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| Babe
with his Yukon moose taken August of 2004. |
(Airs the weeks of
July 2- July 8th and October 1-to October 7)
Okay everybody…this week
it’ll be spot and stalk big game hunting
for high-country caribou and massive bull moose
in the Yukon Territory. So if you’re ready
to tag along, it’s time.
Well, I should
say almost time, because before anything else…it
takes a lot of “getting there” to
get to the Yukon.
First, commercial air from
Winnipeg, Manitoba to Vancuver, Britsh Columbia…then,
on to Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory, before
a floatplane flight northeast to Mayo Lake—basecamp
for Prophet Muskwa Outfitters.
The final leg
of our journey takes us to Misty Lake Camp—-a
no-contact-with-the-outside-world, basic
facility with all the comforts a back-country
hunter needs. There,
we meet Jim Richards, our guide for the
coming 9 day hunt, which will include persuits
for woodland
caribou…Yukon moose…and if
all goes really well…perhaps even
grizzly bear.
Also accopanying me on this
adventure as our camp chef and general remote
site helper is Steve
Toriseva of my staff. A former Montana
outfitter, skilled in handling backcountry medical
emergencies…he’s
a really handy guy to have along.
In the
Yukon, it is unlawful to hunt the same day
a nonresident
hunter arrives. So for the remainer of
day one in camp, there’s chores to do—namely
mending fences and making sure my Browning
is shooting true.
Next morning, while Jim and
I prep the
horses, Steve does a fine job of earning
his salt
firing up the griddle and seeing to breakfast.
Yeah…that’s
right—nothing like some good fuel
in the belly before a long day on horseback.
Not 400
yards from camp we spot our first bull
moose! Beautiful, but you’ve gotta
know I grabbed my rifle just to be sure.
And even if this guy
isn’t the bull I’m looking
for, not a bad omen to start things off
wouldn’t
you say?
We ride…and ride…and
ride…and
ride. Somewhere along the way it all
hits me—I’m
really here…in the Yukon…among
all its glory. During this early September
timing,
some of the caribou’s racks are
still covered in velvet, while others
have just recently shed.
Jim says looking for racks is the key
to glassing for trophy bous.
The long
and short for day one
is about a 10 mile ride and more wonderful
first impressions than a person can possibly
imagine.And
as the sun sets over the pristine, snow-capped
mountaintops of the Yukon, I’m
incredibly thankful to be here and even
more excited for
the hunting adventures that lie ahead.
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