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Spring Bear Hunt 2012: The First Leg with Vince P

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Alaska Spring Bears 2012

Alaskan adventures if survived, tend to leave individuals smarter than when they embarked.  That being said, the Alaskan learning curve is basically vertical, and surviving means adapting and learning very quickly.  Do it yourself adventures bring a whole new challenge and dimension to any hunt.  This year’s DIY spring Alaskan bear hunt proved just how difficult, yet rewarding these self-planned adventures can be.  The mission of this three-leg journey was to successfully harvest a black bear, a brown bear, or both.

Brown Bear

The first leg of the three part adventure across South Central Alaska was with fellow Sourdough (Alaska resident) Vince Pokryfki.   Vince and I headed north of Talkeetna, Alaska in his riverboat. We worked our way up a network of connected rivers to our destination; Game Management Unit 16A-16B.   Our objective was to thin out several bears from his moose hunting area. This would allow more moose fawns to live, meaning more trophy bull moose to chase in the fall.  For this hunt, Vince wanted to settle the score on his terms. Vince was equipped with his custom “Dan Ryan” primitive bamboo-back osage long bow and self-made port orford shafts and double bladed Eskimo Zwickey 125 grain broad heads.   Vince then proceeded to hook me up with 6 home made Grizzly Stick shafted arrows with Zwickey double bladed Death Wish broad heads.   I accompanied Vince with my own home-made longbow to settle the terms of our claw-to-stick fight.

Vince and Austin with flannels and bows

I named my home-made long bow “Hybex.” This bow was made back in my high school days in collaboration with Vince Pokryfki and Bowyer(bow maker) Dan Ryan.  I also brought my trusty 416 iron sighted Remington Magnum, a gun my Dad used back in his registered Alaskan guide career.   This massive caliber could do the trick if necessary to back Vince up if anything were to go wrong.   I kept the 416 shouldered across my back as means of back up.  All members including the videographer, were packing heat.  Vince also had a 454 Cassull on his hip, and I had a chest holster equipped with a 44 Magnum.  It’s safe to say that we had one small arsenal of weaponry that we planned to employ if necessary.

Vince P Moose Hunting Picture

The reason we came so heavily prepared was due to the fact that Vince has much experience with the wildlife in that area.  Vince has taken many moose via longbow in this area over the years.  Most of these years he has came back the following morning to find brown bears on the moose carcass.  Not only have his hunting grounds been invaded, his fishing grounds have as well.  Last fall a bear charged Vince at his secret fishing hole in broad daylight.   In Alaska you have to learn to co-exist with wildlife in their habitat.  Vince has learned to do just this; he fishes during broad daylight hours and leaves mornings and evenings alone to let the bears have their turn at the fishing hole.  The charge occurred during a blue bird sunny afternoon.  Vince has never hunted brown bears until now. This is interesting because he has had the opportunity to take many bears in the past.   He has made the decision to finally hunt bears because.  He has over 20 years experience with not just the bears, but all of the wildlife in this area.  He takes family members to these areas, and he wants to make sure they are safe.  I want to help Vince in this area and do our part in bear management.  Taking our quota of bears in the big picture is minimal.  However, hunters such as Vince and I can make a difference in the population of a particular area.  Collective groups of hunters need to be successful in many regions across a GMU to make an effective difference on animal population.

Vince caught this “Chromer” salmon at his secret fishing hole.

In essence, Vince and I are attempting to do our part.  The adventure for this journey began at Fred Meyers, to get our hunting tags/licenses and secondly to get food for the trip.  We gathered our favorites, including Oreos and granola bars and off to the boat launch we went.  We got to the boat launch that Vince described as an “Alaskan boat launch.”  We arrived on a steep gravel road access to a boulder farm style riverbank.  The closer we got to the river, the worse the launch looked.   Vince was confident the whole time, I followed suite and was excited to finally start this bear hunt from the riverboat. Vince expertly flung the boat in the water as I held the rope tied to the front of the boat.  The boat swung to the side of the rocky riverbank, Vince parked the truck and we both jumped in and fired up the Evinrude.   There were a few moments of silence as Captain Vince pushed the throttle forward and threw that baby on step.  We were cruising up river and hunting bears in no time.

