Alaska Sporting Journal - Nov 2020

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Volume 12 • Issue 6 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Bjorn Dihle, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen,Tony Leingang SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Mike Smith DESIGNERS Lesley-Anne Slisko Cooper WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Aumann INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES media@media-inc.com ON THE COVER A group of disabled veterans experienced a moose hunt of a lifetime in the Delta Junction area. Here is Olympia, Washington’s Ryan Caldwell, who was injured in Afghanistan. (OUTDOORS FOR OUR HEROES/SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL)

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com www.media-inc.com CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 6

FEATURES

36

50

5 BULLS FOR 5 WOUNDED VETS

66

GUIDING LIGHTS

73

AN ICY REUNION WITH ALASKA

(LEW PAGEL)

ONE LAST GRIZZLY?

For various reasons, Paul Atkins isn’t sure if by this time next fall he’ll have continued his annual grizzly bear hunts around Kotzebue. But if this was the finale, what a way to go out! Atkins and his longtime friend/hunting partner Lew Pagel weren’t able to hit their usual favorite spot on the Eli, but the Noatak River proved to be just as special.

Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan. Places that American heroes from multiple generations have served their country honorably. Many came home with devastating injuries, but organizations such as Safari Club International and Outdoors For Our Heroes are doing selfless work for our wounded warriors.

As we celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, Tony Leingang of Outdoors For Our Heroes shares the details of a memorable Alaska moose hunt for five special participants.

The Shoemaker family has a deep connection with Alaska’s natural world.

Phil, his wife Rocky, son Taj and daughter Tia have roots living in Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and they lead fishing and hunting trips via their family-owned guiding service. Bjorn Dihle talks to Tia about her love of the outdoors in his Pride of Bristol Bay feature.

Our From Field to Fire team of Scott and Tiffany Haugen started their life together in the remote Alaskan Arctic. Twentyone years later the Haugens were back in this winter paradise, breaking through the ice to fish for massive sheefish with friends. It was a special reunion for Scott and Tiffany, who also share a delectable – and festively colored – orange-infused fish recipe that’s perfect for the holiday season.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 11 13 16 21 26 61

The Editor’s Note: Cherishing and fearing wildlife encounters Outdoor calendar Protecting Alaska: Fish detective on quest to catalog the panhandle’s steelhead streams Holiday gift guide The phenomenon that is Alaska’s Fat Bear Week contest GMU Profile: Interior Alaska’s Unit 20 hosts caribou, moose, bears

Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues) or $49.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2020 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 8

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YOUR MUST-STOP BEFORE HUNTING & FISHING ON PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND, ALASKA KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF WILL LET YOU KNOW WHERE, WHEN AND HOW!

Plus-plus-plus-sized Katmai National Park and Preserve bruins like 128 – also known by the name “Grazer” – are why the editor considers it a privilege to share the outdoors with wildlife.

(NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

EDITOR’S NOTE

I

love seeing wildlife in the “wild,” even if that means from the deck of a friend’s rural house.

During a September visit to my native Northern California, I spent a couple days at my good buddy Norv’s family’s second home in Bodega Bay, a tiny coastal hamlet a couple hours north of San Francisco. It’s most famous for being the filming location for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic ornithological scare-fest flick, The Birds.

Norv’s house is located in a quiet, hilly subdivision just across Highway 1, and it’s a virtual animal kingdom for critters big and small, adorable, furry or fanged. In the time I was there, I spotted three deer staring back at me from the neighbor’s front yard before dashing away; I watched a bobcat stealthily walk across the same area on what I presumed to be an early-morning food run; from Norv’s ocean-view front porch over cocktails we spied majestic hawks in a flyover with the late-afternoon wind howling; and we even interrupted wild turkeys scampering across the road while taking our dogs to a nearby beach.

The point is this: Sharing space with wildlife is a perk we all should embrace and not take for granted in the outdoors. Our story on Katmai National Park and Preserve’s popular Fat Bear Week contest (page 26) reinforces Alaska grizzlies’ rock star status for visitors to the park.

Of course, running into a bruin in the wild can be dangerous, especially when it’s a mama bear and her cubs. I thought about that when in early October a solo trail runner near Provo, Utah, kept it together long enough to video a protective mountain lion after the man stumbled onto its brood. The big cat tracked and followed him for over six minutes as he backed up the trail.

Finally, the shouts and pleas chased away the cougar. But that’s part of the deal when we make the choice to enter the lair of the bear and the lion when we fish, hunt, hike and camp.

During my Bodega Bay visit, Norv and I took a couple latenight country walks with our dogs to get a few steps in after big dinners. While checking out a plethora of stars in the clear skies above, he tried to freak me out a bit by telling stories of neighbors’ encounters with coyotes and mountain lions.

Nothing like being spooked a bit in complete darkness clutching your fur baby’s leash!

And I can say that I’m sure it would be equal parts terrifying and exhilarating to get up close to one of Katmai’s famous fat bears.

Celebrity sightings like that always intimidate me. -Chris Cocoles

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR*

Among the Alaska resident caribou hunts set for November: Game Management Units 9 (Alaska Peninsula) and 19 (McGrath). (CHELSEA ARNOLD/USFWS)Â

Nov. 1

Hunting draw application period for 2021 hunts begins Nov. 1 Deer season opens in GMU 2 (Prince of Wales Island) Nov. 1 Resident grizzly bear season opens in GMU 9E (all drainages into the Pacific Ocean between Cape Kumliun and border of Unit 9E and 9D) Nov. 1 Resident late caribou season opens in GMUs 9C and 9E (Alaska Peninsula) Nov. 1 Resident antlerless moose season opens in GMU 14A (Mat-Su Valley) Nov. 1 Resident antlerless moose season opens in GMU 14C (Anchorage Management Area) Nov. 1 Resident antlerless caribou season opens in GMU 19D (McGrath) Nov. 1-14 Late goat season dates in GMU 7 (Seward) Nov. 1-14 Deer season in GMU 8; bow and arrow, crossbow or muzzleloader only (Kodiak Road System Management Area) Nov. 1-14 Resident goat season dates in GMU 15 (Kenai; may be announced) Nov. 15 Late elk hunting season opens in GMU 3 (Etolin Island) Nov. 15 Late resident youth bull moose hunt season opens in GMU 16B (Lower Susitna) Notes: For more information and season dates for Alaska hunts, go to adfg .alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.main. Also, check with local contacts on events that could be postponed/cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A

AHTNA, INCORPORATED

htna, Incorporated is an Alaska Native Regional Corporation based in Glennallen, Alaska.

Ahtna, Inc. is owned by more than 2,000 shareholders, the majority of whom are of Ahtna Athabascan descent, with many still residing in the Ahtna region, the traditional homeland of the Ahtna people. Located in Alaska’s southcentral interior, Ahtna’s traditional lands encompass an area roughly the size of the state of Ohio and extend from the U.S./Canada border in the east to Denali National Park in the west.

Whether you’re a first-time or frequent visitor, there are many recreational activities to enjoy in the Ahtna region, such as, fishing for our world-renowned Copper River salmon, hiking, camping, bird watching, ATV riding and snowmobiling. Ahtna operates two RV/tent campgrounds; Sailors Campground located at milepost 129.5 of the

Richardson Highway which offers convenient Gulkana River salmon fishing access and Hilltop Campground located at milepost 3 of McCarthy Road with breathtaking views of the Copper and Chitina Rivers.

