Morning. It's day 11 and here we are in the cook tent
There's Ian looking marvelous and happy. We're done. Cole came in last night
He fetched the meat out. We've got the rack out, the moose is completely boned out on
top of the ridge. We've done it all. We've self packed, self-guided
Beaten ourselves to death in the Alaskan wilderness. But we've done it and it's
been the hell of an experience, it's been absolutely fantastic
We're just chilling today, just gonna get everything packed up ready to go in the morning
Coles gonna pull us out so there we go. We'll speak to you in the morning just for
plane goes but pretty much lazy day today
Catch you in a bit.
And so it's the penultimate day before we finally leave
camp and fly into town. So we're planning a little rest and relaxation which I
think we deserve after two pretty epic days up in the mountains. Of course
yesterday we will full-on packing out the moose and rack, returning pretty late
to camp and enjoying a restful night. But my bones are weary and my joints are
still aching. I can certainly feel that we put in a monumental effort over the
past couple of days. But now it's done and we're just putting our feet up and
enjoying this beautiful landscape.
In all honesty, we're both a bit emotional that we're leaving tomorrow
It's our last night in paradise
but after this incredible adventure we're also looking forward to heading
home to see our loved ones and share our stories
Steve's already started packing
and we believe Cole is planning on collecting us pretty early tomorrow
morning at around 8:30 a.m. and we should be back in civilization by mid-afternoon.
The scenery here is fantastic, it's just a great place to be
even if you're not hunting. But we're not quite finished yet. I still have the
Air Arms s510 TDR and my small game license
I'm going to head out again this afternoon and see if we can bag some
ptarmigan and have some fresh meat ready
for dinner tonight, rather than the diet of sausage and mountain house that's been
keeping us alive the past couple of weeks
These pesky ptarmigan have been getting the better of me all trip and it doesn't
look like that's gonna change anytime soon
They love the patches of willow in these sheltered valleys close to the creeks
and I can hear them chattering to one another as I approach
But alas, nothing sits long enough for me to make a clean shot
I take the opportunity to glass for a few moments more to see if I can spot
that monster bull we saw a few days ago. I'd like to tip my cap to him one more
time before I leave. He was a worthy adversary and I'm confident we'll be
reunited in the future
And so, it's mountain house once more, but as usual there's no complaint from the wild man
So, it's day 12 of our epic hunting adventure to Alaska and it's been a
pretty epic hunt. It's been absolutely fantastic hasn't it. From start to finish.
With the weather everything that's been really good
You can't expect this consistent good weather here in Alaska. Last year, you
know, we were rained in four or five days at a time and then once an animal was
down it rained again and it kind of sucked the soul out of you. But when you
finished, it was a huge accomplishment. Now here's been slightly different
because the weather hasn't really worked in our favor has it
Well, as we both know
a bit of rain does bring the animals out they want to move they want to get dry
This time it's been completely different. It's really cold at night and then
really warm in the day. The temperature swing has been quite vast from night to
a day. So the animals have been coming out in the morning for about half past
ten as soon as the Sun cleared the mountain then the feeling well I'm a bit
too warm with a big heavy coats on and bump, back in the willow again. So, it's been it's
been quite hard work that in that respect hasn't it?
Yeah, but in some ways you've got to get the measure of both types of weather
because we've actually been able to hunt
all 10 days that we've been here which is unusual. Normally we're
sat in the tent telling jokes and stories and making fun of each other
We still have done a bit of that but mainly in the evenings. But I have to say this
has been magnificent scenery that the places that Cole has put us to hunt have
been fantastic we've seen animals every day wherever we've been. Sometimes it's
not animals were hunting. We've seen a lot of grizzly bear about at the last place
Three caribou, two of which we took. And here the valley is alive with moose you
know, it's just about everywhere. Now when we came last year we were
being guided. Some of the decisions are made for you. But this year, everything
we've decided - what equipment were gonna bring, the pilot we're going to use, of
course, he's chosen spots for us as he should do because he knows what the
animals are. But we planned our own stalks, we've got into our own animals
Steve's butchered, I packed out or we packed out together and every step of this
journey has been our own adventure which has been quite exciting
Everything from the to the time that you go to bed, it's your
decisions where you go, which direction we hunt in, which valley we look at
today. It's been a revelation hasn't it?
Yeah and it just goes to show that all
of the skills that you know back home from deer hunting in the UK or from
the other adventures we've been on around the world
everything's applicable to this sort of environment. You just got to plan well in
advance. Don't take anything for granted, don't be complacent. Get yourself in
shape, make sure the equipment's right and make sure that you're taking
every precaution when you're going out into the world this is a dangerous place
not only the conditions can they change but there are animals out here that bite
as well. Particularly late in the evenings when you're going out for your ablutions
don't leave anything to chance and if you respect Alaska it will repay
you and it has done for us on this trip.
