2003 Caribou Hunt-A Journal

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I can't believe this hunt was 20 years ago already. What's even more unbelievable is that I've known some of you even longer via HBC and formerly Huntshoot.com. Man we are old!

I came across my journal from my first two fly-in trips and thought I'd share them here. Sharing hunts and pictures like this is what fueled my passion for the outdoors many moons ago.

Here we go....

Dease Lake Trip #2



Sept 14/2003
partner- Jon H.
weathered in for 1 1/2 days
hotelled it for first night then back of Jimmy for 2nd night(snowy and cold)




Sept 15
landed at lake and were greeted by 2" of fresh snow
set up camp and cut firewood
wall tent/air-tight stove and chainsaw a must (last trip we didn't have these items)




Sept 16
moose hunted in the morning(low ceiling)-Jon went east, me west
I cut one set of tracks at upper end of beaver dam
back to camp-ate lunch then went fishing
I landed one rainbow(18") on first cast
Jon landed a beauty 21" THICK rainbow(his first rainbow on a fly!)-cooked him for supper
I had 2 or 3 fish on but lost them all
cut more firewood
low ceiling but were able to glass 6 cows and calves above camp



https://i.imgur.com/WwSaxTL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8jVlT3w.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Z9LhsV7.jpg
cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 17th
woke up to a good celing this monring so we decided to pack up a spike out up top south of main camp(it's going to be cold but we have to make things happen)
departed ~10:30 and arrived up top about 5:30pm-set up camp just below the very top ridge on the mountain
dumped our gear and hiked to the basin that we just circled around on the way up
saw one cow and calf
cold as hell


https://i.imgur.com/dPeLypo.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/EZDWs8k.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/n4Ozvqy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Dka01TP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VDKsFxG.jpg

cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

sept 17 cont'd
returned to camp(constant frozen toes)
WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING UP HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER??!!
wind is howling and camp is at ~1900m
we ate and hd to melt snow to drink
couldn't untie our boots as the laces were frozen hard(had to pull laces off hooks)
warmed tent with canned heat (Sterno) and went to bed expecting it to be the coldest night of our lives
amazingly we stayed relatively warm probably because we covered up with Jon's heavy duty survival blanket
Jon's rifle froze up at some point so he slept with the bolt in his sleeping bag




Sept18 (same day as the day that we killed both our caribou bulls in 2000)
woke up to HARD frozen boots
warmed up boots with Sterno
I started to melt snow for water and while it was melting I walked about 80M from camp
in the blowing snow and fog(visibilty was about 500M), I was able to spot a herd of approx 14 bedded caribou just near the maximum visibilty range
immediatley I could tell that the herd bull was a shooter!!
I went back to get Jon, the spotting scope and rifles
the wind was at our backs so we quickly planned and started a big loop around them to the north
as we were making our loop, the fog rolled in thicker and visibilty wasn't more than 50 yards at times
after some 1/2 hr or so, I glanced over and saw what I thought was a stick about 40 yards away....but then the stick moved-it was one of the bedded cows!!!!
we slowly back-tracked and widened our loop to give us more space
eventually we were able to spot the bedded bull and set upa mere 120 yards away in the driving snow and wind
at the report of the .270 the bulls head(which was already resting on the ground) just tilted a bit more
a couple of ears twitched in the herd but the rifle blast didn't even phase the herd
we got up and walked toward the fallen bull and finally the herd got up and ran off...but they returned once they say that thier leader wasn't with them



https://i.imgur.com/yFI1q2d.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gyYqs3I.jpg




after taking a legal meat bull on the previous caribou hunt and then seeing some dandy bulls after cutting our tags, I had my sights set a little more firmly this trip...and this bull certainly didn't disappoint.


cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

we caped and de-boned the bull and headed back to spike camp by 2:30pm and had our first water and food of the day
packed up camp by 4:30pm and may our way back to the meat
our packs we overflowing and stupid heavy
we started our way down the slippery mountina and after taking a tumble or two Jon yelled at me "There's no way I'm shooting one of these! tis is stupid!!"
about 5:30 we ran into another herd of caribou and then Jon(with his eagle eyes) yells at me "Grab your rangefinder!"
I yelled back "310 yards! Just make sure he's legal!"
the wind was howling so it took 3 shots (Jon is normally a great marksman-US millitary trained)
I never really got a good look at the bull but when we got up to him I could see that he was another great bull
holy shit! what have we done??!!



