Summer’s slipping by

Unfortunately, as is so typical this time of year, the days are going by all too quickly. The summer solstice has come and gone (I almost missed it) and I’m still trying to get out and do some of the things we all like to do during the short summer season here in Alaska.

For a series of reasons beyond our control, my wife and I were delayed in accomplishing a family related activity back in May. That caused a delay in getting the repair work I needed done on the riverboat. Then I was helping a friend remove some trees from his yard (we’re still not done with that job). That promised help delayed me doing some yard work and home repairs around my own house, which are still ongoing because I’ve had to stay close to home in June because of the possibility of being called for jury duty. I was called in one day already, but was dismissed about mid-morning.

This week, I helped a friend from Fairbanks who drove down special to pick up some freight in Anchorage and Wasilla. We’re also retrieving the motorhome after some minor repair work that tied the unit up for two weeks in Anchorage while the repair shop and the insurance company “discussed” appropriate shop fees — the actual work only took about a day.

I thought I still had some time to get ready for a two-day muzzleloading pistol shoot being held at the Upper Susitna Shooters Association range at Mile 94 of the Parks Highway, only to consult a calendar and realize the shoot starts tomorrow. I was studying to take a test to become certified as a National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association range safety officer in order to help out at the shoot and had planned to have that all done well before the shoot weekend arrived. The best laid plans of mice and men …

I received a voicemail from another friend a few days ago about some possible work during August in Seward. That would not only interfere with the silver season here in the Valley, but would also be a major hitch in the developing plans being made for an upcoming moose hunt starting the end of August. It just never seems to stop, at least until the snows start to fly!

While we’re talking hunting, I’d like to relate a story I heard from another good friend I ran into this past week. He’s an accomplished Alaska hunter, a certified master bowhunting education instructor and a former guide. He’s also an accomplished storyteller and I was fascinated as he described what happened. I could relate to his excitement as the story developed.

Last year, he and his hunting partner were out moose hunting in their usual area. My friend had brought along his muzzleloading rifle in hopes of taking a moose, but also had a modern, large-caliber rifle along as well. He had a brown bear tag in his pocket, just in case.

While slowly riding his ATV down an old trail in a small valley, he noticed a nice grizzly in a berry patch a few hundred yards out in front. He parked the ATV and decided to take the muzzleloader to try for the bear since the conditions favored making the attempt with the shorter-range black-powder firearm. The wind was right, the bear didn’t know he was there, and adequate cover existed to allow him to silently stalk within 70 to 80 yards of where the bear was lazily eating blueberries.

The area had grass about two feet high and blueberry brushes as thick as you can imagine. The bear was lying in the grass and stripping the berries from every bush within easy reach. My friend watched as the bear would rise up and move a few feet and lie back down and continue to vacuum up all the berries within reach. Over about a 10-minute timeframe, the bear moved three different times, but would disappear in the grass when it lay back down. The excitement was building!

Finally, the bear ended up where my friend had a clear shot when the bear stood up. The shot went a little high and broke the bear’s back just behind the shoulders. The bear went down but immediately came back up on his front feet.

My friend went to reload his rifle and realized he had left all his loading material back on the ATV. With adrenalin surging, he sprinted the several hundred yards back to the four-wheeler and retrieved his speedloaders. His hands were shaking so badly he had trouble getting a second shot loaded into his muzzleloader.

With a reloaded rifle and several speedloaders stuffed in his pocket, he made his way quickly back to the site where he had shot the bear. The animal had not moved and he was able to quickly end the situation with a finishing shot. He had to sit down for several minutes to regain his composure before returning to the ATV to move it up near the kill site and begin the work of skinning the bear. The bear was large enough to qualify for the official muzzleloading record book.

Both he and his partner harvested moose on that same trip, but my friend’s moose was shot with the modern rifle. He told me he would again be taking the muzzleloader hunting this coming season because he has taken moose with both modern rifle and archery equipment and would very much like to harvest a bull with the muzzleloader as well.

I wish him luck, but knowing him, I think it will just be a matter of time before his hope for a black powder moose is fulfilled.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.