Author: leaddog

 

Leaddog arrives Thursday night to beat the forecasted 5 to 10″ of snow that is to fall upon the Happy Hunting Grounds…upon awakening a snowless world greets him. Rain, snow and sleet (snrain) is creating miserable conditions, but a recon is still in order. Looking for the Big Bad Mean Ol’ Bear, two does are seen not too far away from camp. Nothing follows…..

Saturday:
The rangers are shanghaied by Polecat in order to get a “check the box” hunt in, and all are forced to hunt to the elusive Fire Rock in the back country. Not the Fire Ring, nor Toucher’s Rock(s), or the 15 other watches with a “rock” name of some sort. Two drivers are sent out and around, with three others hitting the “ridge” to the Fire Rock. Much sign is encountered by the two lower drivers, and the three up above are encountering the now matured woods since the last visit to this area. Toucher encounters something big on the ridge, which is using the wind to determine it’s exit strategy. Touch gets a quick glance at the beast, before it exits the area in front of Leaddog only 100 feet from the Fire Rock. Other tracks are accompanying said beast which splits as usual, the doe one way….and perhaps the buck? Robba gets into the mix and all retreats from the area with Polecat now satisfied on his check the box moment! 😉

Sunday: Lindy’s Birthday Buck!
A return to the Bunny Hill is to be performed, as it has been “resting” for some time. Lindy and Probie has the whole Notch to themselves, which is a big responsibility. Polecat goes on what could be considered a watch down below, with Toucher, Leaddog, Digger and Robba setting up and getting ready to perform the drive. As all gets ready to rumble, shots are heard for the Notch. The declaration “Brown is down” comes from Lindy, before any driver makes a step! Since the only way back to camp is in the direction of the drive, it is to be completed. Five minutes into the drive a rather large mule is kicked from atop by Toucher, which runs in front of Leaddog the Bear Hunter down towards Digger and Robba. It must be said if Steven where on his watch he may have seen the beast, as nothing but a larger body was observed by the two top drivers. It as always, seems to have vanished…..

Back to the kill….A nice eight pointer is down within rock throwing distance from Lindy’s watch! All converge and field activities commence, and the drag downhill to the yapping, talking, whining, yelling, salty Polecat (Spike Jr) is started. Piewhore and Polecat gets two vehicles and picks up the Rangers and said mule.

 

This is the usually scheduled week where several Rangers takes time off and spends five days hunting mules during the “Great Alaskan Adventure”! Since “other” things are keeping the gang from assembling at the Happy Hunting Grounds, it’s apparent that Leaddog will be solo….again. If one recounts the events of last year, a blizzard kept Leaddog in camp for almost two days. Things were a bit better this year…..

Wednesday:
Leaddog arrives at camp to begin a five day assault on the hills. After getting camp open, and things set for the week there still is time to get into the woods. Suiting up for a long sit at a spot where a mule has been patterned Leaddog heads to a “certain spot” not too far away from camp. Leaving at precisely 2:00 at crawl was completed to the watch, and the wait begins. At one hour and thirty two minutes into the hunt….the Alaskan Adventure is over. Sitting for under an hour, in a very stoic atmosphere Leaddog hears noise coming from left behind! A mule is walking less than 75 feet from the watch, and upon showing himself one shot is fired at the mule sporting horns! The mule runs towards the Red Painted Trail, two more shots are let loose…..just because. Waiting a few minutes Leaddog goes to the spot and finds blood! He’s hit! And the sun is now in setting mode, with about 45 minutes of light left. Gathering gear, the chase is on and hopefully not for long. Finding a now growing trail of blood all looks good that it may not be long before it’s found…which it was after about 100 yards of tracking. A nice eight pointer is down, and so is the setting sun. What to do now?! Dressing the mule at sunset, and dragging it away from the kill site to avoid critters from finding it Leaddog returns to camp in the dark. Calls for assistance are made with no help coming until Friday….

It must be mentioned that Leaddog receives the coveted “Solo Kill Badge”, which only until now one member has received – the lost ranger “Raven” (Jerry).

Thursday:
After a restless night of sleep, due to the constant fear that the Big ‘ol Mean Bear or Yotes will find the said downed mule Leaddog heads out with rope and a come along to hang the mule until help arrives. Finding the mule intact it is with some trouble the mule is in the air, now out of reach from critters. Polecat arrives later, a meal is consumed and plans to remove said beast are made for the following day.

Friday:
The two gets the buck cart and heads to retrieve the mule. It must be conveyed that what is considered a “Trail” from the kill site is in an area that even mules will avoid, and so will the gang in the future! After several hours of encountering rocks, ruts, blowdowns and backbreaking hummocks the mule is back to camp where it is weighed (135lbs), skinned and quartered. Leaddog will further process the mule upon return to home.

Saturday:
With one mule now under their belt, a crew of six hits the western bunny hill, with Leaddog now looking for a bear for the Toucher….It is an unusual day, as no rain or snow has been seen in days. The woods are like walking in the proverbial bowl of cornflakes, it is in fact so noisy that drivers could be heard and not seen! All mill about to attempt to push something to one another, with no results. The leaves are so dry and thick that the red squirrels are tunneling beneath with their headlamps on!

Sunday:
Disgusted with conditions, the crew performs their Environmentally Conserved duty to let the woods be and not to scare “THE MONSTER TEN POINTER” as caught on the camera only 200 feet away on Thursday night. Note that this photo also caught the lights from camp, as Polecat and Leaddog were eating dinner that night! PLUS, being the stewards of the woods that we are, we decided that if a bullet were to hit a rock and cause sparks, it may have resulted in a forest fire! That’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it!

