.Shadow Mountain Outdoors

WE LOVE PAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Life usually brings a lot of discomfort all by itself, and most folks try to avoid as much of that pain as possible.
Then there are those who put themselves out there knowing it will hurt, and sometimes hurt real badly.
I really don't particularly enjoy the pain of trying to thaw out frozen hands and toes. Those little finnies don't look much like they should be able to muster all that pain, since they don't appear to be damaged much.
Never assume that those little things will thaw peacefully.
I have shed many tears while trying to get some warmth and circulation back into those critters.
I suppose that most folks would at least TRY to keep the things warm enough to avoid the displeasure, but I have never been lucky enough to avoid the problem.
No normal folks would consider going out on a windy lake when the temperature was 5 above zero. No normal folks would EVEN think of going fishing when it's that cold.
The only reason the lake was not frozen over was the gale blowing down the lake, keeping the water moving enough to not freeze. Most of the low-land lakes were frozen over, but this high mountain lake was still open and begging for some fools to fish it.
On November 4th, my nephew, Frank, Lin and I put a boat on Cooper Lake, high in the mountains above Kenai Lake.
Cooper Lake always blesses us with some of the finest Arctic Char and Rainbow trout. It also has a hybrid mixture of the two, which are Char-bows.
The lake is deep and the water is clear and moving. Not stagnant like other lakes. The rivers drain into the lake and out the other end near the big dam.
Most people don't catch much when they fish there, but we have figured out how to fish the lake and we always limit out quickly.
The only smart thing we done was take along a little Buddy heater. I never spent much time in the cab of the boat because the fish were biting so fast that I had to hold my pole to keep it from being jerked into the lake.
Lin also stayed out in the cold wind and managed to beat me at fishing once again. It was because I had to bait her hook and my fingers stayed frozen beyond feeling.
My reel also froze up and was very hard to get the thing to turn.
During such a fishing frenzy one seldom realizes just how cold the old nose, feet, and hands can get.
The lake is in steep snow covered mountains. The sun only shines there for a couple of hours a day, and since we got there late, the shadows were already on the water. It is one of the most beautiful lakes on earth, and one of the coldest in the winter.
We all knew it was not going to be very pleasant, but it would be the last trip of the Fall before freeze up. Not going was not even an option.
Yeah, I knew it was going to hurt, but this time it was special.
I did managed to drive back home, but my hands and feet kept me in tears the whole way back home.
The fishing was more than great; the scenery was more than breath taking; and the pain won't soon be forgotten.
I guess it was a trade off of a sort. Having said all of that, ice fishing will be starting in a few weeks. By then I won't remember the pain, and I guess I'll have to learn the "pain lesson" all over again.
Without a little pain, there would be no adventure. Life without adventures wouldn't be worth living. Strange, Huh??

Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:58:00 +0000

Fall is by far my favorite season.
Each season has it's sounds. Each season has it's beginning and end. Each season has it's feeling of the weather and the "change" in the air. All of the wild creatures react to these changes.
Fall is the time of the moose and caribou rutting. It is the time you hear the grunting and the slashing of the bulls as they compete for dominance. It is the clashing of large antlers as the big bulls battle for the right to propagate the species.
It is the long moans of the cows as they search for the dominant bull.
The wilderness is alive with the calls of the ducks and geese as they prepare for their long journey south.
The bears are finishing off every edible salmon, grass, and berries before the land is covered in snow and ice.
I think my favorite sound is the song of the loons on an unnamed lake.
Too much of our lives are taken up in the struggle with mortgages and the never ending battle with paying the bills.
It seems that we spend most of our time trying to find happiness and peace in a world that has neither.
I guess most folks define happiness as the things they can acquire, which never will fill the void.
Too soon we get old and find that we have missed the opportunity to find what we have fought so hard to get.
I learned as a youth that most of who I am could be found in the wilderness.
I always felt more at home in the mountains. I always felt more accepted in the wilderness.
Wild places never required me to act a certain way, or to be a certain way. It always allowed me to fit in and flow with the way wild critters lived.
I learned very young HOW to fit in without having to change the way the winds of the wild spirits would blow.
There is nothing about the ways of nature that I would change.
Most town folks will never understand what I'm talking about. Most town folks are happy with being around other town folks. Most town folks also seldom stop and enjoy a sunset.
How sad it is to live out your life depending on others for your happiness.
The wilderness has never let me down. It has never left me feeling unfulfilled. It has never failed to bring the inner peace and quietness of my spirit. The wilderness will find me at peace with myself and my Creator.
Fall always finds me camped in the mountains for many weeks.
Fall is the time I fill my freezer with moose meat. It is the time I gather firewood for the long, cold Alaskan nights ahead.
I actually look forward to the challenge of survival through the long months of winter.
I am at my best preparing for these challenges. I haven't let health issues stop me or slow me down much.
This year has been tough and probably would have stopped most. I had a 4 pound cancerous kidney removed along with 14 inches of cancerous colon.
I went on to get the set nets out a few weeks later and catch the salmon for four families.
I have all of the clams in the freezer for winter that I dug with a belly full of stitches.
Lin and I have several gallons of berries that we picked during moose camp.
A lot of folks enjoy the opera or the latest movie. We would rather share a berry patch with a bear.
Today the leaves have turned to their fall colors. Today I felt a crispness in the air. It was like the air was thinner with the promise of heavy frosts ahead. Today the "change" was definitely in the air. Soon the rains of late summer will give away to the quietness of blowing snow.
Soon the colors of fall will give away to the soft white blanket of winter.
Soon the only sounds will be the mournful howling of the wolf pack on it's winter nights hunt.
The ducks and geese will be long gone to their wintering grounds in the south.
Alaska will be buried in long months of darkness and ice.
The tourists will be home smoking on their exhaust pipes and we will be sitting around the fireplace drinking hot chocolate.
It will be a time for reflecting on the year gone past and plans for the new life of spring.
We will be pouring over maps in search of new moose hunting camps. Already we are talking about moose season next fall. Already we are putting plans together for family meetings to get ready for next fall.
Soon the lakes will be frozen over several feet thick. Soon we will load up our fishing gear and heading back into the bush on ice fishing adventures. Soon we will be living the adventures that others can only dream about.
Tonight I look out over the Kenai River Valley into the falling darkness. The Alpine glow of the Kenai Mountains has finally gone from pinkish purple to the long shadows of an Alaskan night.
I can't help but to feel fortunate to be here on my mountain. I can't help but to feel very blessed for our log home and the warmth of our fire and friends. The thought of being somewhere else would be unthinkable.
We are ready for the challenge of the long Alaskan winter. We are ready for the temperatures to fall well below zero. We are ready to watch the snow falling around the house and down into the river valley below.
We are ready to snuggle up under the down blanket and feel secure. We are ready for all the fury and beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. We are ready!

Not So Dumb After All

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Well, there are some pretty smart weather folks out there after all.
I called the National Weather Service in Anchorage about those "tornado's".
It didn't take them long to e-mail me back with the answer as to what we went through.
I had heard of "williwaw's before, but never on the main land. I found out they do appear in Chile, and Greenland etc.
They are caused by "down sloping winds" that come down from the mountains in glacial country.
The wind gravitationally sinks very quickly causing the winds to heat up and gain speeds of over 120 MPH. They cause tornadic twisters that are very dangerous.
During WW11, in the Aleutian Islands williwaw's caused heavy damage to aircraft and the military encampments.
If you are interested in williwaw's, you can look it up on the web. There is quite a bit of info on them.
I know that we don't want anything more to do with them!

The Glacial Tornado's of the Twenty Mile River

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:17:00 +0000

I have been putting off writing this story due to the lack of information I had in trying to explain the event. I have not ever been exposed to the kind of wind problem we had.
Most folks don't seem to get a grip on the situation we faced.Everyone I've talked to get funny looks on there faces and try to understand, but they have never heard of such a thing.
I have camped in high mountain passes over the last 40 years. I have had to get up several times to repair broken tent poles, broken rope "tie downs", and about every thing else on a tent that can break.
These high winds can rip up about anything out there.It takes a very good tent to withstand some of the harsh winds. High winds are the norm and I always make great preparation to set up our camp with the wind direction in mind.I use trees, alders, rocks, logs and anything else to block the winds. I am certainly no rooky when it comes to setting up a safe camp
Actually Lin and I camp out for two months a year.
This year we both got our moose in a couple of days, and decided to join my two nephews, Frank and Ernest Hunt, on their moose hunt in the Twenty Mile River area.It was a once in a life time draw and it was in the most scenic area in Alaska.
The Twenty Mile is a valley just north of Portage Glacier. It is an area known for very high winds. With that in mind, we set up camp on a gravel bar next to a row of trees.
The first couple of days brought rain in buckets. The river begin to come up the bank and we were soon surrounded by rushing water on our little island.Luckily I had my SAT phone and was able to call our boat friends to move us down river.
We set up camp about 3 miles down river on a bend. We had nice high ground and were able to set the tent up in an alder thicket.I love alder thickets! It provides many great places to tie to the bases of the bushes.We took liberty of all of the bushes.
I knew a storm was coming up the Prince William Sound and high winds were coming.Prince William Sound dumps wind over Portage Pass and down over the frozen glaciers at speeds of nearly 100 MPH regularly. It wasn't something I did not expect.I even tied a rope over the top of the tent to hold it down in case of one of those gusts.
What I didn't know was the warm air would come over the passes and become "down-sloping" winds. The warm air would hit the frozen glaciers and ice covered river causing "glacial tornado's".
Three mountain passes entered the Twenty Mile valley from the south at 90 degrees.I had noticed that the normal wind currents caused little twisters in the low fog clouds almost every day. It never occurred to me that those same little twisters could become raging glacial tornado's with winds well over 100 MPH.
As I had already stated, these were not the run-of-the-mill gust of high winds.
The first tornado hit the tent at 12:30 AM on Sept 11.The wind outside had only been barely blowing, if at all.We could hear the deafening roar for 45 seconds.
We have never been in a tornado, but we all knew what the roar was about.
The first blast hit the tent and we thought it would explode. The tent blew up like a big balloon, and almost went up. The blast lasted for what seemed like two minutes and was gone. Everything outside was dead calm.We jumped up, got dressed and went outside to re-tie the broken ropes.
We took shovels and dumped a ton of gravel on the tent flaps around the outside.We tied two more ropes over the top, and hung our 5 gallon water jugs on the corners of the tent.Frank grabbed the chain saw and cut three logs ten feet long. He notched the ends and we braced the walls inside the tent. I tied the logs to the upper side rails and buried the butt of the logs in the ground.We were lucky to have most of the bracing done before the next tornado hit.
I was standing outside when it hit. I grabbed the top corner of the tent and tried to hold it down until the roar had passed. I was scared it would lift me up too!
The one strange "other" thing was the warmth of the air. It should have been cold, but it was warm instead. During several of the blasts we were also slammed by hail and rain.When each tornado hit, the hail and rain also hit. Then as quickly as it started it would be dead still and quiet. It was just like someone flipped the switch off.
We were forced to hang on the logs to hold the tent down until 5:00 in the morning.
I don't know how many tornadoes actually hit us. I think it was between 15 and 20.The first 5 were much the worse.
We survived because we done everything right. I had everyone dressed warm and in rain gear in case we lost the tent. I also had a 10X12 tarp tied to a log outside in case we had to spend the night out in the rain.I told everyone to drop to the ground if the tent did explode. I know some or all of us could have been injured very badly if we lost it.
The next morning we found all of our nice awnings shredded and everything else blown across the gravel bar.I had a ground blind set up with a portapoddy. That critter had to be hunted down and dragged back to camp.
The heavy tie-down loops on the tent had all been ripped out.
Not much actually scares me. Not big bears or much of anything else, but this night I was scared. Lin, with her bad back, hung in there and done her job in spite of the pain. She did not come apart as some would have done.
The next morning the stress shown very vividly on every ones face. We were lucky to be alive and we all knew it.
I guess there were many strange things that took place. One of them was a tent 3 miles down river. It had not seen any wind.
I called the boat crew and they came in and helped us gather up our destroyed camp.
I heard from a different camp of moose hunters over on the Placer River, which was just on the south side of Portage Valley.They were not so lucky. They lost their tent and spent the night rolled up in a wet tarp.They were hypo-thermic but did make it.
I know the pilots don't fly near these glaciers for a good reason. I have an idea that the Weather folks don't have near all of the answers about some of those glacial wind currents.
The fact is hurricanes spin, low and high pressure fronts spin, tornado's spin. Most high winds are the result of air masses spinning. Those areas where warm air contacts the glacial ice fields also causes some very terrible, explosive tornado's. They may not be large in size, but they are explosive and very dangerous.
Other than that we had a very nice camping trip.Just having fun.

