difficult. As he exploded from the riverbank he ran parallel to me for about 30 yards but turned his head and looked at me as if to say " where in the heck did that thing come from". He immediately changed course 90 degrees to run in the opposite direction as me. It made me feel good to know I stalked that close to him, undetected, and that even after I made the shot, it took him a while to finally notice me standing there. Anyway, I had an awesome hunt and my only regret is that it ended so quickly, I didn't get to try out the grayling fishing in the sag. Maybe next year...
Hoopscoach
"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud"
