2019 Alberta Elk Hunt

[Walkingeagle]

Hello everyone,
Well September has arrived once again and very soon I will be headed off to our annual elk hunt. My buddy and I have been doing this hunt since 1994, so this year is the 25th. Throughout the years others have joined, and faded away, with this years attendance is looking like five (ourselves, his uncle, his son and my son-in-law).
The camp usually consists of wall tent set-ups, and will again this year, however I will be bringing my RV due to my active chemo timing in hopes of making things a little easier.
We are hunting the elk in the deep river valleys of the Peace River area where steep and thick is very common. These are not easy hunts. Many years we have left empty handed, but usually manage at least one elk.
I am the only person who hunts with traditional muzzleloaders to ever attend, and this year am bringing my GPH .50 percussion with 370gr home cast Maxiballs, and am quite excited. I have allotted 2 weeks for this hunt, and head out Sept 16th (our season opens the 17th).
I am hoping to continue this thread much like a journal entry each night of my own day at the camp. Each days experience, sights, sounds smells, etc. and hopefully some may find it enjoyable. With luck I will also be able to speak of success!
Take care.
Walk

 

[Britsmoothy]

This sounds good.

 

[lwscrim]

I am looking forward to following this adventure!

 

[Ames]

Can I be your "other cousin"? This hunt sounds like a dream!

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Wish you a safe and successful hunt! Waiting for page two. Dan.

 

[ppg1949]

Sounds like a lot of fun even if no one brings home an elk. Have fun and let us know on the flip side how it went.

 

[poker]

Best of luck Walk! That truly does sound like a great hunt headed your way.

 

[Walkingeagle]

I should also mention that there will be at least one black bear tag in my pocket (we are allowed two here in Alberta) as the bear will be very high on my priority list. The cancer I am fighting severely impacts my digestive system, and as such I have not been able to digest fat of any sort for the last couple years. This has resulted in significant weight loss. So, my hope is that black bear fat will be an exception and thus allow for weight gain. This should in fact also allow for potentially my recording more than one successful hunt within this “journal”.
Thanks for the well wishes and looking forward to reporting back nightly.
See ya’ll on the 16th.
Walk

 

[Boomerang]

Sounds really exciting! A semi live traditional bear and elk hunt. Thanks for taking us along on your hunt.

 

[yonderin]

Enjoy and Good Luck to you. Please give us a report when you can.

 

[Patrick Thomas]

This will be good. Looking forward to following along with you.

 

[LeRoy 58]

Good luck to you WalkingEagle!
I am so jealous of you and your crew.
I live in Mannville, AB. now. Previously lived in Edgerton. We used to go up to Whitecourt and the Virginia hills back in the day, but most of our crew, have gone on to greener pastures, and work has left me with no time. I am going to remedy that next year, by gawd!
The shotgunners are banging away as I type this, as you know it's goose/duck season as well.

Anyways... looking forward to your adventure!!

 

[Brokennock]

I look forward to future installments and wish you all the best in your hunt and your battle.

 

[Logcutter]

Good luck walkingeagle, good hunting.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Well the hunt is getting close. Grub is fully assembled and packed, as is the clothing. Hunting bag (I use an old canvas bag that I have hunted with since my father gave it to me at age 17. A looong time ago!) is loaded up with my necessary ML gear plus the essentials necessary in our modern world anymore (as an fyi, going forward In this journal I hope to make no further references to anything modern). My leather shooting bags are just too small as I do not wear a pack when hunting. I do have a fine handmade skinner made by Two Feathers (member here) that I hope to show in a few success pictures. As well a small hand forged neck knife. Should a fire be necessary, it will be lit by flint and steel, for the first actual time in my life. All thats left is to fill my water supply and slowly count down the remaining 64 hours until I pull out for the expedition.
I am having one problem however, my self built .54 Plains rifle is silently screaming at me for choosing to use the GPH .50 and maxiballs. It honestly is nagging at me so don’t be surprised if I make the switch prior to the hunt. It does seem right to use her as an elk is the only big game animal (of those I target) she has not collected for me. Her first was a nice little moose in fact. Them .530 round balls are very effective indeed!
Anyhow, thats it for now.
Best always
Walk

 

[Zonie]

Just remember, taking along a modern BIC lighter is a sure fire way of getting a flint and steel to light a fire. (You can hide it in a pair of socks so no one will notice it). (This goes along with the Boy Scouts motto, "Be prepared." )

 

[Big Rviers]

Your post brings back fond memories of many Alberta elk hunting trips before I became a wet coaster. The last week of September was our annual elk hunting trip for over 35 years in the foothills west of the ram river. Great trips that spawned many stories, adventures and filled the freezer. Looking forward to your journal and stories. May your trip be blessed by a dry camp, good luck and straight shooting.

 

[Walkingeagle]

39 hours to departure....
Hunting partner just arrived in camp. Trail in is impassable with my “tin tepee” so time to make a mad dash and repack for wall tent again. Oh well, that is how an elk camp should be. Btw, the trail in is only 9 miles off modern road, but takes a minimum of 1 hour in good conditions, so it must be real bad this year.
Have not firmly settled on which rifle will join me yet, still pondering....
Walk

 

[Brokennock]

Take both. Good hunting...

 

[Big Rviers]

Just remember, taking along a modern BIC lighter is a sure fire way of getting a flint and steel to light a fire. (You can hide it in a pair of socks so no one will notice it). (This goes along with the Boy Scouts motto, "Be prepared." )

Great advise. In fact I've a habit of tucking Bic's in my hunting shirts, jackets, pants, packs, possible bag (to blacken sights)...everywhere. So many in fact that when I passed thru airport security on an international trip some years ago the security guard asked me if I smoked. I said no why?. He then proceeded to remove a half dozen Bic's he saw on the X-ray that I had secreted in my carry on pack. Much to the merriment of my wife who could hardly stand she was laughing so hard.