Boat in action, on step and moving up river.

At any given point you can see game animals or bears in Alaska and we were prepared.  We cruised up river to the point of attack, where last year Vince was charged by an aggressive bear.  We found a suitable flat spot where Vince has made moose hunting camps in the past and set up our camping site.   The tent and kitchen were up and running real quick.   After camp duties were taken care of, we grabbed our bows and off we went.  During spring time, bears are not usually concentrated to food sources such as salmon streams or berry patches. Bears can roam up to 50 miles per day in search of food.   Coming across one of these post hibernating bears is basically the combination of perfect timing and a great location.   Vince and I did not hunt over a bait station, but hunted via spot-and-stalk.

River beaches and endless miles to stalk.

We walked what seemed like endless miles of braided out river until we stopped to glass for meandering bears walking the river beaches.  We found many black and brown bear tracks, however we hadn’t spotted the owners of the tracks.  After two days of walking the river beaches with no luck, the game plan had to change.  Instead of walking the rivers silently, we cruised the river and searched for bears from the boat.  Not a bad game plan, the only down side would be the noise from the boat’s engine.   This noise would alert any predators of the dangers that our longbows poised.  Our bows would be rendered useless at this stage, as the element of surprise had flown out the back of the boat.  On the third and final day, I switched from my longbow to the iron sighted back up rifle.

Austin carrying Bridger across the creek. Team work is dream work.

With the new game plan in mind for the final day of the adventure, we ambled on up-river.  If a bear showed himself, we would have to park the boat, bail out of it and set up on the river-bank for a long shot.  Hopefully a bear would be tolerable of our presence and stand just long enough for an iron sighted shot.  Extending the distance of my “smoke bow” fumed new excitement into the air. A close encounter was long overdue.

Austin and Bridger near the boat landing ready for the stalk.

“Hey Vince, is that a boulder bear?”  I asked, thinking I had been fooled by a dark colored rock.  The rock started to move… “BEAR, BEAR, BEAR!” I whisper yelled to Vince.  He immediately steered the boat towards the rocky riverbank, and in a moments notice I flew out of the boat like I was storming the beaches of Normandy.   The videographer (Bridger VanNess) was in close pursuit and I sprinted along the rocky beach to an abstruse log, an excellent shooting bench.   The large sized black bear was around 170 yards away and was moving up a large embankment towards a thick, endless grove of crisscrossed spruce and alder trees.   The bear paused for a moment.  I aimed the front pin of the iron sited 416 Rem Mag toward the bear; covering much surface area of the black dot.  The black dot stopped near the top of the alder choked hill, I took a breath and slowly pulled the trigger doing my best to steady the steel bead.   “BUHHHDOOOOOM” said the 416 Rem Mag.  The bear paused another second looking stunned before bolting deep into the “peanut butter” like alders.

Vince backing me up with his custom long bow.

The bear looking unfazed by the 250 grained bullet, I didn’t feel confident with the shot and felt it was a 100% miss.  Although I wasn’t confident with my shot, I wanted to be the ethical sportsman and check the surrounding area for signs of a wounded animal.  After a short boat ride and a three-minute hike, I found myself standing in the bear’s footsteps.  After circling the area multiple times and conducting a thorough investigation for any signs of a wounded animal, Vince and I concluded the bullet never found its mark.   The bear was safe, however the bear learned to fear humans now more than ever.  I was extremely bummed, as any hunter would be, feeling like I let myself down as well as my hunting partner.  Missing an animal is a hard feeling to describe, only a hunter who has been there and done that can know the feeling.  A clean miss is better than a wounded bear, and any hunter who hasn’t missed hasn’t been in the woods long enough.   Knowing the animal was not wounded helped relieve the large burden I was carrying.  It was now the last day of the hunt and our focus turned to taking down camp and preparing the boat for our departure.