https://i.imgur.com/os7THNC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6Eml4v8.jpg




we quickly gutted the bull, dropped my antlers, tent and one quarter of my bull and re-started our descent down the mountain--it was ~6:30 by the time we were moving again
we arrived at the bottom absolutley exhausted, crossed the creek in our boots(even though our waders we stashed at the crossing
we only had 100M back to base camp when all of a sudden my legs couldn't take another step
I called out to Jon only to discover that he was having the same problem..we rested a few minute and finished the last 50 yards to camp
got fire going and dried out our sleeping bags as much as we could before crashing for the night


con't

[Rackmastr]

HuntShoot! Now that brings back some memories!!

This is great stuff SSS!!

[kennyj]

Love it!
Thanks for continuing to share after all these years.
kenny

[Harvest the Land]

Holy cow awesome story and incredible bulls! How many years till you can no longer fight the urge to go back up there and do it all over again? (you're still plenty young enough and in great shape to keep doing it for another ~20+ years if you wanted). Thanks for sharing

[Stone Sheep Steve]

HuntShoot! Now that brings back some memories!!

This is great stuff SSS!!

Weren't you like still in highschool back then, Trev?? Lol!


Love it!
Thanks for continuing to share after all these years.
kenny

Thanks Kenny! You're another one from way back!

Glad I wrote this all down as the details have definitely been fading!


Holy cow awesome story and incredible bulls! How many years till you can no longer fight the urge to go back up there and do it all over again? (you're still plenty young enough and in great shape to keep doing it for another ~20+ years if you wanted). Thanks for sharing

If I was still in Canada I'd still be locked up at work in the fall. 2003 was the last year that I was able to score some time off past mid September. Most years I couldn't get holidays past early archery season.
I can still return and act as a packer. I definitely miss the meat. Ain't gonna lie about that.

SSS

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 19

brutal sleep being over tired
hung meat up high, ate and rested


https://i.imgur.com/JPf9gpM.jpg





howling winds and blowing snow up in the hills(not exactly inviting for a couple tired bodies)
rested all day- the meat will be fine until tomorrow
hit the sack early as we have another big day tomorrow



cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 20
decent weather day
left for top of mountain around 9:30am
climb was steep and slow(footing treacherous at times)
arrived at Jon's bull ~12:45pm
ate MRE and drank before processing Jon's beautiful bull
left top of mountain about 3:30 again with brutally heavy packs(Jon's entire bull plus 1/4 from my bull, antlers, tent and some other stuff)


https://i.imgur.com/hViIU4Q.jpg




ARE WE NUTS??!!
steep, treacherous footing with stupid heavy loads and awkward antlers
antlers continuously sticking us in the legs, fingers, arms and in many other 'revenge' spots
at one point Jon lost his footing and began slding fast down the mountain then all of a sudden his antlers dug in and acted as brakes
after that Jon took off his pack and drug it down the hill for a few hundred yards(it actually worked better than I thought it would have
in some places the drifted snow was up to our waists
we rested more than previous trip down
once we hit the thick timber we found a slightly better route more to the east
took many tumbles in the trees with all the thick brush grabbing our legs
I fell once and had both my arms with my poles stuck under my pack(no way I could have moved without help from Jon)
again, we walked straight thru the creek at the bottom and didn't put on our waders



https://i.imgur.com/qL9L7XN.jpg




we powered back to camp about 6:15pm
hung the meat
felt great to be back at camp with two great bulls and some awesome meat!
ate some of Jon's backstrap, creamed corn, Idahoan garlic potatoes and toasted garlic bagels(oh man! soooo delicious!!)
taught Jon how to play crib and bed by 10:30 ....tired but feeling great



cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 21
dried out clothes
worked on capes
rested


https://i.imgur.com/k9eBaM9.jpg



Sept 22
hiked west above beaver ponds
saw fresh moose and wolf tracks(maybe 4 or 5)
heavy air action above ______ mountain
2 helicopters and a plane(mining activity??)
saw a herd of about 14 caribou up high with maybe one legal bull
outfitter's plane buzzed right close to the caribou checking them out
returned to camp slightly discouraged by all the air activity in the area'
ate caribou backstraps, Idahoans, beets and garlic bagels(I could eat this every day!)


https://i.imgur.com/9ENK6Yc.jpg

cont'd

[IronNoggin]

Awesome Blast from the Past!!! https://www.tnof.ca/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/Pozitive.gif
Couple Beautiful Bulls, and very well earned!
Congrats again!

