COLD BAY, ALASKA TRIP
NOTES
10-20-11 through
10-29-11
Jim Crews
10-20 Thursday
Jackson to Atlanta to Seattle to Anchorage
Overnight at the Lakeshore Inn. Nice people and very
supportive of hunting. Alaskan fish mount display and brown
bear in motel lobby.
10-21 Friday
Early visit to Carr's Grocery in Anchorage for
supplies. I barely remember.
10:00 flight to Cold Bay. Alaskan independence:
during PenAir flight, cabin door was open and stewardess chatting
with pilots.
Arrival at Cold Bay, then settled in at Camp. Late afternoon
ptarmigan shoot along Frosty Creek. Ramsey and I got 4/4 from
the first flock - good start to the trip. Learned about
ptarmigan flights and habits; also learned about 6" deep bear
trails worn down along stream and lake banks through
millennia. First view of Izembek Lagoon from a tall
hill. Sat in "World-famous Rock Chair of Cold Bay."
Finished the day with about a dozen birds. Cold (40 degrees) cloudy
and windy.
Dinner cooked by Bryan: Pan-fried halibut, green beans and
rice. 25 year-old Macallan Scotch obliterated.
10-22 Saturday
Morning diver hunt.
Jeff waited for first light then instructed us to load up,
because we were "going in hot" - not for a jump shot, but because
of bears. Sow and cub were right at our duck hole. Jeff
and Bryan ran the bears away with shouts and gunshots.
Freshwater diver lake, with nutrients because of salmon
presence. Many lakes in area are sterile. We killed a
couple of buffleheads and greater scaup; 3 Taverner's
Canadas. Saw my first goldeneyes. Bryan killed a teal
and a goose during a walk. Green-headed, red-backed sockeye
salmon "tailing" in shallow cove. Cold, wind, 30's.
Midday visit to Cold Bay liquor store: $30 for 18 Buds;
$40 for a fifth of Jameson's Irish whiskey.
10-22 (PM)
Harlequin hunt in Cold Bay on barnacle-rock
island. Sea otter sighting gave new name of "Alaskan Otter
Hole." Used Achilles inflatable boat and 20 hp Tohatsu
motor. Saw Pacific eider, all 3 scoters, oldsquaw, emperor
geese, red-breasted merganser and of course, Harlequins.
At least 200 Harlewins passed our position, some flying and some
drifting in a swift rip to our left. I shot my first; RR got
a great photo of my retrieve, with 3 harlequins flying unseen to my
front. Jeff had custom handmade decoys and I shot all of my 3
drakes on classic decoying shots. RR got 2 and stopped to
take pictures, saying he might get the other 2 later while hunting King Eiders at St. Paul
Island. Weather - Sun/wind/rain
10-23 (AM) Sunday
Too rough to go back to Harlequins so we set up for scoters in
Cold Bay. Slow. Fewer ducks than yesterday.
Knocked down 3 black scoters and picked up only 1.
10-23 (PM)
Eagle landed on light pole behind camp while I was
on phone with Allison.
Brown bear on hill across river by camp. Photo-stalk.
Emperor Goose photos and
Pacific Black Brant
hunting at Izembek Lagoon. Slow, but RR and I each got a
nice brant from a group of 3 for our only shot of the
afternoon. Sunny and nice.
Pork chops, Brussels sprouts and blackeyed peas - new to the
Wisconsin boys
Birds observed: Murres; loons, gulls, guillemots, Tundra
swans, Bald eagles; Steller's eiders, Magpies, ravens, Arctic terns
(?)
Misc.: cranky Suburban; inflatable boats; broke camera;
WWII history - Battle of the Aleutians; Alaskan self-sufficiency;
several abortive efforts at teal in creek.
10-24 (AM) Monday
Late dawns way up here - first light is 9:00 or so.
