Fall 22/23 Days Afield Thread

[MiddleOfNight]

Begin.

[wooley12]

Anyone looking to bag a woodcock this year?

[MakersTeleMark]

I always looked forward to whose photo would make the cover of the brochures. I guess since massive influx and development occurred, they can't even get any submissions anymore. And I'm pissed because my home unit got included for CWD testing.

[thebirdhunter]

Anyone looking to bag a woodcock this year?

Only your wife is, now gtfo of this thread you sad sorry fuck

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Think I need to step up this year during archery. I have a zone that I really like and starting to get them patterned. Just need to put in the work and camp for a solid week and get it done.

[MiddleOfNight]

Just need to put in the work and camp for a solid week and get it done.

^^ that's always been my issue with archery too, not fully committing.

Archery tags (deer) are A tags, and my either sex rifle is also an A .. so I tend to pick the rifle season, then hunt with my bow if I can. Better chance for success.

As for Elk, I'll probably do cow/archery (B tag) then look to draw a rifle tag .. or maybe just snag an over-the-counter a bull tag for later rifle seasons.

I'm pissed because my home unit got included for CWD testing.

Man, same. For the past few seasons too. The CPW branch office is an hour each way, by the time you get there and fool around it's like 3-4 hours, unless you're just dropping off. Results take like 6 weeks.

I'll probably put in for moose and sheep again too - expecting only to win a preference point.

[hatchgreenchile]

I’ll go for moose and sheep points as well. Elk will likely be archery, depends if my brother and Dad are interested.

I’ve got a decent amount of pronghorn points, if you CO mags have some recommendations on premier GMUs and season, it be appreciated.

Western Sportsman Show is next month in Denver, stoked to attend!

[snapt]

Used some points for WY elk so I can hunt 5 minutes from the house. Normal ID archery zone is the plan. I got another pointy dog last week so we have some work to do this summer.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

I’ll go for moose and sheep points as well. Elk will likely be archery, depends if my brother and Dad are interested.

I’ve got a decent amount of pronghorn points, if you CO mags have some recommendations on premier GMUs and season, it be appreciated.

Drive to Wyoming??

I've been debating cashing in my pronghorn points as well and all the feedback I've gotten is the NW units (2,3,4, etc) are the best bet for hunt experience and public access. If you have access to private or want to drive east and start knocking on doors then that's an option but everything I've heard is access is getting harder to get out East. I've heard the Grasslands units can be good but get crowded and are a shitshow opening weekends. The guy who won the RMBS statewide raffle tag a few years back shot his in one of the San Luis Valley units, but I think he had some private land access to scout and find it, and overall numbers in those units are relatively low I think. Take this all with a grain of salt since it's all second hand though.

[zion zig zag]

Used some points for WY elk so I can hunt 5 minutes from the house. Normal ID archery zone is the plan. I got another pointy dog last week so we have some work to do this summer.

And despite me setting a calendar notification, and actually talking to you about it on deadline day.....I forgot to apply for WY elk. So it looks like I'll have another point next year.

Good looking pup! I'll hitting you up for training advice.

[snapt]

Good looking pup! I'll hitting you up for training advice.

Buddy and I just put a coop together at his place and have some homers/squeakers showing up in April. We'll hafta get the pup on some birds.

[Phall]

Should draw LE Archery here in Utah on the Wasatch. Tough hunt but ready to cash in and figure out out of state going forward.
2nd year of dedicated hunter for deer, should also draw a doe tag.
Hoping there are some leftover WY deer tags for the unit where my buddy lives.

[zion zig zag]

Should draw LE Archery here in Utah on the Wasatch. Tough hunt but ready to cash in and figure out out of state going forward.
2nd year of dedicated hunter for deer, should also draw a doe tag.
Hoping there are some leftover WY deer tags for the unit where my buddy lives.

I'll probably apply for Mule Deer in WY. I need to put a reminder on my calendar

[neufox47]

Anyone done the Alaska haul road caribou hunt? Going in early Sept. tips, tricks and would have done different?


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[Hopeless Sinner]

2 of my hunting buddies will have new pups(1 Griffon and 1 Lab) this fall so I'll buy some pheasants for them to practice on. As for myself I cherish archery elk and am looking forward to that immensely. The elk run the deer out of my hunting area, but I'd shoot one if given the opportunity.