Moose Camp 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:43:00 +0000

It seems that good times always come to an end much too quickly.
I wait all year for moose season. I always plan a month long camping trip far back in the wild country. It's as much about just being out there as it is hunting.
This year was disasterous!It was over in 4 days.
I tried passing up several moose to make it last longer, but as it goes.We usually have a short camp only a few miles from home while waiting for the opening day of hunting in the Caribou Hills.
Short camp lasts about 5 days until the real opening day.We can never afford to pass up our winter's meat, so we have to take moose if one presents it's face.Unfortunately, too many moose presented their faces in the first four days.
Lin bagged her bull on day 2 with a nice shot through the neck. It was a fine year-and-a-half old bull. They are the best and tenderest meat to eat.We had it back in camp by day break and hanging in a cold storage unit before noon.
I passed up several on day three which I probably shouldn't have done.
The fourth morning I bagged my bull before the sun was up. I suppose it was just about when it was light enough to see.I was glad to have another fine young bull, but it was sad to have to be done before we got to go to "real camp".There was no justification to go to real camp because it cost's $225 for a permit.It was over. We stayed an extra day to just sit around the camp fire and reflect on our success.
Don't get the idea that it is a wizz to go out and pop two moose quickly.
No other hunter bagged anything out of a ton of moose hunter's camped everywhere.They drove the roads and trails from sun up to sun down. The only problem is moose never stick that long nose out after first light, then they hit the thickets and watch all those wanna-be moose hunter's pounding the muddy trails.Then those hunter's are back in camp after a long days riding before deep dusk.Once again the same moose seldom come out of the thickets until deep dusk.
I hunt the first light and the last 30 minutes before dark. The rest of the day we pick berries, tell lies around the camp fire, or catch up on sleep.
In Alaska first light is at about 0500, and deep dusk can be around 2100 hrs. So it's 2200 hrs before we get to bed.
Having said all of that, it makes for very short sleep before having to get up at 0400.Most of the hunters sit up around the camp fires until 2400 hrs before getting to bed.The next morning they are woke up by the roar of our moose rifles, because we have enough sence to get our sleep during the day so we can be up at that wee hour.
I have had complaints of others because they jump up out of bed when I set off my 375 H&H Magnum right next to their tent.
This year I could have shot 2 big bulls standing in the trail. The only problem is right behind the moose was one of my friend's tent. They were not at camp. I didn't know it or I may well have dumped one of the big bulls next to their tent. I knew if I shot, the bullet would have easily gone through the moose and poked a big hole in the end of the tent.I knew they were already mad at me for waking them up early for years, and leaving big gut piles too close to their camps.It's not kool to have big gut piles next to your camp because they draw the big old fuzzy grizzly in too close to camp.You can see how they don't sleep very well with those big old bears wandering around their camps.
I'm not a mean old geezer, but I do have a decent sense of humor. Especially when I have been trying for years to get those lazy old pharts up early enough to shoot their own moose.
I hate to admit it but I do kind of enjoy messing with them.The rest of the year we fish and do other things, but when it comes to moose hunting, we agree on nothing. We spend long hours debating moose hunting issues.
Not to brag too much, but my camp has bagged many bulls while they have had to eat beef and dead hog for winter's meat. Maybe a chicken once in a while.
My good old moose has absolutely no growth hormones or fat. It's probably those "growth hormones" that keep those old pharts from getting up early enough to get moose.
I have even offered to go with them and show them how to do it, but that sort of gauled them a bit. I guess when they get red in the face and start shaking, I should back off and not needle them too much.
They are still camped out there and I do envy them for that.It'll be a small miracle if they get a moose, unless one stumbles over one of their tent posts and breaks it's neck.
By the way, we got a couple of gallons of blue berries, cranberries, red currants, crow berries, watermelon berries and low-bush cranberries.Dang! I miss being out there.
Actually two of my nephews drew moose tags in a unique moose area. I'm going along to shoot video of their hunt.It will be a river boat trip up a river in the best moose hunting area in Alaska. It is a place where only 20 tags are drawn. I am excited about going with them.
I'll bet I won't have trouble getting them up early. I have found that a cold bucket of glacier water in bed always helps the late risers.Just having fun!!

The Mosquito and the Plumber's Crack

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:44:00 +0000

I have been taking a break for a while and it hasn't been entirely by choice.
First of all we put out our nets for a few days and got enough salmon for four families.Around a 130 or so.
It's always good to have the freezer full of fresh salmon.
Our operation was slobbered over by everyone on the beach for a mile.Folks like the idea of using a wench for pulling the nets in and out. They also liked my pressurized water system. It allows us to spray the fish clean before we vacuum seal them.I always have my generator running and the freezer plugged in. It gives us a place to freeze the fish as well as being able to have nice steaks and ice cream in camp.
Fish camp went very smoothly again this year.
My neighbor gave me an old 1986 ford one ton diesel 4X4. It had a recently installed engine and a lot of other new goodies.He couldn't get the transmission to shift. I told him many times to replace the little slave cylinder on the clutch and it would be fine.He wouldn't listen so I asked him how much he would sell it for. He just gave it to me to get it out of his yard. How Kool is that!!
Lin started right off the bat not liking the looks of "Old Rusty".
It took me 20 minutes to get the clutch working. I have had to put vaseline on my teeth and gums to keep them from drying out, from all of the grinning.
"Old Rusty" is a flat bed crew cab with a 4 speed transmission.
I have just finished a month rebuilding all four wheels with brakes, seals, bearings etc.I installed a new tie-rod, batteries, windshield, emergency brake cables, heater and radiator hoses and speedometer gears and cable. I had to replace the light switch, turning switch, dimmer switch and rewire the dome light. It seemed that ever time I replaced something, I would find three more things that were worn out.
During one of my projects of working on the front wheels, I found that if one fails to spray mosquito spray on every inch, the industrious little critters would find and set up camp on it.I usually covered about everywhere I could think of. I figured if I missed a place, they would surely let me know.
Well... when I was all bent over wrestling the front brake, they found that little place just below where my shirt wouldn't quite reach and where the top of my pants also wouldn't quite reach. I suppose I was too busy to notice all of the action going on back there.The result was a great bunch of the most itchy bites I have ever had.There was none of this "don't scratch the bites".
Lin found a lot of humor in my agony. She offered to put some lemon juice back there, but I couldn't trust her not to "accidentally" dribble some on down to "old Glory".The thought of having lemon juice along with the bites almost sent me into deep depression.
I tried backing up against a tree and rubbing like a bear, but that still wasn't enough.I would wake up at night clawing at the things like a sick cat. The more I clawed, the worse they got.
After many days and nights of no sleep, they finally began to slack up a bit.
My old "hind end" looks like I just got over a small battle with "small pox's".
I know there is a moral to that story, but I try not to figure out what it might be. Everytime I think about it, I can feel the itch beginning to return, so I try to forget as much as I can.
I am going to have to cut this blog short so I can get a few scratches in before lin catches me doing it again!
Poor old Bubba