Hopefully photos will be added……

Friday:
Leaddog shows up solo once again to sit in the rubbed and scraped area at Billy’s Watch. Nothing seems to be refreshed, some new attempts at scrapes or feeding is seen. After a few hours the weather demons begins their attempts to demoralize the solo hunter. Wind and drizzle makes conditions a bit miserable to sit longer so a still hunt back is in order.

Side note – on the ingress Leaddog picks up transmissions from intruders….it seems (to them) they’ve found Utopia! After determining their basic location based on their back and forth chatter it’s apparent they’re only a few hundred yards or closer at one point, with verification of exact position at one point! The chatter is as follows:
Them:
“This is a really cool spot! This flat is nice! I see some buck shit, a plug of it, I see you. I smell an animal here….Come over here and we’ll have lunch”

Leaddog to himself, but refraining to say over the radio to them:
You smell an animal, and you see your friend? He probably farted…
Buck shit? Take a bite of it, if it tastes like cock it’s a buck, you’ll know!

Leaddog takes position on a log to figure out whats going on…then performs some psyops…Getting on the radio to absolutely no one….since not one of the gang is present:
“Polecat there’s a big bear heading to you”
“Is Lindy on watch yet?”
“Everyone set?”

Them:
“Look at the area by the swale, it’s all beaten down”

Leaddog to himself (They hit Bernie’s Mystery Trail, good luck!)

Them:
“I’m going to look for a place to cross”
“I found a “wire”…it looks like it’s there to help cross the creek on the rocks”
“It looks very military like….”
Leaddog to himself (They found Bernie’s Mystery Cable, or whats left of it)…..(military like??!!)
Leaddog to Them:
“WE PUT THAT CABLE THERE”!
At that very moment, Polecat apparently arrives at camp and of course gets on the radio asking the usual “are there any dildos out there?” After some chatter it was conveyed to Polecat the situation, and it looks as if the intruders got the message and left the area, no sign of them crossing the creek was seen. Good! Now don’t come back!

Back to the hunt…
Slowly making his way back to camp, a short side trip just above Cable Three resulted in a brand new rub, just in sight of the cable! Something IS indeed here! YAY!

Saturday:
The crew decides to push from Billy’s Watch UP to Camp Valley….all two watchers are in place, and three drivers starts their routes. Leaddog is directed to hit the School Bus(SB) watch, Toucher in between and Polecat heading to Old Forge to begin. The SB is on all GPS’rs, so it should be easy? Right? Nope…..apparently each driver has his own unique waypoint listed as SB, which are nowhere near each other! Toucher crosses Polecat, Polecat crosses Toucher, and Leaddog has no clue what the other two are doing! Finally all finds Camp Valley and the two Steve’s on watch, slightly chilled to perfection. A run once again to the barren wastelands of Piney Knob is done, with the usual results.

Sunday:
The Bunny Hill is hit again, and much sign is seen! Beds by Robba, rubs and scrapes by both Toucher and Leaddog. The drive starts towards The Notch, and Robba kicks out two does which runs towards The Notch, hopefully to Steven! Upon arrival of the drivers at the Notch, (IS THIS THE NOTCH?…..) they seem to have vanished. Part two is now in order, with the Polecat on watch down below by the Hobbit Hut area. Leaddog and Toucher up top now finds scrapes that weren’t there last week, with running tracks heading towards Polecat. We have something moving, and it’s leaping 30′ at a jump! Down the mountain the two pushes the mule, which of course circumvented the waiting Polecat on watch. This may have been what we’re looking for!

Next week is the Alaskan Adventure Week, which apparently no one wants to venture. Leaddog may go solo, as there’s not two feet of snow prohibiting him from leaving the camp, like last year! Somebody’s got to do it……

Now for some photos…..

Saturday:
The gang (or whats left) assembles on the opener to once again lose weight, get in shape and chase mules across the lands! A push of Piney Knob from the Camp Creek Trail is performed, with little sign observed. Leaves are all down, so no complaining about views, underbrush, yada yada yada! A continued push to the first cable results in…..nothing!

Sunday: Over to the “western” starting grounds, the drivers are dispatched and a run of that portion of the woods confirms that no living creature wants to reveal itself….lots of scrapes noticed by Leaddog at the 360 watch, but the makers of such are not playing with the crew, yet!

WEEK TWO!
Friday:
Leaddog arrives to solo the woods and perform a recon of last week to verify conditions. Verification results in what was seen last week in the Piney Knob area. A scoot to the Duck Hole showed some sign but not much. They ARE here but still may be in summer mode? Another trek to the first cable has the same results.

Saturday: Now with the limited gang, a drive of No Name is performed. The watchers are sent down Billy’s Watch to prescribed watches, and the drive commences. Rubs and scrapes are now numerous everywhere, at least something is alive but where is it?! The drive is completed with no results, so now a return is in order on the “other” side. All converges to the Knolls and exits the woods muleless.

Sunday:
The Bunny Hill is hit, the usual Sunday hunt. Scrapes and rubs are seen, and hopes are high! Two does are pushed right under the nose of Lindy, on watch in the notch. Nothing follows as hoped. The second hill is attacked back to camp with nothing seen…again except for an interloper that came out of nowhere dressed in green. Hopefully Week Three will be better…….

A successful work weekend accomplished! Trails cleared, wood split and stacked, 100′ tall trees hung up and finally downed! Still missing the third guy who was supposed to go up top…..
Additional information to be added after photos are received.