Gentian Camp Deer

 

This past weekend I hunted the opening weekend of deer season for the first time in a few years.  The last few years opening weekend has conflicted with excavations at Karluk Lake. This year the Karluk Lake excavation begins tomorrow and so I had a chance to get in some early season deer hunting.  

The first deer hunt in August is my absolute favorite hunt.  Everything is so green in the alpine and all the wild flowers are at their peak.  The deer are also eating the wildflowers and are at their peak in taste too.  Nothing beats the taste of early August venison.

This year a friend of my sister was in town and I took her hunting. She wanted to experience backcountry Kodiak.  She taught me how to windsurf when I was a teenager and so I re paid the debt by showing her how to hunt.

Over night there was a bright moon and it was still clear at dawn.  Right away we saw 20-30 deer and one nice buck.  Just as I got near enough to the buck to shoot the fog started to sock in.  I got the buck and then the fog totally socked in.  I just barely beat the fog!  

Then it was the long slog home with a deer on my back.  Yesterday I cut him all up and last night we had a deer roast for dinner.  It is hunting season!  But first one last little bit of archaeology before I get back to the hunting.

Patrick

A little bit of scope bite