Ahtna Land Use Permits We welcome visitors and hope you have a safe and wonderful stay; we only ask that you respect this land as it is our home. Ahtna lands are privately-owned and therefor requires a Land Use Permit which can be purchased online at www.ahtna.com/permits. Your permit purchase helps support important programs to help maintain the lands for enjoyment by current and future generations such as: moose management to increase populations and habitat, public-use campgrounds and cabins, public education and outreach on customary and traditional use practices, land pa-

trols to ensure public safety, litter clean up, compliance with land use policies and fish and game harvest regulations.

Ahtna Land App We have developed a map app to help visitors to the region determine who owns the land they are exploring. The app clearly shows property boundaries and public and private land ownership in the region. Using the app you can search for locations, view the land ownership legend, measure distances between points and apply map overlays such as topographic and satellite imagery.

To download the FREE app, go to the iPhone® App Store or Android™ Google Play Store and search for Ahtna. Once downloaded turn on location services for real-time location-based intelligence*.

To learn more about Ahtna please visit www.ahtna.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

www.ahtna.com *Cell service is required for real-time location services.

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PROTECTING

WILD ALASKA

FISH DETECTIVE ON QUEST TO CATALOG THE PANHANDLE’S STEELHEAD STREAMS

BY CHRIS COCOLES

F

Mark Hieronymus, Alaska science coordinator for Trout Unlimited, admires a steelhead caught in a Southeast Alaska creek. Hieronymus is on a quest to find more sea-run trout in waters not currently recognized as housing anadromous fish. (JOSH DUPLECHIAN/

TROUT UNLIMITED)

ew Southeast Alaskans are as knowledgeable about the region’s maze of rivers, streams and creeks as Mark Hieronymus.

But even an expert sleuth like Hieronymus, Trout Unlimited’s Alaska science coordinator, is constantly learning something about these waters and the fish that live there. Especially the ones returning from the sea.

The Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC) lists every stretch of water in the region confirmed to be home to anadromous (migrating from saltwater) species – think salmon and steelhead in the Panhandle, sturgeon, smelt and lamprey elsewhere on the West Coast.

In Anadromous Waters, a Trout Unlimited-produced short film from filmmaker Josh Duplechian, TU’s senior producer, a graphic states that Southeast Alaska contains 5,000 salmon streams.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game officially recognizes 325 of that 5,000 as supporting annual runs of steelhead. In the massive Tongass National Forest – 16.7 million acres that represent the nation’s largest such public land – Hieronymus must play part fish conservationist, part Sherlock Holmes detective.

“It’s all ours and it’s this amazing national treasure,” he says of the Tongass.

“It’s loaded with fish streams. We’ve got some really good assumptions and some good monitoring. But we don’t have a full

complete picture of what’s actually out there. That’s what I’m doing – filling in those gaps.”

So it seems clear there must be more steelhead runs among the thousands of streams that empty into the North Pacific and Inside Passage waters.

“The AWC was designed as at least a guide to what’s in there, and when you can make assumptions on when you can go into an area to work and when there’s going to be fish presence,” Hieronymus said during an Instagram live chat shortly before the film’s YouTube release in mid-October.

“The crux of this thing is that the AWC is nowhere near complete. (ADFG), by their own admission, says probably 50 percent of the water in Southeast is actually accounted (for).”

Hieronymus made it a point to not consider ADFG a “villain” or negligent in updating the numbers.

“Nobody else is going to do it. Fish and Game doesn’t necessarily need to go back into a place they’ve already surveyed,” he says.

But there is plenty of work to be done in continuing to add more much-needed data and implement “conservation measures” in those waters.

And he can cite plenty of sightings of steelhead that technically weren’t supposed to be where they were in Southeast Alaska.

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PROTECTING

WILD ALASKA

“We have the records of the fish. We have fish in hand. We have the coordinates that they came from,” Hieronymus says in Trout Unlimited’s new short film Anadromous Waters. “Now starts the hard process of the actual nominations to get these areas included.

The long-term slog is to now continue. We started.

Well, now what?” (JOSH DUPLECHIAN/TROUT UNLIMITED)

“I can think of 20 streams off the top of my head,” says Hieronymus, who also guides Panhandle fishing trips for Juneau-based Bear Creek Outfitters (juneauflyfishing.com). “There are several that I’ve had clients with and had the intention of chasing steelhead there that aren’t listed.”

In the film, Hieronymus admits that with steelhead, “Seeing them in the river is the easy part. Getting a fish in hand or documenting the existence of that fish in such a fashion that it’s incontrovertible that it’s that species in that location in that time – the work has kind of just begun.”

If such a task seems ridiculously difficult to track, at least Hieronymus understands it better than anyone. He can also lean on a consistent group of about six locals who share observations 18

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

and report potential sightings in undocumented waterways, which can start the process of determining whether they can be logged into the AWC. As a nomadic angler/fish scientist, Hieronymus has found himself stumbling onto new data all the time.

“I added pink salmon to the assemblage of three streams this year, just by looking off the highway while I was driving,” he says. “Seeing a pink salmon, turning around, grabbing my fishing rod, going down to the highest place in the stream where I can find the pink salmon; catching that salmon and taking a picture with my cell phone; recording the GPS coordinates of where I got that fish. Then when I got home I made a nomination. ‘I saw two pink salmon and here are the pictures.’”

As Hieronymus points out, concerns

NOVEMBER 2020 | aksportingjournal.com

over the “unprecedented stock collapse” of steelhead further down the West Coast are worth keeping an eye on, though he did say that Alaska numbers have yet to be impacted like Lower 48 drainages.

“There’s gonna be a time where you won’t be able to talk about your secret spot – because it doesn’t have fish. It’s incumbent upon all of us to put in at least what we take out, right?” he says.

“I said at the end of the movie, ‘Is this valuable to society? What do people at large think about this? Is this something that matters to you?’ Hopefully the answer is yes.” ASJ Editor’s note: Watch Trout Unlimited’s film Anadromous Waters at youtube.com/ watch?v=fIauSqCqUkM. For more on this project, go to tu.org/blog/desperately-seeking-steelhead-in-alaska-for-science.

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BIG CREEK FISHING LODGE

Steelhead fishing is on! Big Creek Fishing Lodge offers three-quarters of a mile of private bank fishing. Kids under 12 fish free. Hot tub, sauna and WiFi. Sleeps up to 11. Midweek and daily specials available. Call the lodge at (503) 458-0990 or visit their website to make reservations or for more details. bigcreekfishing.com

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Stocky’s new NextGen Carbon Fiber Stocks will weigh about 1 pound less than a comparable fiberglass stock but with even more accuracy potential, thanks to the lightweight Composite Accublock. They are available in three popular models – a vertical-grip sporter (VG2); a varmint/ tactical (M50, pictured in Urban Viper Camo); and a new 24-ounce sporting version. stockysstocks.com

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Bear “747” is the prince of plump after winning Katmai National Park and Preserve’s now annual Fat Bear Week contest. Via fan voting, the grizzly beat out 11 other big-boned bruins that make the park home. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE) 26

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SURVIVAL OF THE

FATTEST KATMAI NATIONAL PARK’S BIG-BONED BEAR CONTEST HAS EVOLVED INTO A PHENOMENON

BY CHRIS COCOLES

O

ne of so many luxuries the COVID-19 pandemic took away from us was March Madness, college basketball’s men’s and women’s tournaments that were cancelled just a week before their scheduled starts.

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Bear “32,” affectionately known as “Chunk,” became a fan favorite throughout the competition.