It's Time to Stand UP and be COUNTED

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I have been sitting watching all day of the Americans who turned out for TEA day.I found myself humbled by the unity of so many folks who are tired of what the Obama administration, along with a Liberal controlled Congress, is doing to destroy everything we have stood for for over 200 years.I have been perplexed for so long. Sometimes I have felt that I was the only one who understood what was going to take place, and then had to watch as Americans elected the most power-hungry, socialistic, Liberal Progressive President and Congress that America has ever had.My greatest fear happened in November.
I am re-attaching an article I wrote in October, BEFORE the election from hell.Maybe now...just maybe all of you who I sent it too won't hit the "DELETE" button before you read it. Maybe you might just possibly realize that the old Bubba might have lived long enough to see enough CRAP happen, and just maybe he just might know a tad about how things were, and how things can be.I know I have sent a lot of political stuff in the last year, and I know very well some of you want to puke when you see another one of those political e-mails.Well, give me a minute of your time and actually read this article from October.
Bubba
Wake Up America American Socialism??
I would like to start this out by saying that I was raised as a Democrat. My Father's old Democratic party has all but been replaced by a Far-Left organization that has little to dowith the old Party.I consider myself to be an average "flag-waving" American who still believes America is the only force in the world that still stands against the socialistic, and freedom- hater factions that run rampant today.Recently I watched several people in a political rally that were not only very angry; they were also begging John McCain to stop the socialism from taking over America.It looked to me like just another bunch of those "strange" folks that live everywhere among us who think the sky is falling.I was amused, but didn't really give it much thought.Since then I began to think about what has taken place in the last few months.Then I remember what Khrushchev once said. "I will take over America without fireing a shot."I will never forget that statement. It has often haunted me that it could be done.The more I thought about all of this, it began to be very clear what was taking place right here in our country. It sent chills up my spine and brought a very deep concern that something very Un-American was close to fulfilling that promise.I don't consider myself to be one of those "Nuts" who cry fear every time they don't like something.Most of you who know me, know I don't usually jump on every wagon that comes down the street. This time I am jumping, and jumping hard.Call me what you like! Think that I too, have gone over the edge.My friends, I am scared for our way of life more than any time in my 65 years. I have seen a lot of policies come and go. I have seen a lot of mistakes made by our Government.I know that it is not run very well a lot of the time, and a lot of us don't trust them as far as we could throw them.Most of us would just as soon keep them out of our daily lives as much as possible.Having said all of that, I'm going to write some controversial things that may or may not upset you. Whether or not you agree with me is up to you, but I have to get this off of my chest because it is bothering me more than I can stand.I don't want all of this to go down without saying a thing.AS WE ALL KNOW, America is now in a crisis that will change our way of life forever. 911 changed our lives forever also. I felt it then and I danged well feel it now.I have begun to try to understand what has happened in the last few days.I watched the Government being "forced" to pass laws against the theme of our Constitution. I saw many in Washington vote against the bill from both parties.I wondered why some of the Democrats voted against it.Now the Government is considering having to "Nationalize" the banking system in America.No, they don't want to do it but they feel that something has to be done to save our economy, and the fall of the stock market.IF THEY DO THAT, IT WILL BE A TERRIBLE STEP TOWARDS A SOCIALISTIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT!!No American should sit back and say nothing about this!!I want you to think about this next part with an open mind.First, our financial leaders all agree that all of this "economy" problem started with the fall of the Housing Market.The Housing Market went down due, in large, to the sub-prime crunch where folks were loaned mortgage money that had no way of paying it back.The rates went up and defaults took place.Then Fanny and Freddie emerged with some CEO's who had been cooking the books for several years. Barney Frank (left wing congressman watch-dog), along with others testified that Freddy-Fanny were in good shape Top that off with ACORN helping to push these "ridiculous" loans along.Now ACORN is cooking the voter registration in many states trying to fraudulentlywin the election, and have been doing so for several elections.There are three Freddie-Fanny executives who were instrumental in the fall.All three are now on the election committee of Obama. (Franklin,Tim,Jim) If you want their names, look them up!Several of our Left-Wing politicians were in charge of "watch-dogging" Freddy-Fanny.They now are a part of the crowd in charge of trying to fix the problem! (Wolves guarding the flock)I promise you that they are scurrying around trying to cover their tracks.When I began to understand all of this, I began to see how it all started four years ago, when the left took over control of Congress.I know that these are not all of the issues.Four years ago we were strong financially, and gas was $2.30 a gallon.Since Congress is the one that runs our Government (not the President), guess who is responsible for the fall of America?? Could it not be the Democratic Congress?In 2006, McCain tried to pass a bill to stop the fall of Freddy-Fanny by tighter regulation, but it was voted down by the Left Congress.This brings us to Obama.It certainly is no secret who he has been associating with. Other than that, who is he?He has promised America with a Government based "Health Plan" that will be "far better than McCain's "privatized" plan. (Socialized health care?)Do you realize that if he is successful in being elected President, WE WILL HAVE A LEFT-WINGED PRESIDENT BACKED UP BY A LEFT-WINGED CONGRESS!!No American should be happy with Obama, Pelosy, Reid, Franks, Ayers, running America. The worse thing is they will have ABSOLUTE CONTROL of America!With the Government in control of the BANKING system, guess where all of that leaves you and I?Khrushchev's statement doesn't sound so far-fetched now, does it?Looking back at the last four years, it isn't hard to see how all of the pieces of the puzzle fits into place.Now Obama has stepped up in position to tell America that it is the fault of the Bush Administration. He has blamed everything on "someone else", and he is going to bring "change". God help us all at the "change" we may get!He is now in position to take advantage of the situation to get elected.The Socialistic Left has been laying this ground work for years.Now, with the fear of America's economy, and with people having lost everything they have worked so hard to get and save.Now with all of the pain we have been through.Now during our darkest moment of American history, Obama is trying to step in and take over our country with a Left-Wing Socialistic form of government.I am very afraid! I'm not mad as some are! I am scared to death that we are on the brink of loosing our country to the worst possible kind of enemy that our founding Fathers tried to keep us from.IT IS TIME TO WAKE-UP and help fight this attempt to take over our country!I don't care what political party you belong to. I don't care if you believe any of this.It is on your shoulders to look for yourself and make up your own mind..Quote, "All that it takes for evil to prevail, is for good men to sit and do NOTHING"?Let it never be said that "I" didn't try to stop this down-fall of America.I figured I had to say what I could.After the election it will be much too late. If we loose, it will be too late to stop the process. Then you will hear that it was all caused by the Bush Administration, and more Socialistic measures will be needed to control the problems.The Obama Administration will have all the answers, and you will all have to go along with it.Democracy around the world will fall!Please pass this along, please. I don't claim to have all of the answers, but I have enough sense to see what's coming down if we sit quietly and do nothingI am an old timer, but my grand kids will suffer beyond anything than I can imagine if we do nothing.
posted October, 2008
George "Bubba" Huntoldbearhunter@alaska.netposted by Bubba at 1:05 PM

Braggin Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:03:00 +0000

Thought I would get an update on my latest adventure, to the local hospital, that is:)
It's easier to do theses little blurbs than call.
Today I got out of the hospital with ALL of the cancer removed. I only got the colonoscopy because my brother and nephews had gotten one,( I didn't want to be left out on such a nice event) I had no pain or thought I had any problems.
Today I'm walking a bit stiffly. Feels like I swallowed a "lit chainsaw."
The next time they get some test done I will be running the other way as fast as my short legs will travel!!
Actually I'm a walking miracle. I lost 14 inches of colon, and my right kidney.Like I have said before, I had no pain or knew anything was wrong.If either of those cancers had spread, I wouldn't be here pecking on this key-board.
My cancerous kidney was 4-5 inches wide and at least that thick.It looked like maybe 9-10 inches long and the Doc said 3-4 pounds.
I'm sure it was some sort of world record!! Can you imagine that?? I had a world record kidney and couldn't even brag about it! My nephew Frank wanted it to make a fuel filter out of it. He also want the colon to make a "moose call" out of it.
For some reason the old Doc wouldn't give it up.
My little wife doesn't see the humor in it all, and she muttered something about us being some sort of sick dogs.
Some times the little gals can't understand??
Thanks again for all of your support and prayers.
If you ever wonder if God is listening, then maybe you can help me understand this little tid bit. "I just underwent MAJOR SURGERY and NEVER HAD ANY PAIN??" I do have stitch irritation, but had no real pain. ( I seldom ever pushed the pain button either, and only when the nurse scolded me)
God must think I'm special!! Maybe I'll brag about that!!
Bubba

Dang It!

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:03:00 +0000

I suppose that most of you know, but if I missed anyone...
On Tuesday March 31, I will be whacked on, big time!!
This is what I get for going in and getting a colonoscopy.
I really didn't know there was a problem, but most of my family have had it done lately, so I decided to get it done to see if anything was wrong.
Well, dang it, they found a rare colon cancer, which has to go! They ordered a cat scan and found my right kidney was covered in a large cancer. I didn't know about that either. That too, has to go.
The good news is the other kidney is still Ok, so things should be OK after they get done.
Hopefully they found out before too much was affected. That just goes to show that you never know what all is going on. I'm lucky it was discovered before other things were messed up too.
I strongly urge everyone to get those check ups!!
I have no intention on giving in to this mess.
Thanks for all of the support and prayers. I'll keep you all posted on things as soon as I can get back to a puter.
Bubba

