My Hunting Stories
I returned to Elmendorf AFB after my remote tour at Galena during the summer of ’76 and continued my pursuit for both dall sheep and mountain goat. I still used a bow to make it more of a challenge while looking for those record book animals. I upgraded my bow to a PSE compound. Those old compounds were nothing like the new ones but I was still amazed how flat it shot. My rule was if the animal wasn’t bigger than my best I wouldn’t even make a stalk.
Every year at this time outfitters and hunters alike are heading to their favorite sports/hunting shows. This is where most outfitters book the majority of their clients. These shows give the hunter/client a chance to meet guides face to face before they spend their hard earned money for their hunt of a lifetime.
After completing my first tour of duty at Elmendorf AFB I had no idea that I would be returning to and retiring in Alaska fifteen years later. It was a dream come true.
This is my last story of the year and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
This is the fiftieth story that I have posted on my blog, Hunting Adventures with Roger Morris (HARM), so I wanted it to be special. I have many more stories planned but since sheep have always been my passion, I felt another sheep story was only fitting. I have hunted the Tok Management Area three times and all were very special hunts so I have included all three.
Flying small planes is an awesome experience for most pilots and for most of their passengers. However, there are those who prefer to just stay on the ground. That is the case with my wife, Karen. She has never been a fan of flying in small planes and particularly didn’t like flying in a super cub. She was constantly checking the gas levels, hated the noise but more than that she didn’t like that she could see everything around her, feeling unprotected. That of course is one of the main reasons most of us super cub pilots love it.
Every hunter has their favorite hunting spot and that is also true of guides. However, as an outfitter, having six to eight hunters at a time, three times during our fall season, I needed around ten different campsites so I could rotate their use. I was always on the lookout for new camps.
Gulch Creek has a special place in my hunting memories. Not only was it a gorgeous game filled little valley, but it provided access to Walker Creek and Falls Creek. I killed my first big game animal, a mountain goat, my first black bear, my first animal with a bow, another mountain goat, and it was where I slept overnight without a sleeping bag for the first time and more than likely the first time that I almost died climbing a cliff. There were many of those times.
I just returned from our annual family caribou/moose hunt so there was no post last week. We had a great time. Our main objective was to get my granddaughter Rachel a caribou. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and for the first time in that area, I didn't see a single caribou. We were so bummed, but on a positive note, Brent's grandson Brian and his dad Steve Crim were with us and Brian took a 42" moose. We were all very excited for him. That was the sixth moose that we have taken out of that area with the largest being 49 inches. That is what happens when you issue "any" bull permits. Everyone shoots small bulls, so there will never be any big ones. This current story shows what happens when you have a size restriction, you get bigger moose. Enjoy all of the following pictures of our giant moose.
Being the youngest in the family has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage when it comes to hunting in our family is the oldest usually gets the first opportunity to harvest each of the different species. Nathan knew his turn would come and took it in stride, always happy for his siblings. He was the last one to take a black bear, next to last for caribou but now it was his turn for moose.
