Hey folks I hope you don't mind how long this is. This is the most hunting fun I had in a long time so I thought I'd document it.
Early summer 2010, after getting drawn for a cow bison permit hunt in Delta I hired Interior Alaska Guides and Outfitters, Doug Corl and Don Bunselmeier for a 4 day hunt. I figured it would be money saved compared to renting and borrowing unknown equipment to hunt an unfamiliar area. And a friend recommended them.
While in Delta area I heard many stories of folks making 5-10 weekend trips trying to hunt bison. I live off the road system and couldn't possibly afford that.
This is essentially a once in a life-time hunt for me - I can't reapply for 10 yrs and I'm 56.
Back in August guide Doug told me that with my start time of Oct 29 there would be too little daylight, too little snow to make a good hunt.
He suggested we hunt starting Feb 14 for 4 days. I went with his recommendation.
I flew to Fairbanks 2/11 where my sister and bro-in-law graciously put me up, loaned me a car and some equipment.
Met the guide on the 12th at the Fairbanks rifle range. He checked me out at 200 yds and was satisfied - it was -20 F. After he left I checked my shooting at 250 yds and had about a 4 inch group.
Drove to Delta the 13th - beautiful and sunny - but chilly at -22 or colder. Haven't been in that country since 1977.
Found my cabin and settled in.
Day 1 Feb 14Guides Doug Corl and Don Bunselmeier picked me up at 7:30 am. It was -35 or so and we decided to drive around a while looking & hoping for it to warm up.
Tho Don has a plane, it was way too cold for any flying so we had to hunt the old fashioned way for the animals. Fine with me.
We didn't find anything until about 2 pm.
About 15 were lurking in some brush and very hard to see. We tried sneaking but there was little cover and the cold crusty snow was very noisy.
We did more driving and found another good group but startled them - and we had to drive back to the farmer's house and go thru a permission exercise - the lady is very strict. Most land owners are good about allowing hunting but ya gotta follow their rules. Guide Don has lived in Delta for many many years and it really helped get access - they all know him.
The animals had moved off and our efforts to get close were unsuccessful as the light dropped off.
One cool thing, as we eased back toward the main roads we had a lynx ambling down the road ahead of us a 1/4 mile. He didn't seem to notice us for a good 10 minutes. First lynx I've ever seen in a life time in Alaska.
Day 2 Feb 15still -35 and colder. Much of that day, the temp would drop below the truck's bottom line of -37 and only showed - - | - - ; some farms reported -50 that morning.
Some animals had crossed the highway near my cabin and the guide knew where to look for them.
We found them and tried to make a sneak but they left. Doug frostbites a half dollar size spot on his cheek when we tour a field edge on a snogo.
Went back to the fields we'd seen the animals the previous afternoon.
Found them by the ice fog that hung over them. Couldn't get close and the light faded.
Day 3 Feb 16Wednesday morning was mid teens to mid -20's in some locations, -33 and colder in others.
We went back to the fields from the previous evening and found a big group.
Did a long sneak around some fields, we finally worked within 250 yds of a very large cow.
For a long time we couldn't be sure it was a cow. As guides were trying to be certain, they set me up with a metal tripod.
But the part to rest the gun on was very slippery, & I couldn't get stable or keep the crosshairs on the animal.
Finally the animal turned its head, it was clearly a cow. The guide said shoot but I was still fooling with the tripod trying to get a stable rest and sight picture without making a lot of racket or moving around too much. There wasn't a good alternative rest handy either.
I learned that when a cow tosses her head and looks my way, she is a couple seconds from running. No shot.
Lesson learned here: try out the tripod at the range BEFORE the serious shooting time. That tripod needed a rubber cover over the rest area instead of polished aluminum.
A second try on a different group (lots of walking) we could only get within 330-450 yds. I got a very firm prone rest on a snow drift and had my scope on a probable cow for a long time.
But until she turned her head we weren't sure. The guide told me to shoot the 5th one from the left. I could only see 4. She turned her head again and he said THAT one, but --- yup -- she started moving and at 330 or 360 yds (can't remember now) it was too much to try to snap a shot.
Guide didn't understand that I could not see 5 animals from my position - he was standing up and about 4-5 yds away from me. And then he realized that I only have a 2-7 scope; at 7x I could not make out details to assess sex. I think this is one place where a 3-9 or even better a 4-12 (what guide has) would be very useful in this hunt on these huge 1 or 1.5 mile long by 1/4 to to 1 mile wide fields. Maybe even a 30mm tubed scope.
