In the Winter 2008 Issue of the Kentuckiana Hunter Newsletter, I wrote “Caribou Hunting” and “An October 2007 Hunt for Artic Island Caribou and Muskox”.  Taking the caribou and Muskox (the fifth of six caribou) also gave me two additional animals of the North American 29 bringing my total to 25.

I felt confident that I would be able to obtain the North American 29; this being a big achievement for me.  Normally I only book one or two hunts each year, but to boost my odds I booked four hunts in 2008. 

Coastal Island Black Bear

The first hunt was for a Coastal Island Black Bear in the spring.  This animal is considered different from the North American Black Bear with unlike DNA.  Never the less, it is very similar and I only noticed the front shoulders being wider.  This hunt took place on Vancouver Island about 70-80 miles inland from Campbell River.  I hunted with North Island Guide and Outfitters operated by David Fife.  There are several outfitters and I believe most of them have a very high success rate.  There were three other hunters staying in a nice frame home with a local lady making good home cooked meals.  We stayed in a logging town which was practically a ghost town due to the logging industry being severely depressed.  The hunting was done by driving the old logging roads, glassing the logged over areas and the grassy slopes.  I took a nice 6’2” bear on the fifth day of a six day hunt at about eight yards.

I choose outfitters for my hunts by meeting them at conventions, referrals from other outfitters, fellow hunting friends, and advertisements.  I like to talk to them either in person or by phone.  In an outfitter, I am looking for someone I feel I can get along with, how hard they hunt, their success rate, what their hunting area is like and the amount of game available.  Then I try to read between the lines. 

In early August 2008, I was off to southern California for a Tule Elk.  There are not a lot of opportunities to hunt Tule Elk, so I contacted Cabella’s to see if they could suggest an outfitter.  Within three months, I had a hunt arranged with Western Wildlife Adventures.  Most of these hunts are set on a larger ranch which receives one or two permits a year and leases them to the outfitters.  After flying into San Luis Obisco, I was picked up by the guide and we drove 60-70 miles.  We decided to drive out to the ranch where we were going to hunt and see if there was any activity.  The area was fairly arid with miles and miles of grain fields.  The elk moved back and forth on the ranches depending on the feed and hunting pressures.  Our hunting area had water which provides favorable conditions. We glassed the area from about a mile away and saw 60-80 elk.  After seeing the herd of elk, I hoped they would still be there the next morning on opening day.

Tule Elk

The next morning we got to the ranch well before daylight.  The elk were still there with two or three other small herds moving in the area.  The elk were fighting for dominance and chasing the cows.  It was quite a sight!  There were three good bulls worth taking.  We stalked the elk for one half mile, crawling and sliding on our stomachs until we were in range.  I picked the bull I liked best and waited till he moved into position.  The elk were moving back and forth between each other.  Finally, I had a clear shot at 265 yards and I had my elk!  He scored around 265, and I had my 27^th of the North American 29.

As I said before, I usually only take one or two hunts a year.   But this year was different.  I only needed two more animals until I reached the magical “29”.  So at the end of August, I went to British Columbia with Scoop Lake Outfitters seeking a Grizzly Bear and a Western Moose.  I really wanted the Grizzly with the moose being a secondary goal.  This was a big mistake because I came away empty handed.  If I had concentrated on the moose, I probably would have been able to take one.  I did manage to kill a wolf. 

I had to fly in from Watson Lake to the main camp on Scoop Lake.  Then, we flew out to a cabin on a smaller lake.  This area was beautiful mountain country with lakes and rivers interspersed.  The scenery was absolutely awesome. 

Unable to quit, I flew off to Newfoundland in October to hunt Woodland Caribou with Mount Peyton Outfitters.  The Fish and Game Department had cut the number of tags by 40% due to the decline in the caribou herds.  The Woodland Caribou are smaller in size and carry less impressive racks than the other five species of caribou. 

I flew into Gander, Newfoundland and drove to a lodge in the back country.  We drove on quads down the logging and fire roads back into the bogs.  Then, we were forced to hike and glass the rest of the way.  Hiking in the bogs is not a lot of fun.  We would take one step and sink down to our ankles.  I felt like I had done five miles after having traveled only one half mile. 

On the second day, I managed to take a “shooter”.  It was a descent caribou, but not the “monster” I always hoped for.  I had just taken the 28th of the North American 29 and added the last of the caribou species to my collection.

In February of 2009, my wife Nancy and I took a vacation to New Zealand and toured the South Island.  It was a very beautiful place with scenery varying from glaciers, fjords, mountains and cliffs.  And the wine was excellent!  South Island is home to five million sheep and one million people. 

Fred with his Fallow taken
with South Pacific Safaris

We had purchased a three day hunt with Mike and Debbie Wilks of South Pacific Safaris at our annual SCI Chapter banquet.  On this hunt, I took a high silver metal stag and a very nice fallow deer. While it was a great time these did not help my pursuit of the 29!

In the first part of September 2009, the pursuit of the 29 continued.  I was off to Northern California to hunt Roosevelt Elk.  This hunt was booked with MUMs four years prior.  The hunt was on a 7,200 acre Stover Ranch in the mountains of Northern California, amongst the magnificent redwoods, in the Pacific Rainforest.  I flew into Eureka, California were the guide/owner picked me up.  We drove to our cabin arriving at about 2:30am. 

The cabin was set on a high knob overlooking a deep valley and the parallel mountain ridge.  The cabin was very primitive with no electricity.  However, there was propane for the cook stove, hot water for the shower, wood stove for heat, and lanterns for the evenings.  The water was piped in from a spring higher on the knob. 

The first morning we were up a little late.  We drove further up the mountain for a better vantage point.  Very soon after arriving, we spotted through the scope, a very good size bull ½ to ¾ miles away.  We immediately moved down the back side of the ridge staying out of sight and down wind.  When we reached the area where we had spotted him, he was no longer there.  We hiked further down the ridge and spotted the bull standing next to the heavy timber.  The bull stood facing us at 110 yards.  I decided to wait until he turned to get a good side body shot.  This was a big mistake.  When he turned, he took off running.  I fired as he disappeared into the timber.  I told the guide I thought I had missed and shot below him.  The guide said he didn’t see the elk hump up or hear the bullet hit.  We walked down to where we had last seen the elk to check for blood.  Just then, we heard some movement.  It sounded like it might be a herd of elk the bull may have run towards.  We waited quietly, trying to assess the situation. We soon heard more movement and the sound of branches breaking.  It then fell silent again.  We both wondered if he was there or if the sound was of something else.

Roosevelt Elk

We decided to move in a little closer.  We soon found the bull lying there.  The sound had been his antlers hitting a branch above him.  I had made a good shot through the rib cage, lung and heart.  He was a very pretty animal.  His coat was perfect.  The rut had not yet started; he had no rub marks, and had not wallowed in the mud. 

I did not see any more elk over the next three days but I wasn’t disappointed because I had my  bull.  The Stover Ranch gets two elk permits a year.  The next hunter also got an elk down in the draws.  That seem to be where the elk were staying.

The Roosevelt Elk is the largest of the three elk.  To me, this elk was huge.  According to the guide, it was 7 x 7, with a SCI rough score of 333 and Boone and Crocket score of 316.  This was quite a befitting trophy to finish my “North American 29”!

But hopefully my numbers will continue as I have a trip scheduled for British Columbia October 1-7^th for a Shiras Moose hunt!