Well it has done on two trips I think, both trips
Especially this one, with being ourselves on our own. It's been
changing really you know?
Life changing, I'd agree with that. We've also picked out a few
bits of equipment here. Now, last time we came up we went through all of the
equipment were going to take with us and that was pretty much the same you'll see
very similar clothing but there's been a few additions this year they've kind of
changed things for us. I'm just gonna run through those with you to let you know
some of the things you might consider if you're planning your ownself guide a
trip to Alaska. So Steve what you got there?
First of all, my knives. These are
knives that I work with back at home, so I bought one boning knife, two siding
knives which have been absolutely fantastic for me. They've made my job so
much easier as butchering the animals, skinning it, preparing it. The next big
thing has been frame pack from Barney Sports Chalet. Frontier Gear of Alaska
Last year I had a Mystery Ranch Pack, we both did. It's really good packs for what we
did but when we've been packing out a way to pack you know these have been
brilliant they fit them for you in the Sports Chalet there. The guy takes your
measurements and he makes sure it fits properly around your hips and your
shoulders and the bag comes off as you have seen in the films so you can strap
the meat to the frame you're not carrying the extra weight of
the bag and it's just more secure and solidly robust for when you're walking
those miles from that heavy heavy weight. It has made a big difference to me
especially. And the third thing is disco cube. This has been a lifesaver. When we've
been in the tent at night and Ian has been telling the same stories with
different twists as long as we go. We can put some music on and just sit there and
drown out the noise. It's been absolutely brilliant
The pack I totally agree with
you know I've taken my pack off and I've used it to get racks out, so it gives you
the best of both worlds. The carrying capacity of the pack itself particularly
gear in there, but also, when you kill an animal and bringing out meat on the bone
having that pack to be able to tie things to is great. Steve, obviously, you work your
magic with your knives anyways. I probably wouldn't bring such a
sophisticated selection of knives. They allowed you to work so quickly on the
beast that I could just keep packing so for me it was what really useful to be
able to get up the mountain put another load back on and get
straight back down again. And yeah, I totally agree. That disco cube, it just
lifts the atmosphere, particularly when you've had a tough day a bit of music
going on in the background, I'd agree with all the Steve's. Now, for me
it's been a little bit different. So I've done all the cooking here. We invested in
this Jetboil Genesis space camp system. Which is got a pot and a frying pan
dual burner and rather than just eating mountain house or using those Coleman's
Stoves, which are quite heavy, this has been amazing. We've only used just towards the
end of the two gas bottles since we've been here which is coming on for two
weeks. Now last year was, with the old Coleman stove that Tony was using, I think we've
got through something like twelve gas bottles which was horrendous.
So it's really efficient, it boils really quickly. Just kept mixing things
up which was pretty good. This also folds into one compact carrying case
so highly recommend that from Jetboil. It also means you can take substantially
less gas which is also quite a lot of weight. Which we'll know for next time.
It's of course in addition to the Jetboil Sumo. We've only used one and
a half tins of gas on that too so very very efficient stuff.
The second is this Hawke Endurance ED
20-60x85 spotting scope. Without this I don't
think we'd have been out of plan for any of our stalks this has got such a pin
sharp sight picture we've got some great footage for the digi-scoping adaptor
It really has been a game changer for me in terms of us being able to see the
landscape, being able to pick out the animals. Do they have two brow tines, three
brow tines? Looking at changes in body size and type, particularly the two big bulls
we saw crossing the valley there. Also looking into valleys and seeing the
difference between this Ridge and that Ridge so you can see how deep the valley
is beyond you could plan your stalk. And this Vanguard lightweight tripod once
again really stable and it perfectly complements that Hawke spotting scope so
this has been a game changer for me and you've seen me
over the course of the two weeks looking through that quite a lot
And then this Garmin InReach Explorer
Now this is basically our safety device. It's a
satellite communication device but more than that it allows you to plot points
on the map so you can track your journey so when you've been out stalking it
shows you exactly where you've gone. It tracks waypoints every two minutes so
people back home can see where you are on the mountain. It's allowed us to plot
camp observation points where we've taken animals and then we can track our
way back following our path. Of course, as you've seen, we have tags with
a little colored tape the trails as we've gone out. Also it's very handy
having this so you know exactly where the animals are particularly the dark
you can get back to camp you can't see it a long way a very useful bit of kit
and it's allowed me to stay in touch at home so I could send a couple of
text messages every day, let my wife know where I am and then just stay in touch
The weather forecasts on this has also been absolutely spot-on. Refresh it
every day it gives you every two to three hours a new weather forecast and
it's been pretty much accurate if you're looking for some forward communication
we are out in the wilderness, Garmin Inreach, I can highly recommend that
Last but not least, I have to say a big shout out to this. Which is my
Sauer 404 Synchro XT C. It's the carbon stock version and the Hawke Endurance 6-24x50 scope
Now, this combination has been amazing
I like the long-range centerfire reticle. It allows you different aim points and
you just need to tweak it on the magnification to make sure it suits your
ammunition. It's been lightweight, it's been compact, it's been dropped a few
times. Steve actually used my rifle to break his fall and we're coming down
packing out the other day and it still shoots straight. When you are
packing a heavy load of meat you've got to take your rifle to protect yourself
from grizzly bears. It only weighs in about 6 pounds in total so it's the
perfect mountain hunting rifle, combined with a long range hunting scope that's
got really good crisp optics. We've got lots of equipment here
But the most important thing mate has been your company.