Time for a Regulation Change

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:14:00 +0000

It gripes me to have to write this article.It would be easy for me to sit quietly and do nothing. However, I have a lot of grand kids who need someone to step up the plate and take on the hunting problems we face.
I will be 66 soon and would like nothing more than to take it easy and let someone else do the fighting. I have to live with myself, so I must stand up for what I believe is right.
I grew up in a “predator control” environment.
My Dad was a Government Predator Control Officer all of his life.He was in charge of protecting livestock and the deer herds in Northern California.
During his entire career, there were an abundance of deer, fox, rabbits, and all of the “ground nesting” birds. Pheasants and quail were everywhere.Since his death in the early 70’s, the predators have taken over the state.
The mountain lion has been protected since 1972. Now the deer herds are few and far between. The mountain lion has lost all fear of humans and have attacked and killed several people. They have grown to dangerous numbers.
The coyotes have all but wiped out the small game and have moved into urban areas and killed many pets along with attacking small children. Even the red and grey fox are now listed on the endangered species. They were numerous and healthy a few years ago.
I have studied the predator issue since I first came to Alaska in 1969.
I was also on the Advisory Committee in the Interior during the mid 80's.I'm not some "johnnie-come-lately" that fell off of the last turnip truck that came through town.
I shared that information with you so you would understand where I am coming from, and maybe help you to know where I stand. Most importantly, that I’m not some blood-thirsty kook that wants all predators destroyed. I absolutely do not support that!I do, however, have enough common sense to see the present problems we face.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we have an over abundance of bears on the Kenai Peninsula. It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that our moose population is in big trouble. It also is widely known that all of us have a serious problem with rogue bears that live in our town during the summer and fall.It seems that they have lost their “fear” or “respect” of humans.
There are several reasons for their bold-pushy attitudes.
The first of which they haven’t been hunted enough to know to stay away from people. Bears in the wilderness setting, will be seen running from people a quarter of a mile away, because they fear the hunters.These urban bears have more of a desire to get your pets and outside freezers, than they have any fear of you.
I know the idea of some lazy folks who won’t keep their garbage put up.They are scolded regularly, and should be.It only takes one lazy person to train the bears to hit the garbage cans. I don’t appreciate anyone who litters or fails to keep their yards free of garbage. We will always have those pigs around.
Even with those kinds of people around, we still have the bears with “no fear” of people.We have always had those negligent people, but we now have too many urban bears coming around to keep them company.
How many more people have to be mauled, and how much more property has to be destroyed by these bears before some one steps in and reduces their numbers?
Several cow moose have their calves in my yard each year. The cows believe it is safer in my yard than out in the wilderness area.
Last spring a cow had her twins in my neighbor’s yard. That very day a brown bear was in the yard trying to get the calves. The Karelian Bear dog next door was between the calves and the bear for hours, but failed to save them. A couple of days later the cow and one calf were destroyed by the bear.
The remaining little calf stayed in the neighborhood all summer. I haven’t seen her lately.
I was told by the local Biologist that most of the moose killed by hunters last year were the “spike-fork” bulls.
The bears kill most of the calves in the first week of birth. The road and winter kills a lot of them. It is no wonder why we have so few moose left.I wonder how the DF&G think they can manage our moose population with all of the pressure on the yearlings.
The DF&G allow harvesting of the spike-fork bulls in most areas. They then protect the rest of the bulls up to antlers that are 50 inches wide, or three or four brow tines depending on what zone it is in.
We see our moose herd disappearing because we don’t protect the young bull moose.
Everywhere else the young deer, elk are protected. It makes for more medium to large animals in the second through fourth years.
I have proposed that the DF&G protect the bull moose up to antlers 36 inches wide, and allow hunters to harvest everything above.I believe it would insure that more larger bulls will be left for breeding and hunting.
It worked fine in the Interior during the 1980's.
It is ten times easier to judge a 36 inch bull than a 50 inch bull.
Many hunters fail to judge the 50 inch bull every year and mistakenly shoot them. If they turn in the sub-size bull, they pay the fine and lose moose hunting privileges for a year. Many hunters can’t afford to pay the fine, so they leave the meat to spoil in the field.These hunters are not law-breakers by nature. They are honest folks who are trying to put the winters meat in the freezer, while trying to make a very difficult call. A judgement call that few professionals can make correctly.
Sure, we all should be sure not to make that mistake. I let many large bulls walk free each year because I still can’t make the call even after 40 years of moose hunting.
It doesn't make sense to keep a regulation that fails to restore the bull to cow ratio, while causing honest hunters to make honest mistakes.
It will take more than just changing the antler restriction. It will take a vigorous predator control of bears and wolves.
Most of the lower Kenai Peninsula wolf population is suffering from lice and loss of hair. They, in their sickened condition, have to kill more moose to survive.
I have heard all of the arguments about harvesting the spike-fork bulls.They contend that if the genetics of the spike-fork is eliminated, then the first year bulls will have larger “paddle horns”.
That has never been proven, and never will. The young bulls are rarely paddle horns their first year. I was told that the spike-fork program has been in operation since 1985. It has not worked yet.
Each year the yearlings are still “spike-fork”, with only a fraction of the yearlings ever growing the antlers to the paddle-horn size in their first year.It would be nice if the spike-fork genetics could be changed to the paddle-horn, but the idea simply is not practical and has produced nothing except a decline of the bull population.
Each year the moose population keeps declining. You just can’t grow a healthy moose herd if most of the harvested bulls are yearlings.
Once again, the answers are not that difficult.
1. Reduce the predators dramatically.( not just the 10 productive sows this year)
2. Protect the yearlings up to antlers 36 inches wide, and harvest those above.
3. Stop regulating the predator population by the “Defense Of Life and Property” clause.
4. Stop trying to regulate the moose herds by restricting hunting and access.
These ideas are not new. I believe programs that don’t work should be eliminated. New ideas should be tried, especially when these ideas have worked for years in other states.
We don’t have the option any longer of doing nothing.
George “Bubba” Hunt
907-260-6990
oldbearhunter@alaska.net.

Frozen Wilderness Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:48:00 +0000

A cold gust of wind swirled across the lake causing the blowing snow to dance in long sheets of fog-like ice crystals. They seemed to come from nowhere and then disappear into the flat surface of the frozen lake.
It was a pleasant change from the news of the failing economy and stories of corrupt politicians.The Alaskan wilderness is my therapy. It gives me a break from all of the bad news that the Media shoves in our faces every minute of every day. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't get away from it all.
Bad news, struggling to keep your head above water, and stress, are the silent killers.
It's the kind of a thing that builds up inside and torments everyone of us.
It's the kind of a thing that causes normal folks to die long before their time.
It's the kind of thing that caused a man in L.A. to destroy his family and himself.
We have lived in a different kind of world since 911.
Lin and I were in the Caribou Hills in moose camp when the jets hit the Fair Trades Buildings.I watched the end of the American way of life.I told Lin that nothing would ever be the same in our Country again.
The life we lead of the "old America", was changed forever.I knew that the easy way of life was over. I can't explain the feeling of horror of that day, but I knew it was changed forever. I knew I was never going to go to sleep at night knowing all was well.
For me it would be a life without much peace and not a lot of hope for the old days.
I grew up in the mountains. We were insulated from a lot of the hassles that most folks had to live with.My life had always been very slow paced and kicked back. I was never in much of a hurry to go anywhere or keep any kind of a schedule. Life was simple.I guess I was lucky. I was able to live the back-country life style.
The only problem with that is I still can remember what it was like to live that way. Maybe that's the reason it hurts to miss something like that more than someone who never experienced it.
Today my old fishing partner, Sid, and I drove his Argo track rig several miles back into the bush to a frozen lake to do some serious ice fishing.Both of us couldn't wait to get out there. I guess we are like a couple of kids going to the Saturday Movies.
Both of us are over the 65 year mark but you probably wouldn't know it by being around us.We get around like a couple of 20 year olds. Not much slows us down.
As for all of the 30 year old couch potatoes sitting around on their over-stuffed butts eating corn chips, drinking soda pop and watching the tube...you are already dead..you just haven't fallen over yet!
No, we haven't lived without some defects. Sid had a cancerous kidney removed last year and a knee replaced.A few weeks later we were pulling salmon nets at fish camp on the Cook Inlet.I killed the biggest moose of my life 3 weeks after cancer surgery, with 39 staples in my guts.I also have three nice tents in my old ticker. Has it stopped me from enjoying the outdoors?I don't think so!
My little wife is recovering from 4 more fused vertebra's in her back. For a total of 7 fused. Will it stop her from shooting her moose this fall?I very much doubt it.
I often hammer on the younger generation in hopes they will get out there and live a life of adventure, instead of wasting their young years doing nothing. Too soon we get old and these old bodies began to fail. Then we can do nothing.
Today, however, it was about drilling the holes in the ice with my power auger. The ice was 30 inches thick. I don't drill those holes by hand anymore.
We had our propane heater set up in front of us, so getting cold wasn't much of a problem. Fishing this time of the year is slow because the fish are not active in the winter.
It wasn't for the fish that we came, it was just a bonus, or rather a good excuse for being out there.
I only wanted one big silver salmon. Sid wanted two, and the rest would be released.We only take enough for one meal. It gives us an excuse to come back and we don't really like to eat fish that has been frozen in the freezer. Why eat frozen fish when you can eat fresh fish. Good idea, isn't it!
The only thing out there was an eagle, who steals one of our fish if we leave it on the ice.
There were moose, wolf and rabbit tracks everywhere. Other than that, there was no sound except for the wind blowing the snow crystals across the frozen lake.
Neither of us talk much when we are out there. I guess we both are caught up in the solitude of the wilderness, and words seem out of place.
I'll be going out there again in a couple of days. My Grand Nephew, Tyler, and his little son,Bradley, will be going with me.
It will be Bradley's first fishing trip with me in the back woods. It is time for him to experience the solitude of the frozen wilderness.
Until then I'll keep the fire burning in the fireplace, and watch the snow falling down around my mountain.
George"Bubba"Hunt walking "The Wilderness Trail".

Good News for the Scared Folks

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:35:00 +0000

You may wonder why I spend so much time blasting the new Politicians, but they are going to spend billions on many "green" programs to combat "Global Warming".
Many have bought into the idea that we some how are destroying our earth by too much man-made carbon dioxide gasses. It is somehow causes the earth's temperature to rise.
It wouldn't bother me what they believe if it had no affect on me, but it does.They have driven the cost of diesel up with all of the regulations, and they are about to do it again. To a point where the truckers won't be able to up-grade their trucks. Many will go out of business. Guess what happens when that happens?Most of what we need is carried by trucks!
They are willing to shut down off-shore drilling as soon as Mr. O takes office, and ANWAR will never get drilled as long as they are in control.
Maybe we do need to find another way to "power" our country. I can go along with that idea, but let us still keep burning fossil fuel until we come up with something else.We can't afford to shut the Country down until we find a solution to the fuel problem.
Don't these people have any idea what they are trying to do??I have a hard time trying to understand all of their "green craziness".While I was wondering what they were "thinking" about, I came to the conclusion that they weren't "thinking".Instead, they were going on some notion that the earth was coming to an end and they were scared to death of the idea that we all have had something to do with it.
People like Gore have stirred up folks with a bunch of hulla-ballou that the scientists now say just simply is not true!No one likes the idea that we are causing a problem to hurt our planet. The fact is that the fires of California have dumped more green-house gasses and carbon, than all of the vehicles in the US.One volcano eruption does more damage that anything "WE" have ever done with all of our carbon emissions.
Earth will perish when GOD says it will perish, not until then!
Could it be that we have become so GODLESS that we fear everything that the GODLESS say??I can't make anyone read the Bible to see what is written about this present age.I am an old Preacher, but I'm not going to preach to you about this mess.It's in the BOOK. Read it for yourself!!
I will say this, however, it says that "confusion, evil, and FEAR" are the tools of the dark side.We do live in scary times. The whole world is in turmoil. Maybe you might like to read the 21st Chapter of Luke, or the 25th chapter of John.It may be time for a lot of you to get your "ducks-in-a-row".
In the mean while we need to pressure our Congressmen to stop the destruction of our country with all of the regulations and this "Global Warming" nonsense.
By the way... we have a record cold year in Alaska. We have been below zero for so long that I have forgotten what "above zero" is like.I froze my blasted nose out getting in firewood yesterday.
I guess I shouldn't complain, it warmed up all the way to 10 below today.
Must be global warming or something.
Bubba, oldbearhunter@alaska.net
I would appreciate your comments.

Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:17:00 +0000

December 12, 2008
Global Warming
I know, I know, I've been dragging my feet lately. However I have come up with a subject that should bring a grin to all of you "Global Warming" folks.
Recently I saw a picture of Kotzebue Sound, and it was frozen over about two months early this fall. The seals and waleri (walrus's) were laying out there on the nice thick ice ,with big "toothy" smiles on their little whiskery faces.
While I'm at it, this summer was the coldest in Alaskan history.
My tomatoes grew up finally, but no tomatoes!My peppers did grow up to about half size, yet no little peppers. Nothing I planted made it to the table.
The farmers up in Fairbanks usually grow big fields of potatoes. Not much luck there.
The farmers in the Matanuska Valley usually grow big 80 pound cabbages, lettuce and all sorts of other things. This summer things were a month late and a lousy crop at that.Top that off, the Canadian scientists have said last week to forget the"global warming" myth, and prepare for a soon impending beginning to the next ice age.
They said that in the next couple of thousands years there could be 2000 feet of ice over Alaska and Canada, along with northern Europe.If you doubt that could happen, dig into your history books about how the weather dropped out for 400 years. It lasted all the way up to the late 1700's.Millions starved in Europe.
It only took a few years for things to drop out. Europe went from nice sunny, warm weather, to bitter winters and failed crops. It happened in less than ten years.
The Canadians said that the earth was starting into it's fartherest orbit from the sun. They said it would take several centuries to normalize, if it ever did.The interesting thing about all of this is it did seem to get very warm for a few years before things dropped out.Should you still think I'm huffing about some unknown tale, look up the history of the "Dark Ages" in Europe, and read it for yourself.
While you are at it, find out what happened to the Vikings that lived on Iceland.
The Scientist's also have tested the ice cores from the glaciers, and core samples from the sea bottom, and found that it always warmed up dramatically before an ice age dropped out.
We have been having some really toasty summers lately. Nothing like it used to be 40 years ago.
This year it froze up here in October, and still is frozen up. Not normal for the history of Alaska.
Tonight it's going to below zero again. Not too abnormal for this time of the year, but it has been colder than snot for a long time already. The ground is already frozen down three feet. Not Kool! Pipes may very well be freezing up this winter for too many folks.
I would like to invite Mr. Gore up here for a few weeks. Maybe we could sit out on the porch and have a nice cup of coffee. With global warming and all!
Having said all of that, I do have some great news for all of you who are worried about the polar bears.
First off, they are getting their issue of ice as we speak. Not to worry, there's plenty to go around.
Now for all of you who wondered what would become of the polar bears should it really warm up and melt all of their ice. They would surely all starve, right?
Good news!!
Should all the ice disappear, the seals and walrus's would be having to wander up on those warm beaches to sun themselves. Guess what those endangered polar bears would do?Yep, they would just sneak down to the beach and eat all the nice fat critters they needed.
While I worked in the Arctic (several years),the ice flows melted out a few miles. The poor old endangered polar bears came ashore and done what all good hunters do. They simply began to move inland up to 200 - 300 miles, and hunt caribou, muskoxen, moose, and anything else they wanted. Much like all of those black and grizzly bears.
The village of Fort Yukon, which is way South on the Yukon River, had to shoot a polar bear that came to town.So, as you can see, those old white bears are not about to starve as long as they have a brain, unlike some of those poor uninformed " critter huggers".
Those folks use the " Global Warming" scare as a platform to launch their "animal rights" B.S.
Do I know everything? NO!
My Dad was a Predator Control Officer most of his life. I might add that no one in Tehama County was ever attacked by a mountain lion.
The coyotes weren't allowed to kill off everything below them in the food chain.
I remember how many gray and red foxes there used to be. I remember how many of the "ground" nesting birds, like the pheasants, quail. ducks, etc., that there used to be.
The last time I was down there, I was hard pressed to see any sign of most of them.
I hear the foxes are now endangered.
Those poor old mountain lions are few and far between?? Actually, there are as thick as the hair on a deers back. Should you be able to find a deer.
So much for my old soap box.I think I'll go out and have my evening tea on the deck. It's only 5 below out there, with global warming of course.
I would like any input from you all, about all of this. I know you have been sold a lot of pure old "bunk" about this stuff.
I started this out with an attempt to bring some humor out of it all, but the more I wrote, the less funny things seemed to get.
Sorry about that!Bubba

Comments ?

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:16:00 +0000

It's obvious that I haven't gotten any comments on my blog site in quite a while.I haven't been able to get this problem solved. Folks have e-mailed me stating that they have tried.
So, go ahead and use my personal e-mail address.
Which is " oldbearhunter@alaska.net"
I do enjoy reading your comments. At least, it encourages me to keep up this site.
Thanks, Bubba

Wake Up America

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:05:00 +0000

American Socialism??

I would like to start this out by saying that I was raised as a Democrat. My Father’s old Democratic party has all but been replaced by a Far-Left organization that has little to do
with the old Party.
I consider myself to be an average “flag-waving” American who still believes America is the only force in the world that still stands against the socialistic, and freedom- hater factions that run rampant today.
Recently I watched several people in a political rally that were not only very angry; they were also begging John McCain to stop the socialism from taking over America.
It looked to me like just another bunch of those “strange” folks that live everywhere among us who think the sky is falling.
I was amused, but didn’t really give it much thought.
Since then I began to think about what has taken place in the last few months.
Then I remember what Khrushchev once said. “I will take over America without fireing a shot.”
I will never forget that statement. It has often haunted me that it could be done.
The more I thought about all of this, it began to be very clear what was taking place right here in our country. It sent chills up my spine and brought a very deep concern that something very Un-American was close to fulfilling that promise.
I don’t consider myself to be one of those “Nuts” who cry fear every time they don’t like something.
Most of you who know me, know I don’t usually jump on every wagon that comes down the street. This time I am jumping, and jumping hard.
Call me what you like! Think that I too, have gone over the edge.
My friends, I am scared for our way of life more than any time in my 65 years. I have seen a lot of policies come and go. I have seen a lot of mistakes made by our Government.
I know that it is not run very well a lot of the time, and a lot of us don’t trust them as far as we could throw them.
Most of us would just as soon keep them out of our daily lives as much as possible.
Having said all of that, I’m going to write some controversial things that may or may not upset you. Whether or not you agree with me is up to you, but I have to get this off of my chest because it is bothering me more than I can stand.
I don’t want all of this to go down without saying a thing.
AS WE ALL KNOW, America is now in a crisis that will change our way of life forever. 911 changed our lives forever also. I felt it then and I danged well feel it now.
I have begun to try to understand what has happened in the last few days.
I watched the Government being “forced” to pass laws against the theme of our Constitution. I saw many in Washington vote against the bill from both parties.
I wondered why some of the Democrats voted against it.
Now the Government is considering having to “Nationalize” the banking system in America.
No, they don’t want to do it but they feel that something has to be done to save our economy, and the fall of the stock market.
IF THEY DO THAT, IT WILL BE A TERRIBLE STEP TOWARDS A SOCIALISTIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT!!
No American should sit back and say nothing about this!!
I want you to think about this next part with an open mind.
First, our financial leaders all agree that all of this “economy” problem started with the fall of the Housing Market.
The Housing Market went down due, in large, to the sub-prime crunch where folks were loaned mortgage money that had no way of paying it back.
The rates went up and defaults took place.
Then Fanny and Freddie emerged with some CEO’s who had been cooking the books for several years. Barney Frank (left wing congressman watch-dog), along with others testified that Freddy-Fanny were in good shape Top that off with ACORN helping to push these “ridiculous” loans along.
Now ACORN is cooking the voter registration in many states trying to fraudulently
win the election, and have been doing so for several elections.
There are three Freddie-Fanny executives who were instrumental in the fall.
All three are now on the election committee of Obama. (Franklin,Tim,Jim) If you want their names, look them up!
Several of our Left-Wing politicians were in charge of “watch-dogging” Freddy-Fanny.
They now are a part of the crowd in charge of trying to fix the problem! (Wolves guarding the flock)
I promise you that they are scurrying around trying to cover their tracks.
When I began to understand all of this, I began to see how it all started four years ago, when the left took over control of Congress.
I know that these are not all of the issues.
Four years ago we were strong financially, and gas was $2.30 a gallon.
Since Congress is the one that runs our Government (not the President), guess who is responsible for the fall of America?? Could it not be the Democratic Congress?
In 2006, McCain tried to pass a bill to stop the fall of Freddy-Fanny by tighter regulation, but it was voted down by the Left Congress.
This brings us to Obama.
It certainly is no secret who he has been associating with. Other than that, who is he?
He has promised America with a Government based “Health Plan” that will be “far better than McCain’s “privatized” plan. (Socialized health care?)
Do you realize that if he is successful in being elected President, WE WILL HAVE A LEFT-WINGED PRESIDENT BACKED UP BY A LEFT-WINGED CONGRESS!!
No American should be happy with Obama, Pelosy, Reid, Franks, Ayers, running America. The worse thing is they will have ABSOLUTE CONTROL of America!
With the Government in control of the BANKING system, guess where all of that leaves you and I?
Khrushchev’s statement doesn’t sound so far-fetched now, does it?
Looking back at the last four years, it isn’t hard to see how all of the pieces of the puzzle fits into place.
Now Obama has stepped up in position to tell America that it is the fault of the Bush Administration. He has blamed everything on “someone else”, and he is going to bring “change”. God help us all at the “change” we may get!
He is now in position to take advantage of the situation to get elected.
The Socialistic Left has been laying this ground work for years.
Now, with the fear of America’s economy, and with people having lost everything they have worked so hard to get and save.
Now with all of the pain we have been through.
Now during our darkest moment of American history, Obama is trying to step in and take over our country with a Left-Wing Socialistic form of government.
I am very afraid! I’m not mad as some are! I am scared to death that we are on the brink of loosing our country to the worst possible kind of enemy that our founding Fathers tried to keep us from.
IT IS TIME TO WAKE-UP and help fight this attempt to take over our country!
I don’t care what political party you belong to. I don’t care if you believe any of this.
It is on your shoulders to look for yourself and make up your own mind.
.
Quote, “All that it takes for evil to prevail, is for good men to sit and do NOTHING”?
Let it never be said that “I” didn’t try to stop this down-fall of America.
I figured I had to say what I could.
After the election it will be much too late. If we loose, it will be too late to stop the process. Then you will hear that it was all caused by the Bush Administration, and more Socialistic measures will be needed to control the problems.
The Obama Administration will have all the answers, and you will all have to go along with it.
Democracy around the world will fall!
Please pass this along, please. I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I have enough sense to see what’s coming down if we sit quietly and do nothing
I am an old timer, but my grand kids will suffer beyond anything than I can imagine if we do nothing.