The bear reached the final before succumbing to 747. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

Fans filling out a tournament bracket and predicting all the games’ outcomes has become such a rite of passage that it’s a borderline obsession (17.2 million entries were submitted to ESPN’s contest in 2019). The format has spawned plenty of copycat bracket games, with fans voting on seemingly any subject you can think of. (As I write this, popular October-related contests making the Internet rounds include best Halloween candy. Expect some Thanksgiving side dish challenges this month!)

Katmai National Park and Preserve has found its own niche in recent years with the now 6-year-old Fat Bear Week bracket-style tournament, where resident plump bruins are voted on round by round until a phat, fat bear receives his or her coronation among the biggest and bulkiest of the den.

As the 2020 contest wrapped up in October, we caught up with Amber Kraft, 28

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interpretation and education program manager at Katmai Park and Preserve, located in the heart of Bristol Bay’s vast salmon runs that nourish the park’s hungry ursine fishermen and -women.

“Fat bears exemplify the richness of Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay, Alaska, a wild region that is home to more brown bears than people, and the largest, healthiest runs of sockeye salmon left on the planet,” says Kraft, who shared some details about the contest, the park’s role with bear conservation and a few tidbits about this year’s chunky champion, No. 747.

Chris Cocoles Congratulations on another great and fun Fat Bear Week.

Did you anticipate this promotion becoming as successful and popular as it’s been?

Amber Kraft We are thrilled with the interest and popularity of Fat Bear

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Week! We are glad to be able to share Katmai National Park’s most famous residents with the world and have the opportunity to convey the importance of healthy ecosystems.

Social media played a pivotal role in the rise of #FatBearWeek. Katmai National Park and Preserve is remote, making it difficult for the average American to gain access. The role of social media in the Fat Bear Week campaign was to provide that access for those sitting at home. The use of the explore.org live cams paired with comparison photos of the bears being featured encouraged virtual visitors to participate. Social media extended the invitation to the fat bear party.

CC How did the Fat Bear Week contest start?

AK Fat Bear Week has grown a lot since it was conceived as a single-day event, “Fat Bear Tuesday,” six years

The ubiquitous salmon that make the Bristol Bay region their spawning grounds are just as crucial to bears as the entire fishing industry, giving credence to ursine and human reluctance for the Pebble Mine project to proceed. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

ago, and grew into the weeklong event that we have today. This program was created as a way to engage the public in the phenomenon of brown bears in hyperphagia to prepare for winter, and it was a success. Hyperphagia is when a bear’s metabolism changes in the fall.

The hormone that lets a bear feel full, leptin, stops working and the bears feel constantly hungry. That means they are either fishing or sleeping – resting 30

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from all the hard work of fattening up to survive. It also gives us the opportunity to share the importance of access to clean water and healthy ecosystems unaffected by climate change or human influence, without which the fat bears we celebrated this year would be at risk.

CC Tell us a little something about this year’s champion, 747.

AK Bear 747 was first classified and

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given his number in 2004. Since that time, he has grown to be maybe the largest and heaviest bear on the Brooks River. Although 747 has been one of the largest bears on the river, this is his first Fat Bear Week championship. This year he really packed on the pounds, looking like he was fat enough to hibernate in July and yet continuing to eat until his belly seemed to drag along the ground by late September.

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What’s known as “hyperphagia” allows bruins to eat beyond their heart’s content. It not only helped 747 earn his championship fat bear pedigree, but the extra poundage is what bears live off during their long hibernation. “We are celebrating a feat of nature we are lucky to be able to witness,” says Amber of Katmai National Park and Preserve. “Brown bears get fat to survive.” (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

CC As March Madness has proven, we seem to love these bracket-style contests. Has this format worked out great to allow an interactive experience of fans voting for their favorite fat bear?

AK Absolutely! This year we received 646,282 votes during the Fat Bear Week competition.

CC Bears are pretty fascinating animals as a species, but are there some that have some unique characteristics among your bear population at Katmai?

AK We do notice unique characteristics of individual bears. That’s what allows us to identify individuals based on their physical and behavioral features.

Due to the abundant bear and salmon population of this region, bears tolerate each other and people at close proximity. This tolerance of people has allowed us to make these observations of a bear’s unique physical and behavioral features.

CC Do you have a personal favorite bear

The iconic Brooks Falls area is one of Alaska’s premier bear viewing sites. “Brooks Camp is a truly special place,” Kraft says.

(NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

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that you either have rooted for during Fat Bear Week, or just a bear that has endeared himself or herself to you?

AK All of these animals are amazing.

This summer I have been fascinated by watching bear 435, “Holly’s Cub.” Cubs start their lives so small and fragile, with many obstacles to face to make it to adulthood. While not the fattest bear, this cub did a great job packing on the pounds, even after an encounter with a porcupine and having a paw full of quills for months.

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CC For those of us who haven’t had a chance to see it in person, what’s an experience like visiting Brooks Camp/ Falls to see these bears up close and personal?

AK Brooks Camp is a truly special place.

When visitors arrive, their first stop is the visitor center, where they receive a bear safety orientation. It is important for everyone to know how to react when you come across one of the bears that live here – as you almost certainly will – and we want that to be a positive experience for both the visitors and the bears. Brooks Camp attracts people from all over the world to view brown bears, enjoy world-class fishing and learn about the long human history of the area.

It is also a starting point for many backcountry adventures. Brooks Camp is located in the heart of Katmai National Park and Preserve and accessed only by boat or plane, so some advanced planning is necessary to visit. Those wishing to visit should check out our website for trip planning advice at nps.gov/katm.

CC The Katmai Conservancy also is

heavily involved in Fat Bear Week and more importantly in preservation for bears and under wildlife. What kind of importance do they play in conjunction with what you’re doing at Katmai NP? AK The Katmai Conservancy is the official nonprofit fundraising partner of Katmai National Park and Preserve.

The conservancy supports Katmai’s unique ecosystems, scenic character and associated natural and cultural resources by promoting greater public interest, appreciation and support through education, interpretation and research.

Membership, donations or online purchases directly support Katmai’s research, education and visitor service priorities.

adaptations in an attempt to sate their profound hunger and meet the challenge of survival.

For these bears fatness means success and Fat Bear Week celebrates their success. There is no “fat-shaming” going on with these animals. Fat bears mean they are healthy bears and ready for the winter. During hibernation bears live off their accumulated fat. This is serious business. For example: If a pregnant female bear does not have enough fat, her cubs will likely not survive. Instead, we are celebrating a feat of nature we are lucky to be able to witness. Brown bears get fat to survive, and the health of Katmai’s ecosystem – particularly salmon – contributes to their survival. ASJ

CC Do you hope that the popularity of Fat Bear Week – not to mention interactive experiences like the Brooks Falls bear cam – will help create more interest in bears from the public and that this contest will continue to raise awareness about bears?

AK Yes! Brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve, and throughout the Bristol Bay region, use their skill and

Editor’s notes: See side-by-side comparisons of skinny bears becoming well-nourished bears at nps.gov/katm/ learn/nature/fat-bear-week-2020sliders.htm. And check out the Brooks Falls Katmai bear cam at explore .org/livecams/brown-bears/brooks-fallsbrown-bears-low. For more on the Katmai Conservancy, go to katmaiconservancy.org.

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ONE LAST GRIZZLY? WITH THEIR USUAL SPOT UNAVAILABLE, BEAR HUNTERS FIND AN ALTERNATIVE DESTINATION

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

I

t was a long shot, especially through sleepy eyes and the notso-comfortable place where I was sitting. I just couldn’t get settled.

On top of that it was cold, too. The early-morning chill was abnormal for August; the previous year T-shirts and shorts had been the norm.