It really has been a pleasure hunting with you
And you yet again! We make a great team. I know you can come on your own
but it's great to share it with somebody. It's a sense of shared
achievement. Things get tough and things get tired and I've had times this week
where I found it rough. Steve picks me up and vice versa and this is an
opportunity that you have to share with somebody to really truly pass on just
how magnificent it is. So I can highly recommend to anybody who's looking at
planning your own hunt. If you are from outside America, you'll need to register with a guide
Once again, thanks ever so much Steve. It's been amazing spending the week with you
It has been a good one. Do take the opportunity to get yourself up here and
experience and Alaska's wilderness hunting at its very best
Cole arrives on time and we start packing our little kingdom into the plane
It's imperative that we recognize the importance of choosing the right bush pilot
No matter how good a hunter you are, if you're dropped too far from the game or in
areas that make it impossible to reach your quarry, you won't be successful
Cole spends months scouting for the very best hunting areas to ensure his clients have
the very best chance of success
It's with a heavy heart that we leave this magnificent place for another year
Whilst it might sound a little melodramatic, this extraordinary
landscape has provided what can only be described as life-changing experiences
for two ordinary boys from Derbyshire. In a little over 12 months we've harvested
no fewer than 10 big-game animals. Including four caribou, two black bear
two grizzly bear and two spectacular trophy bull moose. It's an achievement
that few will have a match, if at all.
As we finally approach civilization, I take
a few moments to close my eyes and remember some of the highlights of our
adventure and the special moments that made this our greatest ever hunt
Souvenirs
And he says Wildy's already offered.
Offered what?
He said to rub your feet
I said 'Do you know how I know that's a lie?'
Ans he said 'Cause it's Wildy'
You've got another one here- Oh no, it's just a dirty mark
It's okay, I'll sweat it out
Have a wash mate, have a wash.
Onward Guys! Onward!
That seemed like that could have gone wrong
I thought about it twice and then I thought 'I gotta go'
How's my hair looking?
Beautiful
I struggled a bit this morning
Hard work
Those drugs are kicking in though
Have you ever tried talking to you?
Well, you don't talk to me, you talk at me and over me.
There is a difference
Is that a bear? [Steve Laughs]
Binoculars!
You're not filming are you?
Yeah
Oh No!
So give us a clap
[Laughs] And whenever you're ready
On the optics, which help having increased light- [clears throat]
But it does have dielectric coating
[JAMES] When you're ready
So it's been a pretty busy day
Wildy and Blades here have been busy on the knives
So well done James on spotting your first moose
We're gonna bring you more often I think
[IAN] Maybe
[STEVE] Perhaps
[JAMES] Okay, give us a clap
[laughs] and away you go
[IAN] Did you see how fast that was? Are you sure that wasn't a mosquito?
[STEVE] Anticipation now mate
[STEVE sighs]
Okay then, SausageFest!
Afro Cheese!
Well, I think we go down there because I don't think it's as far as you think it is
When we get onto that nole over there, we're gonna be halfway to it
[Steve] Really?
[IAN] Yeah
[Ian] I'm sick of all these moose, Wildy. I'm sick of them.
I love moose hunting
[COLE] You can just put it in a bag, Mark. If you've got a Ziploc or something
[Steve] Put it down your trousers!
[COLE using an English accent] Put it down your trousers!
[Steve] There you go! You got it!
[IAN] Tell you what, you can go straight to Australia
[EVERYONE LAUGHS]
[IAN] Well, I fit in Steve and James fits in me so it's like a tri-way spoon
[Ian] It's nice
[IAN] You should try it, you know, if your kind of bored
I hope you enjoyed our adventure as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you
but don't worry this is not the end for we'll be back again soon
And one of you may be joining us
[Steve] Aww, are we hugging? Oh look!
you