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Thread: Living off the land - alaska

  1. #21
    Wilderness Traveller Brooks Range's Avatar
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    I just finished up a book about the experience but I can't tell you what it's called. Forum rules.

    Buck
    Last edited by Brooks Range; 12-12-2015 at 11:42 AM. Reason: Removed Book Title


  2. #22
    Senior Member ClayPick's Avatar
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    My kind of adventure! I just got the Kindle version of your book from Amazon and look forward to the read once winter sets in.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brooks Range View Post
    I just finished up a book about the experience:


    Thanks!

    Buck

    Will be pming you , I'll take you up on that PDF and perhaps if you'd care to we could discuss some aspects of living bush and the " Alaska Experience". I've lived , trapped etc in several different locations in the Far North , some input I might offer is more geared towards *living* in the bush for extended periods , but some may well have validity for the " traveling through" sort of scenario.

    One thing you already found out for yourself but that is even more *crucial* during the winter is the fact that *fat intake is survival*. Something you might consider adding to your loadout that takes up very little room is a compass and a spare , a GPS is all well and good but if the batteries go or the technology has an insurmountable problem it can leave you up the creek without a paddle.

    Lotsa other things to discuss , nowadays I split my time between the Far North and a couple of locations on " the Outside".

  4. #24
    Wilderness Traveller Brooks Range's Avatar
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    Hi RoninAmok, a compass and a spare is a great idea. I had both. I linked to my gear list but forum rules prohibit it.
    Last edited by Brooks Range; 12-12-2015 at 11:43 AM. Reason: Removed URL

  5. #25
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Why not just copy and paste your gear list if you want others to see it?
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  6. #26
    Wilderness Traveller Brooks Range's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by crashdive123 View Post
    Why not just copy and paste your gear list if you want others to see it?
    That's an good idea but the way it's laid out it wouldn't copy and paste very well. I just wanted to post it to show a compass and a spare were in fact on my gear list.

    I am a big fan of GPS but a compass is a smart backup. I usually have one on my watch band.
    Alone in the Fortress of the Bears
    70 Days Surviving Wilderness Alaska: Foraging, Fishing, Hunting

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brooks Range View Post
    Hi RoninAmok, a compass and a spare is a great idea. I had both. I linked to my gear list but forum rules prohibit it.


    Apologies , I missed it under "misc gear".........you might be surprised at how many folks fail to take a compass as a backup. Dependence solely on electronic gadgets can potentially have very deleterious consequences. Likewise folks often find out that their latest , greatest ultra-lightweight backpacking gear isn't up to the rigors of extended bush time.

  8. #28
    Wilderness Traveller Brooks Range's Avatar
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    I put together a highlight video of the experience:

    Alone in the Fortress of the Bears
    70 Days Surviving Wilderness Alaska: Foraging, Fishing, Hunting

  9. #29
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Looks fantastic. It appears that you had a bounty of food to eat.
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  10. #30
    Wilderness Traveller Brooks Range's Avatar
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    You are right crashdive. There was definitely a bounty of food in that area, the challenge was getting it to cooperate! It took about six weeks to catch my first halibut, and nearly that long for deer season to open and to find a legal buck. The berries weren't ripe at first and the salmon weren't running either.

    When I finally "turned the corner" the canner is what made the difference. I could can a big halibut, or a deer, or big catch of salmon, then hang it all in a tree cache, ready for when my luck was bad or when the weather and/or the ocean was rough. There were times when I could choose from canned crab, or halibut, or deer, or salmon, along with a couple jars of uncanned berries.
    Alone in the Fortress of the Bears
    70 Days Surviving Wilderness Alaska: Foraging, Fishing, Hunting

  11. #31

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    I wouldn't take an AR 15 ever if I needed to survive ..let alone Alaska with big carnivores. The .223 is the worst survival cartridge ever. It blows up small game so bad you can't eat it, it won't quickly take down large game ...you'll never find it and it will just inhumanely bleed to death somewhere. The .223 was made for just shooting people, period. That is why the .223 is not a legal deer cartridge in any of the 50 states. I'd want something in a serious 30 caliber. You can get 220 grain soft points in a 30.06 if you had to have a minimum gun for alaska ....
    SE OhioPrepper

  12. #32

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    The .223 is not a legal round for deer in FL? Or GA?

    hmmm
    Last edited by madmax; 05-02-2017 at 04:41 PM.

  13. #33
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    You have to cut him some slack Max, he's from Ohio.

    Ohio just discovered that people in other states shoot deer with rifles of any kind. They just moved away from the "shotgun only" rule a couple of years ago.

    They allow only straight walled cases and no 30 caliber cartridge is allowed. It is all .35 or greater.

    North of them (Mich) the .223 is allowed and south of them (KY) the .223 is allowed.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 05-02-2017 at 07:02 PM.
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  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ohio Rusty View Post
    I wouldn't take an AR 15 ever if I needed to survive ..let alone Alaska with big carnivores. The .223 is the worst survival cartridge ever. It blows up small game so bad you can't eat it, it won't quickly take down large game ...you'll never find it and it will just inhumanely bleed to death somewhere. The .223 was made for just shooting people, period. That is why the .223 is not a legal deer cartridge in any of the 50 states. I'd want something in a serious 30 caliber. You can get 220 grain soft points in a 30.06 if you had to have a minimum gun for alaska ....
    SE OhioPrepper
    Better check your facts before making statements.

    The .223 is NOT illegal in all 50 states
    Many people hunt caribou and moose with .223 in Ak, it may not be perfect for game that large but it works under the right conditions.

    And since you made that statement, please explain your experience with the .223 and hunting with it. Which bullets did you use for which game animal?

  15. #35
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    I agree....better check your facts.
    and agree there are better rounds....
    But
    Wisconsin ...it is illegal to hunt deer with a firearm LESS THAN .22 center fire.
    From Reg book Quote
    Rifles
    • Rifles must have an overall minimum length of 26 inches with a 16 inch minimum barrel
    length unless the user has a federal license to possess a “short-barreled” rifle.
    It is illegal to:
    • hunt deer with any center-fire rifle less than .22 caliber, any rimfire rifle, or air gun.

    http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wm/WM0431.pdf
    Last edited by hunter63; 05-02-2017 at 08:58 PM.
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  16. #36
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    It's all about shot placement (you knew that was coming didn't you?).

  17. #37
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    ....sight picture....
    ...use FMJ ....holes bleed on both sides, better for trackin'
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  18. #38

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    Really great and inspiring read. Thanks!

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