Eagles, Bears and Kings on the Alagnak River

Eagles, Bears and Kings on the Alagnak River

In Alaskan backcountry on the Alagnak River, the myth of wilderness in the form of a fierce, wild, strong King Salmon is just a cast away. Alaska. The Alagnak River. July. As from my boat I watched eagles, ospreys and bears hunt along the river, I realized that man...
Year of the Wuhan

Year of the Wuhan

Author Jake Jacobson shares some positive experiences as both a hunter and guide in Alaska during the challenging year of 2020. 2020 began cold;  -1 Fahrenheit in Kodiak. Snow had come in early December 2019 and accumulated to a non-drifted depth of 46 inches in my...
The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice

No whites nor shred of camo, yet Dad and I inched forward toward a Dall sheep ram just over the ridge and across a small valley.   It was the twenty third day of our hunt. For weeks we had been living like monks high in the rocky monastery of Alaska’s Chugach...
Monarchs with the Curling Horns

Monarchs with the Curling Horns

“Ram!” It kicks you in the heart when you hear it hissed by your guide, or better yet, when you whisper it to yourself on a solo hunt. They surely do have a hold me, those monarchs with the curling horns. Always have, at least since I can remember. Over...
An Alaskan Fishing Valhalla

An Alaskan Fishing Valhalla

If you’re looking for rainbow trout the size of salmon, Crystal Creek Lodge awaits. Of all the world’s trout and salmon fisheries, none hold a fly rod to Bristol Bay, Alaska. It sits at the eastern most arm of the Bering Sea and is 250 miles long and 180 miles wide at...
All That Alaska Allows

All That Alaska Allows

You can do it all on Alaska’s rivers as long as you’ve got the right outfitter and guides.  The idea is traditional. Go to the wilderness. Fish and hunt. Everything. Moose. Bears. Waterfowl. Salmon. Whatever pops up. It’s what sportsmen used to do. It’s what they...
Giants Of The Earth

Giants Of The Earth

A close encounter with a huge grizzly or brown bear can be an unforgettable experience—if you survive to remember it. Come the end of September, there are few places I’d rather be than in Last Chance, Idaho, so named because enlightened lodge owners incorporated a...
Non-typical Caribou…Or What?

Non-typical Caribou…Or What?

In the early 1990’s, I had booked three gentlemen from Argentina. These fellows were eager to see and experience everything they could during their two-week stay with us at Trail Creek. That season the caribou seemed to show up in groups walking down the east side of...
Greg Fischer’s Mauling

Greg Fischer’s Mauling

Don said he saw the whole thing from less than 100 yards away and when the bear hit Greg, his rifle flew up fifteen feet into the air and the bear was on him. Grabbing Greg’s leg, the bear gave its head a quick shake, fracturing both the tibia and the fibula, then the...
Catching the Sockeye Train

Catching the Sockeye Train

My reel was hissing as line ran off it. My ten-weight fly rod was bent and shaking. My heart was beating rapidly as I felt the strong sockeye salmon fighting at the end of the line. That fish had hit my red wet fly eight feet in front of me in just over a foot of...