George “Bubba” Hunt
oldbearhunter@alaska.net

Of Women and Moose

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:26:00 +0000

Well, sports fans, she beat me again!I would have been fine on opening day of bow season if that tiny limb would not have moved over in my arrow path.The deflection send my arrow flying off into never land, never to be seen again. The bull moose took the incident in stride by simply trotting off into the brush. The whole thing left me near tears.I spent the next ten days tromping through deep, wet brush and head high wet grass, in pursuit of bones. I never got close enough again to shoot an arrow at anything.
We set up camp in the mountains not far from home for rifle season on Aug. 20th.While we were out scouting one evening I managed to drop my cell phone in a muddy trail not far from camp.We drove the Prowler back to the area and found the phone nestling nicely in the mud. I was glad to have it back.
As we were turning around to head back up the trail, a big bull moose stepped out on a ridge not 30 yards from us.He had big beautiful horns that were still in full velvet, and three brow tines. It takes a mature bull to have the three brow tines which are one of the rules necessary to be legal.We watched him for several minutes before heading back to camp.I would have loved to been the one to bag him, but as fate sometimes grabs you, it wasn't to happen.
Opening morning we were out at the crack of dawn heading back down the same trail. We hadn't gone a quarter of a mile when a nice young bull crossed the trail. He was nice but not quite big enough to be legal.Five minutes later old Rackatula, ( the name I gave the big bull), ran across the trail and stopped not 100 yards from us.He just stood there looking dumb. He didn't stand for long because my little Owner let the air out of him with a well placed round through the shoulder.
My hopes of bagging him went down the drain. The sun had not even came up yet and she was tagged out.I was able to drive the Prowler right up to the downed bull and bag him up and was back in camp before sun up.It never goes that easy. Usually it takes days of rain, mud and pain to get a moose.
The next morning Paul Frome, Lin and I went back out to look for a bull for Paul.We never found anything shootable and were back in camp just as Paul's wife, Charlene, came into camp to bring us a batch of freshly cooked cinnamon rolls.I was standing there munching on a roll when Paul tapped me on the shoulder and pointed into the brush.Not 80 yards away was a nice bull moose feeding along not paying any attention to us who were talking loud.How often does that happen? It didn't take long to glass the bull and see he was legal to take.Paul dropped him there right next to camp. Paul was beginning to think this moose hunting was nothing.
This little five day hunt was done while waiting for the regular hunting season to open in the Caribou Hills, where we hunt on Native Land.
We have been hunting there for 15 years. In other words we were just out play-hunting for a few days before we really went to moose camp.
We cut up the two moose and re-packed our supplies for the "real" moose hunt on Aug. 25th.
I set up a big nice comfortable camp. We have the big Alpinelite Camper on my 4x4 dually.I also set up a 10x20 foot canopy, a fire stove that doubles as a BBQ pit.I have a pressurized water pump set up to transfer water into the camper. It also doubles as a nice water hose for filling coffee pots etc.We set up a micro-wave on one of the tables outside along with another propane stove that we use to make coffee out under the canopy.It is really a nice set-up. No matter how hard it rains, we still have a fire going and a dry place to sit and enjoy the view.
I am up at 0430, and it only takes a minute to turn on the lights and throw a log on the fireplace, which is still burning.I then throw some sweet rolls in the micro-wave and get the water heating for coffee.By the time everyone is dressed, the chow is ready.
We have a quick snack before going out on the trail.We eat breakfast at about 0900, when we get back to camp from the morning hunt. Then Lin brings on the bacon, eggs, blueberry hot cakes etc.
My big mistake came when Paul and I walked up on two large bulls early one morning.They were feeding along and had no idea we were there. One bull was not but about 45 to 48 inches wide. He was not the 50 inches that were necessary to be legal. The other bull was far bigger, but did not have the three brow tines to be legal. Yet I new he was at least 50 inches wide, which would still have been enough to be legal under the 50 inch rule.
I have a personal rule that I live by, which I won't shoot a moose unless I can see the three brow tines.It is far easier to shoot under the three brow tine rule. It is very hard to judge a moose that you THINK is 50 inches wide.
A lot of hunters shoot moose that don't pass the 50 inch rule and get busted. I have been judging moose horns for over 40 years, and I still don't feel confident enough to make the call. A 50 inch moose looks to be 60 inches wide. I just won't take the chance.I let the big bull walk because it did not have the three brow tines.I don't know any hunter that wouldn't have shot him, but I won't.
Paul hunted with us for 10 days, and then had to leave to go back to Oregon.
The wolves and three big grizzly bears moved into our valley. One of the bears that I call, "Monstro", was one of the three. His foot print was 12 inches wide and 16 inches long. He's easily one of the top few bears alive.His twin brother was also hanging around a couple of miles away.I've watched them grow from cubs. Now they are two of the biggest, meanest critters around.They absolutely have no fear of anyone. If you happen to run into one of them on the trail, you will be the one who backs up and leaves.
The other two bears were the average 1000 pound rascals that foot prints ran about 8-9 inches wide.I don't really like being out there around them. Those critters are hard to kill. It usually takes several shots to put one down. They can run 60 feet a second. It isn't kool to have one charge. They are on you before you have time to get a shot off.
I have been lucky and not stupid as some are. I never walk alone. If one does charge, at least one of us should be able to shoot while the bear chews on the other.I try to stay out of places where my visibility is low, and always stay alert.
When one of us has a bull down, we post a guard to watch for bears while the others work on the field dressing of the moose.I teach "Bear Safety Seminars" all over the country, and I certainly practice bear safety in the woods.There is no worse way to die as being ripped apart by an angry bear.
I was up early on Sept. 5th. to find our mountain socked in with fog.
I went back to bed to find the fog lifting a half an hour later.I got back up and Lin got up to drive me up to the high country.
We were going up high to get away from the wolves and bears.
Two miles from camp I spotted a bull standing by the side of the trail. He had just came down from the high country.I stepped out as he ran down across a swamp and up the side of a ridge. He was about two hundred yards away when he made the mistake of stopping to look at an old ornery moose hunter. One 300 grain Nosler Accubond slug turned him upside down. I guessed he didn't understand what a 375 H&H Magnum could reach that far. Bad mistake!
It took me an hour to saw a trail down the ridge to get my 4-wheeler to him.Lin and I bagged him up and was soon back in camp.
The next morning we broke camp and brought him back to our log house over looking the Kenai River.
God has blessed us once again. We have all 4 freezers full of salmon, moose, and frozen berries that we picked at moose camp.We have our 10 cords of wood all stacked and soon will be ready for the long, cold, Alaskan nights that are sure to come.
Lin's bull is far larger than mine. I'm sure I'll hear about it a million times before spring. I know she has called everyone she knows already.
Oh well, it's hard to find a good looking cook up in those hills. It's sure a lot better than those old smelly moose hunting guys I used to hunt with.
I guess there's always next year.
Bubba n Lin, walking the "Wilderness Trail".

Rolling Along

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Summer has finally turned up on the Kenai Peninsula. At least what ever we will get of it.
So far it has been a few warm days and rain. Lots and lots of rain. It seems almost like the old August monsoons.Actually it really does feel like August so far.I hope not, because it could bring on the chill of fall.Everything has been out of touch with normal, whatever that is.
I am on schedule with my summer projects.
My old fish netting partner and I ran the Gill net this year again. We caught our limits along with several family members showing up to use our net. I think all of us caught around 140 salmon in 5 days.I've been smoking the remainder of last years catch that was in the freezer.I now have a bunch of smoked salmon, sealed and in the freezer too. I never canned any this summer because we still have several cases left over.
This year everything went perfect on the beach. We once again used our winch to pull our net and put it back out.We also used our vacuum sealer and had the fish in the freezer in 20 minutes out of the water.
Everyone stopped by again to admire our fish processing operation.
I just finished splitting and stacking 10 cords of firewood for the winter, that will surely come.
August 10th is opening day for moose hunting with bow and arrow. I have stayed practiced up and ready.My arrows group inside a 4 inch circle at 40 yards. I still can hit a small pie plate at 60 yards, which I don't plan on having to do. I plan on no more than 45 yards on a shot. I'll just sneak closer if I have to do it. I don't believe in long shots due to wounding animals. It's not that I can't do it, it's just not something that I want to do.I also try to discourage anyone else from doing the long shots. I won't hunt with those who try those things.
For those who are interested, I shoot a Diamond Black Ice Bow set at 70 pounds. I use Carbon Express arrows with 125 grain Muzzy broad heads. It is a combination that is deadly on big game.
This summer has been the best lake fishing that I can remember.We have caught a bunch of Arctic Char up to 3 pounds. The rainbows are equally as big and the land-locked silver salmon also have run 2-3 pounds. I'm to a place where I could easily eat something else besides fish.Not to worry! I'll soon be munching on moose back strap.
The old grizz has been by a few times. but my electric fence has worked very well too. No more smears on my glass door from his big old wet nose.The first time he touched the fence, he managed to leave a large deposit scattered across my yard. Dirty rascal!Better cleaning up that than having him inside my kitchen.
This year has brought on more bear maulings than ever. Joggers, fishermen, a lady picking mushrooms, a girl riding a bike, and it goes on and on. Many, many maulings and even more close calls. We have far too many bears.Every night it seems like the local police respond to bear problems down town.I guess that is living in Alaska. The problem is too many new-comers bullying around in the woods with no respect for anything. Bears don't "bully" very well.
Tomorrow I'll begin to put my camping stuff together for moose camp. Can't wait!!
Bubba n Lin Hunt, walking "The Wilderness Trail"