Tent and campsite.

Just before leaving, Vince and I took a few moments to reflect on the trip.   Even though there was no kill during this trip, Vince and I still had positive morale in the special memories we both made on that trip.   Hunting with an iron sighted rifle is difficult, and hunting with long bows is even more difficult.  Vince and I both believe that the kill of an animal is the physical representation of the memories made on a hunting trip.  However, in no way does the kill of an animal represent the endless laughs and fun times Vince and I spent together.   To say the very least, Vince, myself, and Bridger had an awesome time together. We made memories that will last a lifetime.  I want to personally thank Vince for taking several days away from his family and work to take me on an unforgettable journey.   I will never forget the delicious camp food, the authentic Alaskan stories, the real life facts, and the camaraderie that Vince shared with me.   I already asked Vince when our next hunting adventure would be. He said he is always game to go play in Alaska.

Coffee and laughs with Denali

With seven days left of my spring bear hunt, I set my sites to a new hunting area.  I drove eight hours to Valdez, stopping only at my home base in Palmer to exchange rifles.   I needed to switch from the iron sighted 416 to the 350 Remington Magnum with a 4-14x Leupold scope.   Now we were off to Valdez in search of beach combing monster black bears.   I had spoken with several locals in the area who all said “bears are literally everywhere down here, some of them live in the streets.”   With a scoped rifle to extend my shooting range, a new excitement came over me.  Venturing to Valdez was the second leg of this three-part journey….

Boat ready for launch.

…..Stay tuned for the rest of this three part spring bear hunting adventure….

Spring Bear Hunting Alaska 2012

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This picture is from August’s and my 2009 spring bear brother hunt.  August and I, (as well as videographer Jon D) took to the spring hunt as if it was our last.  We hunted six hard days, deep in the Alaska wilderness and managed to harvest this beautiful black bruin on film.  Bears taste better during the spring, as they have yet to change their diets to the salmon runs of summer through fall.  August and I would eat plentifully off of bear backstrap after this harvest as we were nearing the end of our food supplies.

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This is a photo of me cutting bear back strap (in preparation of our beast feast over open flame) on a moose antler found during this 2009 spring bear hunt

I’ll be partaking in the traditional Alaska spring bear hunt again during this 2012 season.  To some hunters in Alaska, bear hunting is part of their culture.  I am proud to say that this tradition of spring bear hunting in Alaska has shaped my culture and parts of who I am as an Alaskan.  Every year since the sixth grade (12 years ago), I have been gifted  the ability to hunt bears in Alaska.  This is a blessing to be apart of such an awesome outdoor culture.

Hopefully after this spring I will be able to secure valuable bear meat to add to my 2012 collection of wild game fare.  I can see it now……Smokey bear jerky….. Bear stew…..Bacon wrapped bear sizzled on the grill w/ avacado….   You get my drift…

I can’t wait to head to the field.

-Austin Manelick

Trophy Bull VS. Meat Bull

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Hunting to many Alaskas means red meat for the freezer, enough meat to get a family through the winter.  Across Alaska many residents practice the art handed down by our ancestors and the cave men before that, the not-so lost art form called subsistence hunting.  Each Fall locals from around the state leave the comfort of there homes and thrust themselves into the wild attempting to fill the freezer against all odds.

2009 Moose Harvest

When your an Alaskan and attempting to fill your freezer, any animal deemed by ADFG (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)as legal under the states rules and regulations most likely will be harvested.  As Alaskan subsistence hunter August Manelick would say “a legal spike for moose will taste just as good if not better than a trophy moose.”  I agree with August in that the goal of hunting is first and foremost to be legal and secondly to fill your freezer.  All though most hunters (including August and myself) will agree that a 55 inch trophy bull moose would look better on the wall and in the freezer than a spike fork (small legal yearling bull moose) would.