Just as well, it would have been a long shot for me and thinking back, I was probably holding too high.
Walking on snow in these temps was like rubbing styrofoam packing blocks together - very very squeaky and very noisy.
Where the snow was hard and drifted it sounded like a drum to walk on it or especially when we broke thru - which was most of the time. Really hard to be quiet.
Day ended and I was much more educated on how to hunt these rascals but anxious about my dwindling time. I think the guides were nervous too, and tired. They worked hard.
Day 4 Feb 17 last dayWarmer (-20 or so) and a breeze was starting with thin clouds gathering. We went back to the farm where we'd spent much of the previous 2 days.
This day we have a different tripod that had a rubber V at the top to hold a gun and extended high enough for me to stand with it – the other one was short.
Right off we saw some animals and we had a big dirt pile and hay bales to cover our stalk. Half way to the piles a moose scampers out of another field and right towards the bison - not helpful having spooked animals running around. Another 100 yards and what looks like a coyote jumps up on our left and runs towards the bison!
Climb up on the piles to see the bison have moved out and are at 700-900 yds and no cover. The " coyote" turned out to be a pet husky. I hoped she might distract the bison but they just put down their heads and shake a little - dog had sense not to mess with them.
We tried some other hikes and other fields but found no animals or we just could not get close.
By lunch it was kind of bleak and I was making plans to pay $ 600/day for 2 more days.
We gave up on the fields we'd been working for 2.5 days for something different.
We went about 5-10 miles to a different farm. Saw nothing but drove up on a hill for a better view. Nothing.
As we turned around and started down the hill, Doug spots one animal. We stop then see 2 more stand up about 900 yards away.
Temps were maybe -10 and now we're getting a stiff steady eastern breeze.
We drove closer, then hiked about 3/4 mile from downwind.
Doug pokes his head around a windrow and sees quite a few bison 300 yds away.
We really really carefully move closer using the windrow as a screen - this is our last chance for the day. I think it was about 4:30 pm, clouding up, light dropping steadily and the stiff breeze favored us.
We got within 150 to 200 yards of the group. Most had bedded down and were hard to see. One huge animal stood in the edge of the next windrow.
The big animal had cow-like horns but when it moved it seemed way too big to be a cow, huge hump, wide rump but we couldn't see the belly or any clear features.
For once we had 13 of them totally unaware and not moving out but couldn't see enough to ID the sex. And the light is falling fast.
Doug decides to move the animals before dark. He sneaks back behind the windrow and tells us he'll find a way to get the herd on its feet, hopefully without them stampeding.
I stay bent over the tripod scanning the animals back and forth in case one gets up or the big one steps out.
Finally we hear faint noises far to our left and the bison slowly get up facing Doug's direction - all bunched up. They aren't like caribou where always 1 or 2 dumb ones walk around oblivious to the herd (the ones I usually shoot).
Doug makes a little more noise and the bison start to shift around. We can see 1 cow facing me but closely packed with other animals.
I know not to try a head shot but sure was tempted at 150 yds. with a solid rest.
Finally the animals turn slowly and start to head into the trees - I lose the cow. Bison bunch up REALLY tight whenever they move.
The last and clearest animal to the left turns, drops her rump to pee. Don says last one's a cow for sure, shoot!
By now I know to get the sights on it quick then shoot ASAP. I hear a loud WHACK but can't tell any reaction as the herd stampedes and I lose sight of my animal.
All animals disappear into the trees but I hear a lot of running around, and brush breaking.
Doug appears and we start looking for blood and tracks light is fading fast. He says I shot at 5:38 pm.
I can't tell any blood but head to where I last saw the animal hit the trees while Don goes into the trees on my right, Doug to my left.
I'm barely half way thru the windrow when I hear Doug shout that he found my animal. It had gone thru the windrow, fell, got up walked in a 10 foot circle and dropped.
Nice clean lung shot but a little far forward to clip the back of the front legs.
Whew - I think the guides were happier than me. We're all happy to have a clean shot, clearly legal animal even if it isn't near as big as that first one they put me on.
It was a great hunt and hard earned. Glad I was warned that it could be a hard hunt. Glad I had enough clothes. Sorry to work the guides so hard.
Rifle built by HS precision in 1981 on Rem 700 trued action. 1 shot, 300 win mag, 200 gr Swift A Frame bullet with 70.8 gr IMR 4831, rem brass, cci 250 mag rifle primer with mv about 2850 fps by my chrono. NOTE I have a long throat and seat my bullets out to 3.40 or so. Use load at your own risk.