[Patarero]

Anyone done the Alaska haul road caribou hunt? Going in early Sept. tips, tricks and would have done different?

Nice, you have an adventure ahead of you. Check out the Tundra Talk podcast, especially the one with Nick Muche about his caribou season. Lots of tips in there. I have hunted them in the Brooks and Talkeetnas. Uhaul is the way to go for a rental. Alaska air known shipper to get back. The cargo office is easy to get to but not at the terminal. Office supply in Fairbanks has all the things you need to wrap horns. There is a hotel in Fairbanks that has ground floor suites with direct access to a lawn and full size fridges. Perfect for processing.

Back of the line for Idaho tags, so no love there. Passed on Wyoming again to build points. Have 11 Bull Elk pts in WA and 6 cow points, might try to burn the bull pts. Picked up a new pup saturday.

[highangle]

Didn't draw a goat tag, which is understandable, but just for kicks I downloaded the Draw Permit Applications pdf table of all permit applicants [what draw hunts they applied for, and how they fared] and used the simple "Find" function in Firefox.

99% of Applicants for a certain DG tag were Alaska Residents, but only 40% of the winners were Alaska Residents and only 1 of those lived within 100mi. Nice



If I had the time, I'd task a toadie with loading the whole thing into ArcGIS. Pretty sure it would show a bias in an ostensibly random drawing towards those who fly in, esp for species that require guides for nonresidents... Don't know how I feel about that...

[Patarero]

Didn't draw a goat tag, which is understandable, but just for kicks I downloaded the Draw Permit Applications pdf table of all permit applicants [what draw hunts they applied for, and how they fared] and used the simple "Find" function in Firefox.

99% of Applicants for a certain DG tag were Alaska Residents, but only 40% of the winners were Alaska Residents and only 1 of those lived within 100mi. Nice



If I had the time, I'd task a toadie with loading the whole thing into ArcGIS. Pretty sure it would show a bias in an ostensibly random drawing towards those who fly in, esp for species that require guides for nonresidents... Don't know how I feel about that...

Is that a product of non-res going all in on that tag vs residents spreading the odds? For DC tags you can enter 3 times on 1 tag. Same apply for goat? If not, that is statistically weird.

[highangle]

Is that a product of non-res going all in on that tag vs residents spreading the odds? For DC tags you can enter 3 times on 1 tag. Same apply for goat? If not, that is statistically weird.

For Ak general season Draw you can apply 6x for a species. An individual can apply his 6 chances per species to 6 different Drawing hunt units, or to 1.

To answer you question, a casual sort through the Results Table shows plenty of Ak residents teaming up - Dad, Mom, the 4 kids all putting in all their 6 chances each for the same DM [moose], DB [bison], DS [sheep],...in this case DG339 [maybe the most sought-after goat tag in Alaska].

[highangle]

Anyone done the Alaska haul road caribou hunt? Going in early Sept. tips, tricks and would have done different?


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Never done it, but have heard it's a shitshow of packed turnouts and always being in sight of all the other road hunters. You might do better to float the Sag...

Protips: The tundra is like walking on a mattress. If you have any sort of knee issues, you're not gonna have fun hiking. In fact, bring some elastic knee supports and plenty of ibuprofen whoever you are. Upside is If it's frozen or frosted [which it may be in September], a roll-up poly sled like a Deer Sleigher works like a dream.

There's no real hills, and there's only cover in little creek bottoms. When you travel on the North Slope, you raise and sink land features like you are on the ocean. On a clear day, direction finding isn't a challenge. But on a cloudy day when you can't make out the sun, you might as well be on the ocean, so bring a compass and GPS, and always always waypoint your truck and camp. It can be very easy to get lost 5 miles out on the tundra, which is the minimum for gun hunters.
On this note, there are commercial phone and GPS apps/uploads that carefully delineate the Dalton Highway Corridor for hunters. Pretty sure ADF&G are gonna want a LatLong on your successful Harvest Report...It can't be in the Corridor!