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The goal of hunting is to fill your freezer and provide sustenance for the long winter months.  Taking a trophy animal is a bonus, providing in a sense two trophies the meat and the antlers.  The meat of an animal is the true trophy, don’t let anyone tell you different.  The hunt is about the experience, camaraderie, and the stories shared with loved ones post hunt.  The harvest of the hunt is a physical representation of the memories made while in the field, regardless of the animals antler size.  Any legal animal is a gift, take your blessings and eat plentifully through out the following year.

Auggie with a double trophy, meat and antler.

Auggie with a double trophy, meat and antler.

Bottom line, there is a big difference between trophy hunting and subsistence hunting.  Trophy hunting individuals hunt usually for just the size of the antlers, bigger is always better.  Subsistence hunters hunt for the meat value of an animal.  Two very different ball games, playing by the same rules.

Photo Shoot 2012

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I was recently invited to be a part of an outdoor photo shoot posed as two hunters stalking through a beautiful river side cottonwood hunting area.

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The photo shoot included host of Pure Hunting television program Willi Schmidt and free lance videographer and outdoor writer (me) Austin Manelick.

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I had a blast with John Depalma the photographer as he effortlessly snapped perfectly apertured picture after picture.  “Keep the light to your back”, was the photography tip of the day.  (That tip applies to videography as well….)  He made the shoot so smooth and brought relentless energy to taking the perfect “sweet cherry pie shot.”  Thanks again guys for such a memorable and awesome outting in the field together.  Your friendship and camaraderie is what hunting and the great outdoors is made of, thanks again for everything guys.

Pure Hunting is found on the Sportsmen channel @

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Monday

7:00 PM

Wednesday

8:00 PM

Wednesday

11:00 PM

Thursday

10:30 AM

Friday
 8:00 AM
Show them your support!  Its an awesome series and a great place to see some of my work as Field Producer.  I worked on this series and can garentee once you turn it on you won’t leave the couch..
“Epic-hyper reality adventure television”  Pure Hunting is a must see!

Webisode Operation Texas: Mission Alaska head to South Texas (youtube link)

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La Frijolia management Brush Buck

Youtube link

OPERATION TEXAS MISSIONAK YOUTUBE VIDEO

Team Mission Alaska head to South Texas on a mission, attempting to harvest a wild bore and a famous La Frijolia brushbuck. Hidden Antler Camo owner and sponsor Brandon, leads the men on their Texas mission. Join the guys live on the stalk with the La Frijolia Ranch guide tony, bowmen Austin, and Vid cam dude John.
Check out http://hiddenantler.com/ for any sweet camo apparel you saw in this video.
OR
Check out http://brushbucks.com/ to book the Texas Hunt of lifetime.

D_A_PRO LLC Production Highlights- presents Mission Alaska

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DA PRO owner Austin Manelick pictured with Major League Baseball MVP Texan Ranger Josh Hamilton and family.

DA PRO owner Austin Manelick pictured with Major League Baseball MVP Texan Ranger Josh Hamilton and family.

D_A_ PRO LLC  is a full service media marketing provider, specializing in filming of remote and extreme shoot locations.   DA PRO’s, enlist a full staff of professional videographers willing and ready to shoot HD footage in the hardest most unforgiving terrain possible.   State of the art High Definition filming and audio recording equipment travels with each member of our globally experienced team of videographers.  D_A_ PRO, LLC is the next generation of video production, bringing revolutionary visions to the television industry.

PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHT VIDEO PRESENTS MISSION ALASKA

Follow this YOUTUBE link to watch the production highlight video a sample from the D_A_PRO LLC  Library.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72hU5wKa72s

                                                                                                 D_A_PRO LLC.

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Mission Alaska Reaches Across the Globe to India

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This is an email I recieved after I posted an article asking for your thoughts, opinions, articles, pictures, etc.  This email comes from an individual from India, who runs a blog site called  greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com.  He writes me connnecting my blog with one of his adventures in India, and he shows us hunters in India are viewed with more respect and prestige with more animal skulls on the wall.  Here is the email and pictures, humans continue to amaze in our ability to share connections.