Cheers,
Nog - Formerly "Amaruq" On HuntShoot...

[TheObserver]

Cool, thanks for posting!! Really nice Bulls! When I was a boy I thought Caribou were the coolest of the BC game animals

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sorry...got a little distracted. Should have done this on the computer ahead of time then just copy and pasted.




Sept 23 (day 9 of the hunt)
best weather day so far-fresh snow and bright skies
woke up and glassed and saw some fresh tracks of some kind just above the timberline across the lake
Jon almost immediately picked up a good sized grizzly bear at the end of the tracks digging around in the snow(we both drew grizzly tags for the area)
we got ready to make a fast stalk but then the sound of a helicopter echoed thru our valley and soon after the bear decided to hit the timber
since we already had our waders on to cross the creek and it was so nice out, we decided to do some fishing


https://i.imgur.com/m6JQQXP.jpg



went back to camp and Jon decided to take a nap as he was bummed with the disturbance in the valley(taking a grizzly was a life-long dream of his)
i wasn't tired so I went back to glassing and it wasn't long before I spotted the bear re-emerge from the timber
I yelled at Jon to get his ass out of bed and we quickly got ready and we were moving by 3:30pm.
about 2 hours later we popped out into the subalpine
the wind was still in our favor IF the grizzly bear was still in the approximate location
we got to a high knob and sat tight and soon spotted the bear right above us at the crest of the hill
we could only just see the top of its back while it moved along the ridge mabye 300 yards above us
the snow was crunchy and loud so Jon took off his rain gear(also loud- leaving him only in his long underwear) and we slowly moved uphill when the bear was out of sight (wind was blowing dowhill and towards our left)
we shaved off another 100-150 yards and set up on another small knob and set up and waited (the next 200 yards was very steep)
just then a pack of wolves lit up from the valley below and the bear came into view and it stared towards the howls
the bear then again disappeared from view so I decided to make a cow moose call to get it to reveal itself again(not a good move in hindsight)
the bear reappeared and glared at us but only revealed half of it's body
we counted to 3 and opened fire
both shots missed?? and the bear immediately charged down the steep slope
I quickly reloaded and fired and it looked like it may have been hit but it kept coming hard
the bear then encountered an almost verticle section of rock so it momentarily gave us a broadside shot
both rifles echoed and the bear collapsed and slid right past us only feet 20or 30 feet away leaving behind a huge swath of blood-stained snow
we looked at each other then hugged
you just never know how you are going to react to a situation like this until it happens(just glad I didn't freeze up and just watch)
we approached the fallen beast with some hesitation but knowing that it's final moments had come and gone
we admired its beauty for a few moments and we both felt sullen as most hunters do just after they have taken a mature ainimal's life of a species that they have been pursuing
the bear turned out to be an old dry sow with worn teeth, scars and ended up squaring right around 7'
after the adrenaline was over we realized that we were extremely cold(especially Jon as he was laying in the snow prone for a while waiting for the bear to get into view
we snapped only a couple pictures


https://i.imgur.com/YYK7TZo.jpg




we quickly scarffed back some water and a protein bar and got to work skinning
the sun set and the temps started to plummett with the clear skies and wind
soon we both started to complain about not being able to feel our lower legs(uninsullated boots...no gaiters)
this was the coldest that both of us ever recall being
we left the mountain around 8:15
Jon had the bear and was in the lead
we switched packs halfway down and reached the bottom by just after 9pm(the fastest descent yet)
yet again we walked right thru the creek in our boots
ate oysters, crackers, jerky and a couple Cokes(last two in camp) to celebrate the moment
we hope that it was the last trip down that mountain(our bodies are really starting to feel the abuse)
both exhausted we hit the sack around 10pm


cont'd

[SR80]

Awesome pics and notes of the hunt Steve thanks for posting.