Hunting more tidally influenced than by sun. Launched at Cold
Bay at 10:13. Harlequin hunt along shore just north of Cold
Bay. I got my 4th after missing 2. 25-30
duck flock decoyed. All harlequins taken on both hunts are prime
drakes and all will come home! RR took plenty of pics of
decoying harlequins, scoters, scenery.
Saw eagles, all 3 scoters and oldsquaw, but not in right
location for sea ducks other than harlequins. Wolf tracks on
beach.
Sunny and nice
10-24 (PM)
Ptarmigan hunt with RR, Jeff and Bryan. Group shot 2
dozen +/-.
Coast guard hunters on taxpayers' dime
Red fox with ptarmigan in camp drive at dark.
Had to buy another fifth of Jameson's - inflation hits Cold Bay:
from $40 to $48 in less than 24 hours!
Cold and cloudy
Dinner: Grilled Pacific Black
Brant! Everyone had seconds and some thirds. No
leftovers!
10-25 Tuesday
No AM hunt - 50 mph wind, sleet, snow.
PM: Walked down to Izembek Lagoon despite howling wind and
freezing air. I killed a Taverner's and RR and Bryan teamed
on another. Jeff took a long walk and killed a goose and a couple
of mallards and pintails.
Saw Eurasian/American widgeon flock. RR got great
photos. Lots of pintails, but none close enough to
shoot.
RR found caribou shed on way back; brown bear around curve in
road on way to camp.
10-26 Wednesday
Izembek Lagoon brant, geese and ducks from rock
blind (covered in eelgrass) at Quarter Point
Eurasian hen and cackler passed in easy range before anyone was
loaded
Annie's heroic retrieve on black brant
4 brant from 1 flock; 4 Canadas from next; 2 drake pintails from
3rd
Passed on decoying trio of brant to allow photography - great
shots with camera
Killed Taverner's after RR missed (Ha!)
Bryan killed pintails and teal on walk-about
Killed a few more geese throughout afternoon, before 50 mph gale
blew in with rain, hail and sleet from the Bering Sea. Left
boat and walked out. Heavy load and hurt knee made things
tough. Thank goodness for Bryan walking to boat landing!
Rock cairn with dog tag marking retriever's final hunting
ground
Bald eagles are part of the landscape - hardly any other birds
of prey observed
Another bear by school bus boat ramp on way back
Leftover vegetables for dinner- too tired to cook
To Bar that night - foosball with local beauties - bar open only
on Wednesdays and Saturdays
10-27 - Thursday
Cackler Cove all day and almost to night. Tide didn't come
back as charted and Jeff navigated us in the dark, straight to boat
landing at 9:00 pm. RR proclaimed him "The King of Izembek"
upon safe arrival. Thank goodness I had stashed some Bud in
the truck!
We killed 3 Taverner's; Bryan hunted alone and killed 2 HUGE
greenheads, 2 teal and a hen Eurasian/American widgeon hybrid
Pacific brant are gathering in huge flocks and hard to
move/work. Staging for migration to Baja is underway and soon
they will depart.
Weather "mild"- high 30s and, for Cold Bay, "no" wind - 10-15
mph.
Saw (1) big flock of mixed puddlers, including at least 1
gadwall - of course! (2) giant flock of Steller's eiders on the way
in.
Saw 3 gorgeous red foxes on road.
10-28 Friday
To Anchorage - dinner at Glacier Brewery, then early to
sleep.
10-29 Saturday
Anchorage to Seattle to Atlanta to Jackson
Trophy birds arrived frozen and in excellent shape.
Species
Taken:
Mallard
Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Eurasian/American widgeon hybrid
Taverner's Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Pacific Black Brant
Harlequin duck
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Greater Scaup
Willow Ptarmigan
Other Species
Observed:
American widgeon
Eurasian Widgeon
Common Goldeneye
Gadwall
Oldsquaw (Long-tailed Duck)
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Common Eider
Tundra Swan
Emperor Goose
Steller's eider
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