I’m not sure where to start as it’s been a very exciting year. Important things first. Our daughter Chelsea and Glenn were married on our front lawn on July 26th. It was a great day, everything worked out as close to perfect as could be. They are now living in Slave Lake, Alberta

Because of all the wedding preparations we didn’t take any spring bear hunters but are hoping for a few this spring. I believe we may have taken the big boar that was wrecking the Lodge as it was in perfect shape in July but, we have another bear on the upper Coal who has started a bad habit of wrecking the trapper’s cabins and now our cabin at Wolf Dens so we are going to try for him this spring. If interested, please get in touch.

During May and June when town and wedding preparations would get too much we would head up river to work on a couple cabins. Robbie, Chelsea and I got to check Glenn out while working on the Rock River cabin. He passed our test so we named the cabin after him and Chelsea. The other cabin was built about 60 kilometers above Joel Creek on the Coal River. Both are in prime moose areas that have never been hunted plus they will be used for winter wolf hunting. Sorry, these are already booked for 04.

July was a busy month. David (Ruth’s brother), Janet, Brittany and Randa came up to the Yukon along with Mark, also Ruth’s brother and his girl friend Joanne. They all except Janet, Brittany and Randa got to trail the horses in. Mark did say he would rather fly in the next time. We all had a great couple days enjoying the beautiful country while getting the horses shod and then it was back to town for them while Donn, Joel, Michael, Jackie and I took a week to recut trails and fix up a new camp at South Camp.

Michael and Jackie looked after the horses while we headed back to town for the wedding. As stated earlier it was a perfect day and Chelsea got well hitched. On the 27th Donn, Joel and the new wrangler Brian Fletcher flew back into Ceaser. They along with Michael and Jackie spent the last few days breaking the 2 year olds and getting all set up.

Harold Lange from Germany and two Canadians Oliver Fisher and Bob Pepper were the first hunters. Joel and Michael guided Harold to a nice billy plus they saw about 20 rams which were always too far away. Donn and Jackie got Bob a nice caribou on day one and then Jackie and I got Oliver what would have been the biggest moose of the season if left to grow on the fourth day and a goat on the sixth. You should be able read all about these in the Safari Club’s new magazine.

Next up were repeat hunters Mike Moore, Allen Dillon and Dan and Steve Haymore. Joel and Mike took a picture perfect goat after literally being chased by sand flies out of one camp. Allen had a disagreement with Annie (the horse) and bruised his kidneys and ribs, toughed it out for several more days but successfully made it through the hunt without taking a goat. This is his fourth trip (first with us ) and still no goat. On the way back, they camped at the new camp which we set up this July only to find out the creek had gone dry. They had already set up camp so they packed water for the night on the horses. Needless to say we had to make a major plan change because of this. During this time Donn and I guided the Haymores. It is tough hunting caribou in early August but they were successful. Donn found the first big bull on the second hunting day and again on the second last day.

Rick Dolliver and Steve Byron then joined Joel and Michael while Donn guided Allen Propst and I got to return to Caribou Flats with C. K. Lawson. Allen and C.K. took the largest caribou of the year, 405 and 404 respectively B&C though Allen’s scored 458 SCI making it the bigger of the two. Rick and Steve each took a goat and caribou plus Steve took a very old grizzly.

Sept 7th had Shawn Swor and Jeff, Senior and Junior Link hunting out of Ceaser with Joel and Michael. Shawn took a good caribou while Jeff took the biggest grizzly and a wolf. Donn and Brian( the new wrangler who is now a guide) guided Tom Shirk and Joel Bender after caribou. Both were very successful but when I returned to help with the moose nothing seemed to work right. We decided to try to hunt by boat. The weather delayed this for two days so we only had one evening and the next morning to hunt. We spotted a couple small moose and then a four year old grizzly. While drifting past the grizzly I spotted a wolf which Tom really wanted. He tried to get in position but the boat was too low. Meanwhile the grizzly was checking us out. The boat caught the current and switched ends putting me closest to the bear who was now within 10 ft of me!! Before that he was 10 feet from the rifle man who didn’t even care as he was going to get a shot at the wolf. The grizzly stepped into the water and I figured that was close enough so I yelled at him. We almost got graveled as he spun out of there, of course right at the wolf who Tom now had in his sights except he hadn’t pushed the safety off. Joel and Terry were some what pleased that the bear had left without trying to eat us but Tom was right ticked off that the wolf had gotten away. Maybe next time.