The big bear swimming on the other side of the river didn’t seem to mind, though, and he wasn’t really paying that much attention to me or my buddy Lew anyway. I eased the safety off, guessed the distance and squeezed.

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THE RIVER WAS SHALLOW this year, more so than I’ve seen it in a long time – maybe ever. The further north on the mighty Noatak we went, the shallower it got. The current had pushed sandbars to new locations and flattened others out.

Those places where we once could go easily had disappeared. There were moments when I thought we would have to turn back, but then Lew would find a narrow channel and squeeze the boat through with barely enough clearance. It was like trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces.

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Paul Atkins isn’t sure how many future bear hunting trips he’ll make up the Noatak River, so he wanted to make the most of this opportunity. “Lew whispered, ‘Bears,’ so I made my way down to the bank with my rifle and shooting sticks in hand,” writes Atkins, who on this shot missed. (LEW PAGEL) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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One of Atkins’ favorite places in the world is bear camp. “I’ve grown to look forward to it more than anything I do here in the Arctic,” he says. “I think the biggest draw is the solitude of this area and the thought of what if and when.” (LEW PAGEL)

As we pushed on, I started having doubts that we would ever make it to our bear camp this year. Our original bear camp is located up on the Eli River, the one I’ve written so much about before. It’s a place where we’ve been going for several years, the place where dreams were made, and the place where big bears had visited us like the plague.

It actually saddened me that I might not get to see the Eli again, or at least get a chance to hunt its game-rich banks once more.

SADLY, I WAS RIGHT; we didn’t make it to the Eli River. We came up short despite numerous tries. The channel had changed and the places we needed to travel were impassable. The water just wasn’t deep enough to make it.

I worried about Lew’s prop and the abuse it was taking. We would get going, only to have the gravel bottom grind us to halt. We actually got highcentered once and I had to get out and push us back into the deeper stuff. It was frustrating for the both of us.

We accepted our fate and drifted 38

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back down to a nice sandbar that was acceptable, though not ideal. It would have to do for this trip – as long as the water didn’t get any shallower and we could make it out on Sunday.

It wasn’t far from the promise of fish and bears at our old camp – maybe a couple of miles – but it still wasn’t the same. The river was wider here, and the splashes of big chum salmon were not as frequent as they would have been where we usually go in a narrow stretch of the Eli. Bear tracks, however, were everywhere here, which made us smile, giving us hope that it wouldn’t be long before we had a big bear hide stretched out on the gravel bank.

AS DARKNESS APPROACHED, WE set camp by pulling out the old green tent and pounding the stakes into the hard gravel and sand. For a change rain wasn’t in the forecast, but like I’ve said you can never count on the meteorologist in these parts.

We gathered a good supply of wood, which seemed to be everywhere, and started a fire. Lew set up our kitchen and then we sat down for a delicious

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MRE and a few drinks. We both knew that we would have company very soon.

Having company means bears, not fellow hunters, and it wasn’t long before we could hear the telltale sign that our guests had arrived. The silhouette across the river was unmistakable, as was the splashing and foraging in the water for fish.

He looked big, but they all do when you first see them. The late hour and impending cloud cover didn’t help in the darker-than-normal conditions, so it was really hard to tell how big this grizzly was.

We could have taken a shot, but it would have been iffy at best. I also didn’t really feel like rummaging through the dark in search of death. So, we sat and watched the big guy work the bank in search of an easy meal.

It wasn’t long before two more bears came out a little further north. I looked at Lew and started to say something, but didn’t; we both knew it was going to be a long night. As the last of the driftwood burned to embers, we decided to head to the tent and crawl in for the night.

I carefully checked my pistol and also my rifle, making sure they were

ready in case we were attacked. It was good to stretch out in the sleeping bag, plus the sleeping pad was nice, even though I hate both and can never sleep comfortably, no matter the circumstances.

I was just falling asleep when I heard Lew get up and tell me there were bears down by the boat. Sleep is overrated anyway, so I sat up and listened. It was that way all night. That will happen when there are bears in or near camp.

But somewhere towards morning I had had enough and said to heck with it and closed my eyes.

AT DUSK I HEARD Lew stirring again and

Here’s the lone fish Atkins could coax out of the Noatak. He kept wondering “what if” he and his hunting partner had been able to get to their preferred camp spot on the too shallow Eli River, where they usually have amazing fish hauls. (LEW PAGEL)

The fishing was lousy, but the guys’ new camp didn’t lack for bears.

They were numerous and close; this one was taken within spitting distance of their firepit – note the tent in the background. (LEW PAGEL) 40

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the zipper of the tent ripped open. I lay there trying to decide if I needed to get up. I didn’t have to wait long to make up my mind. When Lew whispered, “Bears,” I got up, put my boots on and grabbed my rifle.

Sure enough, there were bears; through the dim light you could see them on the other side of the river. There were three in all, probably the same trio from the night before. If so, then the big

LEW’S FAMILY BEAR HARVEST

L

ew Pagel and I left the next morning after I got my bear, but we left camp as it was. Lew’s brother J.P. was coming the next day and Lew had planned to bring him up in hopes of getting another bear.

I knew it would be only a matter of time before they scored, and I was right.

They brought down another bruin, but only after a close encounter behind the tent. Lew described it to me this way: “Unlike the three days we were there, my brother and I arrived in wind and rain. The river was still shallow, probably even more so than when we went up.

There were moments when I didn’t think we were even going to make it back to the tent, but we did, but only after dragging bottom several times.”

“We got there late in the evening, and sure enough that night we had bears close by, but none that we could clearly see. We caught fish the next day, snagging a few chums and even a few pike in one of the deeper sloughs. That evening we set up similarly to what we did on our second night, but instead of crossing the river we stayed on the camp side.”

“We didn’t have to wait long, as bears started to appear in the same places where we had seen them before. However, this time we had them coming in from behind the tent, which was actually a bit scary. My brother found the one he wanted and dropped him 30 yards from the fire pit. It was a close encounter, to say the least!”

“There were plenty of other bears to see, but my brother was ecstatic and happy that he finally got his grizzly. It was a great hunt.” –PA

Lew Pagel (left) and his brother J.P. returned to the same camp and harvested a bear of their own. J.P. had flown up to Alaska from Wisconsin to give it a go and wasn’t disappointed. (LEW PAGEL)

guy was indeed big and directly across from us, as he was before.

I was sleepy and cold but grabbed the shooting sticks and headed down to the shoreline to set up and watch. The rocks were hard on my backside and I had trouble settling the scope. I turned it up to 12-power and peered at the bear across from me. He was a shooter, but I had to decide how far out he was and if I could actually make a shot.

The bear worked the water, going right to left and diving down with only his head above the cold water. After several minutes he waded into shore and presented himself on the sandy bank. He was broadside but wouldn’t stop long enough for me to get the crosshairs fixed.

I ranged him at 250 yards, a slam dunk for the .300 Short Mag. I was holding, especially on the sticks. He then turned his butt to us and went further inland to stand atop a gravel bar. I didn’t range him again, but finally he turned and presented me the shot. I found the brown hide and squeezed the trigger. The echo boomed across the tundra, but the bear just stood there.

I’d missed, so I chambered a second round and gave him another. This time I missed clearly and he had had enough, disappearing over the sandy rise and out of our lives forever. We went over and checked, but no bear and no hit.

I was discouraged but not entirely surprised. I ranged it again, and like all distances in Alaska it had been deceiving. He may have been 250 yards on the bank, but when he moved in towards the willows, he was at 350. All I could guess was that I shot under him.