Hey…

First of all, awesome blog guys. I only reason I read about your hunting adventures, is because you guys respect the wild, and more like a part of it. Hunting is perfectly normal, if you do it in a sustainable way and not harming the nature.
I live in a tribal land, Northeast India. Here, hunting is a part of the culture, and at the same time, the tribes have a deep respect for nature which only a person like you or me would understand. But things have been changing recently. A lot of hunting takes place, so that the products go to China, where they make perfumes and what not, out of majestic animals such as Tigers, Leopards, Rhinos..etc..
Anyways, I am the admin of greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com. Received your recent mail asking for people to submit stuff.
Well, I think I have a picture which you would like, which I have attached with this email. It was taken inside a Mishmi tribal house, located somewhere far away in the mighty Himalayas. The skulls are hung like trophies in their house, and the more trophies you have, the more prestige and respect in society. I have also sent the picture of he tribal, who is the owner of the house. All respect to him. He’s been there, done that.
Please feel free to use the pictures.
And keep up the great work.
Regards,

Vaivhav Todi 

www.thegreenerpastures.com 

 

My response:

Vaivhav,

Firstly I wanted to note how awesome it is to have someone from across the world such as yourself reading my blog and interacting with me.  I noticed your blog activity after you comment on my posted article about the mountain goat burgers I made.  Thanks for following up withmissionak.com! I appreciate your email and it will be going up today!
This is very fascinating about your views on hunters and the way of life “in your neck of the woods”.  It is very sad and a shame to hear of the destruction that “poachers” not hunters, such as the tiger, rhino, and leopard killers you speak of have committed.  You know, as I, that this illegal black market where valued animal parts from tigers etc are taken and sold as aphrodisiacs or health remedies, and is viewed as normal by those who consume the goods.  The decrease in many species in places like Africa, Sudan, India, China, has led to an increase in demand for animals products on the Black Market.
In the USA, we have many rules and regulations that must be followed by a hunter or consequences and citations will be given.  Poachers and people hunting illegally in the US, who do not obide by the hunting laws set forth by each individual state will be regulated by authoritative figures.  Each state has many counties and cities, the wild game in these cities is protected by Game Wardens basically wildlife police.  Game laws are very serious in the USA, and individuals must abide by these rules or they will receive punishments.  There is an intricate system that ensure that the wildlife in the United States is cared for and payed for, payed for by the hunters licenses and tag fees it cost to hunt the animals.  In essence, hunters pay for the conservation of animals(to hunt legally), and work with wildlife agencies such as each States department of fish and game to ensure that a heatlhy population of animals exist for the next generation of hunters and fishermen.
Secondly, your mission statement and your blog greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com has an authentic and real message, a message that I can relate to, understand, and commend even being from a different side of the world.  Your adventures are amazing and I encourage you to spread you message to receptive ears and minds.  Who wouldn’t want to find themselves in a greener pasture?  I seek new green pastures every day of my life, everyday is an adventure in my eyes.
The man in your pictures is what I like to call a “grizzled vet” , as in, a person who has veteran experience gained through physically and mentally demanding experiences.  Like you said, a man that has been there and done that.  Here in the US, trophies are viewed in many different ways, some are disgusted by it, some are fascinated by it, some are jealous, some are happy.  I am very proud of each trophy on the wall, not because I feel powerful, or prestigous, or manly.  I never place emphasis on the kill of each hunt, as killing is not what hunting is about.  The adventure and experience is the catch for me, the harvest or trophy value of the animal is purley in the edible meat to be consumed over a long winter.  The kill of an animal is simply put, a physical representation of the memory had on the adventure pursued.
I only wish hunters were viewed here in the United States with more respect and prestige in society, considering their hunting license costs recycles directly into the wildlife programs set forth by the state to keep the environment healthy.
Thanks again Vaivhav, your email has been awesomely informative and perfectly placed into the right hands.  Keep pictures like these coming, I would love to hear more on the culture of hunters in India and your culture in general.
Truly great to hear from you,
Austin Manelick

Mission Alaska: You can help

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If you have been reading missionak or following at all, then you would know that MA is all about the next generation and spreading the word on how “cool” the outdoors is.  I have been talking with every person I know personally and contacting all of the youth I have met over my lifetime of friendships, in attempt to spread the good word of the outdoors.