Caribou smell as well as any deer, but don't have very good vision, and unmolested caribou can be curious. I've sat down within sight of caribou, and had bull caribou walk 400 yards to check me out from 3' away before they spooked.

There's always a huge difference between sunny and cloudy in the Arctic. Even in the summer, it can go from 75 and sunny to 36 and nasty in moments. But it's never pleasant in the Arctic when there are any clouds. Shouldn't be much bugs in September, but it will probably spit snow at you every time it sulls up. It can easily get down around zero in September in the Arctic if there's a cold snap.

Find a daylight hours table by date. Your days will be short.
You want a floor in your tent, if you warm up the tundra you will hatch out mosquitoes. You prob won't need a 4-season tent... but one will sure be nice to have if it kicks up.

[Phall]

Anyone familiar with Region F in WY? I have a buddy who lives up there, its tempting. I could draw a Limited Quota unit 110/111 Deer hunt, Nov 1-15th.

[2FUNKY]

Anyone familiar with Region F in WY? I have a buddy who lives up there, its tempting. I could draw a Limited Quota unit 110/111 Deer hunt, Nov 1-15th.

I’m very familiar with that area. I’ll reach out later tonight via PM.

[highangle]

In the woods of the coastal PNW, BC, Alaska, there's a interesting plant called Devil's Club. It smells unlike anything else. Bumblebees love the blooms, and the new spring shoots cooked like greens are exotic and tasty, in a Thai sorta way. For anyone in the woods, they kinda suck


...those spines are all different sizes and break off real easy. They're also like shark teeth, with little rearward facing spines that drill the little fuckers in. On trails, they're mostly manageable. One step off the trail, they are not. Just one of the reasons we wear so much Carhartt up here...

Which brings me to hunting pants. Especially softshell-type. Softshell or stretch panels on the front face of many a fine pair of hunting pants will collect devil's club spines and set your kneecaps and thigh skin on fire in just a few miles of FS trail around here, much less bushwhacking. Gaiters certainly help, but they're only below the knee and any leg gaiter stout enough to turn devils club is hot af when you're hatin' life trying to get to or down from treeline. iow when you're confronting the devil's club in all its glory.

So I like the Fjallraven Keb. But they were backordered in my size and so was Barney's, so I started casting about and found Tru Spec 24-7 Xpedition pants. I can handle some 35% cotton if it will prevent DC rash on my kneecaps lighting me up like 1st degree burns. Turns out they're fucking great for my use case. A little heavy, but well built, and the cottony parts don't stay damp. I buy them to fit in the waist and stride, but a couple inches shorter than my street pants because they'll stretch more than they'll shrink and so they don't drag in the mud.

A couple weeks ago, my wife found some Xpedition pants at garage sale prices on Poshmark and bought me a pair in Multicam. The seller padded out the box with not 1 but 2 Tru Spec combat shirts. You know, like what you wear under your plate carrier...

At first I was like, "Until someone invades Alaska I can't think of a single use I'd have for even one of these"... But holy shit my old lady looks hot wearing it...

[Hopeless Sinner]

I buy my camo from tru-spec, but used Filson Double Oil Cloth Tin pants in the Tongass laying out timber sales which is 100% bushwacking in devil's club infested areas. The spines for those not familiar w Devil's Club will stay embedded and become infected 100% of the time. The Tin pants repel the spines and "hang" so nice even soaking wet they are very comfortable. After work stand them in the corner and they will be there in the morning ready for another day!

[highangle]

I buy my camo from tru-spec, but used Filson Double Oil Cloth Tin pants in the Tongass laying out timber sales which is 100% bushwacking in devil's club infested areas. The spines for those not familiar w Devil's Club will stay embedded and become infected 100% of the time. The Tin pants repel the spines and "hang" so nice even soaking wet they are very comfortable. After work stand them in the corner and they will be there in the morning ready for another day!

You're right man. Tin pants are the classic sourdough rain armor. Tall logging boots and socks, then a pr of oversized Tin pants hung on suspenders and cut off about mid shin over your woolies or sweats, which are also cut off to the bottom of your knee.
Downside is they're heavy af, and get to smelling mighty strong if you keep them inside. Also, you don't want to store them touching some other textile you don't want waxed. That shit will bleed over time.