It's finally here!!!!

[Bambistew]

Congrats on the critters.

That plane looks oddly familiar, much like the one I watched circle the valley twice a day, 8 days in a row.

 

[noharleyyet]

One hell of a story and critters.. Thank you very much.

 

[----]

Awesome write up on what really is the hunt of a lifetime.
Congratulations.

 

[IdahoBugler]

Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. That is a dream come true for sure.

 

[TBinKodiak]

Nice ram and bull, congrats on a successful hunt. Any pictures of your buddies ram?

 

[Bwana]

That is truly one hell of an amazing adventure. You are blessed.

 

[T Bone]

You're living right!

 

[SPOTTED OWL]

AD,

First off, congrats on a great with Max and crew. You took the time to write a great story and took some great pictures.

I am reliving this in my mind as I hunted with Curtis and Ryan on the first sheep hunt in 07.
It was a hunt I will never forget, and many of my memories are similiar to yours. Every time I see my ram on the wall, it reminds how lucky I was to have that time in Alaska with Max and the boys.

Savor those memories, because it don't get much better then that !

Bryan

 

[Spitz]

Way to capitalize and use up some well deserved luck on the hunt of a lifetime. Congratulations on your success and some great memories.

 

[TheTone]

Awesome critters, congrats! Love the look of that moose.

 

[ashersdad]

A few more random pics from my hunt.

In the background, you can see the mountain where I shot my ram.

 

[passinthru]

That was an awesome story. Great animals and country for sure. I was fortunate enough to hunt west central Alaska in '03 for moose and bear, had a great hunt and vowed to return for sheep. That has not happened yet, would you be willing to share who you went with.

Hope to accomplish this in the next few years.

 

[ashersdad]

passinthru, I went with Max Schwab. Great outfit imo. How did you do on moose and bear?

 

[Lawnboy]

Asher, I never got to comment on your hunt but that looks awesome. I passed right by that little airport you left Healy from to start my hiking. You had an awesome hunt and I'm sure some great memories. You must of been in the Wood River Valley?

 

[passinthru]

Awesome. I was lucky enough to take a bear on the second day of the hunt and a beautiful moose on the ninth day. It was sort of an accident that I went, I was just calling outfitters in the back of the fnaws magazine, in dec. of '01. Kind of a tradition of dreaming about a brown bear hunt every year after harvest here in mn. I was talking with one that was hit pretty hard by hunters not being able to come up because of 9/11 and offered me a good deal. Well, after checking around with references and the state I sent him the down money for a hunt in '03 and ended up making a lifelong friend.

Bear was my primary,but I bought a Moose tag just in case. I figured when the heck am I going to make it back up here. Anyway, Wayne Woods was the outfitter, I hope to go back and do a Dall or goat hunt, but need to let kids get a little older. When in base camp, I was able to meet Wayne's son Shane and spend a couple days with him. Then in '05 my wife and I flew up to fish in the summer and we were able to spend some time with Wayne and his family. Shane was preparing to deploy, but he made it a point to be there when we were. Awesome trip also, glassing sheep in Waynes backyard after an excellent open fire salmon feast. You couldn't ask for much more than that.

Unfortunately the next Aug. Shane was killed in Iraq, an IED buried and asphalted over, it took out there humv. I have never met a kinder soul. I know Wayne has been taking wounded veterans hunting, under a program in Shanes memory.

I'll try and post pics. when I get a chance, but don't want to mess with your thread.

Thank you for the name of your outfit, I need to do some more checking with Waynes area, I see he's not doing sheep for now because of a regulation change in the chugach or something.

Sorry about the book.

 

[ashersdad]

passinthru, that sounds like an incredible hunt. Post up the pics, I would love to see them and you're not messing with this thread. The more pics the better I say.

Incredible story about your outfitter and his son. I just can't imagine the sacrifice some people give for this great country. Just incredible.

I hope you get to do your sheep hunt. I'm hoping to get to do the bear hunt soon.

 

[passinthru]

These are scanned images because I didn't have a digital at the time. I will edit the pictures in, I don't know how to add multiples any other way.

Flying into Port Allsworth via Lake Clark pass I think that was the pass' name, this took place in '03 so my mind is fuzzy. FIrst plane ride from Anchorage to Port Allsworth, then different plane from Port Allsworth to base camp, and finally base camp to spike camp in a Super Cub.

Sittitng @ the end of the airstrip in Port Allsworth thinking of my family.

Spike camp, home sweet home for ten days, that's the refirigerator on the right. Coincidentally my side of the tent.

Second day of glassing we found this guy feeding on blueberries,and we were able to get within 50 yards. I believe I asked three times about how big he was as we kept getting closer. I wanted to make sure and get a good one ya know Anyway we had gotten within fifty yards and I asked the size again, the reply was "Shoot G#$ Dammit".
So I did. He spun and started trying to bite behind his shoulder where he was hit and went down.

 

[passinthru]

We spent the good part of a day taking care of the bear, I was pretty pumped to say the least.

Then we glassed and glassed for moose, saw a ton of big black bears, making it hard to hold out for moose. But, I knew this wasn't going to be an everyday occurence for me so I held out for the moose. Day five or six we glassed a huge bull and moved in closer. He went into a valley and never came out so we decided to wait him out, well six hours later and getting dark we had to head back to camp. It was early September and they weren't responding to calling very well.

Morning of Day nine we find this guy in some very thick stuff on the other side of a valley. We moved in and it was thicker than thick, couldn't see anything, it was hot down there and I was trying not to shoot at the frickin mosquitoes swarming me. We were getting closer to where we thought he was and then heard him crashing as we spooked him. I ran to my left because that looked more open, and he just popped out above me at seventy five yards. Pulled up and shot he went over a knob like a .338 is no big deal, leaving me thinking wtf, I thought I heard a thwap, what's he doing.

Ran up over the knob and more thick stuff, waited twenty minutes or so, as it was getting dark we needed to try and find some sign. Picked up some blood lost it, did this for awhile, then came up over another wrinkle in the terrain and there he was.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Funny how you miss this stuff during the fall, glad it made it back to the top. What a trip that was. Dream trip for sure.

 

[passinthru]

These are pictures from '05 when my wife and I went up to fish. This is what Wayne can do with some of the drops he finds, absolutely incredible. The pictures don't do them justice.