The other two bears, which were much smaller, weren’t even fazed. They kept feeding along the bank like nothing happened. Oh well: win some; lose some. I knew that night we would see more, but this time we would have a plan. Or so we thought.

WE WENT BACK TO bed and actually got some sleep. Late that morning we got up, built a fire and had coffee and our go-to breakfast. The Snickers-flavored coffee creamer went down smoothly and the blueberry Pop-Tarts never tasted better. It’s a ritual for Lew and 42

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I: sugar and caffeine, as it always has been.

We were feeling better now, so we grabbed the rods and tried our best to catch a fish. It was slow going and after 1,000 casts Lew had had enough and headed back to camp.

I kept it up but wondered what it would have been like at our old camp.

We’ve caught fish there seemingly on every throw, but not here. Finally, I had a hit and pulled one onto shore. It was the only fish we caught the entire weekend.

It was disheartening.

As the day moved along, it was hot and I actually got sunburned by the desert-like conditions this far north.

The bugs weren’t too bad, but that would probably change that evening for sure. Good thing we had brought the bug canopy, plus we were loaded down with bug dope.

We saw only a few boats, and those that did come by could only turn around and go back the way they came. I guess it was too shallow for them as well.

With evening approaching, we knew it was time to gear up and move across the river to the other side. And why not? That was where all the bears were and besides, there was a nice patch of willows that we could hide in. The

It was a new sandbar for the hunters to camp on, but an old snowmachine kept them company. (LEW PAGEL)

arrangement would allow us to see the wide sandbar in front of us and a long stretch of bank to the north. It was the perfect setup.

We drifted the boat over and climbed the high bank to make it to our hiding positions. Lew had his bow and I had my rifle. We settled into the dense brush for the long evening.

The mosquitoes, which had been relatively few in number earlier, were now out in force, searching for every inch of exposed skin. Luckily the army green Thermacell did its job and kept the bugs at bay – or at least from

The evenings in the Arctic are beautiful. Sunsets in August over Kotzebue Sound are pretty spectacular. (LEW PAGEL) 44

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devouring us.

We sat for a couple of hours with not much happening. My butt began to hurt, so I got up to stretch and have a look around to make sure that our camp across the way hadn’t been disturbed. I glassed camp and all looked good, and then I continued to peer along the bank to the north. It was a high mud bank with dead trees and downfall falling off into the water. It was then that I saw a bear.

It’s crazy to think that one evening they’ll do one thing – like be on one side of the river – and then the next do

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Even near dark, Atkins’ aim was true. “I was extremely happy with the result, especially with the long shot and a clean kill,” he says. “This was my 11th bear since I’ve lived here; each one has been a special experience.”

another. Our plan had failed, or had it? If we would have stayed in camp the bear would have walked right up to the fire and had dinner with us, but as it was, he was across from us, again.

I fetched Lew and told him about the bear. We both glassed him and could tell he was a shooter. This time I wasn’t sleepy.

(LEW PAGEL)

I EASED DOWN THE bank to the edge of the water. The bear seemed to not care as I set up the Bog tripod and got the rifle into position. Lew was behind me with his rangefinder telling me the yardage; the bear was at 210 yards.

We watched as he cruised along the bank looking for fish. The bank was steep, which was ideal for the situation. If the first shot didn’t get him, I would probably have time for a second before he made his way up and into the willows. That was something I didn’t want to happen.

Not wanting to wait any longer, I steadied the scope and felt the recoil of the big rifle slam into my shoulder. The shot was true, and the big bear rolled into the water. He was down.

This was my 11th bear here in the Arctic and one of several on this stretch of the river. I was happy, even more so that this was a clean shot and kill.

You never know when something will happen. This bear actually was lurking behind the tent, but when he noticed the hunters, he burst out of the willows and headed for the river. (LEW PAGEL) 46

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We made our way over and could tell that the big brown ball of fur was a good one. We tried to drag him out of the water, but he was so heavy we could not. Finally, Lew grabbed a rope and log and we “pushed” him up as far as we could. There at the edge of the water was where we had to take photos and, ultimately, skin and field-dress the bear.

It wasn’t ideal, especially when it began to rain, and all those damn bugs harassed us. It was an onslaught of bites until finally we had had enough.

I headed to the tent, grabbed the bottle of Deep Woods repellent and soaked myself in that familiar smell.

Meanwhile, Lew grabbed the bug tent and set it up over the bear, which made things much easier and better.

With only one headlamp between us, we were both nervous wrecks skinning that bear in pitch-black darkness. We were trying not to cut each other, and the fact that every sound outside that hut sounded like an approaching bear made it so scary.

It was also backbreaking work standing on the incline of the bank, but

like so many times before, we got it done in record time.

After getting back to the tent long after midnight, a stiff drink had us both happy with the results.

WAS THIS MY LAST bear harvest in the Arctic? I don’t know. I hope not, but with changing times – whether it is the river itself or me leaving this part of Alaska for another, or maybe Alaska all together – I really don’t know.

What I do know is that spending time with my best friend in a familiar place where we’ve had so many adventures has been the best time of my life. It was another Arctic adventure for the books. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska.

He’s had hundreds of articles published on big game hunting in Alaska and throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. His new book, Atkins’ Alaska, will be on bookshelves this fall and available online. Paul is a regular contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal.

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Five wounded warriors, all Purple Heart recipients, gathered near Fairbanks, Alaska, for a memorable moose hunt that was organized by several nonprofits.

FIVE WOUNDED WARRIORS, FIVE BULLS 50

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PURPLE HEART RECIPIENTS COME TOGETHER FOR MOOSE HUNT IN INTERIOR ALASKA.

STORY BY TONY LEINGANG • PHOTOS BY OUTDOORS FOR OUR HEROES/SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL

T

he opening day of this year’s Alaska moose season brought with it the normal feelings of hopefulness, combined with the uncertainty of hunting a new area for a group of very deserving combatdisabled veteran hunters and supporting volunteers.

Four of the hunters had arrived from

locations all over the United States, while the fifth was local to Alaska. All anticipated this to be a true bucket list experience.

After arriving the day before, the guys settled in at a camp near Delta Junction, which is 90-plus miles southeast of Fairbanks, set up by the Purple Heart Hunter Program. They spent time

carefully zeroing in rifles, getting a quick lay of the land and sharing stories of past hunts and experiences into the evening.

A big part of these experiences is always the friendship and camaraderie that develops during these hunts. PHHP host Richard Barth told the group that it can get crazy out there. He related an example of a group getting six bulls

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The hunt was a great bonding experience for everyone involved, from the hunters to the guides to the organizers.

HOW IT ALL CAME TOGETHER

I

n addition to our disabled veteran hunters, we want to acknowledge and thank the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for its DM795 moose permit hunt, as well as PHHP founder Richard Barth and his volunteer support team members: Larry Wayne Martin, Colton Davis Spradlin, Carey Breshears, and Josh Applegate from PHHP; Louis Cusack, SCI Alaska Chapter executive director; Cody Scriver, SCI Northwest vice president/hunt logistics; Jason Brown, OFOH president; Nick Leingang, OFOH pro staff; Jack Nickel, SCI Northwest photographer/ pro staff; Tony Leingang, OFOH vice president/field coordination; and Delta Meat and Sausage Company, ADFG and Global Rescue for their support in making this hunt a reality.

OFOH’s motto, “Gratitude for Sacrifice,” is really what these experiences are all about. Together with PHHP, SCI and our other partners, the goal is to continue finding opportunities like this to serve our disabled veteran community.