It should have been going about 2600 FPS when it hit with about 3,000 foot pounds.
I punched ribs going in and out. The animal only went about 20 yards.
We delivered 470 pounds of meat to Delta Meat & Sausage.
Ron at ADFG estimated my animal at 7 yrs. since it still had 1 baby tooth so it wasn't quite a mature cow !
No flying was done for my whole hunt. I like it that way. A more "pure" hunt.
Doug puts on full commercial fishing raingear and can gut an animal in about a half hour - spoiled me! Until I insisted, he didn't want me to get my mitts bloody! How can I go home to a subsistence “village” with no evidence of helping?
That nice snogo sled which helped convince me to hire these guys in the first place is great.
Roll the gutted animal on and a slow ride with the snogo carrying all of us plus the bison back to the truck.
We drove to Don's house to skin and quarter it in his garage - nice.
They use an electric chain saw for quartering - quick. I head to my cabin at 1:30 AM.
I sent the skinned head home to make a European skull mount. The horns are kind of twisted.
Things I wished I'd known or would do different:Bring warm QUIET clothes - many of my real cold weather clothes are noisy. Luckily I had enough "quiet" clothes.
I might have insisted on taking my Safari Sticks - they would have worked well for that first big cow opportunity.
10x or stronger binoculars or a 16x or stronger spotting scope would be very useful - my 8x binocs weren't enough in those big fields.
My 2-7x scope would be ok if stalking conditions were better. As it was I was wishing I had a 4-12 with the best light gathering capacity possible.
Practice with any sorts of shooting aids ahead of time. I had practiced a bit with my safari sticks but not the guide's first tripod.
Talk more to the guides about what they expect and what to expect from the animals - this was much different from my normal caribou and moose hunting and it took me a bit to adjust.
If you can, avoid hunting in such deep cold - stalking is very hard. Don said that these days when more permits are being issued to reduce the herd, the animals have become much more spooky from the increased hunting pressure. They are cagey animals.
The Swift A frame bullets worked fine but I had a hard time getting the copper fouling out of the bore once home and they don't shoot as well as Noslers in my gun. I think 200 gr .308 Noslers would be fine for this effort - but Doug doesn't like them.
Things that were good:Hiring these guides. They found animals every day.
Bringing good Bunny boots and gobs of those disposable toe and hand warmers. My feet were never cold. Had never used Grabber toe warmers - they work.
Bringing felt insoles for the boots and wearing 2 layers of medium wool socks and a thin cabela's poly pro sock next to my foot.
Bringing every bit of heavy fleece and poly pro clothing I had.
Bringing my Cabela's dryplus pants to put over my medium wt poly pro long johns, fleece overalls, poly pro long sleeve top, wool shirt. First time I ever tried the pants and they were wonderful.
Putting 2 long sleeve thick fleece sweaters alternated with wind blocking fleece vests and a borrowed snow camo parka over all of it - the layers worked well when hiking and standing.
I was glad the guides had range finders - a real help in this open situation with animals much bigger than I'm used to looking at.
My sealskin and otter fur hat - except sometimes I couldn't hear the guides when they spoke.
The woven mylar liner gloves supplied by my guides (from Walmart). They are cheap and work. I'd never dreamed it and have avoided them. Bought 4 pair to bring home afterwards.
New Quake Claw no slip sling - it stayed on my shoulder and stayed flexible the whole time. For once my rifle never seemed too heavy.
Heavy leather mittens. I brought my beaver mittens with strings and they were great but tangled with my binoculars and gun sling so they stayed in the truck.
New Scope Shield neoprene scope cover: these have a strap that fits around the forearm to prevent loss, and a grab loop to make it quick and easy to pull off the scope. For once I dared keep the cover on, snow and frost stayed off the scope, and I didn't lose the cover.
Cat Crap (TM) eyeglass anti fog stuff. It wasn't 100% and I had to reapply pretty often but I had less trouble with my glasses than the giudes.
Poly pro balaclava for my head face and neck.
Staying at Silverfox cabins, close to the hunting area. I got an extra 1/2-1 hr sleep for being close - but bring groceries if you don't want to drive 40 miles round trip to a restaurant after a hard day of hunting. The cabins have plug-ins so I kept my sister's car plugged in with the extension cord I brought.
Lots of practice and load development with a familiar gun. When I could settle the sights and ID an animal, I felt real confident and the rest would be fine.
