A Kechika River Adventure

[RackStar]

See!! I guess the wild game is slowly building body armour!!

[one-shot-wonder]

He was near 9 feet at the shoulder, and likely weighed in around 1,400 pounds.
He produced just over 500 pounds of boneless meat, which I am happy to report had a great flavor, and was downright tender!
Well before the rut, and damn fat!!


That night's dinner was something special for all of us!!

Awesome story so far Matt, thanks for taking us along for the ride! Those loin steaks look amazing....I see you left the outer layer of fat on. Curious if any of the guys ate it or trimmed off after grilling?

[moosinaround]

Awesome story so far Matt, thanks for taking us along for the ride! Those loin steaks look amazing....I see you left the outer layer of fat on. Curious if any of the guys ate it or trimmed off after grilling?

Trim off the fat??? Just had a rib steak off of our tri palm bull moose from this year. The fat was awesome!!! Never trim the fat off a moose or elk, It is wonderful tasting when grilled! Moosin

[ydouask]

A most wonderful adventure indeed , congratulations ! …. and so well told, when does the book come out?

[one-shot-wonder]

Trim off the fat??? Just had a rib steak off of our tri palm bull moose from this year. The fat was awesome!!! Never trim the fat off a moose or elk, It is wonderful tasting when grilled! Moosin

I have always removed every piece of fat and silver skin from game. I felt it would contribute to a stronger flavour.....do you leave fat on deer meat also or is that fat a completely different thing?

[greybark]

Hey Nog , great read and great photos ! Cheers

[Knute]

A typically well written thread from Nog.

Looking forward to more....thumbs up.

[IronNoggin]

... Those loin steaks look amazing....I see you left the outer layer of fat on. Curious if any of the guys ate it or trimmed off after grilling?

We NEVER trim the fat off a moose (or an elk) unless they are stinky from the rut. This one very much wasn't, and it was delicious!!
Thanks for the kind works Folks & Happy Thanksgiving to all!
I kind of thought a few might enjoy this one...


Over the next couple of days, the weather finally broke.
Sunshine returned for the days, and well frozen ground greeted us each morning.
The snow that had adorned pretty much all of the high country was reluctantly retreating a little, and we took that as a sign.
If we actually are going to climb a mountain or two, we best get on it before the snows set in for good!





I was hesitant and somewhat concerned over this idea.
After all, I am a fat and lazy 59 years old now, and it has been a hell of a long time since I contemplated what was before us now.
But, I somehow managed to shrug that off, and begin to render my pack down to an un-manageable 70 pounds or so.
Two of the others were doing the same as the last contemplated a solo stay on top of the meat for a few days.
He was concerned about the grizzly and black bear tracks in the vicinity, but with the amount of sign we and the dog had left in the area, we didn't figure he would have much in the way of grief...


We once again packed the smaller rig, and reviewed our choice of hills to attempt.
There is one in particular we have returned to many times over the years.
In that period, it has produced several good rams (one well into the book) and numerous goats.
The area below it had also given up moose and elk on occasion, and although the latter wasn't open, just seeing them is often a special moment...
So, we decided to go with what we knew, and return to the area that has been so generous to us over the years...


That required a run well into the upper Kechika, and once again the ride through the skinny water was extremely entertaining!
I have a few videos we shot of running those areas. Bear with me as I try to figure out how to edit them before uploading to youtube. I'll get there eventually, and they are something I am certain most will appreciate...


We again saw the huge Lynx just before the turnoff to the Frog that had welcomed us so nonchalantly the previous run up that way. Once again, he simply watched as we raced by. Another black bear, and a smaller moose wandered across our paths, only to be given a smile and salute as we cruised towards our destination.


There is a rather interesting rock formation not too far from where we leave the boat:





Shortly after passing this, we pulled the jet rig up into a secure area, and I wandered over to check on last year's campsite. To my amazement, nothing, no bears, porcupines or two legs had bother the stashed propane tank (full), shovel or 5 gallon pail of kitchen supplies we had swung well aloft into the trees. Guess no one else visited our spot this year then...


The hike that followed is grueling. It is largely undertaken on loose cobble and gravel when you can't get into the edge of the bush, and is tough going even for those in shape. As the lads readied their gear, I bravely strapped on my pack, picked up my 10 pound plus rifle, and suggested I would head out certain they would catch me. And off I went...


The view back down the hill several miles up:





And what lay ahead from the same spot:





Just around that next corner, I encountered a nice 6 point bull elk, 3 cows and a single calf. At 80 yards, they had no idea I was there, so I simply sat and watched them feed for about a half hour. Eventully, undisturbed, they wandered off into the timber. Great to see, but I have to admit I was pretty damn happy I had not seen that bugger when the season was open! Would have been a NIGHTMARE of an extraction!!



Getting closer...





There is a second fork to the left, behind the shoulder of the slope on the right side of that picture. We had arranged to meet there if we hadn't hooked up yet, and it was towards that goal I struggled on. I had to admit, although I was drenched in sweat, my breathing was coming MUCH easier than expected, and I had settled into a ground eating pace that was not overly uncomfortable for my old body. After I arrived, it very much surprised me that my Buddies (one in early 50's and the other late 30's) took almost an hour and a half to catch up. Guess there's a few miles left in those old legs after all was the remark from the elder of the two. Good Job OLD MAN joked the second. It may have been a joking matter to them, but I was both amazed, and damn happy I could still pull this off! My fears dissipated, and I was actually looking forward to attaining the top!

[IronNoggin]

That was to be for the next day.
With but an hour of daylight remaining, we set the first spike camp of this foray, and settled into enjoy a hot meal:

[Arctic Lake]

This is a great story ! That is some nice bull and man the fat on those steaks . The scenery is spectacular !
Arctic Lake