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We slept well in our tents next to the char stream and were well rested for the day of hunting. After a quick breakfast we broke into two groups of three to look for caribou. Neil Summers, Frank Feldmann and I headed west while Bill Gunter, Gary Gapp and Knud went east.

We topped the nearest hill and glassed the miles of open country behind camp. After thoroughly searching we continued on climbing another hill and glassing again. We did this several times this morning but there were no caribou in these hills. It was obvious they had been here, there was fresh tracks and scat everywhere (more than I had seen on most of my previous caribou hunts). I could tell by the look in Frank's face that he was disappointed. He had expected this area would be slammed with bou. In typical caribou fashion, they did not cooperate.

Then, shortly before lunch I spotted a group of caribou off in the distance. After careful glassing we identified several herds. They were way out in the kelp flats feeding over several miles away. One bachelor herd had a bunch of trophy bulls in it, but they were very far and there was zero chance of making a stalk even if we could get there. Given the tides, that was doubtful. I wasn't discouraged at all, there were bou in the area and I was perfectly happy with fishing that clear-water stream. I've shot a bunch of caribou and wasn't particularly driven to kill one on this trip. Frank felt different. He wanted to show us a great caribou hunt - just as he did on the muskox. From experience, he also knew that these animals were not going to be back in this area for a few days. We discussed options, but before we made any decision we'd need to find out how the other group fared. Maybe they had better luck? We then headed for camp.

I couldn't arrive there fast enough. Within minutes I had my fly rod out and was headed to the third, and largest pool beneath camp. It was only a hundred yards from the area I fished last evening but it was deeper and given the high sun I could look down and see all the char lined up facing the current. Bill Gunther had returned back to camp and joined me at the pool.

"Only fags use fly rods" Bill said as he cast his mepps across the pool within 3' of my floating fly line - then landed a fish on his first throw. His deliberate torment was strangely annoying and appreciated at the same time. Nothing better than good old fashioned ball busting while on a hunt.

I really liked Bill, he was a crusty east-coast guy like me and we hit it off right from the start. That being said, I wasn't going to let a 'low life' spin fisherman upstage me on this pool. The epic confrontation of fly vs. spin fisherman was about to unfold at the top of the earth.

I made several, beautiful overhand casts dropping an assortment of streamers, nymphs, wet and dry flies into that pool with remarkable presentation. I even whipped out my secret weapon, a fly I call the red bellied felcher which is particularly effective on male char in transition. Within an hour I had caught three fish. Bill stopped counting after he caught 30. I may have dropped an F-bomb or two over the beating I took that afternoon at the hands of my new buddy from Starr Maryland but it was all in good fun.

Bill left to get lunch and Neil came down to watch me fly fish. Neil doesn't fish much and wanted to see me work my magic on this pool. Within minutes he was sound asleep. So much for my magic.

We met up for lunch and discussed options. The other group had struck out this morning too. The caribou were just not in the area any longer. Our options were to stay here at this spike camp, enjoy some fishing, and hope for the best on caribou or go back to Knud's cabin to hunt the mountains. Frank said there were fewer caribou there, but they were mostly solitary mature bulls and that's what we are after.

We thought about it and made our decision. We were going back to the muskox area. We would leave first thing in the morning. That gave all of us time to relax, enjoy the fishing, and get ready for a big caribou push for our last three days.

I spent the afternoon fishing with a spinning rod and hammered the char. Don't tell Bill.

Gear Used on this Bowhunt: Outdoor Clothing



Sitka Gear was just the ticket on this hunt. I had expected cold, wet weather but we had just the opposite. Having clothing that was versatile enough to work in a variety of conditions was critical to both comfort and success. I would be hot while climbing a bluff and five hours later it would be freezing while riding in the boat on the ocean. Because this clothing is so efficient at wicking moisture I was comfortable the entire time. Sitka gear clothing is the best. More Information Here