Sleepless on Shadow Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Some of my readers have been wondering what has happened to me. Well, I guess it should be what "hasn't" happened.
The last blog had me entering into black bear baiting season.I did in fact go out and put up my tree stand and chained my bait barrel to a tree 20 yards from my stand.I had great visions of large black bears providing a nice target for my new bow.
There always seems to be things crop up to throw a monkey wrench into a fine black bear hunt.This year the things that cropped up weighed half a ton and had those 6 inch claws. They look much like grizzly bears, sound like grizzly bears and certainly smelled just like old nasty, fish-eating, grizzly bears. When the grizzly bears come in to eat at the bait barrel, the black bears stay far away. They know that they too, are food for grizzly bears.
Since it is not legal to bait the grizzly bears having one or two feeding at your bait station always winds up in a long sit in a tree until they are done eating. Hopefully they leave when they are done, although sometimes they decide to have a long nap.
I have tried to reason with the grizz. I have asked them to leave so I can come down and go home. I have told them I was cold and needed to get out of the tree before dark. I reminded them that I wasn't prepared to spend the night up in a tree again.When all of those things failed, I tried calling them some names that isn't fit to print. I even called them "BAD BEAR"!None of those things seemed to do much good.
After a few of those experiences, it only makes sense to remove the stand and bait barrel, which I did.We still bagged a few bears, but not by baiting.
Last week I came in at dark, which was about midnight. My neighbors Carillian Bear dog was involved in a slug-fest with a 4 year old grizz in my yard.
All I wanted to do was drag my poor old tired carcass into the house and put it to bed. But nooo!Couldn't get out of my truck until the slug-fest was over. Not safe to get involved in that mess!!After "forever", they managed to take it down to the alder thicket so I could dismount and get inside.
Night before last the bear returned to knock over my garbage can. There wasn't anything but paint cans and trash, certainly nothing a bear might want to eat. I expect he saw the can and decided to kick it over to give me something to do. Dirt Ball!!
What he did do was even more remarkable. The rascal ate 30 ponds of chicken manure that I had bought to plant my garden with. He has no pride!
He then went next door and proceeded to nose around.
My neighbor gal has to be the bravest human I have ever known. She poured dishwater on the bear while he was digging around in her yard just a few feet below her deck. The bear did leave for a while and then came back. She poured some more on him and he left. I guess he didn't really want a bath.
Her dog then fought the bruin back through my yard and down the hill again. By then it was 0300 when the war was finally over.
We never like to kill the bears and we always try everything to drive them away before they break into our houses.
Recently a big grizz broke into a home up river. The elderly couple didn't hear the bear break the kitchen door, as they were asleep upstairs. I guess they weren't wearing those hearing crutches.
I understand the dead-bolt lock was knocked 20 feet from the door after the bear hit it.It tore up a few things in the kitchen, then strolled back outside, and off into the night.They were lucky. Several local folks have already been mauled this spring.
I installed an electric fence across at the bottom of my stairs. He won't be smearing his big nasty nose on my sliding glass kitchen door again.I do worry about all of the little kids in the neighborhood though.
Hopefully it will be quiet tonight.
I did take an evening to go fishing this week. We caught a couple of limits of arctic char. They are the best fish to eat in Alaska.
The king salmon are showing up in the river along with all the tourists. The old rat(fish) race is about on.
I am planning on taking my boat to one of those high-mountain lakes this week for some more char fishing, and maybe even a black bear. Hopefully the black bear's big old smelly cousin will stay out of camp.Then... maybe they won't?Oh well!

Oh, What to Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:56:00 +0000

The one thing we never have to face is something to do.
This week started out in our first spring invasion of the clam beach.The tides were well below the neccessary -2 tide level. Actually it was down below the -5 level for several days.That makes for several hundred yards of exposed clam beds.
We planned on staying the 6 days but stayed only to dig 4 days. I got tired of shelling clams.We dig for 2 hours and get two 5 gal. buckets nearly full of the razor and red-neck clams.Before you ask, the red-neck clams have nothing to do with being a red-neck.They have long red necks.
My hands are both trying to recover from the cuts and sore finger nails neccessary to wrestle with the clams.They don't especially want to be yanked out of their little sandy holes. So they begin to dig as soon as you make your first shovel full of sand.The big red-necks can't dig nearly as fast as those speedy razors.The older I get the more those razors escape.
As in most places, the druggies seem to congragate on beaches. They build big fires and disrupt everything with their loud boom-box noises. I can't hear any music in it, only those big loud booms of some sort. I can't yet figure out what is in all of that noise, but it must be something to keep them all in time with what ever is going on??
At 1:30 AM they drove past my camper and hit it with a 15 foot long log that they had picked up down on the beach.I suppose that they couldn't figure out how a log that long might hang out far enough to hit something.
I jumped out of bed, got dressed, grabbed my 40 Glock along with a clip or two, lept on my 4 wheeler, and drove down to confront the jerks.Probably not the smartest thing to do.
There were about 20 or so idiots standing around the fire. I guess I took them by suprise, or they had been bullying so long that they never expected to see a mad old geezer come screeching into their camp on a 4-wheeler.They probably thought I was crazy and thought that I might start shooting up the place.
Well, I probably WAS crazy to do it, but I did manage to chew for a while. They kept saying how sorry they were and I let them know things would be different next time it happened.I then made my escape before they moved into the mad-mode.I'm sure once they figured it out, they were hot about it.I had no more trouble out of them.
On a lighter side...yesterday I put up my two tree stands. It was in a nice dense thicket of alders, spruce, and hardwoods.
I chained my 50 gal. bait barrel to a stump and poured in some oat-corn-molasses.Bears love anything with molasses in it. They will come for miles to eat it.It never is kool to put a bait barrel in thick brush because it is hard to see if old bear is eating before you approach the tree stand. The worst thing is a big old grizz may be who is eating instead of the black bear that you are hoping to see.
There seems to be a good supply of grizz in that area, so I know very well what I'll be having to deal with. No, I don't like it much, but if I am going to bait black bears, the grizz will just have to be shooshed, somehow.
Sometimes they are hungry enough to not shoosh very well. Then you stay up in the tree stand until they leave.I have heard about hunters having to spend the night up in a tree waiting for them to leave. Then there is always the old grizz who decides to have a nap after eating the molasses.( It seems like I spent the night in a tree on May 2nd, 1986, with a few injuries from shooting a grizz with an arrow. Now I'm getting back into one of those same positions?? Not too clever, huh?)No, I'm not in to going over and slapping his head to wake him up.I probably will find it in my heart to say some nasty things to him in a very loud manner. I don't have a plan after that.
By the way, night before last a grizz came strolling through our yard looking for grub. I expect it was one of the garbage bears that live here. They are the lazy ones that would rather rip garbage than hunt for some real food.We always keep our garbage out of reach so as not to attracked them. My neighbors Carillian Bear dog ran the bruin off. It will be back sooner or later.
I much rather have the bear than some druggie hanging around. Bears, at least have some sense.I'll be checking on my bait station in a few days. I'll keep you all posted.

Hey out There!

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:44:00 +0000

I haven't heard much out of you all in quite a spell. I never know if anyone is still reading this stuff.
Click the comments button once in a while and let me have it! Otherwise I get to thinking I'm talking to myself again. I've been trying to stop doing that so much.
Bubba

Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:58:00 +0000

I am writing this story with a lot of personal pain. I wouldn’t even write about this tragedy, but the newspapers and TV stations have never gotten the facts straight.
This isn’t an article that most should read due to the graphic circumstances.

Saturday morning my Grand Nephew, Frank Hunt 26, and his wife Christina 31, were sleeping in due to being up quite late watching videos. They do family things every Friday night with the kids.
Christina had a couple of kids from a previous marriage. Her oldest son was living with his dad out of state.
Frank and Christina had two little boys, Frankie 7 and Ryan 4.
Her 13 year old daughter, Judy, was also still living with them.
The girl’s bedroom, along with the boy’s room, was in the front end of their trailer house. The dinning room and kitchen were near the middle area.
Down the hall there was a bathroom and the master bed room at the end.
At approximately 9:30 AM the smoke alarm went off about the time one of the boys came running into the bedroom to wake Frank and Christina. Their bedroom door had only been open a few inches. The smoke alarm was going off, but not making much noise. Frank had changed the batteries only two week before.
Frank and Christina jumped out of bed. Christina yelled for Frank to go get Judy out of her room.
Judy was screaming for them to get her out of there.
Frank tried to get down the hall but ran into a wall of flames, burning embers, and black smoke. He stumbled into the bathroom and almost fell into the shower tub. The trailer was completely black with smoke almost to the floor.
He finally managed to find and break the bathroom window with his hand, and dive out onto the snow. He ran to the door of the entry way near the front of the trailer and was in the process of kicking down the locked metal door, when a passer by stopped and assisted him.
Once inside, they kicked down the door that went into the front room. They were met by another wall of flames. He received a burn on his shoulder, hands, feet, and his hair was singed.
He was unable to rescue his daughter through the front room.
They ran around the end of the trailer to a window that went into his daughter’s bedroom. The room was filled with fire and smoke, and it was too late.
They then proceeded to the rear of the trailer expecting to find his wife and boys outside. He figured they should be outside by then. When he got to the back of the trailer the master bedroom was fully engulfed in flames. She had not been able to get the little boys out before she was over come by the smoke.
Frank was left standing in the snow with his underwear burned half off. He had heard his family die and was unable to do anything to save them.
I doubt if he will ever recover from this tragedy. His burns will heal, but he never will.
I can only imagine the ten thousand times he will ask himself if he could have done something differently.
I have thought a lot about it, and I would have done the same thing in that circumstance.
The Fire Chief told him he was a walking miracle to have made it out.
We are glad he did, but I don’t think he will understand it for many years to come.
No human should ever have to go through what Frank did. It was as bad as it could get.
The fire had started in the front room, according to the fire inspectors, although they couldn’t figure out just what had started the fire.
Christina had told her dad, in a phone conversation two weeks earlier, that she could smell rubber burning but couldn’t find out where it was coming from. It may have been the electric connections where the lamp was plugged in.

The media has told the story that Frank was uninjured, and was the only survivor due to jumping out the window, leaving his family behind. They made him look like some coward who bailed out and let his family die.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
He had done what any of us would have done. It is just that the trailer had literally exploded in less than a minute.
He was left without his family and not even clothes on his back.

I understand that there is a fund set up at the Alaska USA Credit Union in Soldotna, Alaska 99669, if anyone would like to contribute.

The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the man who stopped by and helped Frank. They said that there’s not enough ways to thank him for stepping in and giving a hand when it was needed so desperately. If it wasn’t for him Frank would likely have been killed too.

Frank was born in Red Bluff, California, and grew up in Alaska.