[northof49]

Awesome blast from the past, thanks for sharing the journal and pictures Steve. It sure does capture the details of the day that otherwise fade away. That first caribou was a real dandy thats for sure.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 24 (day 9)
slept in today
got up and started on the bear hide
did one paw then ate lunch then did some mooose calling
ate an early supper (fish that we caught yesterday) and went west towards the beaver ponds to look for a moose
saw no moose as...as usual (not sure if it's the air activity, the wolf pressure or our moose calls driving the moose away?)
back to camp
Jon finally beat me at crib after losing 12 straight games (now he thinks he has mastered crib along with caribou and grizzly hunting..oh, and Fly fishing! LOL)





Sept 25 (last full day)
woke up to steady rain
rained most of day
Jon slept and I worked on the bear hide
He woke up and cooked us lunch (KD and chilli)
played one hand of crib and back to skinning
caping went well- finished paws, lips nose and ears
we spread the hide on the table so Jon could help me to finish fleshing the hide in spots
I was just finishing up some final touches and when I looked down I saw the tail (including the hide) in my hand no longer attached to the bear:shock:
I felt like a pile of shit but luckilly Jon just laughed his face off
we forgot to get a final pic of both caribou and the gbear so we stuffed the skull back into the hide and snapped a couple pics


https://i.imgur.com/5IiIbnf.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BN0DNCW.jpg



we ate a great supper of caribou, Idahoans and rice, played crib while wind storm blew in
bed at 9:30am



Con't

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Sept 25 (day 11-scheduled to fly out today)
blew hard all night (hardly slept)
good fly day-high cloud and wind
should be able to get out
broke down camp by 10:30am just in time for Bruce to arrive
plane was just about loaded full when Bruce shoved my rifle in it's case into the plane right near the roof
when he turned around my rifle slipped out and went for a swim :shock: -thankfully our hunt was over
Jon didnt eat anything all day as he wanted to save room for a big greasy burger @ the Norway Cafe
Loaded as much as we could on top of the custom roof rack that I built for Jon's old diesel Jimmy so we could sleep in the back seat



https://i.imgur.com/gBVsT1X.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/n2mHWsO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yeM2fEk.jpg



battery was dead in the Jimmy but after a quick jump we hit the road back to the Okangan



it's been a GREAT Tough trip with lots of bad weather but we both would not have changed a thing!!!
Great memories



Sorry for the slow updates.

I do have another hunt to share that's never been shared...well' I have a few of those but can't share them all


Keep on sharing HBC. You all can contribute

SSS

[Rackmastr]

Weren't you like still in highschool back then, Trev?? Lol!

SSS

Hahaha quite possibly!!! Seems like an eternity ago!!

[Husky7mm]

Oh ya baby, what a trip!! I remember your caribou, maybe also on trophy photos or in a magazine too?? Its been a while. Doesn’t get any better than that!!

[northof49]

I’m guessing you had a few mounts from over the years. Did you end up take those when you moved south or leave with family or friends. Any issues getting them down there?

[nature girl]

Thanks for taking the time to replay your hunt. Looked cold but what a great time. Two beautiful caribou and a fine grizzly bear.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Oh ya baby, what a trip!! I remember your caribou, maybe also on trophy photos or in a magazine too?? It’been a while. Doesn’t get any better than that!!

I’m sure I’ve shared them here before and most have been in my gallery for many years.



I’m guessing you had a few mounts from over the years. Did you end up take those when you moved south or leave with family or friends. Any issues getting them down there?

All my mounts have been re-homed back in Canada.
It’s funny. My buddy in the story had his caribiu mounted and it almost caused a diivorce when he tried to hang it in his house…so another friend who was supposed to go on this hunt has his bou hanging in his house. He also ended up with my caribou. The bou brothers are reunited after 20 years.

SSS

[Patman7]

Thanks for sharing the awesome 20 year old story again! I really loved it. I've had a few like that but never had the savy to document them like you! Best to you on your new life in Mexico!

[Elkaholic]

Thanks for taking the time to share this awesome story/trip/hunt. I came back first thing this morning to finally catch the ending. Great stuff!

[HarryToolips]

Wow, what an epic hunt, thanks for sharing Brent...beauty bulls and griz...