Men enjoying the culture of the great outdoors.

I want to thank all of the readers and followers of Missionak, since summer of 2011 MA has grown greatly and viewer numbers are through the roof!  I want to thank you again for following and reading my personal message to the woodsmen in all us.  If you have or feel like you want to be more involved on missionak.com, please feel free to do so, in fact please help me!

If you have any pictures, videos, stories, anything that you feel appropriate for missionak.com, please email me at austinmanelick@gmail.com

Once again, I would love for anyone to send me interesting photos they have found on trail cameras, taken on hunts, taken on fishing trips, taken on antler shed hunting trips.  Tell me a story, it doesnt have to be a trophy buck that you have taken I would be just as happy with a picture of a readers first deer harvest of a doe than of a monster 10pt buck.

I want to connect with my readers, help me!

-AM

SEND ME PICTURES AND STORIES!!!

Contact

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Mission Alaska meets Africa

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Mission Alaska is not just a blog about the outdoors and my conquest to sojourn the Alaskan wilderness.  This blog will also pre-log my past adventures and experiences in different places across the world in which I have experienced different cultures while hunting.

I had an awesome opportunity to experience an African dream hunt at the age of 12, for several years I saved up my birthday and christmas requests in order for my father to come good on his safari promise.  He kept his end of the bargin and for my 7th grade summer I would spend a month in South Africa hunting 11 plains game african Animals.

Young predator, small but dangerous

Very spoiled indeed, I did not argue with my fortune of being able to go on an unforgettable life changing adventure.  Many men dream of going on hunts to the dark continent, I am very lucky to visit such an amazing place at such a young age.

Over time, sprinkled throughout this blog you will find old school pictures of myself from childhood till now.  Each picture represents the memories of the outdoors I have lived which have formed my traditions, shaped my culture, and made me who I am.  This post look back at my life, retrospectively gives the reader a sense of exactly who I am and what I have become through my passion in the wild. The outdoors is who I am, this blog helps to explain my method of madness.

New Age Thrill Seeker

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Ever since my father took me trout fishing in a local stream after my first day as a kindergartner at Pioneer Peak Elementry School, I was hooked for life.  I had recieved a new telescopic (totally BA) trout fishing rod set up and I could not wait to test my new implements of attack upon the majestic rainbow trout.  My dad picked me up after school and we headed to Wasilla Creek. It wasn’t too long before we found ourselves 50 yards from the road, in a perfect trout hole.  My Dad rigged me up with a small spoon lure and told me to cast in the dark, deep hole behind the log…. I did so expertly, as if I had been a bass master my entire 5 year old life, after my third of fourth perfect cast I felt my pole tip jerk directly toward my line..

Trout Killer: the Great Northern Pike found in my secret trout fishing lake

What happened next was almost unexplainable, to this day I still have a hard time finding words for it. My tiny stomach lurched forward and downward at the same time, and for a split second I swore I was levitating.   For a brief moment, my body seemed to have defied gravity. I did not know what was happening but I knew I had a trout or something on my line and I did not want it to get away.  After landing the trout my dad and I shared a moment of silence and awe at that little trout flopping on the bank. My body let me feel the ground once I got a hold of my very first self caught trout.  My body experienced one of my first adrenal highs. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but if fishing could give me that knee shaking experience….then I would catch more fish!!!!   At a very young age I knew I was a thrill seeker, and believe it or not fishing gave me that thrill.  It was only later that I experience hunting for the very first time, which brought the thrill to a completely different level.