George “Bubba” Hunt

A little Pinching of the Ear

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:33:00 +0000

It has been below zero for longer than I can remember. It's probably not been over a month or so, but the older I get the harder it is to remember.
First we had the snows. Miles and miles of snow. So much that I got tired of plowing the stuff.Then some one turned off the snow switch and turned on the cold switch. Must have been that old "Global Warming" rascal. I'd like to hang him by his precious parts until frozen!
As a matter of fact it has been too cold to go ice fishing. If you can believe that!!The ice hole freezes up faster than one can keep breaking up the ice.I know that I could fish inside of the hut, but I can't see the mountains and stuff from inside.
The view is half the fun.Catching and releasing fish is just a little chore that gets your hands cold. Yeah, I have the propane heater to keep warm with but I'd much rather be outside.Today it got all the way up to + 5 degrees, but the wind came up and is blowing like it was it's last chance to blow!That wind can be much worse than the below zero temps.I know, whine, whine, whine!
Got my new Black Ice Bow all tuned up. What a name, huh?
My Home-Boys wonder what an old codger, who's about to turn 65 in March, is doing shooting a 70 pound compound bow.I guess they know that the last two things I killed in 1986 were bears. It almost retired me when I whacked that old grizzly, and in turn, he "tuned" me up.
I guess I've also forgotten about the pain, and I'm finally getting over the bad dreams. Haven't had one in a couple of months. I suppose that I'll wind up getting out there and getting some more bad experiences to shore up the dreams.
My little Owner is finally getting over me spending the grand for my bow, I think. She claims that she doesn't remember how much she paid for me, but it was far too much.
I can always figure out how aggrevated she is by the way she cuts my hair. It is clear by the amount of force she exerts on my ears when she wants me to turn my head.
She cut my hair this morning and both of my ears are still sore. I guess she needs a little more time to get over the bow.
I haven't said anything about those nice carbon arrows that I could use. They run about $125 bucks a dozen.I'll keep quiet on that issue for a while. At least until my ears get over the pain of being pinched and yanked on.
I sure will be glad when spring gets here. It will be a lot better when I can go outside to pout, and not get so blasted cold!
Poor Old Bubba

TV on the Ice

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:27:00 +0000

I seldom spend much time huddled in front of the old tube, but yesterday was as kool as it gets.
My old fishing partner, Sid, and I decided that it was time to hit Spirit Lake for some ice fishing.I loaded up my track rig and drove to the drop off point, where we would have to track in for the last four miles to the lake.
It was a nice day with the temp around 15 above and a bit overcast. We didn't care if it did snow. Snow never is a deciding factor when it comes to ice fishing.
The four mile trail was covered in about 30 minutes and we were out on the ice for another mile.Normally we fish in a protected cove on the south end of the lake to escape from the wind. The wind can blow out the propane heater, which isn't kool. We didn't have a problem from the wind either.
We always park the track rig to block any wind that may come up, and hide behind it. If it is too windy we get in the ground blind. Which ever the case is, we have no intention of getting cold.
Usually I use my fish finder to look for fish, but yesterday Sid brought his infrared fish camera.We dropped the camera down almost to the bottom, and watched for fish to come by our baits.That has to have been the best reality TV I have ever seen. It was a hoot to watch those trout and silver salmon come by and find the baits.
The screen was about a 10 inch picture and in the clear water the fish were easily seen. We got a bigger kick out of fish watching than we did catching the fish.
I don't know how many we released, but we only kept three for dinner. They all ran about 2 pounds each. We released a couple of rainbows that most fishermen would die for.I am sure I ate the silver salmon that would have won the fish derby. Oh well!
We usually don't keep any of the ranbows. Not that they aren't good to eat, but they aren't nearly as good as the land-locked salmon. We don't take a bunch home either. We only take enough for a meal. Should we want more to eat, it's all about going back and getting the fresh ones. Fresh is always better than frozen. I have a freezer full of halibut and sockeye fillets, so I can be picky when it come to fresh fish in the winter. Besides, it just gives me an excuse to go fishing. Tough, huh?
In case you were wondering, no, I didn't fall down the ice hole this time!!
This week, when I can get off of jury duty, we will be going out into the moose hunting woods to look for wolves and cut more burls. Lin says she needs more burls to make bowls.We know where some nice burls are growing from our traveling in moose season.
Burls grow on the sides of birch and spruce trees. We simply saw them off, dry, and hollow them out. It's a bit of a job, but they sure make nice bowls. Some are full of little "birdseye knots" and are gorgeous.It beats sitting home watching the tube. Unless it's fish watching of course.
Town folks go to the opera. We go out just to hear the wolves howl. Personally wolves howling is much nicer than hearing some opera singer's shrill screaming which sounds like a pig with it's head caught under a fence, or bellering like a bullfrog in a rain barrel.
I don't suppose that the city dwellers would think much of watching fish either.How much fun could fish watching be??
I would guess it may be as good as watching soaps. Whatever "soaps" are!

Paying Those Aweful Dues

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:46:00 +0000

It always gets my goat to get caught up in minor things that should go unnoticed. I don't go looking to get got, but I do get my share of totally getting whacked. It usually comes at the worst possible time. No, it always comes at the worst possible time.
Take, for an example New Years Eve. My wife had been bugging me to get the cob web off of the little flood light globe in the ceiling. Not such a tough duty, except it was 32 feet up to the ceiling in the front room.Instead of going out in the frozen storage shed and getting the extension rod, I decided to wet a towel and throw it up there.Surely I could hit that cob web. It was hanging down three feet!
It took a couple of tosses to hit the lamp, and then I managed to wrap the wet towel around the lamp.I don't know how many years of tossing it would have taken to be able to wrap a wet towel around a lamp globe 32 feet up in the ceiling.I managed to do it in three tosses.
Pam, from next door, showed up about then to see my miracle. She thought it was quite funny from the way she was acting.
I don't mind bringing joy to someones heart, but my dinner guests were due to show up at any minute. They were to be there for several hours due to it being New Years Eve. I know they would have seen the towel hanging up there.
My little normally sane wife found it in her heart to remind me how stupid it was to be throwing wet towels at the ceiling.She also reminded me how many weeks she had been trying to get me to get that web.
I dashed out to the shed, grabbed that frozen extension rod, and ran up the stairs. I knew it would be closer up the stairs. I actually was able to grab the wet towel the first try. Just before it caught on fire from the hot lamp shade.
Pam's husband, Wade, showed up with his extension rod to save me about then. He was in his t-shirt, and it looked like boxer shorts. It may have been some sort of Bermuda shorts. He was also in his tennis shoes. Not bad considering it was about zero outside and a foot of fresh snow.I guess he's still grateful that I whacked that big grizz that was tearing up his freezer. I think he thinks he owes me.Not really, they are just good friends and best neighbors.
My guests showed up in the next minute. I made it with a whole minute to spare!
My first fishing trip to Hidden Lake was a flop.
The ice was still too thin to be driving on, so Tom and I walked out about 200 yards and set up. Tom had managed to break the thermocouple on the propane heater. I don't do well at 10 above with no heater. I did manage to tape the plunger down on the heater and get it to work. It took me two hours to get it done.
You have no idea how cold my fingers got in two hours on a frozen lake.The fish had their mouths wired shut also. They must have been on some sort of weird diet.
Yesterday, I took my brother, Gibby and his grandson fishing. We had never fished Stormy Lake, but they wanted to try to catch some northern pike. I don't really care for pike, but it was something to do.Those pike must have been on the same diet as the lake trout in Hidden Lake.It was an enjoyable day anyways, until we got ready to leave.
I had drilled many holes through the ice for fishing. I also drilled one close to my track rig. It was the hole that I put my fish finder in.That way I could plug the finder into the power in the rig.
When we were done fishing and I was busy putting the gear back into the rig, I managed to step into that hole.The ice was about 18 inches thick. My boot slipped down the hole and into that nice cool water.Actually my foot went on down until I bottomed out with my whole leg down the hole. It was only an 8 inch wide hole. I don't know how my whole leg managed to fit down it, but fit down it did.
That was no big deal in itself. I have stepped in those holes before. The big deal was I couldn't get my boot back up out of that hole. All of a sudden, the hole that my whole leg fit into wasn't now big enough to allow my boot to come out of.I can tell you from experience, that while your foot is in ice water, is no time to try to figure out how the hole was suddenly too small.
Trying to remain calm was out the door!!
The only thing that saved me was Gibby reached down the hole and grabbed the top of the boot while I pulled enough to slip my foot out of the boot. I had saved my boot!I poured the water out of my boot and put it back on my nice cold foot.
It didn't take long to drive the track rig the mile back to where the trucks were parked.I would have liked to have taken off the wet bibs, but the zipper down at the foot was frozen stuck, as well as the whole leg of the bibs was also frozen stiff.It did thaw out in the hour drive back home.
Lin wasn't too sympathetic. She kept up with, "The old mountain man got his little foot stuck in an ice hole"!!"How dumb is that"?? " Didn't even catch a fish"!
The next time we go fishing I'm going to drill a lot of holes for her so she will have a nice selection to choose from.
We are having so much fun, I can hardly stand it!!

The Cold Man Cometh Again

noreply@blogger.com (Bubba) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:40:00 +0000

Darkness has come to the Kenai Peninsula once again. Along with the darkness, a bit of chilly.The sun may have came up this morning, but due to the blizzard, it wasn't making much of an appearance.I think it was suppose to arrive at ten something, and exit around three something. It's three and does seem to be getting a bit darker outside.
I managed to take a "heat gun" and thaw the door handles out on my track rig. They stayed thawed for a couple of seconds, then froze solid again. It looks like I'll be bringing the doors inside for the night, and letting all of the moisture drip out of those locks.
My little owner will have a few things to say about those doors being inside dripping on the floor. She has all three million of her Santa's' standing on and in every corner of the house. She collects few things, but those Santa's' are something she can't pass up.There surely must be room enough for my doors among those Santa's.
I went down the hill and cut her a tree, packed it back, and put it up. It wasn't quite what she was looking for, so back out in the sub-zero went old Bubba with axe in hand.This time I walked and looked hard for such a tree that she would like. Finally I found one growing on a steep hillside. It was almost to the bottom of the mountain. I dreaded cutting it but it was so cold that I couldn't bear to argue with myself for long.
The pack back up the hill almost killed me, although it was hard to feel the pain with everything that I owned frozen.She accepted the tree. The look in her eye told me that she probably wouldn't have cut it.
The tree was about 12 feet tall when it was on the stand. The only small problem was it had a little dog-leg near the bottom of the trunk, which caused it to lean a bit. Hardly noticeable, but she could see it.
After I got all of the lights on it, using a tall ladder, she had a more serious look in her eye.The tree looked OK from most angles except one side and she didn't like it.So, I took the saws-all and whacked it off about 3 feet to get above the dog-leg.Now it stands fairly straight, except only about 8 feet tall.
She likes real tall trees, but this one will work for this year.Next year I'm cutting one 32 feet tall. That's how far it is to the ceiling. Don't know yet how I'll get it through the french doors in front, but I figure it out some how. I have a year to work on it!!
Some idiot once said that it gets too cold to snow.Well, it started snowing at 5 below zero today and it has warmed all the way up to 5 above, and still snowing. I guess that white stuff IS snow. I know I'll be out plowing in the morning if we want to go anywhere.Must be that old "Global Warming" taking place.
It has been below cold for a week and the lakes are getting a good start on an ice pack. Can't wait till it will hold my track rig.
This time of the year is awkward. It's too early to ice fish and too late to water fish. Boring as heck!!
It's the time when we put up our camping stuff and drag out our ice fishing gear.
I've been bragging about that new ice hut that's on sale down at the fish store. Lin has been sympathetic, but hasn't conceded that it is something we need.I think I'll surprise her with a new ice hut for Christmas! I have already surprised her with a new Garmin GPS complete with a topo map of the whole state of Alaska. She desperately needs it for running the swamps during moose season.
Only fear of too many surprises for her has prevented me from purchasing the ice hut for her.It seems like I can faintly remember threats last year when this subject came up. I vaguely remember something about me sleeping in it if I did.?? Naw, must be my old memory slipping a bit.