Contributions to these groups will help ensure more combat disabled veterans have bucket list hunts available to them as well. ASJ

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in just a couple of days on a past hunt with his group. That seemed incredible for everyone, but it certainly set the stage for what quickly became as fastpaced and exciting a hunt as could be imagined for all involved.

THE WORK TO PRODUCE this opportunity began at the Safari Club International National Board meeting in August 2019, with a discussion between SCI Alaska Chapter Executive Director Louis Cusack and SCI Northwest Chapter Vice President Cody Scriver. A plan was launched with the goal of finding six successful permit applicants to sponsor for the 10th annual DM795 Alaska Governor’s Delta Junction moose hunt.

The goal was to combine forces and work together to provide this once in a lifetime opportunity to those who had served and sacrificed so much for us all.

Cody also reached out to Jason Brown and Tony Leingang of Outdoors For Our Heroes, which specializes in veteran and wounded veteran hunts.

OFOH stepped in and agreed they would do the groundwork to find appropriate disabled veterans who qualified as Purple Heart recipients with 100-percent disability status to be considered for the Alaska Purple Heart Program. SCI Northwest and SCI Alaska Chapters would assist and partner with OFOH on the financial costs and

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logistics during the hunt.

The joint team worked together to select applicants and assist candidates in submitting for the DM795 permit.

Once selected, the team worked together to manage the logistics of getting five moose hunters from multiple locations, their gear and everything necessary to ensure a successful hunt on location – streamlining everything to ensure the hunters could just focus on the fun and Jonathon Harmon (left), who lost part of both his legs stepping on a pressure-plate IED in Afghanistan, with the first bull of the trip.

Olympia, Washington’s Ryan Caldwell with bull No. 2. Caldwell, injured in Afghanistan, also made deployments to Somalia, Kosovo and Bosnia.

which took both legs and one arm. The other was Brady Jackson from North Pole, Alaska, who was injured in Afghanistan.

The Delta Junction DM795 permit area comprises Delta Junction, Fort Greely and the Donnelly Dome basin.

The state of Alaska issues no more than six DM795 permits per year, which are available to Purple Heart recipients with a certified 100-percent serviceconnected disability.

This program was implemented in 2011 by Richard Barth, the Fort Greely environmental chief. Richard explained the need to maintain and mitigate the moose population within the 7,200-acre footprint of Fort Greely. The five hunters chosen for the hunt would be in for quite an adventure.

ON OPENING MORNING, EACH hunter teamed up with their support people and headed out to the field. Jon Harmon was first up with our primary guides and the provided UTVs. It seemed like no sooner than they had left camp, he had his bull down. This was in the first 20 minutes of hitting the woods! Immediately the banter began between the guys on who would prevail with the most impressive moose. For the others, they saw many animals, but there was no more action to be had quite yet. The first bull was

challenges of taking down a prized Alaska moose. From arrival in Fairbanks to meat processing and delivery, the team’s goal for the hunters was to enjoy this experience fully without concern for any of the necessary logistics.

The three Purple Heart veterans selected by OFOH each have their own story in faithfully serving our country: • Jonathon Harmon, Baltimore, Maryland: U.S. Army 82nd Airborne injured on June 7, 2012 in Afghanistan.

He survived after stepping on a pressure plate IED with both legs amputated above the knee.

• Franz Ulrich Walkup, Nashville, Tennessee: U.S. Army 503rd Infantry Regiment and 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He was injured on 54

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

September 29, 2012 in Afghanistan and survived multiple gunshot wounds resulting in partial leg amputation.

• Ryan Caldwell, Olympia, Washington: U.S. Army. He had multiple deployments, including Mogadishu, Somalia, the invasion of Haiti, and Bosnia.

In 2004 he deployed to Iraq, where his team was attacked by a suicide car bomber and he survived multiple combatrelated injuries.

Two Purple Heart veterans joined the OFOH group at camp, including Jim Sursely of Apopka, Florida. He is a past DAV national commander with the U.S. Army 196th Light Infantry Brigade, F Troop, 17th Armored Cavalry Division.

He was injured on January 11, 1969 in Vietnam after stepping on a landmine,

NOVEMBER 2020 | aksportingjournal.com

Franz Ulrich Walkup, wounded in Afghanistan, shows off his moose.

The five hunters’ bulls’ antlers measured 48 to 59 inches wide.

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Brady Jackson, the lone Alaskan of the wounded warriors, harvested bull No. 3.

Vietnam veteran Jim Sursely lost both legs and an arm when he stepped on a landmine in 1969.

His bull made it five for five for the guys.

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skinned and quartered that afternoon, giving the others a great opportunity to see firsthand just what was involved in processing such a massive animal.

After a meal, the other hunters set out for an evening hunt. Barely an hour in, Ryan Caldwell spotted a bull bedded down in the road. He made short work of taking his bull down within a few hundred yards. The others began to arrive and help Ryan begin the work of butchering his bull.

Jon Harmon, wearing his specially made “shorty� prosthetic legs, stumbled over some small brush and trees and fell over. Immediately he began laughing, with Franz right behind him. Franz and Jon were in rare form, telling jokes the whole way there.

Franz moved ahead and while looking back at Jon cracked to the rest of us that

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From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, these soldiers have been wounded fighting for their country around the world, and organizations like Outdoors For Our Heroes and Safari Club International were thrilled to host them on this successful hunt.

he looked like “Godzilla” smashing tiny trees back there. This set the mood for the rest of the time that night, with Jon and Franz providing endless comedy relief as Ryan’s bull No. 2 was processed.

Brady and Jim continued to hunt nearby, as there was still plenty of daylight to be had. About an hour into processing Ryan’s bull we heard gunshots not too far away. Sure enough, Brady had taken the third bull, even while there was still significant processing to do with Ryan’s animal.

The hard work of retrieving these massive creatures had begun. They spent many hours late into the night getting everything back to camp. Jim had also seen opportunities that night, but he would have to wait another day.

AMAZINGLY, THE SUCCESS CONTINUED the following day, with Franz dropping a nice 58

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bull before 9 a.m. At this point we had four bulls to take care of in the first 26 hours! A ton of work ensued, with our support staff helping to clean, quarter and deliver meat to our local processor, Delta Meats. Just one more moose to go.

As evening progressed on what was still only day two, we got word that Jim had finally hit his bull. As he will tell you, this one took some doing. After what had been several clean kill shots, it still wouldn’t stay down. Several attempts to get close had it up and running. But with a bit more time and several more shots, guide Larry Martin helped put bull five down.

Now, working through the night and hoping to get a glimpse of the northern lights through the moonlight, the team took care of Jim’s bull. It was nearly 4:30 a.m. on day three now. All told, the guys had taken five great Alaska bull moose ranging from 48 to 59 inches.

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An exhausted but extremely happy group had successfully filled all its tags.

While the northern lights were not out for us to see very well, this was truly a “lights out” memorable Alaska moose hunting experience for all involved. ASJ Editor’s notes: Interested in learning more about Outdoors For Our Heroes programs or know someone who qualifies and could benefit from a quality outdoor experience like this? Want to volunteer or donate? Please reach out to us at info@ outdoorsforourheroes.org or call (206) 571-0218. Find and like us on Facebook and check us out at outdoorsforourheroes.org.

The permit application period for the 2021 DM795 Delta Management moose permit hunt is Nov. 1-Dec. 15, 2020. Please see the following info about how to apply for this hunt: aksafariclub.org/sci-alaskachapter-warriors.