Everyday after school, between sports and home work, I would head to the woods or the streams carrying my fishing pole on my mountain bike. Later that bike would become an ATV..   Yeah sure I had video games, but getting to the next level was not gratifying for me because I knew the next level would always be there and I would always be able to beat the game.  There wasn’t too much fun in video games for me, deep down when I played them, I knew there would be a monster trout sitting under that log that I wasn’t fishing.  The outdoors was a challenge for me, every time I left the house I knew I would have to be clever enough to outsmart a fish or a squirrel.   My next personal metaphoric “video game level” would be my next small animal target, or my next dream hunt for Moose or Dall sheep.  After many years of small game hunting, I wanted to challenge myself, I wanted to to start hunting big game animals.

I will not tell a lie, the outdoors gratifies me beyond words.  The only way to break the experience with nature down such as catching a fish, harvesting an animal, or even seeing an animal, is the chemical response in the brain linked to adrenal release.  Adrenaline so to speak is what I chase, this chemical is released when your “rod tip jerks” or when you spot a grey squirrel and you’re hunting for dinner, or when you’re hunting for bull moose and a trophy 60 plus incher walks out with a rack thats wider than a door frame.  Your body’s natural instinct is to release this super human chemical giving you seemingless power, you must seek a thrill to experience it.  The harvesting of an animal is not the thrill, I get just as much satisfaction releasing a 26 inch rainbow trout as I would harvesting and eating the fish.  The kill is not as important as outsmarting the game animal, for instance letting a legal but small antlered animal walk by you instead of needlessly taking a life just because you can.  The taker of a life involves maturity and respect for the animals as well, close relationships are formed with the animals we pursue.  A last second buzzer beater, a half court 3 pointer  shot with no time left to beat the other team, that feeling as the ball goes in the hoop is a similar feeling to the experience of catching or harvesting an animal.

I don’t discriminate. I follow each U.S. state Fish and Wildlife regulations and within law, pick several legal game animals to pursue whether it’s big game or small game the thrill is the same.  I have been an accomplished big game hunter most of life, in part to a father who at one time was a Master Alaska Guide.  We have hunted both big and small game together and to me the adrenaline rush is nearly the same.  More exciting to me than hunting or fishing for myself, is sharing the sport with someone new, sharing the experience (the rush) of animal encounter with someone who is interested.  This last winter I decided to take my best friend and high school sweetheart Jordan Pokryfki small game hunting.

In high school her father, Vince, would teach us how to make port orford cedar arrows and osage orange self made D-bows.  We both had a love for the bow and making beautiful arrows, it was now time to put these arrows to action in the next challenge.  Noticing that Jordan was deadly with a bow I suggested we purchase a hunting license together, she asked me if we could actually hunt legally if she had purchased the license. I told her yes we could hunt small game (Snow shoe hare, ptarmigan, red squirrel, and spruce hen)because thats the small game open this season and off we went.

Jordan and austin

Bunny Hunting

Our first time out, we definitely looked deadly, however we spotted no bunnies during our snow shoe adventure.  Un-deterred  we decided we would head back out to a different bunny hunting location the following weekend, and this time we would use snow machines to get further from the road and deeper into bunny country.

One bunny, one zwickey doubled bladed broad head.

Our new game plan, using snow machines to get further into bunny country worked!  Jordan and I would succesfully harvest several bunnies this day, and had a blast doing it.  Jordan liked it so much we decided to go the following weekend to the same place, this time we would bring her dad and have equal success.

What a beautiful Alaskan winter day, an amazing moment.

Like I said, I don’t discriminate in the adventures I go on, the satisfaction I received would only be comparable to the happiness of  Jordan and her first successful hunting experience.   Seeing Jordan come to full draw with her home made refinished bow as bunnies zoomed through the willows, would bring me to a full draw smile and many awesome memories.