The last horse hunt of the year had Joel and Michael guiding Robert Mochan and Richard Kostkas. We had planned this hunt to go to South Camp and try for the huge grizzly there but the camp creek had gone dry so they went to North camp. Annie and Bob chose the wrong trail and Bob got raked off her back. Being a tough character he thought he would get better but we had to call in the helicopter. A cracked vertebrae and dislocated rib was the outcome. Joel and Richard saw many bulls and tried for a huge bull that gave them the slip. The horses were all in town by the 27th.

Moose Hunting

First up was our first Latvian hunter Janis Loze. He had to come early so we put him and Robbie on Lutz Lake. They saw 26 moose but the biggest bull was only about 40 inches so he didn’t take one. Next up was Louis Carratola and Tom Walton. Louis tried with horses for a couple days but then Dave and he went on the river. The first night they had a grizzly come to camp and die from 375 lead poisoning and a couple days later a 58 inch moose died of the same disease. Robbie took Tom into Taffie Creek and also killed a 58 inch bull.

Glenn Haas flew into the Beaver with Lawrence and Ralph on the 17th and a couple days later had a moose down. Glenn left this moose with Ralph so he could carve a picture on it. A unique trophy. Dave and Andy Brueggemann were the next ones into the Beaver and were very successful. Dave is booked to bring his son back next year. 

John Hollenback and Harold Elliot were the next ones into Taffie Creek. John and Walter scored first with a grizzly, followed by Robbie and Harold with a moose. Robbie and Harold then got to watch Walter and John sneak up the beach with the moose coming out behind them. Luckily somebody turned around and the moose was history.

Rich Neilson and Steve Einhardt had the last hunt at Taffie. Both took nice moose. 

Our bow hunters all were supposed to start on the 29th but Air Canada lost Jody’s bags so he lost three days. Dennis and Dave were already finished so Dennis flew out on Jody’s plane. Joel and Pete Page then took a 60 in bull. They saw so many bulls at Toobally that we are thinking about offering a management bull hunt there to try and improve the genetics.

Donn left the horse camp on the 19th to take Mathew and Eugene Yap hunting. Mathew was our youngest hunter and took the biggest moose of the year. They also had a grizzly on the carcass but couldn’t get a shot at it. Donn waited for 3 days while Jody waited for his bags. He had moose calling all around him but once Jody arrived the bulls would stay in the timber. After three days at Tamarack they flew to Toobally where they saw many small bulls. Donn wanted to keep trying for a big one but finally let Jody shoot on the last day.

LATE SEASON CARIBOU

Norm Dube and Peter Wolf arrived in town on the 18th and we headed to camp next day. We took both snowmobiles and 4 wheelers and had to use the Hondas. That evening we saw about 30 caribou but nothing exciting. Next day we saw well over 150 but I again wasn’t impressed though Joel and Peter spotted a big one where Norm and I had been. We pulled all stops out next day and Joel and Peter took a beautiful 400ish bull while Norm and I picked up a smaller one.

Stan Yukevich and Robert Grooms were next. We arrived back in the mountains and now had enough snow for the snowmobiles. Again the first day we didn’t see much but the next day Donn hit the jackpot. Even though completely fogged in they saw over 100 and took a heavily palmated 395 point bull. Robert and I saw a good bull that day but waited till the next day to get him and thus ended our 03 season.

WHAT'S NEW AND WHAT'S HOT FOR 2004

LOOKING AHEAD

We are almost fully booked for the fall season of 04 but do have the following openings.

Winter wolf, lynx and wolverine • We have extended the trapping season on wolves to March 31st so the best wolf hunting will now be in March. Lynx and wolverine season still stops March 10th. I have a couple openings in February on Joel and my trap line which is the best place for lynx. The March hunts are going to the higher country of the Hyland and Coal which should give you the edge on wolves.

Spring Bear • We are offering 3 dates this year. The first is May 1st to 10th in the Hyland –Summit lake Country using a tracked argo. The next ones will be on the Coal May 13th to 22nd and May 25th to June 3rd. These last ones will be after the bear that keeps wrecking the cabins there. There is a lot of bear in this country.

Goat and caribou • We have only one opening Aug 13th to 24th and two Aug 16th to Sept 6. Great time and area. 

Moose • We are currently booked for the regular fall hunts however I am offering a personally guided hunt Oct 10th to 18th. This hunt will be taken into an area with a high concentration of post rut moose. Call for more details.

We will be attending the following shows this winter.

• Dallas Safari Club Jan 8 to 11 Booth 636

• F.N.A.W.S. Jan 14 to 17 Booth 1112

• S.C.I. Jan 21 to 24 Booth 1239