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The biggest member of the deer family, moose are numerous in Unit 20. With its superb habitat it’s no wonder that some of the biggest bulls in Alaska are taken there each year. Centered on Fairbanks, hunters have the advantage of many roads and trails that run through the unit. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

UNIT 20 FAMOUS FOR INTERIOR BULLS, BEARS

GMU PrOFILE

Editor’s note: From the Alaska Panhandle to the “top of the world” in Barrow/Utqiagvik, Alaska contains 26 game management units that feature land for hunting and other outdoor activities. Our Arctic adventurer Paul Atkins is breaking down some of the units he’s hunted in the past in this ongoing feature. This issue: GMU 20.

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

I

’ve never hunted Game Management Unit 20, but I know plenty of people who have. There are good friends of mine who not only consistently take record-book animals, but also fill their freezers with some of the best meat on the planet.

Unit 20, located in the heart of

the Alaska Interior (Fairbanks/Central Tanana), is a mecca for hunters and one of the few places where you can hunt just about every big game animal – except for goats – in Alaska. The list of available species reads like a book: Sheep, bison, moose, caribou and both black and brown bear are the big draws. From what I’ve

seen and heard, they all provide some of the best hunting in Alaska.

FAMOUS FOR BULLS AND BEARS The Forty-Mile caribou herd can be found in this unit, but like most in the state, the herd has been on the decline the last several years. Still, these hunts are pretty

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special, and even if you only can take one caribou in all areas they’re still a big draw for hunters who venture into Unit 20.

Unlike caribou, bears are numerous in this unit, which allows hunters to take three black bears and one brown bear every year.

But in my opinion, what’s truly special is the moose hunting. Big bulls – some of the biggest in the state – are pulled out of the area every year.

Bison can be found there too, but only if you’re lucky enough to draw one of those coveted tags.

OTHER OPTIONS Sheep are also a big draw, especially to those diehard Dall hunters who live and die by the draw. The Tok and Delta controlled areas have some of the best sheep hunting in the state and also some of the biggest animals. If you don’t believe me, then check out the number of applications that are submitted each November.

Unit 20 is located in the heart of the Alaskan Interior, and includes large portions of the Yukon-Tanana River watershed. It stretches to the Canadian border between Alaska and the Yukon Territory. (ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME)

Maybe the unit’s biggest draw, especially for the hardcore hunter who lives for the extreme, is its epic sheep hunting. The Tok and Delta areas are well known for Dall rams and they not only host some of the best sheep hunting in the state, but see some of the biggest specimens taken each year. (PAUL D. ATKINS) 62

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Unit 20 contains bison, but you can hunt them only if you draw a special tag. Alaska’s reintroduction of these magnificent beasts, bringing them back to huntable numbers, has been nothing but miraculous. Bison are one of the most sought-after species in the state. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

Like most northern units, GMU 20 is big and actually consists of six subunits: A through F. Each is unique and all have special rules, just as many of the state’s other units do. GMU 20 stretches from Denali National Preserve in the west all the way to the Canadian border to the east, with Fairbanks right in the middle.

It’s also home to some of Alaska’s most famous rivers, the Tanana and the Yukon.

Within its boundaries, Unit 20 has several special management areas where controlled hunting, whether it’s by draw tags, over-the-counter tags or special permits, is attainable. Some areas are closed, while others lie in national parks where hunting isn’t allowed.

If you plan to hunt GMU 20, it would be a good idea to check out the regulations and do your research first. With so many opportunities and species available, it truly is a hunter’s paradise. ASJ Editor’s note: For a detailed map of and season dates for GMU 20, go to adfg.alaska .gov and look under the Hunting tab for a link to maps by unit. Follow Paul Atkins on Twitter @AKTrophyHunter.

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Tia Shoemaker grew up on Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and is now a hunting guide with her family. “I wouldn’t trade growing up here for anything,” she says. (TIA SHOEMAKER)

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TIA’S ADVENTURES WITH MOOSE, SALMON, BEARS

BY BJORN DIHLE

H

unting guide Tia Shoemaker is fighting tooth and nail to ensure future generations will have the opportunity to experience the wilderness of Southwest Alaska.

“We have something incredible on the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay. All we have to do is not mess it up.

Millions acres of wilderness surrounded by millions acres of wilderness,” Tia said in September while taking a break from preparing for moose season. “John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt would be proud we still have a place like this. This place should be one of the seven wonders of the world.”

ALASKAN UPBRINGING Tia grew up in the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Peninsula.

The closest people to her family’s homestead were around 60 miles away in the communities of Egegik and King Salmon in Bristol Bay. To say she grew up remote is an understatement. Her parents, Phil and Rocky, who both have degrees in wildlife biology, instilled in Tia and her brother Taj a deep reverence of stewardship for their home.

“The place taught us that as much as our parents. I wouldn’t trade growing up here for anything,” said Tia, who calls her home the Serengeti of Alaska, and she’s not exaggerating.

This year more than 57 million sockeye salmon returned to Bristol Bay to spawn. This incredible pulse of life acts as the foundation for the densest concentrations of brown bears and one of the richest ecosystems on Earth.

“Salmon are everything. It’s been said so many times, but it’s true,” she said.

FISH AND BRUINS Tia’s life is intimately tied to salmon and brown bears. Her family runs a small fishing and hunting guiding operation called Grizzly Skins of Alaska (grizzlyskinsofalaska.com; email: grizskins@gmail.com). In summer they guide fishing trips and during the fall – and sometimes spring – they guide hunts.

Tia has been helping out on moose hunts since she was 10. When she was 12 or 13, she started helping on brown bear hunts. Around then, her parents, fearing Tia and Taj were becoming too “bushy,” moved the family to the tiny community of Circle Hot Springs for a couple months each year to help socialize their kids.

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Tia and her father Phil operate a family-owned guiding service, Grizzly Skins of Alaska, offering both big game and fishing trips. (TIA SHOEMAKER)

When Tia was 18, she got her assistant guide license. She’s been working as a wilderness guide in different capacities ever since.

Most hunters visiting Bristol Bay and the Alaska Peninsula come to pursue the region’s brown bears and moose. The paradoxical nature of brown bear and other forms of trophy hunting is difficult for many to come to terms with.

“There’s a magic to brown bear hunting,” Tia reflected.

She, along with many guides, find the act of killing a bear emotionally challenging, though. She grew up surrounded by brown bears and possesses a deep affinity and respect for the animals.

Thankfully, due in large part to efforts from guides like Tia who are deeply invested in bears and the wild country they need to thrive, there are more brown bears in Alaska than any time in the last century.

LIVELIHOOD IN PERIL Still, there is a very real threat to the

As a 10-year-old, Tia began helping her dad out on guided moose hunts. (TIA SHOEMAKER)

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brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay. It also endangers the region’s incredible runs of salmon, Tia’s family and others living in the region – not to mention hunters and fishermen across the world.

The crisis can be summed up in one word: Pebble.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently delayed the Pebble Mine, the massive open-pit mine and toxic waste dump proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, from being permitted. But the mine is still very much alive and could receive federal permitting by the end of the year.

Hunting is not only how Tia makes a living, it’s how she provides for herself and her family. She likes to say that after her guiding season, she “switches from Boone and Crockett to spoon and Crock-Pot.”

OUTDOORS A FAMILY AFFAIR During a recent caribou hunt, Tia, her mother, sister-in-law and 2-yearold niece harvested a bull that would become their food for the winter. The three women guided Tia’s niece to place foliage in the caribou’s mouth in a gesture

Tia loves sharing her expertise for hunting moose with clients as an Alaskan guide.

