Sept. 1 - Opening day in Alaska

[TexAk]

man, the Spec's were looking good on the North Slope of Alaska a few days ago. I left the Slope on the 13th. - the crew called to tell me the birds starting leaving a day ago.
I'm working hard to finish the Honey does and got to get the big boat from Kenai to Homer a couple days before the end of Aug.
Word is, where I am going will be full of Spec's by 9/1.
I'll be calling hunters to form a group to go kill some birds.

 

[Kokanee]

Good luck on the birds. Btw what do you do for work on the North Slope?

 

[choc dogs]

get'm..but not all of em, I want some to chase here, too..

 

[smalls]

Good luck slayin' the barbellies! The only ones I've ever killed were running with gangs of mini-honks. How do you guys hunt them?

 

[TexAk]

Not much cover where I am going - stay low in the grass.

I'm going in by boat from Kachemak Bay out of Homer. Camping on my big boat and going to the killing grounds by skiff.
20+ foot Tide makes for a timing thing.

To answer what I do on the North Slope is Control/Instrument Tech. I retired in 06 but go back on special projects. Retiring has turned into the greatest thing I could have done becasue now I go back at more money and mostly on my own sch. - Thus I am off for the next six weeks to kill birds. Just had five weeks off to do my commercial salmon fishing thing - went back for two weeks then off to kill birds.
Life is good and it has been 60+ F here in Kenai this week.

Thanks for the comments and well wishes. With the big tides, I will need them.

 

[TexAk]

Moving in to Killing Zone.

Putting 37ft gillnetter back in water at noon Sunday - be in Homer 12 hours later.
Wife will dive down to pick me up. Next comes trailering skiff down to Homer.
Skiff will be pulled behind gillnetter to back of bay.
37ft Gillnetter will be camp.
Use skiff to go to land and kill birds.

Who about everyone listing the date their season starts in their states - I may want to follow the birds south one season.

 

[TexAk]

Made the trip - took 10 hours - got to the harbor slip right at midnight.

Made the trip by myself, so 10 hours of steering made me a tried old man. Got a few hours of sleep after securing the boat to the floating dock.
The wife drove down to pick me up. The plan was to go home and trailer the skiff back down to Homer, but I woke Monday morning to 25 mile an hour winds.
I'm holding up at home tonight and driving back down in the morning.
The high winds would have made things interesting since I will be towing the skiff behind the bigger boat the last 20 miles to the back of Kechamack Bay.
Some one stole my boom last year so I can't load this big skiff on the back deck.
New boom is being built for spring bear hunts.

These are my first pic's to post here and I don't know how to put text with pic's.

 

[mdcrossbow]

Our opener is today also, 5 per day till 12 noon and then dove till dark 15 limit.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[duckhead59]

texak and md...hey you guys have a great hunt, hunt hard and hunt safe..post some pics when you can.

 

[indian larry]

looks like your going to have a good time keep us up to date on how you do

 

[TexAk]

After 10+ years - finally got to this remote area and yes I was the only hunter there

I studied delta area for a day and half to learn I had it figured right from the start.
Big boat anchored in cove 7 miles from hunting area and have 5 miles of mud flats to get past before hunting can start.
Mud flats up here have killed people. Walking - can get legs stuck and incoming tide covers you with cold water or boat get stuck in deep mud and not re-float when tide comes in.
So I take mud flats very serious. This one has been hard enough so far but most geese were in an unchecked area.
I went in with all kinds of safety equipment: waterproof VHF radio, flares, commercial immersion suit, extra food and drinking water, extra cloths and I'm sure there was something else I can not recall at this time. I even had a second outboard motor - remember - this is a remote area. I was by myself on this trip and there was no other hunters that I know of anywhere.
Normal outboards restrict travel to around high tide. Go-Devil motor must be in my future.
Lots of birds (ducks and geese), killed 4 ducks the first 20 minutes in hunting area, then moved to hunt geese, they saw me first and moved to other groups of birds and without other hunters in area - they were not moving.
I only was in delta for an hour are so and left because water was dropping out fast and next high tide would have been around AM next morning.
Delta is open to over 75 miles of open water in some area and the rest of delta is open to 12 miles of open water - makes for big waves at times and two ft waves every EBB tide.
Lord willing, I will be going back after this weekend and hopefully have my son with me.
I have a list of 6 or 7 hunters that want to go. I do not know any of them, found them on another hunting site.
Delta has no more than 6 inch high grass for cover, so goose hunting will be interesting.

 

[Big Fin]

TexAk:

You know how to put the adventure factor into a duck hunt. Looks like a very cool experience.

Waterfowlers are an amazing group. They never cease to amaze me with the amount of work they are willing to put into chasing birds.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[TexAk]

Most hunting trips in Alaska are true adventures. You do truly have to watch what is going on around you - mother nature does things in a big way here.
Adventure can be measured in different ways. I once drove over 2200 miles one way to hunt Greater Canadians - just me and my dog. That dog listens real good but she is not much on carrying on a conversation. A drive from Kenai, AK. to Alberta, is a different drive by it's self.

 

[ashersdad]

Great posts TexAk. I enjoy reading your adventures. Be safe and keep us posted.

 

[TexAk]

Mother Nature in Alaska just punctuated my comments!

Mt. Redoubt just went off again. It's just 39 or 49 miles (I forget which) out my back door.
We can't see anything because of fog.
No surphur smell so it must be going some other direction.

 

[TexAk]

Adventure - how about 1400 miles on three different - no make that 4 rivers to hunt moose. Had to leave two jet boats in Yukon village through winter because the river was icing up and jets don't like ice. We grabbed our rifles and what meat was left, caught a plane to Fairbanks and drove 700+ miles back home.
54 inches, 57 inches, 59 inches, and 65 inches - left one tag open encase a big one came out.
There's a lot more to this story - but it's moose and and not bird hunting, so it should be placed under different forum. We were the lucky hunters - we got out. Many were caught down river and helicopters could not be used for rescue because unlawful to transport hunters.

 

[TexAk]

Going on overnight trip.

Got the wife to go on this trip, just a overnight trip, so I'll go to an area that does not have 5 miles of mud flats to cross.
Hope is for some ducks, no hope of geese in this area, but want the heck. It's good to get the wife out - first time in many, many years.
She will stay on Camp Boat while I scout new area.

Hope to hit it hard after next Tuesday. Life is going by - got to get out there.

 

[TexAk]

One duck - no place to hunt but very calm water.

Some day I will get in to the birds. We had a good camping trip but no birds. Must be becasue it was too easy getting to.