(TIA SHOEMAKER)

of thanks and an offering to the animal’s spirit. Hunters have practiced this simple act across the world for thousands of years. Tia reflected on the power of sharing this ritual with her niece.

“I was reminded of all the hours and years my brother and I spent hunting and how incredible it is to witness another generation doing the same,” Tia said. “I felt a glimmer of hope for the future. Perhaps with education and foresight, we might yet keep the Alaskan Peninsula and Bristol Bay – the last true wilderness we have in the U.S. – the way it ought to be: wild.” ASJ

Along with the bears and salmon of Bristol Bay, families like the Shoemakers who rely on these natural resources to make a living could be in jeopardy if the proposed Pebble Mine becomes a reality. “We have something incredible on the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay,” Tia says.

“All we have to do is not mess it up.” (TIA SHOEMAKER) 70

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Editor’s note: Follow Tia on Instagram .com/tia.shoemaker. Pride of Bristol Bay is a free column written by Bjorn Dihle and provided by its namesake, a fishermandirect seafood marketer that specializes in delivering the highest quality of sustainably caught wild salmon from Bristol Bay to your doorstep. Go to prideofbristolbay.com for more information.

BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

FIELD

A SPORTING COUPLE SAVORS AN ICE FISHING REUNION IN ARCTIC ALASKA

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

O

n a March day my wife Tiffany and I were sitting on a frozen bay just north of Kotzebue – the first time in 21 years since we’d been together in Alaska’s Arctic.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Tiffany whispered; she didn’t want to break the

silence of the Arctic air.

The evening was calm and the skies clear. Temperatures hovered in the midteens, and we’d fished for four hours without a bite. Few words were exchanged, but our minds were racing.

You see: Tiffany and I began our

married life in Alaska’s Arctic in August 1990 in the small village of Point Lay. We were two of only four schoolteachers at the time – she taught third through eighth grade, every subject – and I did the same for the high school grades.

After three years in Point Lay, we

Authors Scott and Tiffany Haugen with a pair of prized sheefish, marking one of their most memorable moments in Alaska over the past 30 years. They married in 1990 and taught in the tiny outpost of Point Lay, and have often returned to the Last Frontier. (SCOTT HAUGEN) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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FIELD

Mandarins and green and red peppers provide colorful, festive, tasty toppers for baked sheefish, halibut or lingcod that is sure to delight seafood lovers over the holiday season. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

CRUSH THIS ORANGE-FLAVORED FISH DISH

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

W

hether you’re cooking freshcaught sheefish or pulling some out of the freezer, here’s a great way to fancy up your

Thanksgiving dinner buffet.

The great thing about this recipe is its versatility. It works well with halibut, lings and more! Offer this sweet, tangy and colorful dish and it’s sure to please those fish-lovers.

One fillet sheefish 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges 3/4 cup mandarin orange juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee 1/3 cup slivered red bell pepper 1/3 cup slivered green bell pepper Remove skin from fillet, rinse fish in cold water and pat dry. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, mandarin orange juice from the can, olive oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Marinate fish 20 minutes at room temperature or up to three hours in the refrigerator.

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If marinating in a dish, turn fish a few times to ensure all the marinade gets into the meat.

Place fish fillet in an ovenproof baking dish or foil pouch. Pour a ½ cup of the marinade over the fish. In a small bowl, mix bell pepper with melted butter. Spread butter and bell pepper mixture over the fillet. Bake sheefish in a preheated 400-degree oven or on a hot grill for 12 minutes. Place mandarin oranges evenly over fish and continue to bake/grill until fish reaches desired doneness or internal temperature reaches 135 degrees.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE Anchorage Yamaha Suzuki Marine 3919 Spenard Rd (907) 243-8343 www.anchorageyamaha.com FAIRBANKS Northern Power Sports 1980 Van Horn Rd (907) 452-2762 www.northernpowersports.com

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FIELD moved to Anaktuvuk Pass – one of Alaska’s most breathtaking destinations – where we taught for four years. Here we hunted and fished out our front door.

It was a life we missed after moving away in 1997 and began pursuing fulltime careers in the outdoor industry. But now we were back.

AS WE WERE GETTING ready to call it a night on the ice, Tiff’s rod doubled over.

Soon she was pulling her first sheefish through the 10-inch hole we’d drilled through 5 feet of ice. It wasn’t a big fish, but it didn’t matter.

“Geez, if a sheefish this size fights this hard, I’d hate to see what a big one will do!” Tiff exclaimed while holding up the 8-pound fish.

Knowing sheefish travel in schools throughout the bay in search of food, we got right back to jigging big spoons. Two hours later we were still jigging, without another bite. With the sun setting on the frozen sea, it was time to call it quits – for tomorrow would be another day.

The next morning we headed back out onto the ice, this time with good friends and longtime Kotzebue residents (fellow ASJ correspondent) Paul Atkins and Lew Pagel. Lew was a chiropractor in the village for many years; Paul a schoolteacher there for nearly 20 years.

We pounded the ice for eight hours without a bite. Deciding to call it a day, we headed the snowmachines back to Kotzebue. In front of town some locals had a couple fresh-caught sheefish lying on the ice. “Get your lines in the water, they’re everywhere,” one of them encouraged Paul.

Soon we were drilling holes and jigging spoons. On my first cast I flipped the bail on my ice fishing rod, letting the big lure free-fall. Instantly the line started peeling off the spool before I could flip the bail.

I knew it was a big sheefish, as it fought harder than any I could remember. Nearly 10 minutes into the battle, the sheefish 76

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Augers with extra extensions are needed to get through the Arctic pack ice to where the sheefish swim. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

finally began to tire, but I couldn’t get it through the ice hole. I nervously gave the fish some slack line, then pulled it tight once again. Still, it wouldn’t fit through the bottom of the ice hole.

After several tries I finally felt the head of the sheefish slip into the hole. I grabbed my 60-pound braided line and pulled the fish through the hole in the ice.

Its round body was tight in the hole, but I kept pulling and trusting the braid and my knot. A rush of water surged out of the hole as the fish neared the surface.

When I reached down to grab the fish by the gills, I’ll never forget the gasps let out by the locals as I hoisted the monster

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sheefish into the air. Tipping the scales to 40 pounds, it was the biggest sheefish of my life, and my first fish of the trip.

“Looks like we found ’em,” smiled Lew, who was quietly battling a sheefish of his own. Tiffany intensely worked her spoon up and down, and soon she was locked in battle with the hard-pulling fish known as the tarpon of the north. The fish would run, Tiff would gain line and soon it was stripped out yet again.

Eventually the sheefish grew tired and Tiffany pulled a 25-pound beauty from the ice. Her very next cast yielded a 22-pounder. Over the next several minutes Tiffany landed three more beautiful

FIELD

The Haugens’ good friend Paul Atkins hoists a sheefish from the ice. It’s something he never tires of angling for in Kotzebue, a place he’s called home for nearly 20 years.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

sheefish, the smallest being 18 pounds.

Lew and Paul were also catching fish.

Paul held up a 23-pounder as he grinned from ear to ear, while Lew unhooked another and added it to the pile.

When the bite subsided, everyone began cleaning fish on the ice. Paul, Lew, Tiff and I caught a sled full – plenty to keep us busy as we listened to people talk. The locals shared stories and their smiles offered a purity that can only be experienced through such moments in the outdoors.

THE OLDER WE GET, the more Tiffany and I appreciate people, their stories and learning about their lives. Catching fish is just a means of bringing us all together, and that’s something there’s never a shortage of in Alaska. ASJ Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best-selling book, Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, plus many other titles, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

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